How We Research
Updated: 2026-09-21 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a complete recording front end that turns a mic, a guitar and a laptop into a working home studio, choose Focusrite Scarlett 2i2; if you need a serious closed-back planar headphone for tracking, monitoring and critical listening, choose Audeze LCD-S20. These two products sit at opposite ends of the same signal chain — one captures sound, the other judges it. That's exactly why the comparison is worth making.
• Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 — biggest strength: a full 2-in / 2-out USB interface with 4th-Gen mic pres, 69dB of gain, 120dB dynamic range and up to 192kHz recording, bundled with a pop filter, a headphone pair and an XLR mic cable.
• Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 — biggest trade-off: it's a recording tool, not a listening tool. The included headphones are a starter pair, so anyone chasing reference-grade monitoring will still want better cans.
• Audeze LCD-S20 — biggest strength: closed-back planar magnetic drivers with extended, dynamic bass, passive isolation and magnetically attached earpads, built from magnesium, aluminum and steel.
• Audeze LCD-S20 — biggest trade-off: it's wired and it's a headphone only — no inputs, no preamps, no recording path. It needs something upstream to be useful in a studio.
• Pick the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 if you're starting or upgrading a recording setup and need the box that everything plugs into.
• Pick the Audeze LCD-S20 if you already have an interface and want the monitoring end to be genuinely accurate — or you just want a closed-back planar for personal listening.
The Scarlett 2i2 is the front door to recording. Two combo inputs, two outputs, USB-A to USB-C to your computer, and you're capturing audio. The 4th-Gen mic preamps give you 69dB of gain range, which matters more than it sounds: it means a dynamic microphone on a quiet source still reaches a healthy level without an inline booster. The Hi-Z instrument input takes a guitar or bass directly, so you can track a DI and reamp later, or just play through an amp sim. Line inputs handle synths and keyboards.
The spec that quietly does the heavy lifting is the 120dB dynamic range from the studio-grade converters. That's the headroom between the noise floor and the loudest clean signal — the reason a 2i2 can sit next to interfaces costing considerably more and not embarrass itself. Add Air mode for harmonic character on vocals, Auto Gain to set levels without guesswork, Clip Safe to catch the take you'd otherwise lose, and Dynamic Gain Halos to see your levels at a glance, and you have a box designed for people who want to record, not troubleshoot.
Support matters here too: Windows, macOS and Linux drivers, up to 192kHz sample rate, and a bundle that includes a pop filter, a 10-foot XLR mic cable and a pair of closed-back monitor headphones. In my opinion, that bundle is the honest reason to buy this version rather than the bare interface — you can unbox it, plug in a mic, and have a complete first session.
Buy it if you're a podcaster, singer-songwriter, streamer, or producer who needs clean capture with minimal fuss. Skip it if you already own an interface you like, or if your real bottleneck is monitoring accuracy — the bundled headphones are a starting point, not a reference tool.
The LCD-S20 is the other half of the problem. It's a wired, over-ear, closed-back planar magnetic headphone — 18 ohm impedance, a 20Hz to 40kHz frequency range, and a 3.5mm jack plus a 6.3mm option for plugging into interfaces, amps and consoles. Closed-back is the key design decision. Acoustically dampened earcups block outside noise and, just as importantly in a studio, keep sound from leaking out into a live microphone. If you've ever tracked vocals with open-back headphones and heard the click bleed into the take, you understand why that matters.
The planar magnetic driver is the other half of the story. Planar designs are known for fast transient response, and Audeze pairs that here with SLAM technology, which the company says improves bass response while smoothing the midrange. The practical result, based on the design, is bass with real punch that stays composed at high volume instead of smearing. That's the profile you want for checking low end in a mix, for tracking a bass player, or for simply enjoying a record without a subwoofer.
Buy it if you record vocals or instruments and need isolation, you want an honest closed-back for mixing checks, or you're an audiophile who wants planar bass without an open-back's leakage. Skip it if you need wireless, active noise cancellation, or you're looking for your first piece of studio gear — this is a monitoring upgrade, not a starting point.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for actually recording audio → Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. It's the only one of the two with mic preamps, instrument inputs and an audio path into your computer.
• Best for accurate monitoring and mixing decisions → Audeze LCD-S20. Planar magnetic drivers with a 20Hz–40kHz range give you far more information than a bundled starter headphone.
• Best for recording vocals in the same room as the mic → Audeze LCD-S20. Closed-back, acoustically dampened earcups cut bleed; open-back designs can't.
• Best for portability and simplicity → Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. USB-powered, laptop-friendly, and it works on Windows, macOS and Linux.
• Best for high-resolution capture → Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. Up to 192kHz sample rate and 120dB dynamic range.
• Best for long-term build quality → Audeze LCD-S20. Magnesium, aluminum and steel construction with replaceable magnetic earpads.
• Best for a beginner buying one thing → Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. The bundle includes the headphones, cable and pop filter, so it's a complete first setup.
• Best for an existing studio owner → Audeze LCD-S20. If your interface is already sorted, this is the upgrade that changes what you hear.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. Not because it's the better-built product — the Audeze clearly wins on materials — but because it's the one that makes recording possible at all. Without an interface, the LCD-S20 has nothing to plug into. The 69dB gain range, 120dB dynamic range, Auto Gain and Clip Safe cover the fundamentals well, and the bundle means you can start the same day. Buy the Audeze next, once you can hear the difference it makes. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since both sit in very different budget tiers.
FAQ
Not strictly. It's a wired headphone with a 3.5mm jack and a 6.3mm option, so it works with a laptop, phone or amp. But to use it for recording or low-latency monitoring, you need an interface like the 2i2 in the chain.
At 18 ohm impedance, the LCD-S20 is easy to drive — low-impedance planars generally need current rather than huge voltage. The 2i2's headphone output is a reasonable match, though a dedicated headphone amp will typically give you more headroom.
The Audeze is built from magnesium, aluminum and steel with magnetically replaceable earpads, so it's designed to be serviced and kept. The Scarlett 2i2 is a compact desktop interface with a bundled cable and accessories — reliable, but its useful life is tied to your computer's connectivity and driver support.
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