We now move on to compare TD-DFT with CC2, looking at the spectra as well as the density difference plots. The TD-DFT NSCD spectra are provided as grey graphs in AZO-3 is the system where CC2 and TD-DFT differ the most, starting already from the ordering of the excited states. Opposite to what we observed for AZO-1 and AZO-2, TD-DFT yields stronger NSCD signals than CC2 for ES1, mainly at C2 and C7 but also at some of the other carbon nuclei (Figure ). The NSCD of ES2 also shows noticeable differences for C7 as well as the right ring carbons C2, C4, C5, and C6, and for H8, which is basically zero for TD-DFT (Figure ). ES3 is completely NSCD dark at both levels of theory. ES4-ES6 are closely spaced for both methods, yet differently ordered, as previously mentioned. Because of this, one should take care when comparing the spectral features convoluting those three transitions. In the summed spectra (Figure ), all peaks at ES2 exhibit the same sign for CC2 and TD-DFT, except for H2+H4. All in all, the combined TD-DFT NSCD spectra appear rather different from the CC2 ones in correspondence with the higher transitions.