[slankoe]

Which Oppo h headphones did you get? I think the PM2 are incredible. And also yes the SS on the el8 are not bad at all.. actually quite good.

To my ears the el8 is one of the most pleasant sounding headphones made today at any price range.

I got the Oppo PM-3. They are to be my mobile headset and I think they fit the bill splendidly.

What version of the EL8 do you have, the 2016 version, or the older ones?

Date is november 2016, white box version. So by my estimate these are the new ones.

I also have an ha-2 and was disappointed by all the rave reviews it got. To me, it didn't sound much better than an iphone jack. I later bought an xduoo xd05 and installed the burson v5i op amp and wow, it totally changed the sound. Both my oppo pm-3 and el8 sounded spectacular. I'm currently eyeing the schiit jotunheim right now as i want a desktop amp.

Right. Apparently amps are supposed to make a difference! I'm about to return the HA-2SE. Literally notice nothing or almost nothing in improvement. Your comment just confirms it.

 

[User00]

I really like my XDuoo on the other hand, especially when it is still cheaper than the Oppo HA-2 even with the Burson mod. This thing is the best sub- $300 investment I have ever made. The sound stage on all my headphones increased noticeably compared to the ha-2, as well as the imaging and over all sound quality (it's slightly warm and detailed). Having tasted higher quality audio, I want to step up to the next league (Schiit Jot. possibly).

 

[Chikolad]

   
 
How would you describe the mojo's sound, and would it be better than the schiit jotunheim?

 
The Mojo + EL-8C's sound is very very detailed, smooth and clear, has great depth and all around sound stage, the sound is very fast and dynamic. It's a bit on the bright side (compared to my LCD-3F), but it's not the Mojo, it's the EL-8. If anything the Mojo was tuned with a slight treble rolloff. Holographic imaging. Crisp.
I honestly really doubt the EL-8s can get much better than that.
 
I can't comment on whether it's better than the Jotunheim since I haven't heard the latter, but from what I read I got the impression that the Mojo's sound is better. I think it's comparable to the Multibit Schiits (probably better than the Mimby, similar to Bimby). But really you should read up on it in these forums. People have compared them.

 

[Lavakugel]

Whats different in sound EL 8 open vs LCD3? 

 

[Dillan]

LCD3 better imaging and slightly more mid forward. EL8o will have more musicality and perceived bass presence. LCD3 is slightly more lush and EL8o is more bouncy/dynamic and the sound is quicker with faster attack.. while LCD3 has more "impact" throughout the whole sound spectrum. Obviously LCD3 is heavier and harder to handle than the EL8o which is lighter, more comfortable and easier to deal with physically.

I prefer the EL8o all day long compared to the 3.

 

[dakanao]

LCD3 better imaging and slightly more mid forward. EL8o will have more musicality and perceived bass presence. LCD3 is slightly more lush and EL8o is more bouncy/dynamic and the sound is quicker with faster attack.. while LCD3 has more "impact" throughout the whole sound spectrum. Obviously LCD3 is heavier and harder to handle than the EL8o which is lighter, more comfortable and easier to deal with physically.

I prefer the EL8o all day long compared to the 3.

Do you have the 2016 version or older? Because I have the 2015 version, and the bass to me doesn't have a lot of impact. It's very tight and precise though.
 
Also, the mids, while excellent in quality, are a tad too laid back for my taste. The Beyerdynamic DT 150 for example has more upfront vocals.

 

[zambz]

I personally found that the open EL-8s were a little more neutral and forward than the LCD-3s, they were closer to the Xs which I much preferred.  I still absolutely adore mine, years later.  I often prefer to use them over my studio monitors for pure pleasure.  Their treble response is stunning and matches the detail of the ribbon tweeters on my ADAM monitors!
 
Audeze would have to seriously make a major change to the LCD range (In terms of comfort and design) to make them worth buying over the EL-8s.  I can wear the EL-8s all day without much drama, very comfortable!

 

[Dillan]

Do you have the 2016 version or older? Because I have the 2015 version, and the bass to me doesn't have a lot of impact. It's very tight and precise though.

Also, the mids, while excellent in quality, are a tad too laid back for my taste. The Beyerdynamic DT 150 for example has more upfront vocals.

I have 2016 version - sounds quite different that previous version.

I personally found that the open EL-8s were a little more neutral and forward than the LCD-3s, they were closer to the Xs which I much preferred.  I still absolutely adore mine, years later.  I often prefer to use them over my studio monitors for pure pleasure.  Their treble response is stunning and matches the detail of the ribbon tweeters on my ADAM monitors!

Audeze would have to seriously make a major change to the LCD range (In terms of comfort and design) to make them worth buying over the EL-8s.  I can wear the EL-8s all day without much drama, very comfortable!

Yea I actually feel exactly the same. El8 are super underrated around here. The only lcd worth upgrading to is the lcd4 if you've for the funds.. it's probably my version of the best headphone ever made. (Personal opinion of course) I'm a big Audeze fan.

 

[inthere]

Yea I actually feel exactly the same. El8 are super underrated around here. The only lcd worth upgrading to is the lcd4 if you've for the funds.. it's probably my version of the best headphone ever made. (Personal opinion of course) I'm a big Audeze fan

Yeah the 4 is my personal all time fav, if it wasn't so heavy I'd stop trying to replace it. Sonically though i'd put it against anything. I had the Utopia and it was pretty close but not quite in the end. My EL-8C hasn't been getting much action because of connector/cable issues but it's very nice, very sweet headphone.

 

[User00]

Has anyone swapped the pads yet? I want to try out the brainwavz angled sheepskin pads because the stock pads are not thick enough to keep my ears from touching the inner grill. Plus, I've got cotton under them and I noticed better all around sonic improvement and want some thick pads.

 

[slankoe]

Well I had an interesting gaze into the quality control struggles at Audeze.

I purchased the EL-8O at my local dealer a few weeks ago. Sadly, when I received them there was a small crack in the headband. I didn't notice it until the next day. So I bring the headphone in, the store orders a new one and lets me hold on to the current pair as the drivers work and the crack is minor. It's awesome that I got to keep jammin' while waiting for the replacement. When they arrive I am glad, and I give the store the old pair.

After I get home I realize that the left channel is completely gone, so I return the headphone the next day.

They gave me the current pair just today pair, and it's perfect.

Some things I noticed between the three pairs,
- All three came in the white outer box with a black inner box, with no carry case or carry bag.
- The first two came with one long cable, about five or six feet but the third came with two; the same long one, and one with an iPhone mic and buttons, about four feet long
- the first pair had a white certificate of authenticity folded in half measuring about four inches. The next two pairs instead had a credit-card sized certification card with a nice print
- The first pair of EL-8 had an extremely tight headband, very difficult to adjust, but the second pair had a pretty loose adjustment, still tighter than the Oppo PM-3 but close, while the third pair tightened up a little bit but nowhere near as tight as the first pair
- The first defective pair was dated 26th of January 2017, the other two were not dated but they were clearly pretty fresh

Another interesting thing I have to mention is burn in. I didn't know that there could be so much of a difference in when you open the box vs after hours of listening... how the headphone changed! I am talking about the first pair. It seems the two newer pairs were already burned in. They must really read this forum. Needless to say, I am now a believer in burn in - at least for moving parts like whatever all this planar magnetic or a dynamic driver pushing air, vibrating - I do not believe a solid component or digital signal can be changed so easily. I believe cables can make a difference, but only because the electrical resistance of the cable changes with factors like strand width, AWG of the cable, etc. Rant over Anyway yeah EL-8O. Sounds beautiful. I don't notice the apparent 7kHz reduction I have read about. Maybe Audeze eased up on that type of tuning - that might be impossible, I won't pretend to understand the technology here.

Apparently they are constantly tweaking this headphone.
As long as I can keep jammin, this is the sound I want.

 

[slankoe]

I'm looking into a Beyerdynamic DT1990 pro for mixing audio purposes, but the EL-8 is so detailed. I would love to see some measurements of the newest set, wish I had the gear to take them. I am considering just using these headphones for mixing now. I'll eventually hear how what I produce will sound on other systems lol. They do sound neutral. Maybe very slightly thin on the mids if anything.

 

[DavidA]

@slankoe , the EL8 is the only headphone that I've noticed any changes with burn-in and I'm not a believer to be honest since this was an isolated instance where I did notice a change. With cables I do believe and have noticed differences but only with speaker cables and interconnects, haven't noticed any difference with headphone cables aside from the one that comes with the Fidelio X1 which was a known problem. I've built a new cable for my EL8 with connectors graciously provided by @WayTooCrazy . The stock cable was just a bit short for where I listen.

 

[slankoe]

@slankoe , the EL8 is the only headphone that I've noticed any changes with burn-in and I'm not a believer to be honest since this was an isolated instance where I did notice a change. With cables I do believe and have noticed differences but only with speaker cables and interconnects, haven't noticed any difference with headphone cables aside from the one that comes with the Fidelio X1 which was a known problem. I've built a new cable for my EL8 with connectors graciously provided by @WayTooCrazy . The stock cable was just a bit short for where I listen.

That's a nice looking cable Good job dude!

 

[DavidA]

That's a nice looking cable Good job dude!

Thanks for the compliment