[mikemercer]

It's not just you and the question has been asked a lot. At the end of the day, if buying a 3.5 mm extension cable doesn't work out, then I guess it's a deal breaker.

This drama may have been enhanced by my slow-response - 
But I should be speaking w/ Alex Rosson soon - and I'll be sure to ask him if they've come to a decision there.
 
There's one SMALL quibble I have w/ the cable, in this particular incarnation (don't know why that word came into my head just now... (

) and its funny that me and my boy @warrenpchi (also my partner at Audio360.org) had the same issue. His was with this pair of Sonys (forget the model, the one that came w/ the Kimber Kable option):
 
THIS IS MOST-LIKELY OCD-RELATED (so just know this is a little quirky)  - but the Right/Left split has this thicker, longer, rubber tube (not too long, half-inch maybe) but at the top and bottom - that thicker band around the cable is cut - leaving a lil' ridge on the top of that little spot.
 
I'll take a picture - 
 
BUT - what happens is that lil' edge gets snagged on the edges of my desks - in my Sonic Satori Personal Audio Lab - and my headphone listening station in the front! And it pulls at those Sync cables...
 
The jury's still out on those for me...
and I neglected to put that in my article for ETM - but...
 
AGAIN,
Just a lil' quirk.
 
LOVIN em though - the production-level open-back EL8s I used for the article (the first in my new sub-column under Sonic Satori - Impressions Sessions)
and the new Burson Conductor Virtuoso!! Now, I really dig my Conductor as a headphone amp - wasn't really a fan of the DAC) - but the USB DAC and headphone amp sections of their new offering is a serious improvement over the OG Conductor!
 
This has been a terrific pairing -
 

 
AND:
Speaking of "Drama" - I realized that I often speak about using my own tracks/records as some of my best sonic acid tests - because I co-wrote, Produced, mixed and mastered them - so I know their sound as well as you can know a track!! 
 
(though when I say records - even though I had a couple releases on vinyl - they're all dance music singles - NOT full LPs - to be clear)
 
One of my old production partners, Josh Seamless (together we went by Seamless Satori), recently reminded me that he posted our last record together - entitled "Drama" on my Soundcloud page.  This track is an underground mix of tech house, progressive house, a hint of tribal and - well, its not easy to classify your own music.
 
But I thought maybe a few of you would like to hear it.
It BUMPS on my LCDs and the 8s!!
 
HERE'S THE LINK TO THE TRACK
 
Check it out if you'd like - I'm going to start to use that track more (I have the master 96k/24-bit .WAV file) as we had such a great time working on it. There's also a funny story behind the track.

 

[Audeze]

Lol... It's a cable in a sea of cables and cable connectors. Unless they were able to fit an amplifier in the connector, I can't see what's so secretive lol.

kapanak... or LOL? No kidding, there's a good reason for it and all will become apparent eventually. Audeze doesn't want to announce vaporware so when we have it all in hand we'll happily let everyone know. 
Thank you,
Audeze

 

[Audeze]

owait - that's not the announcement

Funny! A little humor always goes a long way...

Audeze

 

[wgb113]

Good guess on the Lightning connector. I'd rather not have to deal with a patch cord to get the length that I want.

All that cable drama aside, I still plan on auditioning them when they arrive at my local dealer. Only then will I be able to decide whether or not a purchase is warranted. If Mike's enthusiasm is any indicator, things like a wait for a longer cable can be weighed appropriately.

Bill

 

[Linchpin]

Is it really that hard to spend $10-15 on a decent extension cord...I don't think so, especially since it solves the problem completely.

 

[Audeze]

I really hope these sound like the best headphones in the $600-$900 category, especially since there aren't a lot in this category.

Because, as it stands, the choice of the wood veneers, the short 1.2m cable (that's just 4ft, most IEMs have longer cables ***), the proprietary cable connectors, and the massive weight (no matter how well distributed) are deal-breakers, each on their own or combined, for many of us.

And frankly, most people outside of audio related niches have never even heard of Audeze, so this is where they make most of their sales.

Also, I believe the Audeze representative above was out of line for calling out Mike on his remarks regarding the all black version. Mike alone has done more marketing for Audeze, free of charge, than anybody else out there in the last month.

Edit: Just want to add again, for those unfamiliar with Audeze strategy, they tend do to small unannounced revisions and larger announced revisions, even within a year. EL-8 in 2016 will sound noticeably different and most likely look slightly different than the first batch for sure, given their track record with the LCD lineup. Kind of annoying. Still, nothing against Audeze, them and Hifiman made the orthodynamic Renaissance happen. And they sound damn good, all their products so far.

BTW, Canadian pricing strategy for these are ridiculous. $900...

I bought my new pair of HD800 for $1200 during a December special in Vancouver Headphone Bar, $900 for these EL-8 is kind of insulting to my wallet lol...

 
Whoa... massive weight? The EL-8s are a hair over one pound and as Michael pointed out in his preview on EnjoyTheMusic they don't -feel- heavy. Out of line with Michael? We love the guy! On the phone today he was happy that Audeze had corrected some info in his earlier post. If he doesn't feel called out, should you? He's hot for an all-black version, a lot of people want the same, and as mentioned, we're looking into producing it but there's inevitably going to be a lag time before and if it makes its way into production. Also, as mentioned, while Audeze made unnannounced updates in the past that is no longer the case and all upgrades are officially announced to avoid confusion. But this is old news, a policy that changed over a year ago. Tough crowd...
 
Thank you,
Audeze 

 

[lamode]

   
YES- my comparisons will be on cans in the same price category...

 
Then why compare them to the Sennheiser HD650? The first place I checked had the HD650s going for $329, less than half the price of the EL-8

 

[Audeze]

   
I agree with this. It is kinda unfair for customers who really want a all-black version to not to know that it is coming out in the future & pre-order a version that they will regret later.
 
Mike has done a lot of extremely positive & enthusiastic advertising for the el-8. definitely only boosted positive interest in this product. though I am not sure if it was technically free of charge... didn't he say in his review that he was gifted an el-8?

 
Wow... unfair to customers? We designed the EL-8 in the best way possible. But because we're open and listen to feedback -- a positive aspect of Audeze's business model wouldn't you say? -- we've become aware that people would like an all-black version. We were wrong that the wood veneer made a connection to the LCD collection. No one's perfect. And as mentioned several times by now, we're looking into an all-black model in good faith but it's not going to appear next week. So there really isn't a product to preorder! And it's a bit odd that correcting a bit of information that Michael put out with the kindest of words is seen as calling the guy out. Tough crowd...
 
Thank you,
Audeze

 

[Audeze]

  What if the longer cable isn't a cable?
 
There are some data points out there - whether they fit together or not I have no idea.  I only know what Google permits...
 
https://trademarks.justia.com/863/73/audeze-86373899.html
Audeze description of  their Goods and Services includes the word "wireless"  multiple times:
"Consumer electronic products, namely, audio speakers, amplified audio speakers, portable audio speakers, headphones, earphones, computer audio speakers, and wireless audio speakers; Wireless speaker systems comprising of audio speakers and wireless transmitters; Wireless audio home networks in the nature of audio amplifiers, audio speakers, headphones, audio transmitters, and audio receivers; Computer hardware and peripheral devices and computer software for data communication and translating and transmitting data sold therewith"
 
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/mark-cohen/2/a1b/436
The Director of Sales at Audeze recently filed patents for new MESH wireless networking technology.

 
Interesing... but that's not it. 
Good try though.
Thank you,
Audeze

 

[bfreedma]

 What if the longer cable isn't a cable?
 
There are some data points out there - whether they fit together or not I have no idea.  I only know what Google permits...
 
https://trademarks.justia.com/863/73/audeze-86373899.html
Audeze description of  their Goods and Services includes the word "wireless"  multiple times:
"Consumer electronic products, namely, audio speakers, amplified audio speakers, portable audio speakers, headphones, earphones, computer audio speakers, and wireless audio speakers; Wireless speaker systems comprising of audio speakers and wireless transmitters; Wireless audio home networks in the nature of audio amplifiers, audio speakers, headphones, audio transmitters, and audio receivers; Computer hardware and peripheral devices and computer software for data communication and translating and transmitting data sold therewith"
 
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/mark-cohen/2/a1b/436
The Director of Sales at Audeze recently filed patents for new MESH wireless networking technology.

 
Interesing... but that's not it. 
Good try though.
Thank you,
Audeze

Made for a nice "conspiracy theory" for a few minutes.
Woodward and Bernstein I'm not.

 

[lamode]

   
Calling it now, Lightning terminated iOS cable.

 
AFAIK, there are no analogue pins on a Lightning connector, so there must always be an external DAC and amp between a Lightning port and headphones.

 

[MattTCG]

   
Whoa... massive weight? The EL-8s are a hair over one pound and as Michael pointed out in his preview on EnjoyTheMusic they don't -feel- heavy. Out of line with Michael? We love the guy! On the phone today he was happy that Audeze had corrected some info in his earlier post. If he doesn't feel called out, should you? He's hot for an all-black version, a lot of people want the same, and as mentioned, we're looking into producing it but there's inevitably going to be a lag time before and if it makes its way into production. Also, as mentioned, while Audeze made unnannounced updates in the past that is no longer the case and all upgrades are officially announced to avoid confusion. But this is old news, a policy that changed over a year ago. Tough crowd...
 
Thank you,
Audeze 

 
Well it is a tough crowd, did you expect less? But if we're being honest this where most success for high end personal audio happens, right? At least in the beginning for companies like Audeze. Honestly I though you were somewhat flippant and not just with Mike but hey, it's just my opinion. 
 
The weight is a real concern for many of us. Audeze continues to hold the crown for "heavy" hp's. Take a look no further than the xc...but I do envy the dude that can wear that hp for a couple hours and still be enjoying the music. So yes the EL-8 is quite heavy for many us who want to listen to music for hours at a time. Part of the problem originates when you, Audeze markets the hp as portable and then we find out that it's 460/480 grams or just over a pound. In my estimation you could cut that number in half for a reasonable weight for a portable hp...and others have already done so. 
 
Revisions both announced and unannounced are certainly fair game here for discussion IMO as well and shouldn't be so readily dismissed. I was the recipient of one of the very first unannounced versions of the lcd2.2 fazor. I had no idea I would be getting fazor tech. I saved and purchased the lcd2.2 based on my audition of the "classic" lcd2.2. My disappointment was substantial. That's a thousand dollars brother and I'm still scratching my head over that one. In fairness that are many of us here who have enjoyed the audeze sound and supported it financially with our hard earned dollars.
 
I feel it's about time Audeze to take an active roll here for the people who support you. Get involved regularly and share information would be my request.  
 
best,
 
Matt

 

[Audeze]

   
Well it is a tough crowd, did you expect less? But if we're being honest this where most success for high end personal audio happens, right? At least in the beginning for companies like Audeze. Honestly I though you were somewhat flippant and not just with Mike but hey, it's just my opinion. 
 
The weight is a real concern for many of us. Audeze continues to hold the crown for "heavy" hp's. Take a look no further than the xc...but I do envy the dude that can wear that hp for a couple hours and still be enjoying the music. So yes the EL-8 is quite heavy for many us who want to listen to music for hours at a time. Part of the problem originates when you, Audeze markets the hp as portable and then we find out that it's 460/480 grams or just over a pound. In my estimation you could cut that number in half for a reasonable weight for a portable hp...and others have already done so. 
 
Revisions both announced and unannounced are certainly fair game here for discussion IMO as well and shouldn't be so readily dismissed. I was the recipient of one of the very first unannounced versions of the lcd2.2 fazor. I had no idea I would be getting fazor tech. I saved and purchased the lcd2.2 based on my audition of the "classic" lcd2.2. My disappointment was substantial. That's a thousand dollars brother and I'm still scratching my head over that one. In fairness that are many of us here who have enjoyed the audeze sound and supported it financially with our hard earned dollars.
 
I feel it's about time Audeze to take an active roll here for the people who support you. Get involved regularly and share information would be my request.  
 
best,
 
Matt

 
Hello again, nope, a tough crowd is exactly what we expect. Just sayin'  (-"  I am truly sorry if any of you think Audeze's responses today have been flippant. That's not a politician saying sorry if I offended anybody... We really don't want to appear that way, just trying to keep the conversation on the lighter side rather than become defnsive or heavy. Will do better in future and Audeze is keenly aware of the importantance of Head-Fi We want to treat everyone with respect but that's really a two-way street. 
 
Regarding the weight, to get the sound in Audeze territory we employed new technologies that require half the magnets of the LCD series as they redirect unsused magnetic flux back towards the diaphragm. The EL-8 is as light as we can make them while keeping their acoustics up to par. We feel they are portable, and if they work for you we're happy, if they're too heavy, and we recognize that's a valid concern for many, then go for something more comfortable of course. No flippancy written or implied. We want everyone who enjoys this hobby to enjoy it!
 
Absolutely, revisions are fair game for discussion, and as mentioned, Audeze has abandoned the practice of quietly making running changes and will announce upgrades as they occur to avoid confusion. Who's dismissing that concern? We changed our policy over a year ago and do it differently now so... 
 
Everyone, and we mean everyone at Audeze appreciates how you saved and purchased one of our headphones, it really means a lot to us. That's true passion and we respect that, same here at Audeze. While the 2.2 was a better headphone than the original LCD-2, the additional Fazor elements seemed to enjoy widespread approval, but not everyone hears the same. In any case the point is moot, we've changed our policy to avoid just this situation. 
 
"I feel it's about time Audeze to take an active roll here for the people who support you. Get involved regularly and share information would be my request"
 
Your wish is our command, we will remain active on Head-Fi and make sure our customers and this enthusiastic crowd of tough customers are happy!
 
Thank you,
Audeze.  

 

[money4me247]

@audeze,

my apologies, i misinterpreted the post abt the all black headphones. i see that you were just clarifying that you will be responding to consumer interest in the future but will not have that version available for preorder. i am really excited that you guys are responding to consumer feedback.

i do think that things like the proprietary cable, cable length, and the weight are real issues that audeze fans are concerned about.

I hope u guys arent taking my comments to be offensive or disrespectful. i am a fan of your products, owning the lcdx & will most likely purchase the el8 in the future. my comments were simply unfiltered feedback abt some of my concerns.

 

[kapanak]

   
Hello again, nope, a tough crowd is exactly what we expect. Just sayin'  (-"  I am truly sorry if any of you think Audeze's responses today have been flippant. That's not a politician saying sorry if I offended anybody... We really don't want to appear that way, just trying to keep the conversation on the lighter side rather than become defnsive or heavy. Will do better in future and Audeze is keenly aware of the importantance of Head-Fi We want to treat everyone with respect but that's really a two-way street. 
 
Regarding the weight, to get the sound in Audeze territory we employed new technologies that require half the magnets of the LCD series as they redirect unsused magnetic flux back towards the diaphragm. The EL-8 is as light as we can make them while keeping their acoustics up to par. We feel they are portable, and if they work for you we're happy, if they're too heavy, and we recognize that's a valid concern for many, then go for something more comfortable of course. No flippancy written or implied. We want everyone who enjoys this hobby to enjoy it!
 
Absolutely, revisions are fair game for discussion, and as mentioned, Audeze has abandoned the practice of quietly making running changes and will announce upgrades as they occur to avoid confusion. Who's dismissing that concern? We changed our policy over a year ago and do it differently now so... 
 
Everyone, and we mean everyone at Audeze appreciates how you saved and purchased one of our headphones, it really means a lot to us. That's true passion and we respect that, same here at Audeze. While the 2.2 was a better headphone than the original LCD-2, the additional Fazor elements seemed to enjoy widespread approval, but not everyone hears the same. In any case the point is moot, we've changed our policy to avoid just this situation. 
 
"I feel it's about time Audeze to take an active roll here for the people who support you. Get involved regularly and share information would be my request"
 
Your wish is our command, we will remain active on Head-Fi and make sure our customers and this enthusiastic crowd of tough customers are happy!
 
Thank you,
Audeze.  

Very well said. This is the kind of detailed and comprehensive response we expect from a well regarded audio company such as Audeze. I mean, you guys are making the American dream a reality by creating a private audio company from scratch and succeeding in the 21st century.
 
And, if any of us ticked off any of your PR folks, we had no intention to, I am certain. Some of us just had bad and bitter experiences with the revisions or other aspects of some things. I personally had a broken cup original LCD-2, and my second one was an untold revision lol ...
 
You can bet any of us here still commenting on this thread are truly interested in this headphone family.
 
I mean, search Head-Fi and you'll find the most popular question is "What is a better closed-back headphone above $500". We still don't have an answer to that today. Nothing truly checks off all the boxes.
 
I am hoping the EL-8 open and closed will be a new era of cutting edge headphones at great designs and affordable prices from Audeze.
 
I have read your planar magnetic tech and it is truly cutting edge and pushing the boundaries, especially in the distortion aspect.
 
Good job, and carry on. Just keep us in the loop when you feel it's the right time