Hey everyone
 
As discussed, ill post some lengthy thoughts in an hour or so.  Some images to tide you over until the impressions are done:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

wow enjoy!!!!

Audeze EL-8 with Colorfly C4
 
Im REALLY impressed.  The clarity is astounding and it has that traditional Audeze SLAM bass.  Bear in mind this is unpowered as well. It has that signature lovely warm sound from the LCD3.  Honestly..it is so close to the LCD3 on first listen that it shocked me that this was a completely portable setup.
 
I listened to The Blue Nile, Fleetwood Mac (Rumours) and a few others.  The vocals are not as clear or bright as with the LCD3 but for what it is...it really is surprising that this sound is coming from an umodified headset with no power. The Colorfly drives them fine, im about 75% of max volume and its really nice. 
 
The highs are really nice. The cymbals and high hats come through really  great without having the sparkle of the HD800 which can be a little too bright. i can differentiate between every single instrument as well.
 
The unit itself is quite heavy....It's more comfy than the LCD3 but you can feel it on your ears. My ears are getting a little warm and i do NOT think this is the sort of unit you can listen to for a few hours without them getting uncomfortable.
 
Theres a little hiss, but that can be the recording or the colorfly - however it's the best portable pairing ive heard. 
 
Next: The oppo PM3 with the Colorfly. Ill do the amped auditions after that.

Oppo PM-3 with Colorfly C4
 
OK straight the oppo is a lot more comfortable. It's a lot lighter and i could see myself wearing this for a long time.
 
They are more efficient than the EL-8 because when i plugged it in it needed less on the volume dial to get to the same level of loudness.
 
The Bass is nice, but a lot less slammy than the EL-8.  There is just less "presence" felt with the sound of the instruments then the Audeze.
 
The clarity of the oppo is very very good. I really dont see this being much different from the PM1's at a third of the price.
 
I tried ACDC: Thunderstruck.  The bass is very good, but it just feels you are a little further from the instruments than with the Audeze. Im damn impressed with how clear the vocals are and the drivers pack a lot of punch.  The sound is very responsive, it's slightly more neutral sounding rather than the warmth of the El-8 - but i know that if i was traveling, all things considered i would take the OPPO with me.
 
The thing is, the Audeze are NOT portable.  there is no mincing words, i would not travel with these.  It comes with a carry pouch but it wouldnt be enough to protect it.
 
Both units seem very well made - the audeze feels damn expensive and seems to be crafted from much nicer materials.  The oppo is more simple in design, but punches well above it's weight in terms of sound vs price.

Audeze EL-8 with OPPO HA-2 and OPPO Find 7

Settings: Low Gain, Bass Boost Off/On

Honestly, the amp doesnt add all that much since the colorfly is such a great unit.  Once i put the bass boost on, the bass really kicked in and it's a really "fun" sound. Usually, i aim for neutrality but the Audeze sound signature puts such a smile on my face.  The bass is slamming, responsive and clean.

I actually like the bass boost so will leave it on - it's a much more enjoyable sound and if i want serious artist reproductions then ill plug in my HD800s.

I gave high gain a go, but it really doesnt need it, you will blow your ears out seriously.  Im about halfway or so up the volume knob and it is very loud.

My only negative about the HA2 is that it makes the whole process so damn cumbersome. The cables get in the way and i hate strapping the unit to my phone then using the touch screen control.  The Colorfly doesnt sound much different so im not sure i would use the HA-2 so much when the Colorfly and headphones alone get pretty much where i need to in terms of volume and clarity.

I must  say - High Gain + Bass Boost + EL-8 is an instant smile - especially with something like Still Dre in FLAC.  The bass is so clean and punchy.  Love it.

OPPO PM-3 with OPPO HA-2 and OPPO Find 7
 
OK.  The PM3 do NOT need high gain.  Low gain runs them very easily.  I tried Norah Jones and the vocals are really nice, the sound stage and imaging is not quite as nice as the EL-8s but all things  considered, this will be my new portable unit. These are worth a hell of a lot more than $400.
 
The clarity is really really good.  The only area it falls down is the slam in the bass when compared to the Audeze.  Other than that it's pretty comparable. It's more neutral, it's very clear but as i said, you dont get that traditional signature audeze "SLAM" from the bass.
 
With the OPPO HA-2, i notice the highs can seem a little bright sometimes, like what happens with the HD800s.  It bites at the ears a bit and i do prefer the sound of the audeze units.  These criticisms are minimal however and should not deter you. The amp is really powerful and really sounds great with whatever type of music you throw at it.
 
So basically, the Audeze is a better pair of headphones, the Oppo is a better portable unit, the Amp is fantastic but i dont like pairing things with a touch screen on the move so i prefer the oppo with a high end DAP that can run it sufficiently.
 
If anyone has any questions im happy to answer as best i can.

how the pm3 sound with the bass boost?

maelob said:

how the pm3 sound with the bass boost?

Click to expand...

 
I keep the bass boost on for the HA-2 with both sets. I like the sound a lot more, it's a lot more warm and fun.

Subbed

iamblest said:

I keep the bass boost on for the HA-2 with both sets. I like the sound a lot more, it's a lot more warm and fun.

Click to expand...

The HA-2 sounds very nice too. I was about to get the Cayin C5 but I think I should really consider the HA-2.

subbed. I enjoy my PM-3's but I was missing that bass slam I am accustomed to from my LCD2.1 and TH900.  Much appreciate you taking the time to post this.  Do you happen to have the LCD-X or XC?

malla1ml said:

subbed. I enjoy my PM-3's but I was missing that bass slam I am accustomed to from my LCD2.1 and TH900.  Much appreciate you taking the time to post this.  Do you happen to have the LCD-X or XC?

Click to expand...

Modified LCD3's with norne draug 2 balanced cables. You get nice bass with bass boost from the HA2 but you don't get the slam like you get with the audeze.

iamblest said:

  Audeze EL-8 with Colorfly C4
 
Im REALLY impressed.  The clarity is astounding and it has that traditional Audeze SLAM bass.  Bear in mind this is unpowered as well. It has that signature lovely warm sound from the LCD3.  Honestly..it is so close to the LCD3 on first listen that it shocked me that this was a completely portable setup.

Click to expand...

 
I have the feeling that the EL-8 could probably give the LCD-2 a run for its money.

Dang it, now I have to order the el-8 closed and compare to my oppo pm-3. The only thin I was missing with the oppo was the bass slam.