Hi all! Thought I'd share my EL-8 experience here in case someone finds it useful.
I've been looking for a new set of cans for the office for a long time -- the AKG K550 are nice and isolate well, but they're just so vanilla. I hadn't really been planning to pick up an EL-8 as a replacement, but the pre-release reviews (and the 15% off coupon I got in my inbox) led to an impulse order one fine afternoon about a month ago. Where to begin?
The bad. My "elation" at receiving my shiny new EL-8 quickly faded away as I realized my set had the dreaded "first gen connector issue." The right-side connector wouldn't lock in place, and even the slightest little head moment would cause the connector to dislodge. I've read at least one account of another pair with exactly the same issue. Whatever short-lived sound I could extract from them was glorious, so I decided to contact Audez'e for a replacement instead of just returning them to the retailer and moving on.
The pretty good. Audez'e has above-average customer service, IMO. They answered my email immediately and created an RMA ticket immediately with no questions asked. Why only pretty good? Well, it took two weeks from the day they arrived back at the warehouse for me to receive a new pair, and I had to nudge them a couple times for status updates. Under the circumstances -- including a hot new product with some predictable build issues and the big theft from their facility -- I can completely understand the time frame, but I would have liked slightly more proactive communication from them. To quote the esteemed songstress Lita Ford, it ain't no big thing.
The totally fantastic. That would be the sound quality of my 2nd pair of EL-8. I totally agree with the esteemed posters here who have called them "baby LCD-X" or at least pointed out how the two cans share considerable similarities (I'm listening to my Xs as I type this, BTW). The love-it-or-hate-it Audez'e "house sound" is totally recognizable -- like all Audez'e products I've owned, the EL-8 manages to have both the presence and excitement of planar magnetics and that full, slightly mellow signature sound I adore. The EL-8 has slightly less treble energy and bass slam than their more expensive siblings, but are otherwise in the ballpark for sure (IMO, of course). I have no comfort issues at all with the X, but the EL-8 might be even more comfortable on my head. For less than $700, Audez'e has a winner in my book. (Signal path of my office rig: MacBook Pro w/Audirvana > Modi 2 Uber via USB > Magni 2 Uber via cheap Monoprice RCAs > cans.) (Burned in for at least 50 hours, exclusively with lossless Bob Dylan tracks for no logical reason.)
The reality. I understand and sympathize with folks who argue that build issues and inconsistencies are unacceptable in a $700 product, but I don't agree in this case. As a long-time sufferer of audiophile-itis who's been through more gear in the last five years than I can remember, I have concluded that when you purchase the first generation of a niche product from a boutique manufacturer (especially one that incorporates new technology), you should be prepared for a glitch or two. It's just how things work. Again, $700 ain't cheap by any stretch, but it's a low enough threshold that many potential buyers probably haven't been through a hi-fi gear "early adopoter" cycle before. I've been down a similar road with Audez'e before, and I know from experience that they get stuff figured out quickly and go out of their way to make their customers satisfied with their purchase -- even if it takes a return or two to get things just exactly perfect. That's part of why I was willing to take a chance and grab an EL-8 almost immediately after their release.
Well, that's it for now. Again, all of the above is strictly IMO, and I take no umbrage with posters who have a completely different experience with this or any other piece of equipment. That's just how it goes. More listening impressions to follow.
