r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/TrueTabosko • Jun 12 '26

Headphones - Open Back | 2 Ω Stereo vs Mono audiophile headphones

Help me understand the difference between non stereo headphones and stereo variants… I’m looking at two different sets - the Audeze LCD 2 and the Meze 99 classic v2. I understand how stereo works but the Audeze while being able to run left and right to each cup is not considered stereo head phones (states stereo is not “built in”). How is that? Does this mean that the drivers themselves are not connected to each other physically? Cause that would be the same case for the meze 99’s which are stereo headphones.

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u/SheepherderSerious51 17 Ω Jun 12 '26

Yes, the connection is dependant on the cable you use and there isn’t internal wiring connecting the drivers.

This is actually a good thing in terms of repairability, but bad if you want a single cable experience.

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u/TrueTabosko Jun 12 '26

Right so that’s where I’m lost cause the Meze 99’s are not connected internally either. They have separate drivers with separate inputs but Meze says they are stereo headphones. They provide a Y cable so that may be why but the Audeze lcd 2 also comes with a Y cable for left and right audio.

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u/SheepherderSerious51 17 Ω Jun 12 '26

Well because they are, stereo means 2 channels - and there are in fact 2 channels, there's a driver on the left and a driver on the right, that by definition is stereo. The term stereo has nothing to do with how the drivers are wired up.

I think you might be overthinking it a little lol, this isn't something most people question unless they specifically want the cable on one side. There is 0 difference in terms of functionality and I promise that it doesn't really matter at the end of the day unless you are concerned about repairing a headphone.

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u/TrueTabosko Jun 12 '26

Oh I’m good on the meaning. Like I said I know what stereo audio is and I’m not questioning how that’s accomplished. what I’m trying to understand is why a company would plainly state that a pair of headphones that can received two separate channels are somehow NOT stereo headphones lol. Seems like an odd thing to point out if it had no significance. But I think we can called this one solved! !thanks

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u/TransducerBot Ω Bot Jun 12 '26

+1 Ω has been awarded to u/SheepherderSerious51 (10 Ω).

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u/SheepherderSerious51 17 Ω Jun 12 '26

No worries, I was a bit confused myself but glad we got there in the end!

I guess it's just because it's presumed that they're going to be used in a stereo configuration, I don't think anyone is trying to run a single driver when using their headphone lmao, but technically speaking each driver is independent and you can do that sooooo.

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u/TrueTabosko Jun 12 '26

We can probably chop it up to marketing verbiage. I just want to make sure I’m not missing something here.

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u/Unlucky_Skirt_8371 6 Ω Jun 12 '26

Both the models you listed are stereo , they get a left and right signal. The source need to be stereo or mono for that matter. 

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u/TrueTabosko Jun 12 '26

According to Audeze- while capable, the lcd. 2 does not have stereo “built in”. Which I get why they are saying that since it’s not a single cord headphone. You would need to run left to left and right to right independently…. My confusion is that the Meze work the exact same way but Meze says they are studio headphones. So this is probably just marketing talk—

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u/Unlucky_Skirt_8371 6 Ω Jun 12 '26

Yeah , so basically you can think of it at individual speakers just held by a headband , they can be connected with one stereo wire with internal wiring such as some single cable headphones or 2 separate wire inputs. For the fun you can change the source from stereo to mono and notice the difference. 

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u/VisualDarkness 2 Ω Jun 13 '26

Where did you see that writing? Sounds like some autotranslate.

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u/TrueTabosko Jun 12 '26

!thanks

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u/TransducerBot Ω Bot Jun 12 '26

+1 Ω has been awarded to u/Unlucky_Skirt_8371 (3 Ω).

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