Design and features:This is a wired home/studio-style over-ear model, and although it lacks active noise reduction, the closed design helps to reduce both outside noise and sound leaking out into your environment.
Sound quality:We found the LCD-S20 delivers sound quality that falls in the very good range - it reproduces music and voice very well although it does have some noticeable sonic quirks. The
bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has decent impact and goes fairly deep but is a bit subdued. The
midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is fairly even but a bit thin and touch grainy and upper midrange is a touch etched (a bit more sharply outlined then it should be) and prominent. The
treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended and a touch smeared. The sound also has a good sense of liveliness and is somewhat open--sound-wise it almost seems like you don't have anything plugging up your ears, and does a good job of recovering room ambience. Mixed character neutral bass and midrange and coolish treble. The overall sound can be summarized as a bit thin and a touch grainy and smeared.
Comfort and Fit:There is a sense of moderate pressure around the ears. As typical of over-ear models the ear pads might feel hot and/or sticky after prolonged use.
Large
Users with larger heads might find that the headband does not have enough adjustment range to allow the ear cups to rest properly over the ears and that the headband feels heavy and presses uncomfortably on the top of the head. Users with larger ears might find that the over-the-ear fit of the ear pads feel cramped, or that the ear pads sit on, rather than around their ears; in that case the less-than-ideal fit around the ears might interfere with the ear pad seal and reduce the bass response and/or noise reduction capabilities of the headphone.
Stability
Some users may find that when they lean far forward the headphones feel unstable and shift forward , possibly to the point of falling off.
When wearing this model while walking the muffled vibrations from each foot step can be heard slightly through the headphones regardless of whether or not the headphones are in noise cancelling mode.
When the audio cord is used the sound of it rubbing on clothing may be faintly heard through the headphones.
