[Beagle]

   
Where ? 

 
http://www.highendaudioexchange.ca/
http://www.headfoneshop.com/

 

[mangler]

I'd say, knowing this is probably not "technical" enough for many of you (but they'll be more on this in my official EL-8 Early Impressions piece at EnjoyTheMusic) - but I think the EL-8s have the soul of the LCD-2 w/ Fazor - especially in the midrange - being so luscious and having such a magnetic presence in that area - like the original + new LCD-2s.

In fact, the more they settle-in, especially in the bass and sound-staging, the EL-8s remind me more and more of a collision between the LCD-X and LCD-2 - but, on a smaller scale (if that makes any sense). Maybe this would help illustrate that statement a lil' better: The EL-8 open-backs are beginning to sound like the little brother of the LCD-X, with the colorful (NOT-colored) and vibrant midrange of the LCD-2.

I have to say, a love child between the LCD-X and LCD-2 is VERY appealing in my eyes.

But, mikemercer, when you say "on a smaller scale", how much smaller do you mean? One of the many things I like about the X is how big and full it can sound.

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
http://www.highendaudioexchange.ca/
http://www.headfoneshop.com/

 
I've bought my Metrum Hex from HighEndAudioExchange and Francois is a class act. I've also bought my PS1000e from the HeadfoneShop and Charles it fantastic to deal with...I would agree with Dave here!

 

[mikemercer]

[quote name="mikemercer" url="/t/749214/audeze-el-8-the-el-8-is-a-must-hear-at-ces-2015/2265#post_11302797"The EL-8 open-backs are beginning to sound like the little brother of the LCD-X, with the colorful (NOT-colored) and vibrant midrange of the LCD-2.

That paint an OK picture for ya??

Yes it certainly does, and that is AWESOME news!!![/quote]

Fantastic. Glad to hear it!!
 
 

  Hey Mike, I'm not sure if this has been asked, but will you be getting a closed back model for review as well?  Or do you know of anyone that has the closed model that'll be doing a review/impressions?

I will be getting the closed-backs as soon as a production-level review unit is ready!!

 

[mikemercer]

  "In fact, the more they settle-in, especially in the bass and sound-staging, the EL-8s remind me more and more of a collision between the LCD-X and LCD-2 - but, on a smaller scale"
 
Very interesting for portable cans, but sounds like it's not time to sell the LCD's just yet.

oh yeah - like I said (and I know, this thread MOVES - so sorry it got lost in the mix): These are NOT replacements for the LCD-series. I still consider the LCD-series my top reference. And, from what I've been told - and will have clarified in my interview w/ Alex Rosson  - is that the EL-8 is NOT supposed to replace any of the LCD-series cans. 
 
The EL-8s, the more systems I try, the wider the variation of musical genres I feed through em - are becoming what I would consider to be reference-level headphones at the step below the LCDs (but I haven't done extensive comparisons YET - because I'm still getting to know the EL-8s).
 
The easiest way for me to break that down now would be to say that, in order of my preference  - this is what my top-level reference (damn, rhyme totally unintentional) list of headphones would look like so far, in my personal order (meaning my favorite up-top, and then descending):
 
Audeze LCD-3 w/ Fazor
Audeze LCD-2 w/ Fazor
Audeze LCD-X 
Sennheiser HD800
Audeze LCD-XC
Audeze EL-8
MrSpeakers Prime
Audio-Technica ATH-900X
 
and this is where I THINK the EL-8 will end-up. It's still too early to tell - but that's what my gut says based on my listening sessions to this point...
 
 
 

I have to say, a love child between the LCD-X and LCD-2 is VERY appealing in my eyes.

But, @mikemercer, when you say "on a smaller scale", how much smaller do you mean? One of the many things I like about the X is how big and full it can sound.

Ah - GREAT question - The EL-8s sound-staging is already much wider and deeper than when I first got em - and I KNOW that's tough to believe, but it's my observation.
 
Still - if I had to put a number of percentage to the difference in overall staging between the X and EL-8 - I would say, at the moment, the EL-8s sound-field is about 55-60% the size of the LCD-X's - when both were played on my E.A.R and ALO Studio Six - haven't brought my Cavalli LAu into the fold YET.
 
But, to me, that's actually where they should be, - as whats the price of the X? 1,500-1,600??
and the EL-8s are 699 - Plus, and this is important:  it feels like they're still opening up!!
 
When I played em this morning on the E.A.R - I KNOW the sound-field was broader in scope then when they were outta-the-box. Even my boy Kevin commented on it this morning, without me saying a word - he said: "dude, the sound seems bigger than last week, but they're still not making everything as big as those big-a__ LCD3s I love so much"... 

 
 
ALSO FELLAS:
VERY sorry- but my wifey really needs my help tonight - so I'll try to get that next draft of Impressions posted tonight, but it MAYBE tomorrow...

 

[greenkiwi]

Take as much time as you need... And then take some extra...

I've never understood why manufacturers don't just burn in all their headphones and speakers before delivering. Run them 24/7 with test tones for a week. Heck, it would probably catch a few more faked units before they get out to the customer

 

[mangler]

Thanks for the intel mikemercer!

Im truly sorry to hear you're wife's not doing so well, and I know autoimmune disorders can be tough, to say the least. She's way more important, and these headphones will be out soon enough, so please don't feel any pressure to post.

 

[mikroski]

@mikemercer I had listen to LCD2-2 some time ago, it's a good phones and good tonal balance. Anyhow, it just lag of some fun factor, and its mid is too lean for my taste. Do you think that EL8 has more colored mid and treble.
 
I already pre-order EL8 close version, but still curious whether this is my good decision for blind buy or not.

 

[deafanddumb]

Audeze LCD-3 w/ Fazor

Audeze LCD-2 w/ Fazor

Audeze LCD-X 

Sennheiser HD800

Audeze LCD-XC

Audeze EL-8

MrSpeakers Prime

Audio-Technica ATH-900X

Hmm....Mike...I know where I think the th900 would be...but could you tell me your opinion first?

 

[KT66]

I heard open and closed with AK240 and my 901 with mini box, definitely need an amp and I am no headbanger.

 

[mikemercer]

Take as much time as you need... And then take some extra...

I've never understood why manufacturers don't just burn in all their headphones and speakers before delivering. Run them 24/7 with test tones for a week. Heck, it would probably catch a few more faked units before they get out to the customer

OH - I've been pink-noising, AND running the Ayre, Nordost, and classic XLO burn-in discs w/ an amazing smattering of sweeps and other signal-feeding/burn-in tricks
(ALL ripped to my SSD obviously) at ALL times when not listening!!
 
Something valuable I took from workin' for the late, very much-missed Harry Pearson!
My main essay on Harry from Positive-Feedback if anyone's interested +
My more straight-up, from the heart, spontaneous prose piece for Harry in Audio360.org
 

Thanks for the intel @mikemercer!

Im truly sorry to hear you're wife's not doing so well, and I know autoimmune disorders can be tough, to say the least. She's way more important, and these headphones will be out soon enough, so please don't feel any pressure to post.

thanks @mangler! Yes, I guess I must've shared that it's STILL an un-diagnosed auto-immune disorder she's fighting.
And: NO worries! Work is like a sonic soul-salve for me - and, Alexandra encourages me to keep AT IT w/ the EL-8s - as she's a bigtime Audeze fan too - and is finally going to choose her own pair! She's also anxiously awaiting the closed-backs to try em out. I'm going to buy her whichever she chooses: Even if she chooses a pair of LCD-Xs, which she may do! But she DESERVES em! As she refers to herself as a "headphone widow" sometimes. 

 

  @mikemercer I had listen to LCD2-2 some time ago, it's a good phones and good tonal balance. Anyhow, it just lag of some fun factor, and its mid is too lean for my taste. Do you think that EL8 has more colored mid and treble.
 
I already pre-order EL8 close version, but still curious whether this is my good decision for blind buy or not.

If you found the LCD-2.2  was "lag of some fun factor, and its mid is too lean" then you've made a GREAT choice, IMHO!!
Now, I've only heard the pre-production closed-back EL-8s at CES (and a prototype beforehand) and I've committed to getting a pair - even before I receive a full-on production pair for my review!! 

 
To my ears, the EL-8s have a more vivid midrange than the original LCD-2 - NOT to say the original LCD-2 didn't have solid mids - but the EL-8s are more reminiscent, for me, of the new LCD-2 w/ Fazor (makes sense - as the EL-8s employ two new technologies, including Fazor). The treble was also greatly-improved (again, IMHO) in the new LCD-2 w/ Fazor - and the EL-8s have wonderful sparkle to the highs and extension - not to mention a wider, heightened, more-holographic audible image in the upper frequencies than the original LCD-2s...
 
I think you're Golden w/ your choice!
 
MORE RESPONSES COMING ASAP!!!!
+ More Detailed Impressions - Added another source, amp and DAC that I know very well 

 

[mikemercer]

Audeze LCD-3 w/ Fazor

Audeze LCD-2 w/ Fazor

Audeze LCD-X 

Sennheiser HD800

Audeze LCD-XC

Audeze EL-8

MrSpeakers Prime

Audio-Technica ATH-900X

Hmm....Mike...I know where I think the th900 would be...but could you tell me your opinion first?

oh I missed yet another EXCELLENT question!
As I got to hear the TH900s at Canjam this year, for the first time, w/ a pair of my reference cans (LCD-XCs) and my AK240 plus my Glove Audio A1 + AK240 packed /w my tunes! My only other auditions of the 900s were on alien systems to me, and not my music either!
BUT: Checkin' em out w/ my reference cans and DAPs: I LOVED em!!!!

 
They are going to be my next reference-level headphones purchase!
But its gonna be awhile unfortunately (because of EL-8s)! That said:
 
I think I'd place the TH900s, when it comes to my preference/reference list above (OK - so the rhyme was intentional that time 

):
Right below my LCD-XCs...
 
What did you think my answer would be????

 

[YtseJamer]

  I totally forgot to mention:
The cables I got are longer than the ones were at CES.
I haven't measured em' yet - but holding them up (I'm 5foot 7in) they're over a foot (or at least a foot) taller than me.
 

 
Hey Mike, did you get a confirmation from Audeze that the 'longer' cable will come by default with the Open-Back EL-8 ?

 

[KidA81]

Cool to see your list broken down that way! Out of curiosity, what do you hear in the LCD-2 Fazor that you don't get in the X? I've been LOVING the X, but they're a lot more expensive...

 

[OrganMonster]

  Audeze LCD-3 w/ Fazor
Audeze LCD-2 w/ Fazor
Audeze LCD-X 
Sennheiser HD800
Audeze LCD-XC
Audeze EL-8
MrSpeakers Prime
Audio-Technica ATH-900X

It is interesting that the EL-8 comes right below the XC. I wonder how many steps below the EL-8 is from the XC? 
I have been in the market; ok, drooling over the XC for some time now and I really need a closed headphone. The only thing holding me back is the horrible weight of teh XC at 650 gm. Audeze had mentioned to me while at the RMAF (just a fleeting conversation) that there may be a small possibility that the XC might get the new graphite headband to make it lighter. I have been holding out for a while hoping that either the EL-8 closed meets my very high expectations or that the XC will be modified and becomes lighter. Even though sound quality is paramount in my quest, the comfort of the headphones is foremost on my mind since I will wear them 7 to 8 hours a day for work. There is not many closed headphones to choose from that have outstanding sound signature and staging performance. I will wait til the air clears on this and then decide which way to go.