Audeze El 8 Open Back Recensie | 93 Gegevens vergelijking

The Audeze EL-8 (Open Back) is a highly praised planar magnetic headphone that stands out for its exceptional build quality, elegant matte black finish with wood veneer accents, and remarkable long-term comfort. Sound-wise, it delivers an extremely relaxed, smooth, and non-fatiguing audio profile highlighted by a "bottomless," flat, and deeply articulate sub-bass response that avoids any muddy mid-bass bloat. Its proprietary technologies, including Fluxor magnets aligned at a 45-degree angle and Fazor acoustic elements, ensure excellent instrument separation, realistic vocal timbre, and high power efficiency when paired with mobile devices or entry-level amplifiers. However, the headphones do come with notable drawbacks, primarily a gradually rolled-off mid-range after 1kHz that can make vocals and instruments sound a bit dull, lazy, or boxed-in. This recessed mid-range combined with a relatively narrow soundstage for the price means the music can occasionally feel a bit distant. Additionally, they completely lack portability because the earcups do not fold completely flat, no carrying case is included, and they utilize a proprietary flat jack connection that makes cable replacements difficult.

The Audeze EL-8 Open Back is a robust, premium planar-magnetic headphone priced at $699 that delivers an impressive, detailed soundstage and exceptional bass response. Built with high-end materials like genuine leather padding and real wood accents, it offers a masterful level of comfort despite its slightly heavy 460-gram frame. Driven by 100mm drivers with a low 30-ohm impedance, this model stands out for its strong, accurate midrange and a deep, highly textured low end that makes it incredibly well-suited for rock, punk, grunge, and hip-hop. Furthermore, its high efficiency allows it to easily run directly off portable devices like smartphones and computers without requiring a dedicated external amplifier. On the downside, the reviewer notes that the high frequencies can occasionally lean toward a slightly tinny sound, leaving a persistent, nagging suspicion about their ultimate refinement. There is also a minor constraint to instrument separation within the soundstage, meaning these headphones are not ideal for classical music or listeners seeking the absolute highest tier of micro-detail. From a physical standpoint, the signature wood accents around the earcups present a durability risk,...

Head-Fi community reviews describe the Audeze EL-8 Open-Back as a premium, aesthetically pleasing headphone with robust metal construction, wood accents, and superior comfort compared to Audeze's larger models. Key pros include its 30-ohm low impedance, allowing for easy driving via portable devices, though minor cons include proprietary, sometimes loose, cable connectors. Sound performance is considered polarized, with pros highlighting great resolution, nimble detail retrieval, and a punchy, warm lower-midrange. Conversely, reported cons include a problematic treble dip resulting in a veiled sound, which lacks the dynamic impact or wide soundstage found in rival, higher-end options.

The Audeze EL-8 open-back headphones earned an Editors' Choice award for their superb audio performance, delivering a balanced, rich sound with robust low frequencies and pristine highs. Utilizing planar magnetic drivers, these headphones offer exceptional spatial detail and a wide, lifelike soundstage paired with a comfortable design and interchangeable cables. However, the review notes significant sound leakage due to the open-back design, rendering them unsuitable for public or quiet environments, along with a high price point. Despite the cost, the build quality and audio fidelity are highlighted as major strengths for critical listening.

The Audeze EL-8 Open-Back headphones deliver extraordinary high-end audio performance by utilizing large 100mm planar magnetic drivers that provide vivid transparency, hard-hitting dynamics, and spacious imaging. Designed and manufactured in the United States, they feature a luxury aesthetic highlighted by subtly curved aluminum ear cups, sumptuous padding, and a newly developed gold-plated cable connector designed for low contact resistance. The open-back configuration retails for $699 (£599 / AU$999) and stands out in the planar magnetic market for its ability to drive efficiently and play loudly even when plugged into portable, battery-powered music players. The primary advantage of the EL-8 is its exceptional acoustic clarity, offering a neutral tonal balance with precise, distinct low-end bass and energetic treble sparkle. It effortlessly handles high volume and replicates vocals with a highly natural tone. However, the headphones carry a few notable disadvantages, including a heavy build weighing 16.2 ounces (460 grams) and a proprietary 8-contact cable connection that limits third-party cable compatibility. Additionally, they can sound somewhat thinner and brighter on certain tracks compared to richer, more expensive competitors like the Oppo PM-1,...

The Headfonia review of the Audeze EL-8 highlights the open-back model for its transparency, speed, and neutral-warm tuning, which are driven efficiently by Fluxor magnets. While praised for their lighter, 460–480 gram design, both models suffer from a fragile proprietary cable system and a restrictive clamping force that causes uncomfortable ear pressure. Critically, the closed version is criticized for a thin, V-shaped sound lacking midrange body, while the open version features overly forward vocals and a constrained soundstage. Ultimately, the review finds that neither EL-8 model matches the performance of Audeze's higher-end LCD series.

Sound Performance and Strengths The Audeze EL-8 open-back headphones deliver beautiful, lifelike, and airy sound with realistic clarity and virtually zero distortion. Utilizing high-quality 100mm planar magnetic drivers, they especially excel at handling delicate, acoustic, and lighter music genres—such as classical guitar, piano jazz, and live rock recordings—by providing an incredibly wide and spacious soundstage. Craftsmanship is excellent, featuring a spring-loaded headband pad for comfort, metal earcups ringed with wood veneer, and premium leather pads. Additionally, unlike many high-end planar models, their 30-ohm impedance rating allows them to be plugged directly into a smartphone without requiring an external amplifier, though using one does further improve their punch and volume. Limitations and Drawbacks On the downside, these open-back headphones are poorly suited for mobile use, commuting, or office settings because they are large, heavy, and leak sound excessively while letting outside noise in. Their open design also fails to deliver big, forceful bass, leaving energetic genres like dance and electronic music feeling thin and lifeless. Furthermore, priced at $699, they are very expensive and require a quiet room to truly shine,...

The Audeze EL-8 planar magnetic headphones are highlighted for their high-end speed, clarity, and ease of driving from portable devices, with the open-back model offering a warm, wide soundstage. While the closed-back version provides forward, detailed vocals, both models offer impressive sonic performance, though they fall short of Audeze’s higher-end LCD series. However, the review cites significant cons with the proprietary, directional cable connection system, which can be permanently damaged if improperly attached. Furthermore, these connectors are prone to loosening over time, potentially causing audio interruptions. The Absolute Sound

The Mark Levinson No.585 is a premium $12,000 solid-state integrated amplifier delivering 200Wpc into 8 ohms. Reviewer Larry Greenhill highly praised its transparent, clean, and emotionally involving sound quality. Key advantages include a top-tier built-in ESS Sabre DAC that equals the performance of expensive standalone processors. It also features an intuitive user interface, an excellent remote control, and a high-quality internal high-pass filter. This filter perfectly integrates subwoofers without degrading midrange purity. However, the amplifier has notable thermal and operational vulnerabilities. During testing, the unit ran excessively hot under heavy use and complex loads, such as driving low-sensitivity electrostatic speakers. This repeatedly triggered the internal protection sensors, forcing the amplifier into sudden shutdowns. It also suffered over-current shutdowns from severe volume peaks or digital noise bursts. Finally, it completely lacks common features like a headphone jack, a record/monitor loop, and a built-in phono stage.

The Audeze EL-8 is an "entry-level" yet premium pair of planar magnetic headphones that heavily inherits technology from the company's acclaimed high-end models like the LCD-3. Available in both open-backed and closed-back configurations, the EL-8 utilizes a super-thin diaphragm suspended in magnetic fields, alongside new "fluxor magnetic technology" to double magnetic flux density, reduce weight, and boost efficiency for mobile devices. Initial impressions highlight an exemplary build and finish, featuring a comfortably cushioned headband and earcups that deliver excellent noise isolation, even on a noisy showroom floor. In terms of sonic performance, the headphones excel across genres, rendering deep, detailed, and agile bass lines while maintaining smooth, clear vocals and energetic, full-bodied rock tracks without any hardness. However, a notable con is their substantial physical size and weight; at 460 grams, they are significantly heavier than competitors like the AKG K550 or Shure SRH1540, making long-term comfort a lingering question. Additionally, despite being positioned as an accessible option for Audeze, the £600 price tag remains a steep investment for a pair of "entry-level" headphones.

The Audeze EL-8 Open-Back headphones deliver a signature, engaging sound between the LCD-2 and LCD-X models, featuring a balanced, linear bass, crisp mids, and natural treble. Ergonomically, the redesigned structure improves comfort, and they perform well with mid-tier gear while scaling, with a powerful amplifier. kropka.audio However, the 460-gram weight remains relatively high, and the proprietary cable connectors can be frustrating, say reviews. Sonically, the midrange can occasionally seem unpolished, and the sub-bass lacks top-tier attack, offering a softer dynamic impact compared to higher-end models.

The Audeze EL-8 Open-Back is a planar magnetic headphone designed primarily for home use, featuring a foldable plastic enclosure with a wood print and comfortable pleather padding. In terms of performance pros, it exhibits impressively low distortion across the frequency spectrum and boasts an excellent sub-bass extension that reaches deeply below 10Hz. The treble is also well-extended without major peaks or dips, resulting in clean high-frequency quality. Additionally, it offers unique versatility through an optional proprietary CIPHER cable, which integrates a 24-bit DAC and DSP to unlock extra sound-tuning functionalities. On the downside, the headphones struggle with absolute tonal accuracy, delivering a somewhat "cool" and lean acoustic presentation. The upper midrange frequencies are noticeably subdued, causing the headphone to lack slightly in overall clarity. Weighing in at a heavy 460 grams, they are physically bulky, and their completely open nature allows external noise to leak in while letting music escape. Consequently, they are entirely unsuited for outdoor or portable use despite their foldable design. Are you considering buying these headphones, or