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Audeze EL-8: The EL-8 is a must-hear at CES 2015
Mar 16, 2015 at 9:25 PM Post #3,392 of 6,486
macedonianhero said:
Look what I just picked up from the FedEx depot tonight:




I personally love the way they look and are built. Everything from the packaging right up to the new headphone band. They are quite comfortable (though the LCD-2/3/X/XC were pretty good for me too) and the construction is classic. Sound wise, they share the Audeze house sound, with flat deep bass that hits hard, but never lingers more than is called out for. The vocals are beautiful and upfront and the treble is along the lines of the LCD-X (my current favourite Audeze headphone).

These headphones are so good, they actually have brought family together. Funny story, I went to pick them up from the downtown Fed Ex depot here in Toronto (about 22 minutes away) and when the girl noticed the spelling of my last name she asked me if I was Macedonian. While I'm Canadian born and bred, my background (if you can't tell by my username :wink: ) is indeed Macedonian. So I confirmed. She then noted the village her parents were from. Funny enough...same village my mom was from. Then a few more of do you know so and so...and then she mentions she was one of a quad of babies born to her parents. Then it clicked...my mom had a first cousin who had a set of quads. Now this is not a regular occurrence and what do you know...we're second cousins. I doubt I ever met her (my mom had a VERY large family) or if we did meet it was over 30 years ago. So there you have it...great headphones that can bring together families. :p  That and small world...even though the greater Toronto area is huge!

Back to the EL-8s (BTW, these are the open headphones), I'm about 90 minutes into them and I'm really enjoying them so far. I'm listening to Beck's "Morning Phase" (and YES he is a real artist) and they sound open, spacious, clean with bass that hits hard. More to come...
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Outstanding! Glad to hear your initial impressions of the open-back EL-8s. Wish mine were here!

Looking forward to hearing your further impressions.
 
Mar 16, 2015 at 9:27 PM Post #3,393 of 6,486
crixnet said:
Outstanding! Glad to hear your initial impressions of the open-back EL-8s. Wish mine were here!

Looking forward to hearing your further impressions.
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You should be quite happy! Right now I'm listening to David Hazeltine's "Impromptu" (high rez. binaural recording) with my Concero HP and they are sounding really good so far.
 
Mar 16, 2015 at 10:19 PM Post #3,397 of 6,486
robm321 said:
MacedonianHero, your ears are so spoiled.
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Lol, yes they are.  Listening to some Leonard Cohen...and the EL-8s do a wonderful job portraying his voice. The old guy can still rock...he won a Juno (Canadian version of the Grammies) yesterday for best Album.
 
Mar 16, 2015 at 10:21 PM Post #3,398 of 6,486
macedonianhero said:
 
I don't believe that there's much of any difference with cables either. 
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  I think you missed my point as it was based exclusively on the amp's topography. The O2 is a single ended amp FWIW. The GS-X Mk2 is a truly balanced front to back amp...and as a result you NEED balanced inputs and outputs to activate the amp's full circuitry and power. Otherwise you're only using 50% of the circuitry and power. No cable hocus pocus here...just design and physics. If you don't believe 2X the power will make a difference (especially in orthos), well that's something else. 
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I think I remember somewhere on the forum (not thread) where you were saying something about Q cables.
 
Mar 16, 2015 at 10:23 PM Post #3,400 of 6,486
danpyre said:
  I think I remember somewhere on the forum (not thread) where you were saying something about Q cables.
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More for ergonomics and fit than sound; Q Cables can't be beat for that, plus my HD800s only come with a single-ended cable. There is maybe a slight uplift in sound quality, but one's $ is best spent on other gear upgrades IMO.
 
Mar 16, 2015 at 11:06 PM Post #3,404 of 6,486
madeupword said:
  @MacedonianHero How does it compare to LCD-2 with fazor? Which do you prefer and why?
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hodgjy said:
  x2, especially the bass. Please 
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The bass is all Audeze! No doubts there. Deep, tight and controlled with plenty of punch and rumble. I don't have the LCD-2F on hand and I've only heard them a few times (the last was a few weeks ago). But compared to the LCD-X, the EL-8s hold their own in the bass department.  I did some quick back and forth with both and while the LCD-X have some of the very best bass I've heard, the EL-8's offer incredibly rich low frequencies!
 
Mar 16, 2015 at 11:09 PM Post #3,405 of 6,486
lamode said:
 
musicman59 said:
  First I need to say that I have never got into the Audeze headphones not because of the sound but the inconsistency in quality control and the related failures. I actually love the sound of the LCD-3 and in a point of time bought 2 different pairs and compared them to Jude's pair. The two I bought were not even close in the quality of the sound I heard from Jude's pair or at RMAF when they were launched so both went back.
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Interesting, has anyone else had similar experiences? In what way were Jude's headphones so much better? With the same enclosure, magnet structure and diaphragm, it is difficult to see how the sound could vary much. I don't know how Audeze applies tension in the diaphragm - that seems potentially the most variable aspect of production
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I thought this was pretty well known? Two Audezes side by side that are the supposed to be the same model and revision can sound very different. 
 
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