[Dark Ayla]

I've gathered here that the open version seems to be sonically superior to the closed version, but can someone who has heard both comment specifically on the difference in bass response? I would guess that the closed would have more bass impact and slam, given that they're... closed. I'm debating on which ones to get, and will want the ones with more sub-bass since I listen to bass-driven music exclusively.

I am not sure why members on this thread are comparing CLOSED to OPEN phones?!!
Totally different sonics, totally different applications, totally different in every single aspect.  

 

[rs0cal]

 

  Few more questions before i pull the trigger . Is it very heavy on the head ? how about wearing it and walking ? I plan buying it for an on the go usage .  I talk about the closed back EL8 . Thanks in advance .

 

They are fairly comfortable. You will still feel the weight, but the ear-cushions are comfy and your ears will not touch the drivers.
 
I think they are a little too heavy for on-the-go use. I don't even like using them to walk around my house. But in terms of playing them off a portable player unamped (such as an iPhone)...they are very impressive...especially for being a planar-magnetic headphone

 

[Saraugie]

I am not sure why members on this thread are comparing CLOSED to OPEN phones?!!
Totally different sonics, totally different applications, totally different in every single aspect.  

Have you read Audeze's description on their website? They speak about open & closed as having the same sound, just isolation being different.

 

[rschoi75]

Sorry if I missed it, but didn't Audeze elude that there was some big secret reason for them creating a new connector? Did they ever give the purpose?

 
My best guess is that it has to do with the new Apple lightning cable they mentioned before.
 
But of course, I can't seem find the post that mentioned it, now that the topic is relevant. The best I can do is the moon audio description of the el-8
 
http://www.moon-audio.com/audeze-el-8-headphones.html
 
"Apple cable will be available at additional cost. Price TBD."

 

[Jazic]

I am not sure why members on this thread are comparing CLOSED to OPEN phones?!!
Totally different sonics, totally different applications, totally different in every single aspect.  

I had the closed version on pre-order but actually be referred the open to the point of canceling. They have the same model number and are identical in price. The thread isn't split up into open and closed its the same thread. Naturally since people here are familiar with Audeze they are also compared to the LCD line for comparison even tho they are way out of their league.

I can understand how it's frustrating hearing about the open if you're interested in the closed but there is a search feature that let's you easily find the posts related to what you're looking for.

 

[Dark Ayla]

Have you read Audeze's description on their website? They speak about open & closed as having the same sound, just isolation being different.

Do u believe that an open headphone sounds the same as closed ones?
If it is only ISOLATION, so why we don't go with the closed back = same as open and perfect isolation?
 
Come on!

 

[money4me247]

My best guess is that it has to do with the new Apple lightning cable they mentioned before.

But of course, I can't seem find the post that mentioned it, now that the topic is relevant. The best I can do is the moon audio description of the el-8

http://www.moon-audio.com/audeze-el-8-headphones.html

"Apple cable will be available at additional cost. Price TBD."

what wld b the purpose of a direct connect to lightning? most ppl will be connecting to a amp/dac anyway & if not why wld u wanna connect to lightning over the 3.5mm jack anyway? what is the benefit?

 

[rschoi75]

what wld b the purpose of a direct connect to lightning? most ppl will be connecting to a amp/dac anyway & if not why wld u wanna connect to lightning over the 3.5mm jack anyway? what is the benefit?

 
So that you can upload digital data straight to your brain and bypass sound entirely. 
 
Seriously though, you got me. My best guess is that maybe they'll have remote functions for people who are too lazy to reach all the way to their source to change the song and/or volume(?). 
Maybe just a testing ground for future tech? If the cable works properly, they should be able to draw power from the source too, so future noise canceling models could potentially be sans battery (weight improvement), or they could have built in dacs inside the headphone powered by the source, etc, etc... 

 

[efoote]

I recently got my EL-8 closed backs and have been quite happy with them. One thing that stood out to me compared to my previous, and lower quality, head phones was the lower amount of bass. The mids and the highs were far better however. Anyways, I let my friends in school try the headphones and they all say there is not enough bass, and they therefore don't like the headphones. I agree somewhat but I solve the problem by bumping up the EQ on the low end a bit. The bass is clean and tight, just not as much oomph as I was expecting. Any comments?

 

[Zulkr9]

The closed back to me was also bass shy and bright.
the open back though is much better. its neutral bass uneducated ears can't really tell what good bass is, all they want is boom . 
I think the el-8 has good impact on par with lcd just not having that last bit of extension, but its tighter however.

 

[efoote]

  The closed back to me was also bass shy and bright.
the open back though is much better. its neutral bass uneducated ears can't really tell what good bass is, all they want is boom . 
I think the el-8 has good impact on par with lcd just not having that last bit of extension, but its tighter however.

Would you say the only fix for the bass being shy is messing with the EQ or finding sources that favor bass a bit more?

 

[Beagle]

  The closed back to me was also bass shy and bright.
 

 
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[money4me247]

 
So that you can upload digital data straight to your brain and bypass sound entirely. 
 
Seriously though, you got me. My best guess is that maybe they'll have remote functions for people who are too lazy to reach all the way to their source to change the song and/or volume(?). 
Maybe just a testing ground for future tech? If the cable works properly, they should be able to draw power from the source too, so future noise canceling models could potentially be sans battery (weight improvement), or they could have built in dacs inside the headphone powered by the source, etc, etc... 

you can make remotes with a standard cable though. tho maybe they designed their cable so that you can have remote on a separate wire than the audio wire to help 'improve sq.'
 
the thing is that there will often be an amp/dac in between the source & headphones. most of those sources and amp/dacs just have a 3.5mm out. hence, any special connector on the single terminal end of the cable will be worthless for most applications. a dedicated lightning that works with an iOS device means that every time you want to use your amp/dac means you need a separate cable.
 
well for future tech, the only way I see it anything useful for what you are saying is an integrated amp/dac built into the cable, but that doesn't seem very realistic for practical usage or realistically achievable.
 
bluetooth or wireless adapters has already been ruled out by audeze, but in my mind that would be the best application of a special connector... to get rid of the wire.
 
can't personally think of anything else that would be worthwhile to deal with the hassle & inconvenience of a proprietary connection.

 

[money4me247]

 
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I think it depends on your frame of reference though. probably bass-shy in quantity compared most popular consumer brands, but most likely better bass quality. also, audeze headphones in general are considered to be on the dark side, can be bass heavy compared to many audiophile-oriented brands.
 
but yes, generally the reaction of most people to more audiophile orientated headphones is not enough bass. the popular sound sig nowadays is an extreme bass boost and a v-shaped frequency response curve.

 

[darkbluemn]

I got a change to listening to it and compared it with other headphones in the show. To be truth, this is not a wonderful headphone, as I just listened to HE1000 and LCD series. It is a little too bright and the sound is not real from this headphone. The analyticity and density is not very high. But it is not as expensive as LCD3 and HE1000, so I still believe it worth its price.