That's exactly what I did: ditched the open EL-8 and bought an LCD-X. And I couldn't be happier. Everything that was off or missing in the EL-8 was brought to outstanding fruition in the LCD-X. The cost was quite a bit more, but the return on investment was astronomically more.

How many hours on your HGs?

  Currawong's Park is melting in the dark All the sweet, green icing flowing down Someone left the cake out in the rain I don't think that I can take it 'Cause it took so long to bake it And I'll never have that recipe again Oh, no!

No doubt! But his contributions to a new venue will be enormous. I don't know about anyone else, but I always look forward. That's where the future is.    Moving on up...

Bob, your research efforts and encyclopedic knowledge of tubes have been invaluable to the members of the Schiit Tube Rollers forum. In fact, you've made it the most substantive forum on head-fi.    I will gladly move to wherever you choose to land.  

+2 "I am Spartacus!"

Right on. That's what I'm running right now, and my LCD-X is singing sweetly, indeed.

All in the mind of the beholder.

They can't keep a good man down. Love your avatar!

I love the sound of my Lyr 2 with some killer HGs. Oh, and Bob's looking quite fetching these days.

  All's good, mate. As the carny yelled out to the madding crowd waiting for the show, "You pays your money, you takes your chance!" So it goes with audio.   Personally, I made out just fine. I moved onwards and upwards from the EL-8 to the LCD-X and I couldn't be happier with my badass cans.

  I grant you that you might have a different definition for a resounding success, but I stand by my remarks. I've owned the EL-8 and returned it precisely because of the sonic flaws that many here and elsewhere have experienced. The fact is that some products have a smooth rollout and...

Wow, I could have sworn there was a conversation going on here earlier! The lords may not giveth, but they sure do taketh away a lot.

I hear you, although Leica was a very established player with beaucoup bucks from their hand-built business before partnering up with Panasonic. And Apple never built any of their stuff; it was alway manufactured overseas.   I'd bet real money Audeze won't go this route. The EL-8 has been...

                         D'oh!