[reddog]

totally agree when i read mike review i saw how much work he put into it, such reviews are rarely to read these days, even if i do not agree with mike on some aspects but by all means i will never be so rude 

and so kindly twain 250 please either contribute in a productive way or keep ur peace

finally mike do not let such negative people affect u and i look forward for ur next review

+1 Well said.

 

[DavidA]

Anybody know a good amp to pair with these for under $400?

How are they with tube amps ?

These really don't need an amp to sound good, if you read back about 2-3 weeks ago many commented that these don't seem to scale much with better equipment.  It has been my experience  that the EL8 will sound quite good from a portable device like a phone or DAP.  Moving up to my UD-301 DAC and Lyr2 the sound didn't seem to improve any, if anything they sounded better out of the headphone amp of the UD-301 which is not very powerful, like all things here, YMMV, cheers

 

[lamode]

Your fifth post in this forum and this attitude? How dare you speak on my and other behalf? Patronize someone else, please.

I do want to read Mike's review. He has contributed to this forum on so many occasions. Unlike you. Mike's style is unique. He is called Mr. Excitable for a reason. If you don't want to read his posts, there is a block user function. But please, refrain from speaking for others.

Shaking my head,
K

 
His opinion is as valid as yours, and I happen to agree with him. I read everything that Mike posted about the EL-8 and I still felt like I learned nothing. It was all hype and nonsense. If he is a professional reviewer then he must be the worst I've ever encountered.

 

[Koolpep]

   
His opinion is as valid as yours, and I happen to agree with him. I read everything that Mike posted about the EL-8 and I still felt like I learned nothing. It was all hype and nonsense. If he is a professional reviewer then he must be the worst I've ever encountered.

Then you should factually disagree with him, which is totally ok with me, just don't speak on my behalf and don't get personal.
 
Cheers,
K
 
EDIT: Mike's opinion is as valid too. Every posters opinion about anything we discuss here is as valid as mine, but you missed the point of my complaint - I might not agree at all with Mike's review - but shouldn't he be allowed to post here as much as you or 5 post guy? Without people telling him that "we" don't need his review? 

 

[YtseJamer]

Here's my impressions of the of the Open-Back EL-8 now that they have +200 hours of burn-in and that the honeymoon period is over.
 
Equipments:
 

1. Amp : Schiit Vali
2. DAC : Emotiva DC-1

 
PROS: 
 

1. The build quality is very good.
2. The EL-8 are more comfortable than the LCDs.  
3. The sound quality is great...after +200 hours of burn-in.
   1. Great mids (The electric guitar strings have more punch, crunch, and bite versus the LCD-2)
   2. Good soundstage but maybe a slightly smaller stage than the LCD-2, not much difference IMO.
   3. Good bass but probably not on the same level as the LCD-2. 
   4. Very good tonality. (They definitely sound like a pair of Audeze headphones)
   5. Nice treble...after +200 hours.
4. Very resolving and musical at the same time.
5. I can drive them easily with my iPod Touch.  

 
CONS: 
 

1. The treble is a bit weird and grainy during the first 100/150 hours.
2. They need more than +200 hours of burn-in to sound great.
3. There is no 'quality' carrying case included!  (Very disappointing for $699.)
4. The EL-8 are more picky than the LCD-2 with low-res files.

 
I have to admit that I agree with some of the negative comments that I have seen so far in this thread and even on my side I was very close to sell them at some point because of the weird and grainy treble. 
 
I'm quite happy now with my pair but Audeze will have to improve their quality assurance process if they want to succeed with the EL-8!
 
Thanks
 
PF
 

 

[Twain250]

  Here are my quick impressions of the Open-Back EL-8 now that they have +200 hours of burn-in and that the honeymoon period is over...
 
 

 
Thanks for your concise and interesting report pfillion, it was a pleasure to read.
 
Just thinking out loud here; but regarding your observation that “The EL-8’s are more picky than the LCD-2 with low-res files”: 
 
Could this be simply due to the EL-8’s having a difference in frequency response that, as with other resolving phones, makes them better able differentiate with different quality source material than what the LCD-2 can do? 
 
If the above happened to be true, then perhaps this particular effect might be expected to be the case?
 
I look forward to any further comments you may care to make.
 
Thanks again,
Cheers

 

[alishafai]

I'm in agreement with Koolpep.

To me this forum or any other hobby forum should be treated with respect and absent of personal attacks or otherwise mean spirited commentary.

Here is a perspective:

The world has real problems and here we are spending obscene amounts of money on something that we love, so, let's be civilized about it.

 

[YtseJamer]

   
Thanks for your concise and interesting report pfillion, it was a pleasure to read.
 
Just thinking out loud here; but regarding your observation that “The EL-8’s are more picky than the LCD-2 with low-res files”: 
 
Could this be simply due to the EL-8’s having a difference in frequency response that, as with other resolving phones, makes them better able differentiate with different quality source material than what the LCD-2 can do? 
 
If the above happened to be true, then perhaps this particular effect might be expected to be the case?
 
I look forward to any further comments you may care to make.
 
Thanks again,
Cheers

 
Thanks 

 
Yes it's a good point.  
 
The EL-8 are producing a crispy and sharp sound in the upper mids and treble versus the laid back mids and treble of the LCD-2.

 

[rs0cal]

Why would you want to spend $400 while you can get very good results with the Schiit Vali. ($400)

Nice!!! Yeah I know that they scale easily but I remember that review by mike where he was playing the open el8 with a bunch of different Amps.

What has improved for you when you are playing it with the schitt vali?

 

[24grant24]

I really like them out of my audio gd nfb 15.32  with a tranparent audio power cable.

 

[YtseJamer]

What has improved for you when you are playing it with the schitt vali?

 
The Vali is good for adding some warmth and musicality.

 

[Currawong]

I'm in agreement with Koolpep.

To me this forum or any other hobby forum should be treated with respect and absent of personal attacks or otherwise mean spirited commentary.

Here is a perspective:

The world has real problems and here we are spending obscene amounts of money on something that we love, so, let's be civilized about it.

 
This. Please be respectful, even when you don't like something.

 

[lamode]

To me this forum or any other hobby forum should be treated with respect and absent of personal attacks or otherwise mean spirited commentary.

 
Where was the personal attack? If we were discussing a new cinema release and someone said "X is a terrible actor", this isn't a personal attack. It's a candid evaluation of someone's job performance. Negative evaluations are just as valid and useful as positive ones.

 

[Koolpep]

Where was the personal attack? If we were discussing a new cinema release and someone said "X is a terrible actor", this isn't a personal attack. It's a candid evaluation of someone's job performance. Negative evaluations are just as valid and useful as positive ones.

the above statement is about a person, it's personal, in your case maybe (theoretically) the director wanted the actor to portrait his character in exactly that way. Actor did his job well, audience hates his "performance", calls him terrible actor. If you would have said, terrible performance of this actor in this movie, thats an opinion. Stating a fact: actor x is terrible - is personal and not a respectful thing to say. Emphasize the "I", Make clear that it's just you for whom you speak and that's just your humble or not so humble opinion and you are golden.

Anyhow, you missed the point, it's not about criticism to anyone's review, but the way it was delivered. Telling someone his opinion is "not needed" and that "we" moved on - without having the authority to speak for "us" - lacks exactly that. Respect. Constructive criticism is indeed valuable as you point out.

Anyhow.

Since I just happen to have a HE-560 in the house for review - and this is a very good reference point for me, does anyone have both, the hifiman and the EL-8 and can tell me a little bit about the differences? It really helps me to put things into perspective?


Many thanks,
K

 

[money4me247]

Since I just happen to have a HE-560 in the house for review - and this is a very good reference point for me, does anyone have both, the hifiman and the EL-8 and can tell me a little bit about the differences? It really helps me to put things into perspective?

open or closed? I will have the closed EL-8 to compare with the HE-560 in a while.