manbear
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2011
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I havent heard the EL-8 open, but I have heard the closed version and didnt like it at all. It was harsh in the upper mids and just didnt sound particularly good.
The bass is were I'm missing a little bit. They go pretty deep, but they really need just a tad more impact for me.
This is only initial observations and also only running directly from my laptop. I'm pretty sure they'll grow on me with more brain-burn in.
According to my experience the bass impact/extension seemed better after burn in, whatever it was , 150+ hours of burn in or " brain burn in" ( really an awful expression btw), or both. You will get also much better bass and much better soundstage from a decent headphone amplifier/DAC.
I also noticed that a certain positioning can have a good influence for bass impact. For instance with putting a headband slightly forward the headphone drivers got better angle for my ear canals. It brought better bass impact/extension/tightness, better clarity, better soundstage, and even sharper imaging. I noticed this too with Beyerdynamic DT 990. Don´t know about others experiences but it seems that the positioning of the headphones is also important. With the optimal angle of cups the sound probably flows right into your ear canals.
Hopefully I´m not talking trash, as I´ve found this interesting article - http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de/tipstricks.htm, recommending the same trick.
Scratch what I said earlier on these...don't know if that was just hype or what but listening to these further they aren't nearly as good as the hype leads on. I do have to disclaim that I am coming from T90s...which are a definite higher class, but honestly even then I really don't think these are worth the $500 price tag. The bass was slightly less in most cases and looser than what my T90s can produce, while they produce more off the bat...they just don't beat the T90's is bass offering with the proper EQ/amp. The mids were not as good as the T90s, they were kicked to the side and left there. They weren't much airier than the T90s and I suspect the grills on these to be the problem (as they are on the T90s) and the vocals were about the same as the T90s as well. As for soundstage...slightly more than the T90s but not very good. These jsut don't compare to higher end cans.
However, if these were priced at $350-$425 (they were around this range new when I bought them) I can solemnly say that they are worth that price. The soundstage is better than that of $650 cans, the bass is almost as good with the extension and reproduction both being slightly better, they just need to be more open and fix the mids.
I feel like I am really bearing down on them, but they just aren't worth $500 and aren't as good as others have claimed.
I guess you could consider this a mini-review, but overall...they're not for me, but I'm glad I got to experience them. Perhaps Audeze can offer better, but for now I will see what the HD700s can do.
Scratch what I said earlier on these...don't know if that was just hype or what but listening to these further they aren't nearly as good as the hype leads on. I do have to disclaim that I am coming from T90s...which are a definite higher class, but honestly even then I really don't think these are worth the $500 price tag. The bass was slightly less in most cases and looser than what my T90s can produce, while they produce more off the bat...they just don't beat the T90's is bass offering with the proper EQ/amp. The mids were not as good as the T90s, they were kicked to the side and left there. They weren't much airier than the T90s and I suspect the grills on these to be the problem (as they are on the T90s) and the vocals were about the same as the T90s as well. As for soundstage...slightly more than the T90s but not very good. These jsut don't compare to higher end cans.
However, if these were priced at $350-$425 (they were around this range new when I bought them) I can solemnly say that they are worth that price. The soundstage is better than that of $650 cans, the bass is almost as good with the extension and reproduction both being slightly better, they just need to be more open and fix the mids.
I feel like I am really bearing down on them, but they just aren't worth $500 and aren't as good as others have claimed.
I guess you could consider this a mini-review, but overall...they're not for me, but I'm glad I got to experience them. Perhaps Audeze can offer better, but for now I will see what the HD700s can do.
Scratch what I said earlier on these...don't know if that was just hype or what but listening to these further they aren't nearly as good as the hype leads on. I do have to disclaim that I am coming from T90s...which are a definite higher class, but honestly even then I really don't think these are worth the $500 price tag. The bass was slightly less in most cases and looser than what my T90s can produce, while they produce more off the bat...they just don't beat the T90's is bass offering with the proper EQ/amp. The mids were not as good as the T90s, they were kicked to the side and left there. They weren't much airier than the T90s and I suspect the grills on these to be the problem (as they are on the T90s) and the vocals were about the same as the T90s as well. As for soundstage...slightly more than the T90s but not very good. These jsut don't compare to higher end cans.
However, if these were priced at $350-$425 (they were around this range new when I bought them) I can solemnly say that they are worth that price. The soundstage is better than that of $650 cans, the bass is almost as good with the extension and reproduction both being slightly better, they just need to be more open and fix the mids.
I feel like I am really bearing down on them, but they just aren't worth $500 and aren't as good as others have claimed.
I guess you could consider this a mini-review, but overall...they're not for me, but I'm glad I got to experience them. Perhaps Audeze can offer better, but for now I will see what the HD700s can do.
I currently own both the HE-400i and the HD700. Based on my experience with Beyerdynamic (having listened to the DT880 and the T5p), you may end up liking the HD700 better because IMO the HD700 definitely sounds more like the Beyers that I have heard than the 400i does.
Are you looking for a warmer or darker signature? I can't tell from what you wrote, because you mentioned Audeze but yet seem to like the brighter sound signature of Beyerdynamic headphones.
Basically DT990s with more bass potential is what I'm looking for, the T90s have that...but they don't have the soundstage or airiness the DT990s have, but are still damn good. So long as it's airy, has a wide soundstage with good depth, and can pump out some heavy bass then it should be good. From what I'm seeing the HD700s can work with the bass I'm looking for, although it will be looser, which just leaves the question of soundstage and airiness. Regardless, I will find out tomorrow, Amazon prime for the win.
Basically DT990s with more bass potential is what I'm looking for, the T90s have that...but they don't have the soundstage or airiness the DT990s have, but are still damn good. So long as it's airy, has a wide soundstage with good depth, and can pump out some heavy bass then it should be good. From what I'm seeing the HD700s can work with the bass I'm looking for, although it will be looser, which just leaves the question of soundstage and airiness. Regardless, I will find out tomorrow, Amazon prime for the win.