[gnarlsagan]

crixnet, did your EL8 start out with the mids and treble forward?  Mine were recessed at first and only after 48 hrs burn-in did the mids and highs get to neutral to my ears.  My HD-650 is brighter than the EL8 and even my LCD-2f sounds a little brighter.  Running EL8 with Teac UD-301 DAC/AMP (this is about as bright a setup I have), HD-650 and LCD-2f running with UD-301 DAC and Lyr2 w/ 68 Mullards.
Not using any EQ (I really don't like to use any EQ), tends to muddy the sound IMO.

This mirrors my own experience with the EL-8. I found them warmer than the X through the mids. Here are some brief notes from my audition with them at CanJam.

Notes
EL-8 on Audeze Deckard: EL-8 has more midbass than the LCD2. Vocals sound more neutral on the LCD2. Soundstage is deeper/wider on LCD2. Treble seems similar. EL-8 is definitely more sensitive. Wow vocals are much better on the LCD2 to my ears. Less warm than on the EL-8. More forward overall.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

So many completely contradictory impressions of the EL-8 so far. Basically impossible for someone to gauge anything off this entire thread. Thanks for nothing peoples 

 

 

[money4me247]

  So many completely contradictory impressions of the EL-8 so far. Basically impossible for someone to gauge anything off this entire thread. Thanks for nothing peoples 

 

hahah... i will be receiving the closed back el-8 mid april. will do a direct comparison against a few different other closed headphones, so hopefully that would be more helpful

 

[crixnet]

 


The EL-8 is mids and treble are definitely forward in my experience. The bass response was also light, and anti-thetical to the famed Audeze house sound, to my ears. I listened extensively to them over several days that I owned them. I tried mightily to like them, but I ultimately returned them because it grew tedious to constantly need to EQ them for different songs. YMMV.

* Edit: Mine were open-back.

crixnet, did your EL8 start out with the mids and treble forward?  Mine were recessed at first and only after 48 hrs burn-in did the mids and highs get to neutral to my ears.  My HD-650 is brighter than the EL8 and even my LCD-2f sounds a little brighter.  Running EL8 with Teac UD-301 DAC/AMP (this is about as bright a setup I have), HD-650 and LCD-2f running with UD-301 DAC and Lyr2 w/ 68 Mullards.
Not using any EQ (I really don't like to use any EQ), tends to muddy the sound IMO.

They were forward right out of the box, surprisingly so. Over a period of 24-36 hours of burn-in, the soundstage opened somewhat, but the mids and treble remained dominant. The bass was present but never developed proportionately to the mids and treble response.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  So many completely contradictory impressions of the EL-8 so far. Basically impossible for someone to gauge anything off this entire thread. Thanks for nothing peoples 

 

 
Such is the dilemma of pretty much any headphone. I find it interesting that although sound is based on objective phenomena, the head-fi hobby/lifestyle is so incredibly subjective. That's why I try to be enthusiastic about any headphone that catches my attention until I hear it and decide whether I want to live with it.
 
I actually have to raise money to move into a new place by the end of this month, so that could serve as a catalyst to purchase the EL-8. (Unless someone can convince me that the entry-level STAX system is even more suitable for all genres.) I may get an HE-400i before then, if a pending trade deal is finalized. I'm hoping the HE-400i and EL-8 would complement each other and not be too similar.

 

[AN94Master]

Hey guys.I'm a newbie, currently own a Momentum first gen and occasionally enjoy a deep, thundering bass performance which the momentums have almost satisfactorily delivered.I hate the small soundstage. So my questions are 1. How would the EL-8 fare with my x5+e12 and 2. Is buying an EL-8 a good choice for me?
Thanks.

 

[crixnet]

Hey guys.I'm a newbie, currently own a Momentum first gen and occasionally enjoy a deep, thundering bass performance which the momentums have almost satisfactorily delivered.I hate the small soundstage. So my questions are 1. How would the EL-8 fare with my x5+e12 and 2. Is buying an EL-8 a good choice for me?
Thanks.

The EL-8 doesn't have thundering bass at all, in my experience. The best cans for you depends on what you value most, what you want to hear. If you desire phones with heavy bass, the EL-8's not the ticket.

 

[AN94Master]

The EL-8 doesn't have thundering bass at all, in my experience. The best cans for you depends on what you value most, what you want to hear. If you desire phones with heavy bass, the EL-8's not the ticket.

Thank you One more question (although unrelated to the thread). How do the LCD 2/3 fare in the bass department? I'm willing to forego bass for overwhelming SQ.

 

[DavidA]

They were forward right out of the box, surprisingly so. Over a period of 24-36 hours of burn-in, the soundstage opened somewhat, but the mids and treble remained dominant. The bass was present but never developed proportionately to the mids and treble response.

Mine must be a freak, the bass is better than my HE-400i, and this is from my X3.  I'm going to keep the EL8 until this summer when my son comes back from college, said he wanted to hear them before I sold them.  He thinks I might give it to him like my first HE-560 but I'll say only in a trade will he get the EL8.

 

[crixnet]

 

The EL-8 doesn't have thundering bass at all, in my experience. The best cans for you depends on what you value most, what you want to hear. If you desire phones with heavy bass, the EL-8's not the ticket.

Thank you

One more question (although unrelated to the thread). How do the LCD 2/3 fare in the bass department? I'm willing to forego bass for overwhelming SQ.

Audeze LCD phones are known for their rich mids and bass. The LCD-X is more neutral (for Audeze) than the LCD -2/3 in the quality and quantity of perceived bass response: generally, it has more slam and tighter bass response.

 

[x RELIC x]

Thank you One more question (although unrelated to the thread). How do the LCD 2/3 fare in the bass department? I'm willing to forego bass for overwhelming SQ.

Using the X5/e12 combo the LCD-2 is driven well and sounds great. Heads and tails better than the momentums I sold in my opinion.

The bass on the LCD-2's is very good. Well extended and textured. Much more so than the momentums which I found to sound boomy and muffled in comparison.

My 2 cents. Sorry I can't elaborate on the el-8 as I haven't listened to them.

 

[crixnet]

 

They were forward right out of the box, surprisingly so. Over a period of 24-36 hours of burn-in, the soundstage opened somewhat, but the mids and treble remained dominant. The bass was present but never developed proportionately to the mids and treble response.

Mine must be a freak, the bass is better than my HE-400i, and this is from my X3.  I'm going to keep the EL8 until this summer when my son comes back from college, said he wanted to hear them before I sold them.  He thinks I might give it to him like my first HE-560 but I'll say only in a trade will he get the EL8.

Man, I don't know. It's possible, but hard to imagine. These cans aren't hand-made so it is odd that they would sound so different.
 
As I've mentioned previously, my EL-8 responded better when fed from my Pono or my Geek Out 1000. The soundstage was narrower on the Pono and the SQ was characteristically smooth. The soundstage, attack and bite were all improved by the GO 1000, understandably, considering it has a much better DAC and ballsier amp. My Bifrost Uber and Lyr 2 exhibited a much larger soundstage, but the added air and power seemed to never translate to the bass response of the EL-8. The mids and treble certainly shined, although the treble occasionally had some grain; not a lot, but audible every now and then.
 
Bottom line, probably like some folks, I was hoping to get the famous Audeze bass at a fraction of the flagship prices, but it was not to be. I believe Audeze designed this HP to compete with like-priced cans, and to sound good to great with portable devices. I have no doubt it can sound good with other systems, but I couldn't justify keeping the EL-8 given how it sounded on mine. To me, it came down to a matter of sonic priorities and wise investment of limited money and time.

 

[DavidA]

Thank you

One more question (although unrelated to the thread). How do the LCD 2/3 fare in the bass department? I'm willing to forego bass for overwhelming SQ.

The LCD-2 bass goes low and has impact, if the song has a lot of bass sometimes I feel the air pressure almost like a mini subwoofer on your head. 
 
Momentum vs EL8:  the momentum bass is a little on the loose/muddy side, the EL8 (open) has tight, controlled bass but not in the quantity of the momentum. 

 

[crixnet]

 

Thank you

One more question (although unrelated to the thread). How do the LCD 2/3 fare in the bass department? I'm willing to forego bass for overwhelming SQ.

The LCD-2 bass goes low and has impact, if the song has a lot of bass sometimes I feel the air pressure almost like a mini subwoofer on your head. 
 
Momentum vs EL8:  the momentum bass is a little on the loose/muddy side, the EL8 (open) has tight, controlled bass but not in the quantity of the momentum. 

Yup. Good description of the EL-8 bass response.

 

[daltonlanny]

Wow, the impressions on these are more contradictory than on most any other headphones I have read about on Headfi.:confused_face(1):
Any possibility that there may be fairly significant frequency response variations from unit to unit?
Thats the first thought that came to my head after reading many posts in this thread.