[money4me247]

open el8 at above??

 

[YtseJamer]

My initial impression of the open back that I now own is that they are well worth the money, connector and wire issues aside, but please do not buy expecting a headphone that hits well above its price range and bests flagships. It is a very good headphone for what I paid for, probably the best under 1K. I can't say the same the closed back due to the treble spikes, and thus why I did not purchase them.

The sound signature is not what many associate as the Audeze house sound, which is dark, full bodied bass and very fun and enjoyable. They are far closer to the more neutral and analytic LCD-X, but not quite there. It is an evolution of the Audeze house sound, a bit less intimate and more neutral. It is not a derivative of LCD-2 or LCD-3, but a slight departure. Audeze is a new audio company, and I applaud them for diversifying their sound signature and tuning.

Also, Audeze has many dealers in every major city and otherwise. I recommend purchasing in person vs. Online, as I was able to open the headphones after paying for them and tested them in store to ensure I was not taking home a DOA. Audeze acknowledged a small soldering problem in the very first run of the headphones, so please check for that. They have resolved that now. And if the connections to the headphones isn't as sturdy as your other headphones, don't worry, it's still working very well, just a tiny bit wobbly.

Edit: You know what they sound like? A more intimate and less airy, but more tightly controlled HE-560, without the 4K hump of the HE-560. And for those worried about the bass, while it doesn't have LCD-2 levels of bass extension, the open back has more bass and nice textures in the low mids and mid bass than many other headphones more expensive. There is plenty of bass, and it's the good kind of bass, not the Fostex TH-600 kind of bass.

The same signature is not shared by the closed back. I really wish the closed back sounded better, because it's plenty comfortable, really nicely made and isolates great.

Edit 2: The headband can be detached from the cups, but it seems the cups need to be opened up to remove it. The wood has some sort of finish on them, but they seem prone to eventual deterioration. I wish they had the same finish as the LCD-2 or XC. As soon as I figure out how to non-destructively take the cups from the headband, I'll post pictures and a guide on how to do it, and I'll share what sort of staining and finishing I will perform on the wood veneer. It's real wood btw. I honestly thought it was fake given the pictures I had seen of it, but nope, it's pretty consistent patterned zebra-like wood.

The leather looks and feels nice and smooth, but maybe too smooth and consistent to be real leather. Protein leather maybe? It can get hot, but it has some breathing room. The headband is very comfortable and the design is quite novel.

The drivers are long. When I read the 100mm spec, I had assumed a more square or circular shape. But they are more rectangular. Like, two squares' attached together kind of rectangular.

As a physics major, I find the drivers to have a very interesting design and I'm sure very innovative. I don't think any orthodynamic using any technology even remotely similar has ever been produced prior to this.

There is no way to hear ANY distortions with these headphones. They have absolutely no distortion whatsoever. Be careful, as nothing will indicate to you how loud these can go, and because they sound so clear even loudly (and are driven so easily), you can very easily damage your hearing. In this regard, they are similar to my HD800.

Presentation-wise, and regarding looks and feel and build quality and comfort, it is really surprising good and far better than the product photos would suggest. I highly encourage you to visit your nearest Audeze dealer that allows you to demo these. Make your own judgement on the closed back, as I really found it hurtful to my ears. The open back is quite wonderful, but so many of us might have a flagship open back, so another one might not be what you're looking for.

And here's my final thought for the night: If you're coming from the likes of any closed back under $800, and I really mean any of them, the EL-8 open back will blow your mind If you're coming from the HD600, or HD650, you may find EL-8 works better with more variety of music, and far easier to drive, but the sound isn't significantly better. If you're coming from Hifiman products, you'll find the EL-8 a pretty close cousin. If you have a flagship headphone from Sennheiser or Audeze or Hifiman or Fostex or any other, especially Beyer or Grado (how can you like those insanely bright Beyers or Grados, come on xD) , I can't recommend the EL-8 open to you.

Seriously, go try these.

Thanks for your impressions! Did you buy them @ Headphonebar ?

 

[x RELIC x]

Thanks for your impressions! Did you buy them @ Headphonebar ?

I don't think they even have them yet.

 

[DigitalFreak]

My initial impression of the open back that I now own is that they are well worth the money, connector and wire issues aside, but please do not buy expecting a headphone that hits well above its price range and bests flagships. It is a very good headphone for what I paid for, probably the best under 1K. I can't say the same the closed back due to the treble spikes, and thus why I did not purchase them

Not sure if it's just you being touchy to treble energy or maybe it's just a case of bad sinergy or even a bad pair but I've had the closed backs on my noggin for the last 5 days and spikey treble is something the closed back isnt. Matter of fact, the closed back has some of the best controlled highs I've heard. If I was to nitpick my major gripe would be they have the same shortcoming all closed backs do, the soundstage sounds boxed in. Even so, they still beat the likes of the Alpha Dog in staging. They're nowhere near to being "hurtful to the ears" as you put it. So I'm really not sure what to make of your treble spike comment.

By the way, there isn't a piece of audio gear on the planet that won't display distortion if you push it enough to its limits. Mind you, trying to do something like with a pair of cans on would blow your eardrums out pretty quick.

 

[Chikolad]

Not sure if it's just you being touchy to treble energy or maybe it's just a case of bad sinergy or even a bad pair but I've had the closed backs on my noggin for the last 5 days and spikey treble is something the closed back isnt. Matter of fact, the closed back has some of the best controlled highs I've heard. If I was to nitpick my major gripe would be they have the same shortcoming all closed backs do, the soundstage sounds boxed in. Even so, they still beat the likes of the Alpha Dog in staging. They're nowhere near to being "hurtful to the ears" as you put it. So I'm really not sure what to make of your treble spike comment.

By the way, there isn't a piece of audio gear on the planet that won't display distortion if you push it enough to its limits. Mind you, trying to do something like with a pair of cans on would blow your eardrums out pretty quick.

 
A ray of hope, thanks

 

[Tribbs]

My initial impression of the open back that I now own [...]

There is no way to hear ANY distortions with these headphones. They have absolutely no distortion whatsoever. Be careful, as nothing will indicate to you how loud these can go, and because they sound so clear even loudly (and are driven so easily), you can very easily damage your hearing. In this regard, they are similar to my HD800.

[^BTW, best review I've read so far. Thanks!]

By the way, there isn't a piece of audio gear on the planet that won't display distortion if you push it enough to its limits.

If you can hear the distortion produced by your amp then you need a new amp!

One of the specs that attracted me to the EL-8 was the distortion measurements. "Its performance surpasses anything on the market in its price range." I have never seen lower distortion measurements in any cans. Bar none!

If you want to better hear the distortion produced from your tubes then the EL-8 will reveal it with all it's harmonics. On the other hand if you want as little distortion as possible find a solid state amp with very low distortion and pair it with the EL-8. As for myself, I will be building a diy high performance solid state amp to get there. This will lower the total audible distortion of my signal path to practically nil. Any leftover audible distortion will be a result of the recorded mastering. At this point you can start to complain to the recording/mastering engineer(s).

We live in the golden age of audio where the electronics can be completely transparent, as it should be. I want to hear what the artist and the recording/mastering engineer(s) intended. Not what the electronics or headphone engineer thinks I should hear.

 

[crixnet]

My initial impression of the open back that I now own is that they are well worth the money, connector and wire issues aside, but please do not buy expecting a headphone that hits well above its price range and bests flagships. It is a very good headphone for what I paid for, probably the best under 1K. I can't say the same the closed back due to the treble spikes, and thus why I did not purchase them.

The sound signature is not what many associate as the Audeze house sound, which is dark, full bodied bass and very fun and enjoyable. They are far closer to the more neutral and analytic LCD-X, but not quite there. It is an evolution of the Audeze house sound, a bit less intimate and more neutral. It is not a derivative of LCD-2 or LCD-3, but a slight departure. Audeze is a new audio company, and I applaud them for diversifying their sound signature and tuning.

Also, Audeze has many dealers in every major city and otherwise. I recommend purchasing in person vs. Online, as I was able to open the headphones after paying for them and tested them in store to ensure I was not taking home a DOA. Audeze acknowledged a small soldering problem in the very first run of the headphones, so please check for that. They have resolved that now. And if the connections to the headphones isn't as sturdy as your other headphones, don't worry, it's still working very well, just a tiny bit wobbly.

Edit: You know what they sound like? A more intimate and less airy, but more tightly controlled HE-560, without the 4K hump of the HE-560. And for those worried about the bass, while it doesn't have LCD-2 levels of bass extension, the open back has more bass and nice textures in the low mids and mid bass than many other headphones more expensive. There is plenty of bass, and it's the good kind of bass, not the Fostex TH-600 kind of bass.

The same signature is not shared by the closed back. I really wish the closed back sounded better, because it's plenty comfortable, really nicely made and isolates great.

Edit 2: The headband can be detached from the cups, but it seems the cups need to be opened up to remove it. The wood has some sort of finish on them, but they seem prone to eventual deterioration. I wish they had the same finish as the LCD-2 or XC. As soon as I figure out how to non-destructively take the cups from the headband, I'll post pictures and a guide on how to do it, and I'll share what sort of staining and finishing I will perform on the wood veneer. It's real wood btw. I honestly thought it was fake given the pictures I had seen of it, but nope, it's pretty consistent patterned zebra-like wood.

The leather looks and feels nice and smooth, but maybe too smooth and consistent to be real leather. Protein leather maybe? It can get hot, but it has some breathing room. The headband is very comfortable and the design is quite novel.

The drivers are long. When I read the 100mm spec, I had assumed a more square or circular shape. But they are more rectangular. Like, two squares' attached together kind of rectangular.

As a physics major, I find the drivers to have a very interesting design and I'm sure very innovative. I don't think any orthodynamic using any technology even remotely similar has ever been produced prior to this.

There is no way to hear ANY distortions with these headphones. They have absolutely no distortion whatsoever. Be careful, as nothing will indicate to you how loud these can go, and because they sound so clear even loudly (and are driven so easily), you can very easily damage your hearing. In this regard, they are similar to my HD800.

Presentation-wise, and regarding looks and feel and build quality and comfort, it is really surprising good and far better than the product photos would suggest. I highly encourage you to visit your nearest Audeze dealer that allows you to demo these. Make your own judgement on the closed back, as I really found it hurtful to my ears. The open back is quite wonderful, but so many of us might have a flagship open back, so another one might not be what you're looking for.

And here's my final thought for the night: If you're coming from the likes of any closed back under $800, and I really mean any of them, the EL-8 open back will blow your mind

If you're coming from the HD600, or HD650, you may find EL-8 works better with more variety of music, and far easier to drive, but the sound isn't significantly better. If you're coming from Hifiman products, you'll find the EL-8 a pretty close cousin. If you have a flagship headphone from Sennheiser or Audeze or Hifiman or Fostex or any other, especially Beyer or Grado (how can you like those insanely bright Beyers or Grados, come on xD) , I can't recommend the EL-8 open to you.

Seriously, go try these.

I concur with your observations. Thanks for sharing. This definitely sheds light on what many can expect from the EL-8.

 

[kite]

I concur Still a little "worried" about the closed backs since thats my only option for the el-8 (whynot lcd-1 i wonder xD). Ate they really bound to sound THAT mich different than the open back el-8? But i guess more reviews are about to pop up

 

[kapanak]

I concur Still a little "worried" about the closed backs since thats my only option for the el-8 (whynot lcd-1 i wonder xD). Ate they really bound to sound THAT mich different than the open back el-8? But i guess more reviews are about to pop up

There actually was a LCD-1. It used the driver that later went into the LCD-2, but in a generic enclosure.

http://wiki.faust3d.com/wiki/index.php?title=Audeze_LCD-1

Only 25 of them were ever made, and they are unobtainium today lol

 

[mrip541]

Do you guys think there are any legitimate reasons to buy a new LCD-2 over a new EL-8 open back?

 

[kapanak]

Do you guys think there are any legitimate reasons to buy a new LCD-2 over a new EL-8 open back?

Better soundstage, more impact, great bass, and of course, just plain unadulterated Audeze sound house. But the weight and the fit and comfort of the LCD-2 is light years behind the EL-8 (I own both). The EL-8 is more intimate, faster and has better mids and highs. Talking about the open back version.

 

[DavidA]

  Do you guys think there are any legitimate reasons to buy a new LCD-2 over a new EL-8 open back?

 

Better soundstage, more impact, great bass, and of course, just plain unadulterated Audeze sound house. But the weight and the fit and comfort of the LCD-2 is light years behind the EL-8 (I own both). The EL-8 is more intimate, faster and has better mids and highs. Talking about the open back version.

As noted by kapanak the LCD-2 is a great headphone.  I have both also but got the EL8 open-back as something I could travel with without having to bring a amp.

 

[crixnet]

The discussion about comparing the LCD-2 and EL-8 is interesting given their close-ish price points. They are two different beasts, though, so it really depends on which sound traits you value most.

I've always been intrigued by the sonic signature of the LCD-X, and as much as I like the EL-8 for many reasons, I foresee myself getting an X as my future flagship cans. Wider, deeper soundstage, more bass extension and slam, and just more Audeze goodness in general. Don't get me wrong, I like the LCD-2/3 as well, but the comparative neutrality of the X and the treble extension suits me better.

 

[wgb113]

 If you're coming from the HD600, or HD650, you may find EL-8 works better with more variety of music, and far easier to drive, but the sound isn't significantly better. 

 
This is disappointing to hear.  My current cans are HD650s that I run balanced off of an Oppo HA-1.  It's a pleasant sounding system but I miss some of the resolution of my AKG K712 (sold off due to discomfort).  I'll still go for a listen when I received the loaner pair of Oppo PM-2s so that I can compare all three off of the HA-1 but I'm getting the feeling that I'm going to either stick with the HD650s or go another route than either the Audeze or the Oppo (wasn't thrilled with the sound signature of the PM-1 with original leather pads).
 
Bill

 

[crixnet]

This is disappointing to hear.  My current cans are HD650s that I run balanced off of an Oppo HA-1.  It's a pleasant sounding system but I miss some of the resolution of my AKG K712 (sold off due to discomfort).  I'll still go for a listen when I received the loaner pair of Oppo PM-2s so that I can compare all three off of the HA-1 but I'm getting the feeling that I'm going to either stick with the HD650s or go another route than either the Audeze or the Oppo (wasn't thrilled with the sound signature of the PM-1 with original leather pads).

Bill

Personally, I feel the EL-8 is much clearer, crisper and more resolving than the 650. No real contest, to my ears. The 650 is very warm and smooth, with a definite treble roll-off. The EL-8 is far superior in this area, IMO. Also, as mentioned earlier, the EL-8 is fast, much faster than the 650 or 600.

In short, I prefer the faster, punchier, clearer EL-8 sound and performance over either of these venerable Senns. YMMV.