This review is of the Audeze EL-8
Titanium. My initial impressions are via the lightning cipher cable from Tidal on my iPhone 6 Plus (the assh0le iPhone, as I put it). They will be updated in due time with my impressions via Bimby and Mjolnir 2.
Although I will occasionally listen to a pop single for kicks, 99.9% of my music is classical.
Pros:
Mids - The bread and butter of a good headphone is a good midrange, and EL-8 has it. Solo cello is rich and satisfying.
Decay - Although not as fast as HE-6 or K1000, or as supremely natural as HD800, it has a pleasing wetness.
The Eighteenth Century - Not kidding. Currentzis's
Così fan tutti really came alive, shoutout to whoever was singing Come Scoglio. Ditto for the sinfonia to Vivaldi's
Incoronazione di Dario and the finale to the second act of Händel's
Rinaldo. These cans like the smaller, daintier ensembles of the Baroque and Classical periods. (Strange connection to my beloved K1000.) The 'Credo' from Herreweghe's
Mass in B minor wasn't impressive by HD800 standards, but was enjoyable nonetheless.
Vocals - Voices sound natural and resonant.
Cons:
Lacks Transparency - Sennheiser gets schiit for an alleged veil, but listening things like John Eliot Gardiner's Magic Flute Overture, I felt the recurring urge to remove a curtain between myself and the music. It felt muffled, distant.
Soundstage & Imaging Capabilities - For larger orchestral ensembles, you really crave instrument separation and great width. EL-8 Titanium provides neither. Imaging is not more than acceptable—clearly outclassed by the HD600, which I bought new for 1/4 the price on Amazon, which Sennheiser brought to market some 15 years ago. Soundstage is cramped. For Wagner in particular, EL-8 was a decidedly poor performer.
Isolation - Doesn't provide much. On the go, Bose every day of the week.
Leather - Audeze is rightly lauded for its microsuede pads for the LCD series. As a vegetarian, I would prefer a leather-free version.
Comfort - Much heavy! Very clamp! Such fatiguing! Wow. Though the headphone is large and heavy, my average-sized ears are pushed against my head and pinched at the bottom by a lack of space.
On the fence:
Treble: Audeze has never delivered noteworthy treble, and EL-8T could have done more to change that narrative. It's better than most of the LCD series, and it's certainly inoffensive and great for badly recorded stuff, but more air and sparkle would help
Bass: Not overwhelming, but with decent impact and lovely extension. Carly Rae Jepsen and Katy Perry sound great. Nevertheless, HE-6 (which I purchased used for $100 less than EL8T after sf taxes) and others clearly outclass it in clarity.
Build quality - Aluminum, leather, and plastic. Heavy! Cable is very nice.
Solo piano - Not bad, but not exactly a step up from QC25. I'm notoriously picky about this, and although K1000 is my current favorite, I want to hear LCD-X.
Value for the money: F+
Get an HD600. Get an HD650. Get an HD630VB. Get a PXC 550. Get a QC35. Get a QC20. Get a K700 series. Get an HE-400 series. Get an HE-500 series. Heck, get an
HD800! Or an HE-6 and Jotunheim!
Audeze is the prime culprit in the overpricing of headphones, having strictly enforced a $1000 minimum price tag for years, and the EL-8 Titanium, while a welcome $800 entrant and satisfactory for pop music, is a disappointing choice for most classical, and is bested by any number of cans in the $250-$350 range (ok, discounted HD800/HE-6 aside).
Audeze fails to give me a reason to purchase or recommend the EL-8 titanium, and I will be returning mine to the apple store. The value is Just. Not. There.
I give it a "+" for the cipher cable. That bit of innovation is certainly welcome.
More to come when paired with main rig at the weekday pad.
Preliminary impressions with MJ2 and Bimby suggest a significant improvement beyond Cipher cable (perhaps three stars). However, because Cipher/portability is such a selling point to EL8, and because the resulting sound is so mediocre relative to price, I will leave my above review unchanged.