So I got a new job that requires lots of travel, which means lots of time in airports, on planes, and in a hotel room. So as a gift to myself for my birthday, Chanukah, and as a congratulations for getting the new job, my wife and I agreed that I could get the Audeze EL-8 Titaniums. I got a huge discount on Black Friday at Northern Audio. I was originally going to buy the standard EL-8's, but they were out of stock, and the guy at Northern made me a deal I couldn't refuse. I actually bought them before I got the offer letter from the new employer, thinking I could just return them if I didn't get the job. Xinlei wouldn't even let me open them until I got the offer. I had to wait 3 days while having the box sitting right on my desk! So an offer letter and one NDA later, I got to open the box!
First, these things feel solid. I read reviews about early models that said the cables come out easily and there was noise, but it appears as though they fixed the connectors because they are very firmly in place with no wiggle at all and no noise. They are over-ear, and they decently heavy, but I've had them on for about 6 hours today, and I'm not fatigued in the least. They use lambskin leather for the earpads, which I was hesitant about, but they're very soft, and I haven't started sweating or even feeling warm. They feel very well built; nothing feels flimsy about them.
Onto the important part: the sound. I read that 30 hours is about what it takes to get these puppies broken in, and that seems to be on point. I'm about 15 hours in now, and they're drastically better than they were 15 hours ago. Normal drill: they were pretty stiff sounding at first, and they are starting to open up. The bass is starting to present itself more and more and the overly sharp and crisp high ends are starting to pull back into the fold. I can't wait to hear how they sound in another 15 hours.
The Cipher cable wasn't originally a part of the plan, as I didn't intend to buy the Titaniums, but now that I have it and am now an iPhone user, it's kind of awesome. In case you don't feel like researching it, the Cipher cable is a cable that Audeze made that has a lightning connector and plugs directly into the phone. It has a built-in DAC, volume controls, and microphone. I haven't spent a ton of time using it, but in my experience so far, it sounds "good". I can definitely tell a difference using it over the 1/8" on my phone, but after spending some time listening through my computer using my Digidesign DAC, I'm not sold on it. After another few weeks and flights, if my opinion of it doesn't strengthen, I will probably take the plunge and spring for that little Peachtree mobile DAC. We'll see though. I think it would be foolish of me to try to say that it sounds bad, as it most certainly does not, but I wonder if the Peachtree might give a little more being a dedicated piece of equipment. Regardless, the Cipher cable is pretty amazing considering how compact it is.
Just for some reference, here are some songs I've been listening to:
Patricia Barber - Ode to Billy Joe ~3000kbps. Of course I listened to good old Patty. The snaps in that song are so crisp and clear. You can hear every move as the bassist slides around the fingerboard.
Aerosmith - Walk This Way ~ 5644kbps. I'm not a huge Aerosmith fan, but I do really enjoy the nuances of Steven Tyler's voice. These headphones allowed me the luxury of hearing every ounce of grit.
Pink Floyd - Careful With That Axe, Eugene ~ 5227kbps. This was basically 9 minutes of me saying "why the hell can't every recording be this great?".
Long story short, these cans kick ass. And they're comfortable, even on my big-ass melon.
