Regarding EL-8 cable connectors, the EL-8 is one of the most innovative headphones on the market, from its magnetic structure to the ultra-thin film diaphragm and driver design. When we designed the connector it wasn’t meant as a differentiating factor but instead we were thinking long-term about the EL-8 as a platform upon which to introduce new, easily accessible features.
The new connector has 8 contacts per side (see more below) and is part of the overall plan. The gold-plated connectors were designed with very low contact resistance and capable of carrying up to 2 Amps per connector for a total of 16 Amps. The current EL-8 connector has 4 contacts wired in parallel for each positive and negative signal with very low contact resistance (measured in micro ohms) while typical 3-pin XLR connectors are measured at 3 milliohms per contact. It also features connector redundancy and magnetic latching to prevent cable damage. Plus the cables are very robust with a minimum of 20,000 mating cycles.
A new Apple MFI-compatible cable will be introduced for the EL-8s in the next few weeks. A couple of weeks after that we’ll make balanced cables available for Sony, Astell & Kern and Pono players. The new cables are are straightforward swap with the current ones.
In the longer term, hopefully in 2016, we planning to introduce cables that can process signals like noise cancellation, DSP, etc. For some of these applications we have to take the signal from inside the headphone and return it after processing, thus eight separate connectors per side.
We've received reports that the connectors can become loose with increased lateral movement. We’ve shipped many, many EL-8s by now and find connector issues are only a small percentage of the total. If you have any issues with the connectors, please let us know immediately (support@audeze.com) so we can examine them. For most users they hold fine, others say they're not tight enough; perhaps we have to find a better "hold tolerance." We're definitely looking into it and pay attention to the comments made here as we continue to improve our products based on feedback.
In the end, the EL-8s are a product that, in a year or two from now, you can add new features.
The new connector has 8 contacts per side (see more below) and is part of the overall plan. The gold-plated connectors were designed with very low contact resistance and capable of carrying up to 2 Amps per connector for a total of 16 Amps. The current EL-8 connector has 4 contacts wired in parallel for each positive and negative signal with very low contact resistance (measured in micro ohms) while typical 3-pin XLR connectors are measured at 3 milliohms per contact. It also features connector redundancy and magnetic latching to prevent cable damage. Plus the cables are very robust with a minimum of 20,000 mating cycles.
A new Apple MFI-compatible cable will be introduced for the EL-8s in the next few weeks. A couple of weeks after that we’ll make balanced cables available for Sony, Astell & Kern and Pono players. The new cables are are straightforward swap with the current ones.
In the longer term, hopefully in 2016, we planning to introduce cables that can process signals like noise cancellation, DSP, etc. For some of these applications we have to take the signal from inside the headphone and return it after processing, thus eight separate connectors per side.
We've received reports that the connectors can become loose with increased lateral movement. We’ve shipped many, many EL-8s by now and find connector issues are only a small percentage of the total. If you have any issues with the connectors, please let us know immediately (support@audeze.com) so we can examine them. For most users they hold fine, others say they're not tight enough; perhaps we have to find a better "hold tolerance." We're definitely looking into it and pay attention to the comments made here as we continue to improve our products based on feedback.
In the end, the EL-8s are a product that, in a year or two from now, you can add new features.
