[crixnet]

 

 
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 their first foray away from their original business model, and it has proved to be far less than a resounding success.

It's a little too early to say whether the EL-8 has "proved to be far less than a resounding success". There was a lot of stupid early hype about them being potentially better than the LCD series (what purpose would that serve Audeze?), which did them no favours. They are a competent, aesthetically pleasing planar that have been executed to sound good off an Ipod or any decent DAP (which they do) while not crushing your vertebrae. They sound & feel better to me than similarly priced planars like the HE-500 and the HE-560 for this purpose.
 
If Audeze can fix their QC issues, these should enjoy some success. 

 
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 subsequent adoption success, and some don't. You might disagree, and that's perfectly A-OK with me, but my experiences and impressions remain unchanged.
 
In another post, I said that Audeze has a proven track record of squashing bugs and evolving their products in ways that please many people. I don't doubt they'll do it again with the EL-8, assuming they keep the model in their lineup.

 

[Audeze]

 
Have you read his review? It's like one big advertisement. So cringe worthy. I think he might have been paid for a favourable review, it's a common practice in marketing circles. That fake excitement was so annoying from the start, I can't take him seriously any more.We need guys like Tyll who are honest and objective, not guys like that.

That's a rather startling accusation. Audeze has a fine reputation and has never paid for a good review. That would be highly unehtical. 
Thank you,
Audeze

 

[potkettleblack]

  That's a rather startling accusation. Audeze has a fine reputation and has never paid for a good review. That would be highly unehtical. 
Thank you,
Audeze

 

Forum Post Count:	111
Join Date:	5/27/09

 
 
Out of all the posts on the Audeze forums this one made you come out of the woodwork and make a showbiz appearance, Alex? 
 
I have had no issues with your products. I'm in love with my x's, and have every intention of supporting your company moving forward - but there are hundreds of posts on the lcd 3 forum, with users discrediting your customer support for not replying to emails/messages when their wood has cracked or their drivers have failed, for the umpteenth time.
 
Would it not be wise to drop a post in THAT thread instead, reassuring those who support you - instead of debunking baseless accusations from a random user?
 
As the late, great Marsellus Wallace once said - ''That's pride ******* with you"
 
 

 

[mikemercer]

Hey Everybody,

PLS accept my utmost apologies for not being here in the Thread for DEEP.
I DID get a bad pair of EL-8s at CanJam - and I shared about it - but NOT HERE.

I got a 2nd pair on MON.

This community means a lot to me,
But I've been dealing with a family crisis of the highest order.

 

[DavidA]

Hey Everybody,

PLS accept my utmost apologies for not being here in the Thread for DEEP.
I DID get a bad pair of EL-8s at CanJam - and I shared about it - but NOT HERE.

I got a 2nd pair on MON.

This community means a lot to me,
But I've been dealing with a family crisis of the highest order.

family first!

 

[mikemercer]

I got word some of U guys thought my silence means I DONT LIKE THE CLOSED-BACK EL-8s.

Right now - will be up in here ASAP, to clarify,

Those who know me KNOW IM INCAPABLE of misleading when I'm spittin' - from the HEART.
Which I always do here.
GOOD R BAD

I'll follow-up ASAP

 

[mikemercer]

family first!

THANX

and I AM having serious problems w/ the stock cables comin loose all the time.
but the current pair I have has wonderful - extended sub-bass, where the 1st pair did not.
It felt like there was a whole octave missing - not w/ this pair -

But I need DHC or something on those cans!
Cuz right now I H8 the sync cables!!!



We're havin a family meeting - but I got LOTS to report.

 

[Audeze]

   
Out of all the posts on the Audeze forums this one made you come out of the woodwork and make a showbiz appearance, Alex? 
 

 
Hi, this isn't Alex, sorry if you found the comment unnecessary, but it seemed like it needed some sort of reply. We've made a number of posts in this and other Audeze forums regading customer service and always try to do out best of course to not appear heavy-handed. We'll look into the LCD-3 thread you mentioned and we'll be happy to reply there as well although this thread has been getting the lion's share of interest of late. 
Thanks for letting us know,
Audeze

 

[potkettleblack]

I've heard much more good than bad about about the support you offer. I'm not trying to be some sort of freedom fighter, I just feel genuinely sorry for the ones that have had a raw deal.
 
Thanks for your quick reply

 

[Audeze]

 
I've heard much more good than bad about about the support you offer. I'm not trying to be some sort of freedom fighter, I just feel genuinely sorry for the ones that have had a raw deal.
 
Thanks for your quick reply

 
On Head-Fi it's everyone's privelege to have their say, no problem, and we're just as, if not -more- frustrated about the problems we encountered with the EL-8 roll-out. The robbery didn't help but we're not using that as an excuse. We have everything worked out now, production is humming along, shipments are going out, and a number of reviewers will have their say coming up as well as the personal experiences of Head-Fiers as more of them audition the headphones themselves. As usual if anyone has issues we encourage them to contact Support@Audeze.com
Thanks,
Audeze

 

[Kyle 491]

  You have a very good perspective here.
 
As is typical in forums, there is initial excitement, sometimes blown out of proportion, followed by bandwagon unfair trashing, with a bit of hostility thrown in for good measure. For example, the attack on Mike Mercer a few pages back.
 
QC issues aside, the only real question is does it live up to other headphones in this category/price point. If it doesn't for [You], then that is it. There is no reason to get all riled up and abuse the company, other forum members or reviewers.
 
I am planning on trying them out and if its not a good experience, I will return them. 

Yes, this rabid hype then anti-hype backlash is tiring to see played out repeatedly.
 
 
 

   
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 subsequent adoption success, and some don't. You might disagree, and that's perfectly A-OK with me, but my experiences and impressions remain unchanged.
 
In another post, I said that Audeze has a proven track record of squashing bugs and evolving their products in ways that please many people. I don't doubt they'll do it again with the EL-8, assuming they keep the model in their lineup.

 
I can only speak for the Open EL-8, but the impressions so far I have of my pair are close to polar opposite to yours. If anything, I find the vocals slightly withdrawn, bass solid and impactful & tonal balance warm, with decent treble, if not ultimate extension and refinement. They certainly aren't as refined to my ears as the HD800/TH900 when it comes to complex music, but they have decent timbre & don't butcher pianos like the HE-500s can do. In general, they share a lot of the strengths and weakness of the HE-500, such as good tonal balance, lack of treble extension, note thickness & bass weight, mass vocals/strings lack clarity and precision. However, the instrument timbre is better (no resonance around 1k that makes pianos sound painful and fuzzy) and vocals are not as forward, which is a good thing for me.
 
Based on how well regarded the HE-500 are, I don't see why the EL-8's sonic flaws are such a big deal, unless you dislike the HE-500 sound or have a bad pair of EL-8s.
I've never been impressed by planar build quality or reliability at any price range, so I sympathise with your point of view and accept your impressions of your pair are true to your experience, but I feel its early days to judge these headphones based on the small number of pairs in circulation.

 

[Zulkr9]

  It's a little too early to say whether the EL-8 has "proved to be far less than a resounding success". There was a lot of stupid early hype about them being potentially better than the LCD series (what purpose would that serve Audeze?), which did them no favours. They are a competent, aesthetically pleasing planar that have been executed to sound good off an Ipod or any decent DAP (which they do) while not crushing your vertebrae. They sound & feel better to me than similarly priced planars like the HE-500 and the HE-560 for this purpose.
 
If Audeze can fix their QC issues, these should enjoy some success. 

my he-500 sounds way better YMMV. I prefer  the bass and mids of the my lcd 2 over my he-500. He-500 has better seperation, soundstage, imainging and resolution though. The bass is tighter but doesn't extend as low or hit as hard.

 

[crixnet]

I sympathise with your point of view and accept your impressions of your pair are true to your experience, but I feel its early days to judge these headphones based on the small number of pairs in circulation.

 
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.

 

[Levanter]

What's the general consensus btw the EL-8 (closed/open) vs Oppo PM-2/PM-3 ?
Might probably get a biased answer as this is posted on the Audeze thread, but hoping for an objective comparison without any glorified hype.

 

[CarmenC]

On Head-Fi it's everyone's privelege to have their say, no problem, and we're just as, if not -more- frustrated about the problems we encountered with the EL-8 roll-out. The robbery didn't help but we're not using that as an excuse. We have everything worked out now, production is humming along, shipments are going out, and a number of reviewers will have their say coming up as well as the personal experiences of Head-Fiers as more of them audition the headphones themselves. As usual if anyone has issues we encourage them to contact Support@Audeze.com
Thanks,
Audeze

I had a bad pair of closed EL-8's, the cable on the left side was loose and the connection was intermittent.
I sent them back and you replaced them within two weeks.
No issues with the new ones.
They sound amazing!
Just wanted to say thanx for standing behind your product.
I think the EL-8's are amazing!