+1 - this is what I mentioned in http://www.head-fi.org/products/audeze-el-8-closed-back/reviews/13001 (my review of the EL-8C) - they take a while to burn in, and many of the negative reviews or critics of these cans have only heard them at a convention like CES or sampled them for a few minutes or even an hour, which I don't think is enough to really get used to these cans. I mention a lot more in detail in my review, but these are true closed headphones, with a nice, almost vacuum-like seal. They are very comfortable, but nonetheless positioning of these is important on the ear, as well as getting used to the sound. The single sided magnets produce a different type of flux field and the sound is not 'symmetrical' across all areas by default; the Fluxor magnets create a almost "bulging" flux that is more powerful on one side. The headphones have other Audeze elements like Uniforce which "equalizes" these forces. Anyways, it took me about 5-6 hours to get used to these headphones and their soundstage (again, the EL-8 closed is what I'm talking about).
Well. I'm not talking about burn in at all. I don't think they'll morph into someones preference over time. I'm just saying that they're weird. They take a while to get used to. I'm very happy with them though, going for the EL-8 and not the PM-3 was totally the right call for me.
Well. I'm not talking about burn in at all. I don't think they'll morph into someones preference over time. I'm just saying that they're weird. They take a while to get used to. I'm very happy with them though, going for the EL-8 and not the PM-3 was totally the right call for me.
Yeah, I didn't really mean a proper burn in, I just think with the EL-8's it takes a bit of time to even start "truly" experiencing their sound, and listening to them in an environment where you can try out different tracks, positioning, and overall just have a few hours to really soak in the soundstage before making a critique. I agree with you in that if I had listened to these for a few minutes and just never really tried to give them a chance to begin with, I would not be very pleased.
Yeah, I didn't really mean a proper burn in, I just think with the EL-8's it takes a bit of time to even start "truly" experiencing their sound, and listening to them in an environment where you can try out different tracks, positioning, and overall just have a few hours to really soak in the soundstage before making a critique. I agree with you in that if I had listened to these for a few minutes and just never really tried to give them a chance to begin with, I would not be very pleased.
I actually did that and still prefered them to the PM-3. But now that I have them at home and have had the time to get used to the signature, I've completely changed my first impressions.
Just a quick comment - I had EL-8 open for a brief period, but returned them due to dis-comfort. I found that after an hour or so, the pressure on the top of my head was quite uncomfortable. As a long-time Sennheiser user, I've never experienced discomfort with headphones before. Definitely a beautiful piece of construction but the comfort was a no go for me.
Just a quick comment - I had EL-8 open for a brief period, but returned them due to dis-comfort. I found that after an hour or so, the pressure on the top of my head was quite uncomfortable. As a long-time Sennheiser user, I've never experienced discomfort with headphones before. Definitely a beautiful piece of construction but the comfort was a no go for me.
Yeah. I really wanted it not to be a problem for me. I tried but found that after a while, I was shifting the headphones around to try and make the "hotspot" disappear. In the end, I decided that I shouldn't be trying to convince myself that I liked a pair of headphones that cost 700$...
Yeah. I really wanted it not to be a problem for me. I tried but found that after a while, I was shifting the headphones around to try and make the "hotspot" disappear. In the end, I decided that I shouldn't be trying to convince myself that I liked a pair of headphones that cost 700$...
These get more and more comfortable over time, I have a few remarks.
Positive:
- Insanely good at blocking out noise. This lets me listen to lower volume levels which is really nice.
- Leaks absolutely nothing. 0db. When I have normal listening volume and someone is wearing them 10 cm away from my ear, I don't hear anything. Amazing.
- The hotspot on the top of my head that was there in the beginning, completely disappeared when I got used to it.
Negative:
- Connectors, like everyone else has said. I don't think it will be a problem for me since I'm not planning to wear them outside, but it's still worth noting.
- Cable noise. These cables easily possess the worst cable noise I've ever experienced.
I had the pleasure to listen to the EL-8 for a few hours at home with my own equipment. However these ones were not burned in, so depending if you believe in it or not - take that into consideration.
It was the closed model that was loaned to us from Dubai Audio for our meet this friday. The meet was a huge success and we had plenty of fun, for anyone who wants to check out what's the state of things in the gulf here is the link: http://www.head-fi.org/t/764580/dubai-head-fi-meet-8th-may-2015/45#post_11582768
The EL-8 was controversial. A lot of people didn't like it or were disappointed - but some, me included, liked it a lot. I was prepared to hear some ugly mess but once I put them on, they weren't that bad. I have the latest version of the LCD-2 and here is my pros and cons:
Pro:
- detailed, very nice balance overall
- the bass is lovely
- design -> these are gorgeous
- tight seal (also a con)
Cons:
- suction cup feeling seal - press lightly against the cups and it feels like you are popping your eardrums
- turning your head affects the pressure in the ear cups and the sound experience (not good)
- connectors and cable noise as mentioned before
At the same time I tested the Oppo PM-3 and given the price difference - I think I would prefer the Oppo, for nearly half the price.
Now next I have to check the open version of the EL-8.
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