I've been doing a lot of reading on Head-fi and elsewhere because I like how the LCD series sound and while I don't want to spend money on a new LCD 3, I am seriously considering an LCD 2, and for a bit more, I can get my hands on a used LCD X or LCD 3. The new EL-8 somehow isn't the sound I want from an Audeze.
Frankly, I do not see buying expensive headphones like an Audeze the same as buying a Ferrari or anything along those lines. What does that make a Stax 009? A G6? They are what they are. Headphones. Nothing more. Nothing less. Yes, they may be expensive subjectively. But that's just what the manufacturer wants for them as they compete in a certain price range the manufacturer wants to compete in.
We sometimes romanticize purchases like these due to some perceived value we get out of them. The truth is the so called tech in this headphones aren't really that groundbreaking. The wood, is wood, the metal is normal metal, the leather is just that. Leather.
I work as a photographer and cameras and lenses are another thing that people tend to romanticize. But to me, they are what they are. A camera. Takes photos. It's a tool for me. Like a hammer to a carpenter or an electron microscope to a scientist.
Headphones are inherently a tool to listen to music. Audeze headphones are a fantastic tool to listen to music. But, regardless of how much we pay, or the marketing literature that accompanies the product. They need to work flawlessly at least before their warranty ends. It's of no use when it's spending time travelling for RMA and in repair. Just like the best camera is the one with you right now.
Don't get me wrong, I love the sound I got from auditioning the Audeze LCD series. But I look at these things with really fresh and open eyes. Should I spend money, hard earned or otherwise, on products that isn't reliable? Are we feeding the sub standard QC of Audeze because we are willing to gloss over their reliability. But a dead headphone is a dead headphone. Whether Audeze or Beats.
I will probably lean towards an LCD 2, because it seems to be fairing better in reliability, although my heart is a little heavy with caution over the Audeze brand now.
Pardon my humble opinions...