[lamode]

I whipped up another render of the plain black option:
 

 

[Mojo777]

Just pre-ordered open with dark wood. NO SKU but on a hand-written list.

 

[Jeb Listens]

TBH, I'm perfectly fine with the comfort of my Bamboo Vegan LCD-2F.

Glad to hear since I'm going to be picking up a new pair of LCD 2F vegans next week ! (Thanks in part to your photos on the LCD2 thread. )

The EL8 announcement made me pause for a little but I think I'll go ahead with plan A for only home listening .

Regards

Jeb.

 

[Stillhart]

So I find it interesting that nobody has really commented on the comfort factor. 
 
Jude made a big deal about three things:  comfort, sound and looks.  Then he spent 6 minutes talking about sound and looks and was conspicuously silent on comfort.  I know we've been discussing weight, but, as others have pointed out, weight doesn't always directly equate to comfort.  How's the clamp on these?  How well does the new-looking strap design work?  etc etc.
 
I'll be paying close attention to these factors when I get my hands on these in two days.  I wish I could get to CES sooner than Thursday but oh well.

 

[EddieE]

  I whipped up another render of the plain black option:
 

 
They look great, but the more I look at the images of the dark grain veneered ones, the more I actually prefer them. 

 

[bassboysam]

i love how a $700 headphone is now "cheap".  I personally would not wear a $700 headphone out on the street or consider them "portable".  these might be nice to travel with, but if you travel once a year then that's a waste of money.  

 

[madwolfa]

  i love how a $700 headphone is now "cheap". 

 
That's the reality of head-fi nowadays.

 

[jaywillin]

  they talk about pads on the hifiman threads ??

 
 

   
HAHAHA!!! yeaaa, lots of pads & pad modding type talk on hifiman thread. probably b/c of the jerg pads for the older generation, ppl are still rly into fiddling with the earpads.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

For the portable discussion: I think people are suggesting that this isn't truly portable as it is larger & heavier than every other closed portable headphones on the market. However, from the video of jude wearing it, it's sleek design makes it so it is possible to wear them on the go. It doesn't seem too unwieldy in terms of size. The only remaining question is efficiency/sensitivity & amping requirements. Considering it has a 3.5mm jack & inline remote, I think it is safe to guess that they will be easy to drive. Seems like they can be used on-the-go if desired (though obviously there are lighter/more comfy/more portable options... a trade-off I guess, but the EL-8 can be worth it for portable usage depending on how much better the sound is).
 
In terms of weight comparison: the old HE-400 weighs 440 grams. The HE-400 has great weight distribution, but still can get a bit tiring after really long (multiple hour) listening sessions. I personally did get use to the weight after a few days though. Regardless of how well designed the weight distribution and ergonomics, if the new EL-8 clocks in at 460-480 grams (heavier than the old HE-400!), they are definitely going to be on the heavy side in comparison to every other headphone manufacturer (as I believe the old gen hifiman were one of the heaviest headphones around the block not counting Audeze). However, this weight is much improved when compared with other Audeze headphones. 
 
For the aesthetic/looks/styling discussion, I think these do look nice. My complaint is more of just a preference. I think the wood finish detracts from the look & I would prefer an all-black model. It shouldn't be too hard to offer something like that & the current Audeze models do have multiple finishes, so hopefully the people at Audeze take into account our feedback & give us that option
 
edit: btw the dark veneer of the closed EL-8 in Jude's video actually looks very very similar to the veneer on my HE-560 (horizontal stripes on the EL-8 instead of vertical stripes on the HE-560). not sure why headphone manufacturers all love wood so much. i guess if the wood finish is the only option, at least it'll match my HE-560 =P

 
I can't wait to start reading some real reviews & impressions of these!!!

sarcasm, i left that thread for the most part because of that ! lol
 
i'm ready too !

 

[BlakeT]

Personally, I think the all black version of the EL-8 is a total snore-fest.  Yawn....
 
On the other hand, the dark wood version looks really nice.  These EL-8's need a bit of wood or other contrasting material to make them "pop" IMHO.

 

[jigglyp]

Totally agree. They need something to make them pop. I'm thinking a strip of light brown or tan leather would look nicer than the wood.

 

[kawaivpc1]

So, has anyone heard this yet?
How does it sound? For 699 dollars, you can buy a used LCD-2 on Ebay.
Is it worse than LCD-2?

 

[bfreedma]

  So, has anyone heard this yet?
How does it sound? For 699 dollars, you can buy a used LCD-2 on Ebay.
Is it worse than LCD-2?

 
See the video in the first post for Jude's initial impressions.
 
I don't think these are really intended to compete with the LCD-2s so I assume they will be different.  Better/worse TBD by individual owners.

 

[Stalkeryan]

Wow sorry for being frank, they are ugly...

 

[gelocks]

I'm waiting for impressions on the closed back EL-8. A portable planar has to be closed IMO to be portable. Hopefully Audeze put a lot of effort into developing the sound of the closed model. At $699 seems like a bargain compared to what their other models cost

 
Well, seeing as they are huge, I don't know much about how portable they might be... Hopefully they sound better than the 'crappy' LCD-XCs... 

 (hated the XCs for being too heavy, lukewarm presentation, and way too overpriced for what they did... these new ones at$700 seem like a good price point...)

 

[Mikeopellos]

Cant Wait This Might be my first GOOD pair of cans