[generalguy]

Long time lurker, got this last november and the headband is now cracking -- use them everyday but treat them well. I had to get the original cables replaced because they became faulty, but the replacements are going strong.
 
The plastic bit held by 4 screws that covers the adjustment band is constantly under tension when I wear it so I assume it's some sort of plastic fatigue: enough times putting it on and off and they start cracking. I've brought it up with support, we'll see what they can do. 
 
It's a shame because they sound pretty great, but are not worth the $ if they keep breaking

 

[raze94]

  Long time lurker, got this last november and the headband is now cracking -- use them everyday but treat them well. I had to get the original cables replaced because they became faulty, but the replacements are going strong.
 
The plastic bit held by 4 screws that covers the adjustment band is constantly under tension when I wear it so I assume it's some sort of plastic fatigue: enough times putting it on and off and they start cracking. I've brought it up with support, we'll see what they can do. 
 
It's a shame because they sound pretty great, but are not worth the $ if they keep breaking

Sorry to hear about your problems. There have been too many with this model and I dont think their will be permanent fixes till a total redesign will be done. Im not sure how long R&D was on the product but they should have waited longer before releasing the EL8. They are good but its such a shame about the QC issues. I would suggest letting them go and moving on to more reliable HP manufacturers. 

 

[generalguy]

 
Sorry to hear about your problems. There have been too many with this model and I dont think their will be permanent fixes till a total redesign will be done. Im not sure how long R&D was on the product but they should have waited longer before releasing the EL8. They are good but its such a shame about the QC issues. I would suggest letting them go and moving on to more reliable HP manufacturers. 

OK--- Audeze determined that I needed an RMA replacement, and they even provided shipping (!). Super fast and helpful service--from Chris Berens. Really impressed. Hopefully the replacement is as good as the service!

 

[billtboys]

Great..I'll do the same...Thanks for the info.

 

[generalguy]

Update: new headphones from Audeze arrived, things are sounding good. Still some small creaking if I put it on, so hopefully it doesn't have the same issues...
 
The cable plugs are more firm and they don't slip out at all which is a definite improvement.
 
So far so good! Great support from Audeze, very fast response even internationally. Compared with some warranty issues I've had w/ other audio companies, very very good.

 

[wyvernone]

The plastic cracking sound got noticeably worse on my el8 so I got them replaced. Would you believe it same problem again, this time only in the left ear. White box version again. I can't believe they actually test these things before they go out

I bought a "white box" version (is it version 2?) of the EL-8 Open and have experienced a similar problem with the left cup. Whenever the cup is slightly shifted, whether by moving my jaws or turning my head a fair bit, there is a crackling noise on the left channel just like a record album scratch and crackle noise. At first I thought may be my ear lobe rubbing against the grille but that should not cause such a high volume noise. Then I thought may be my long hair somehow piercing through and touching the membrane, but that doesn't sound plausible.
 
Then I start to push on the cup against my ear and find that a slight change of air pressure inside the ear cup will cause this crackling noise, which is more evident on the left cup than the right cup. It sounds like the membrane isn't tightly stretched on the suspending frame and it may be touching the magnets causing this crackling noise when the pressure shifts.
 
Any ideas how to fix this? I contacted Audeze already a couple of times in the past 2 weeks but no reply so far not even an acknowledgement.
 
I can say the EL-8O produces great sound but this crackling noise can be annoying, much worse than the worst microphonic noise on a pair of IEM, and it reduces the mobility of the headphones.

 

[billtboys]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7GxmSw32Gc
 
It's possible that this guy is explaining your problem  He starts explaining  at 5:45 in.  I don't have the problem with the EL-8s. It's probably just a shape of the head thing. They don't seal as well on me. I had the same problem on the STAX 207s.  When I listen to the STAX, sometimes I place a cigarette lighter low, between my upper jaw and lower pad which stops the perfect seal.  When the left ear pad, seals on my ear, it seems to create a vacuum that disturbs the very thin membrane against the magnets and the vacuum produced vibrates it, creating what I call a "crunch."
Hope this helps. You never know. 

 

[wyvernone]

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7GxmSw32Gc
 
It's possible that this guy is explaining your problem  He starts explaining  at 5:45 in.  I don't have the problem with the EL-8s. It's probably just a shape of the head thing. They don't seal as well on me. I had the same problem on the STAX 207s.  When I listen to the STAX, sometimes I place a cigarette lighter low, between my upper jaw and lower pad which stops the perfect seal.  When the left ear pad, seals on my ear, it seems to create a vacuum that disturbs the very thin membrane against the magnets and the vacuum produced vibrates it, creating what I call a "crunch."
Hope this helps. You never know. 

Thanks for that link and your own experience. I'll do some experiments. I wonder if I'll have to make a line of pin pricks on the inside and outside of the pads...or that is probably not enough to dissipate the pressure imbalance quickly enough anyway.

 

[billtboys]

My pleasure.  I think you would have to take a larger chunk out of your headphones than just the small perforations.  I don't think different pads would be an option either, because those pads are some of the most perfectly shaped pads in the whole field,  which ironically is why you have such a good seal that it's creating problems for you and others. The guy in the video I provided just kind of moved the headphones around just a little and that solved his problem. If that doesn't work and you want to do more than just stick a small object between your jaw and the headphones (and i wouldn't blame you) you could either permanently attach an object to the ear pad or maybe you could take the ear pad out and figure out a way to go through the back of it to insert some small object that you placed in the right spot. Another option may be to buy a set of identical pads and hope that they're different enough to not seal quite so well. I guess you could bend the metal on the headband to loosen it a little, but after giving you all that advice, most of it includes mutilating your cans in some way and that should always be the last resort. So  don't take my word for it. Once you do yours test, maybe a much better idea will come to you and you can fix it easily and quickly.  And maybe Audeze has dealt with the problem and can talk you through fixing it.  Please let me know how it turns out  It's an interesting problem. 

 

[wyvernone]

I did some more investigation and the stick in-between the ear pad and the jaw to make the EL-8 "more open" does not help with my crackling EL-8O.
 
To me it appears that the ear pads are vented into the planar magnetic membrane chamber.  Just by squeezing the ear pad cushion (don't need to press onto the cup) the excess air is dumped into the membrane chamber. When this happens the sound volume is reduced for about half a second, and when the pressure is equalised, the sound volume comes back to the normal level.
 
This air venting from the ear pad cushion dropping the sound volume also affects the right ear cup, however, the crackling noise problem only plagues the left ear cup.
 
Great so my Audeze EL-8 has a built-in 'mute' function! Whenever I want to mute for half a sec, just press on the earcups and get a crackle as a bonus.
 

  My pleasure.  I think you would have to take a larger chunk out of your headphones than just the small perforations.  I don't think different pads would be an option either, because those pads are some of the most perfectly shaped pads in the whole field,  which ironically is why you have such a good seal that it's creating problems for you and others. The guy in the video I provided just kind of moved the headphones around just a little and that solved his problem. If that doesn't work and you want to do more than just stick a small object between your jaw and the headphones (and i wouldn't blame you) you could either permanently attach an object to the ear pad or maybe you could take the ear pad out and figure out a way to go through the back of it to insert some small object that you placed in the right spot. Another option may be to buy a set of identical pads and hope that they're different enough to not seal quite so well. I guess you could bend the metal on the headband to loosen it a little, but after giving you all that advice, most of it includes mutilating your cans in some way and that should always be the last resort. So  don't take my word for it. Once you do yours test, maybe a much better idea will come to you and you can fix it easily and quickly.  And maybe Audeze has dealt with the problem and can talk you through fixing it.  Please let me know how it turns out  It's an interesting problem. 

 

[billtboys]

  I did some more investigation and the stick in-between the ear pad and the jaw to make the EL-8 "more open" does not help with my crackling EL-8O.
 
To me it appears that the ear pads are vented into the planar magnetic membrane chamber.  Just by squeezing the ear pad cushion (don't need to press onto the cup) the excess air is dumped into the membrane chamber. When this happens the sound volume is reduced for about half a second, and when the pressure is equalised, the sound volume comes back to the normal level.
 
This air venting from the ear pad cushion dropping the sound volume also affects the right ear cup, however, the crackling noise problem only plagues the left ear cup.
 
Great so my Audeze EL-8 has a built-in 'mute' function! Whenever I want to mute for half a sec, just press on the earcups and get a crackle as a bonus.
 

So sorry to hear that. Not fair! I hope someone out there can help

 

[Criss969]

I am a proud new owner of the EL-8 Closed and have to say THEY SOUND GODLY. My first pair, the left cup snapped off. Audeze was quick to reply to my queries and get me a replacement. I have received the new pair and notice a crinkling in only the right driver. Basically, should I worry and contact them yet again, or just leave it be and enjoy the headphones?

 

[ithilienrp]

I got the plastic hinge crack problem for my EL8-O, which I rarely use, and sent it back for repair, along with the original box (policy here in Thailand, you've got to bring in the original box, along with all the documents as well) ...
 
About 2 months later, I got the headphone back, in the same box, not the newer white box. I'm opt to think that they replaced the headphone with the newer revision model and just put that into the original box. However, I'm not sure about that, they might only replaced the broken part. (I didn't leave any "mark" on the headphone so I could check).
 
Anyway, I can't be sure if the crack will happen again or not. We do not know if they change the quality of the plastic used in making the hinge.
 
I e-mailed Audeze asking if that particular part is user-serviceable, so I could buy and stock some and replace it myself if it occurs again, without waiting another 2 months. The answer was unfortunately "No."
 
My friend's EL8-C also developed a crack. He sent it for service, and now waiting for more than 2 months already. This sucks if it's the only headphone he has. (In my case, fortunately, I do have several other cans).
 
I don't have the gut to unscrew and open that part to see if there's complicate mechanism that make it non-user-serviceable or not. Does any of you who had the problem and the hinge completely broke tell me about this?
 
If it's just a piece of plastic and nothing else ... I might find a local shop to try making a metal replica just in case.
 
Regards,

 

[gauravm]

I initially bought a pair of EL8-Os which was manufactured in April, 2016 and found that it had the crinkling/crackling noise issue in both ear cups. On contacting Audeze about this, I heard back from Chris Berens. He was fantastic with his support. He shipped a replacement pair for me straight away. Now that I have the replacement which was manufactured in November, 2016, I can confirm without a doubt that the crinkling/crackling noise has been fixed. The sound quality is as good as before (although, may turn out to be better after more burn-in) and no crackling discomfort!!
 
I am new to audiophile cans and used to swear by Bose QC-35s before purchasing these. I use the El8-Os with an xDuoo Xd-05 (with the Burson V5i dual opamp upgrade), and this combination is very enjoyable and way better than any previous cans I have had before.  

 

[arftech]

  I initially bought a pair of EL8-Os which was manufactured in April, 2016 and found that it had the crinkling/crackling noise issue in both ear cups. On contacting Audeze about this, I heard back from Chris Berens. He was fantastic with his support. He shipped a replacement pair for me straight away. Now that I have the replacement which was manufactured in November, 2016, I can confirm without a doubt that the crinkling/crackling noise has been fixed. The sound quality is as good as before (although, may turn out to be better after more burn-in) and no crackling discomfort!!
 
I am new to audiophile cans and used to swear by Bose QC-35s before purchasing these. I use the El8-Os with an xDuoo Xd-05 (with the Burson V5i dual opamp upgrade), and this combination is very enjoyable and way better than any previous cans I have had before.  

I'm glad Audeze sorted that out for you.  My situation is a little different where I have to live with that crinkling/crackling issue due to mine being bought used from an Amazon seller.  The sound is minor in my case.  The born date for mine is either March/April 2016.  I've decided to live with the problem because there is no recourse with Audeze and they sound simply amazing!