[dj nellie]

People have said that the Ed8s will fit into the Ultrasone Pro case, you just have to carve the shape of the headphones out of the lining.  Has anyone done this and can confirm it works?

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
It's not the amp! In fact, the P-51 is a really great pairing with E8. With anything other than brain-blasting bass-heavy tracks, the E8 is fine. And I'm still able to get descent volume with tracks with heavy bass. It's the E8 that can't handle the bass. Not only should you consider the P-51, but it should be on a short consideration list for purchase. A great amp that has great synergy with the E8. Skylab is a fan too. He helped me make my final decision. 

Cool thanks for the update.

 

[Curly21029]

Quote:

 
It's not the amp! In fact, the P-51 is a really great pairing with E8. With anything other than brain-blasting bass-heavy tracks, the E8 is fine. And I'm still able to get descent volume with tracks with heavy bass. It's the E8 that can't handle the bass. Not only should you consider the P-51, but it should be on a short consideration list for purchase. A great amp that has great synergy with the E8. Skylab is a fan too. He helped me make my final decision. 

OK, now I'm interested.  What tracks, exactly, are you having a problem with?

 

[wilzc]

Hey n-Phect..
 
Wonder how does the ED8's fare vs the MDR ex1000s

 

[killkli]

Quote:

Hey n-Phect..
 
Wonder how does the ED8's fare vs the MDR ex1000s

I don't like EX100 but like ED8, but that's much about preference.
Anyway, ED8 is more comfortable than EX1000, but definitely not as portable as EX1000.
They are very much different in usage and in sound signature.
 
In-comparable.

 

[SoundFreaq]

Quote:

OK, now I'm interested.  What tracks, exactly, are you having a problem with?

Deadmau5 HR8938 Cephei is a track I use to test for bass impact, punch, and texture. Moderate volume through the P-51, and the E8 no-likey.

 

[Curly21029]

Quote:

Deadmau5 HR8938 Cephei is a track I use to test for bass impact, punch, and texture. Moderate volume through the P-51, and the E8 no-likey.

Downloading it in FLAC now.  Will try to work it in tonight, but I'm sure I'll find the time over the weekend.
 
Even with the bottom end lacking the articulation of my well-worn Ed8, I haven't found bass to be a problem in their current state.  Anything that you're hearing that I should be listening for or, if there is a problem, is it apparent enough that I'll notice it right away?

 

[SoundFreaq]

 
Quote:

 
Even with the bottom end lacking the articulation of my well-worn Ed8, I haven't found bass to be a problem in their current state.  Anything that you're hearing that I should be listening for or, if there is a problem, is it apparent enough that I'll notice it right away?

When the bass kick first drops with any amount of decent volume, it distorts the low end pretty noticeably. It just sounds like a driver being pushed too hard. I can push all my other headphones much louder with that same track. 
 
Edit: I'm very curious about what you find!

 

[Curly21029]

Quote:

 
When the bass kick first drops with any amount of decent volume, it distorts the low end pretty noticeably. It just sounds like a driver being pushed too hard. I can push all my other headphones much louder with that same track. 
 
Edit: I'm very curious about what you find!

Listening now.  Just crossed the 8 minute threshold and haven't noticed any "distortion" yet.  The bass is definitely fatter/more overdone than I'm used to (this kind of stuff isn't really my thing) but still clean.  I also turned the volume up past my normal listening level to the brink of unlistenable just to see if I could coax some ugliness from them... nada.
 
It's worth noting that the low end was plenty loose when these didn't have many hours on them.  I'm not sure of exactly what you're experiencing, but perhaps they just need some time to settle in.  An alternative, and I hate to say it, is that something could be a miss with the Ed8 or your amp.  I've never tried the P-51 (although, I almost purchased one before...) so I can't comment on its performance.  Unrelated, but I will, however, take this opportunity to profess my love for the PPAv2 yet again as an amp that just doesn't receive the praise it deserves.  I still consider it to be the best audio-related purchase I've ever made.

 

[SoundFreaq]

Thank you very much for your feedback. It's definitely disconcerting to think there may be something amiss with my beloved equipment. 
 
There's no way I can push the Ed8 to "the brink of unlistenable" without major problems developing first. However, I too thought that since I have relatively fresh drivers with about 150 hours racked up so far, maybe they just haven't hit their height with full driver excursion, and more time is needed. 
 
I'll also try out more headphones at the precise volume level where problems occur and see if I can eliminate either the amp or the phones as the problem. I'll report back. Thanks again Curly 21029!
 
PS. And yes, that track's bass is very much overdone. For me it provides a good look into how a headphone is going to deal with it on several levels. 

 

[fomoz]

Did a direct A/B test with of the X-Fi HD headphone out vs Pico DAC + Voyager. The Pico DAC + portable amp combo sounds noticeably better, it has better bass impact and it's a lot less sibilant. I'm pretty sure that it's the amp.

This revived my desire to buy a full-size amp, but I'm still unsure what I should get. I'm planning on buying the LCD-2 rev2, so the Lyr + tubes would be the clear choice well within my budget, however I don't want to damage my Ed. 8. Any suggestions?

I would really like something that can drive the LCD-2 to its full potential and also work with my Ed. 8. Or do I need two separate amps? I would much rather spend $1,000 on one amp that can drive both than two times $500.

I'll ask this question in the LCD-2 amp thread, but not a lot of people there have the Ed. 8. How likely is it that an amp made for the LCD-2 other than the Lyr damages the Ed. 8 if used responsibly?

Then again, maybe if I get the LCD-2 + Lyr I'll only use my Ed. 8 at work. Is this likely if I don't need the isolation? Do movies sound good on the LCD-2? Are they not too heavy to be worn for many hours at a time? However, I do want to hear how the Ed. 8 will scale with a good full-size amp.

 

[shamrock134]

I've read that Lyrs purchased more recently have been tweaked so they don't annihilate low impedance cans.
 
That said, I've still not tried my E8 with the Lyr just in case!

 

[Jalo]

Quote:

Did a direct A/B test with of the X-Fi HD headphone out vs Pico DAC + Voyager. The Pico DAC + portable amp combo sounds noticeably better, it has better bass impact and it's a lot less sibilant. I'm pretty sure that it's the amp.
This revived my desire to buy a full-size amp, but I'm still unsure what I should get. I'm planning on buying the LCD-2 rev2, so the Lyr + tubes would be the clear choice well within my budget, however I don't want to damage my Ed. 8. Any suggestions?
I would really like something that can drive the LCD-2 to its full potential and also work with my Ed. 8. Or do I need two separate amps? I would much rather spend $1,000 on one amp that can drive both than two times $500.
I'll ask this question in the LCD-2 amp thread, but not a lot of people there have the Ed. 8. How likely is it that an amp made for the LCD-2 other than the Lyr damages the Ed. 8 if used responsibly?
Then again, maybe if I get the LCD-2 + Lyr I'll only use my Ed. 8 at work. Is this likely if I don't need the isolation? Do movies sound good on the LCD-2? Are they not too heavy to be worn for many hours at a time? However, I do want to hear how the Ed. 8 will scale with a good full-size amp.

I have both the LCD2 and the ED8LE and I think a high end portable like the PB2, SR71b, the upcoming MKIII can all do a great job with both phones.
 

 

[Jalo]

BTW, may be my head is a touch too big, but the ED8 (w/ full extension) barely reaches the bottom of my ears.  Does anyone have the same problem?  and are there any remedies for this problem?

 

[grokit]

 
Quote:

I've read that Lyrs purchased more recently have been tweaked so they don't annihilate low impedance cans.
 
That said, I've still not tried my E8 with the Lyr just in case!

This is a good strategy. It would be nice to have some official confirmation of these "stealth" changes to the Lyr (and to the Asgard as well) but we do not have any reason to believe that this is forthcoming.

 
Quote:

BTW, may be my head is a touch too big, but the ED8 (w/ full extension) barely reaches the bottom of my ears.  Does anyone have the same problem?  and are there any remedies for this problem?

You could try getting some Brain Salad Surgery