[Maconi]

I have a "black box" EL-8 Closed and I've never had any issues with it. I just bought it a couple months ago though so maybe mine is a "revised" one and they just hadn't changed the box yet?

 

[sparkofinsanity]

  I have a "black box" EL-8 Closed and I've never had any issues with it. I just bought it a couple months ago though so maybe mine is a "revised" one and they just hadn't changed the box yet?

 
It sounds like every headphone was damaged but that wasn't the case, my black box open have no issues either (bought april/may-ish in Sweden). Still, it sucks that so many of you got lemons. 
 
Just curious, how many of you who got defect units live in the USA? And how many in the rest of the world? (I know, this is a primarily American forum in English leaving some Asian, European and South american etc countries more or less out, so I guess it will not really tell us that much really but still. 

 

[inthere]

  Just curious, how many of you who got defect units live in the USA? And how many in the rest of the world? (I know, this is a primarily American forum in English leaving some Asian, European and South american etc countries more or less out, so I guess it will not really tell us that much really but still. 

 
 That's a great question because I was told it was a European issue that happened during shipping.

 

[bfreedma]

I have a "black box" EL-8 Closed and I've never had any issues with it. I just bought it a couple months ago though so maybe mine is a "revised" one and they just hadn't changed the box yet?

I've had my "black box" closed since very early in the production run with no issues. Some headphones seemed to be damaged in shipping, but not all. I bought mine through a dealer who received at least 4 in the shipment, so they were probably together in a larger shipping box and perhaps not as likely to be damaged.

 

[sujitsky]

I pre-ordered the el8 open and had the first unit replaced (2 week turnaround from Audeze plus free cable!) due to loose connection issues. No problem yet with replacement unit. Both are Black box.

 

[RollinHard843]

   
I prefer the EL-8 Open over the LCD2! I've just started a thread in which I discuss the differences: http://www.head-fi.org/t/786181/alternative-to-el-8-open
Greatest strengths in my humble opinion:
 
- wonderful, linear bass response. good impact and good sub-bass presence, but not too much! I love bass, but I don't want too much of it.
- Spaciousness! Man, width is quite awesome in my opinion. LCD 2's sound just hits a wall quite quickly.
- Instruments have more room to breath, LCD 2 sounds congested in comparison.
 
What's up with this newer version of EL-8O? You've made me reaaalllly curious!

Cool, thanks for the post   One day, I'm going to audition these 2 pairs of headphones (at the very least) in store.  Maybe I'll get to bring my own amp/DAC combo to hook up, but we'll see about that.

 

[Chikolad]

So what's the story about the silver EL-8?
Is it just another color option or does it only come with the iPhone lightning cable (for an extra $100 I think?)?
I'm curious as to whether or not they really did change the tuning of these, especially the closed back.

 

[beaver316]

I have found the open EL-8 online brand new for 490 EUR. I was thinking of replacing my HE-400i with these. Would this be considered an upgrade and how good of a deal is this?

 

[Uriel41]

  I have found the open EL-8 online brand new for 490 EUR. I was thinking of replacing my HE-400i with these. Would this be considered an upgrade and how good of a deal is this?

I've had both and compared them. I'd say it really depends on what you want from a headphone. The EL-8O has quite a bit more sub-bass presence and its slower decay is perfect for ambient electronica or similar genres of music. The 400i is quicker and instruments sound more natural, the highs are slightly better. I find the 400i to be a bit more fatiguing than the EL-8O.
EL-8O's soundstage is wider, there's no wall. 400i's soundstage is more clearly defined.
 
For jazz and funk, I'd prefer the 400i. For electronic music, the EL-8O. Because I find the 400i's mids rather fatiguing and because I listen to electronica more so than anything else, I kept the EL-8O. But i could imagine that most Head-Fiers prefer the 400i because instruments sound more natural through these cans.
 
In short: I don't think it's an upgrade. It's probably a side-grade. It's an OK deal, got mine for 480 SFR though.

 

[beaver316]

 
I've had both and compared them. I'd say it really depends on what you want from a headphone. The EL-8O has quite a bit more sub-bass presence and its slower decay is perfect for ambient electronica or similar genres of music. The 400i is quicker and instruments sound more natural, the highs are slightly better. I find the 400i to be a bit more fatiguing than the EL-8O.
EL-8O's soundstage is wider, there's no wall. 400i's soundstage is more clearly defined.
 
For jazz and funk, I'd prefer the 400i. For electronic music, the EL-8O. Because I find the 400i's mids rather fatiguing and because I listen to electronica more so than anything else, I kept the EL-8O. But i could imagine that most Head-Fiers prefer the 400i because instruments sound more natural through these cans.
 
In short: I don't think it's an upgrade. It's probably a side-grade. It's an OK deal, got mine for 480 SFR though.

 
Thanks for your impressions. From how you describe the differences, it sounds as though I'd prefer the EL-8O's sound signature more. I'm a big EDM fan, as a big chunk of my recent music is made up of that. I also enjoy hip hop, basically anything with a nice deep bass line. The HE-400i has been great to me, and I really do love it's sound, but I find myself craving a little more bass extension ever since selling my old HE-400.
 
If you don't mind, could you go into a little more detail in the differences between their mids and highs?

 

[Uriel41]

   
Thanks for your impressions. From how you describe the differences, it sounds as though I'd prefer the EL-8O's sound signature more. I'm a big EDM fan, as a big chunk of my recent music is made up of that. I also enjoy hip hop, basically anything with a nice deep bass line. The HE-400i has been great to me, and I really do love it's sound, but I find myself craving a little more bass extension ever since selling my old HE-400.
 
If you don't mind, could you go into a little more detail in the differences between their mids and highs?

 
If your library is full of EDM, you should give the EL-8O a listen. It's really difficult to tell whether you'd consider it an improvement though. Keep in mind that its decay is slower, which is not necessarily what you want for fast electronica.
 
I've sent off my 400i today, so i don't remember exactly. From what i recall, 400i's mids are more forward and more detailed. The highs are simply better than those of the EL-8O, though not by a wide margin. Cleaner and richer, EL-8O misses some treble information. To be quite honest, the EL-8O's treble is the reason i'm still on the lookout for something better.
Just FYI, i'm using the O2 ODAC combo to drive my headphones.
 
Thus overall, it's really a tradeoff:
EL-8O: deeeeep bass, sounds warm and is comfortable to listen to for hours
400i: more detail, better highs, more natural sounding.

 

[beaver316]

I have a much clearer image of how they compare now, thanks!

 

[doughead]

Im curious. Are there any folks who prefer the EL8 to the LCD2? Ive heard both, but only for a few minutes each, and it was not enough time to form a strong preference. For folks who love the EL8 at the very least equally, what do you think are its greatest strengths?

I have an open EL-8 with almost a week's burn-in and I feel I can at least give some initial impressions. They have a full bodied sound regardless of whether they're driven by a DAP solo or with a portable amp. With the Cayin C5 they truly come alive - weighty impactful bass (when the music has it), a rich and slightly forward mid with crisp and sparkling highs. With due credit to the C5 their soundstage was wonderfully expansive and airy and everything sounded bold and effortless, you know these are audiophile grade headphones no doubt about it. If they have flaws its that they have a slight tinge of brightness, but its minor and dependent on the music. I recently got a chance to audition the LCD2. I had high hopes for it after all the rave reviews I read on the web. They have a heavy and thick sound, the bass was obviously taking centre stage here, but they sounded closed-in and lacked air,  and the treble was like being relegated to the background. I didn't listen to them long so its just a few minute's impression. I had wanted to upgrade to them initially but didn't do so after my brief impression with it. Perhaps they needed better amplication than the C5 could manage, and perhaps a better source than my HM650 as well. I'm a basshead through and through but I would not take great bass at the expense of a subdued treble and a small soundstage (even when driven by the super-airy C5). However I'm tempted to listen to them again, I don't believe they sounded like they did when I heard them. They probably needed a better source, DAC and amp to hear them in their full potential I suspect. Nevertheless, Im surprised that they have such differing sound signature since both came from the same company. Just my two cents' worth.

 

[Uriel41]

 
I have an open EL-8 with almost a week's burn-in and I feel I can at least give some initial impressions. They have a full bodied sound regardless of whether they're driven by a DAP solo or with a portable amp. With the Cayin C5 they truly come alive - weighty impactful bass (when the music has it), a rich and slightly forward mid with crisp and sparkling highs. With due credit to the C5 their soundstage was wonderfully expansive and airy and everything sounded bold and effortless, you know these are audiophile grade headphones no doubt about it. If they have flaws its that they have a slight tinge of brightness, but its minor and dependent on the music. I recently got a chance to audition the LCD2. I had high hopes for it after all the rave reviews I read on the web. They have a heavy and thick sound, the bass was obviously taking centre stage here, but they sounded closed-in and lacked air,  and the treble was like being relegated to the background. I didn't listen to them long so its just a few minute's impression. I had wanted to upgrade to them initially but didn't do so after my brief impression with it. Perhaps they needed better amplication than the C5 could manage, and perhaps a better source than my HM650 as well. I'm a basshead through and through but I would not take great bass at the expense of a subdued treble and a small soundstage (even when driven by the super-airy C5). However I'm tempted to listen to them again, I don't believe they sounded like they did when I heard them. They probably needed a better source, DAC and amp to hear them in their full potential I suspect. Nevertheless, Im surprised that they have such differing sound signature since both came from the same company. Just my two cents' worth.

My impressions exactly! I was as dissappointed by the LCD 2 as you were, when I compared it to the EL-8O. No room for instruments to breathe, all closed in. Plus the bass is too overpowering. Mine was driven by a 1000 dollar AMP/dac by Marantz, don't remember the model number. Yet I'd disagree with you on treble quality, I thought the LCD 2's treble was cleaner.

 

[doughead]

  My impressions exactly! I was as dissappointed by the LCD 2 as you were, when I compared it to the EL-8O. No room for instruments to breathe, all closed in. Plus the bass is too overpowering. Mine was driven by a 1000 dollar AMP/dac by Marantz, don't remember the model number. Yet I'd disagree with you on treble quality, I thought the LCD 2's treble was cleaner.

I'm glad I'm not alone in my impressions, so they do indeed sound closed-in and dense. The treble is cleaner yes (much more easy on the ears compared to the EL8O) but they were overwhelmed by the bassy thick sound signature.