The difference is that Beats are below average to average for the price, far from the best deal around. Audeze makes top of the line products that are very well respected in the audiophile community. These demand a premium price tag because they actually ARE premium.
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Apple Adds $800 Lightning Adapter 'Audeze EL-8' Headphones to Online Store
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The difference is that Beats are below average to average for the price, far from the best deal around. Audeze makes top of the line products that are very well respected in the audiophile community. These demand a premium price tag because they actually ARE premium.
But analog to digital conversions don't add information. The sound is only going to be as good as the original analog signal or whatever the original source is.
Also, while I'm not scoffing at the price, I don't see why the company wouldn't sell a DAW interface with a Lightning port. I just don't see the thrill in downloading compressed music and them pumping them into headphones that are clear enough to spot all of the imperfections.
I was kind of wondering about this as well. It feels slightly dishonest selling them without some kind of disclaimer, at least in a non-audiophile environment where people don't know what they're getting themselves into.
It is almost painful listening to MP3s with my LCD-X. Supposedly these are a little less resolving but I wouldn't think by a whole lot. My real question is what these do to battery life. It has got to be pretty ugly.
But if Apple standardized on that for all of their stuff, their gravitational pull will warp the universe, and everyone will be doing it. You should know that by now...
My guess is updated lightning headphone will come with the new phone, while the adaptor will be on the male-end audio cable and stay attached for non-lightning headphones. My guess is adaptor will be $10-15, in deference to the many people who wish to use old headphones.
So does this mean that Apple will add a lightening port to all their macs so we can use these headphones? Highly unlikely. They will just try and make us buy the lightening to 3.5mm headphone jack converter
Honestly, that's just not true. I have a very recent TV and one that is 8 years old. I can still watch cable TV, satellite TV, hook up a blue ray player, video game system, etc.
I have a brand new car and a 10 year old car (luxury car, so my example isn't exactly perfect), and my 10 year old car is still, for the most part, amazing. It just doesn't have Bluetooth, but there are adapters for my phone.
However, the Watch will be out of date in like a year or two, or whenever the OS becomes so bloated that older ones can't function. And I really don't know anyone who buys a new TV every year because its obsolete. That is absurd.
Apple products have always been on a 3-5 year upgrade cycle, but now, mostly through the software, are practicing self-obsoletion and expect people to buy a new product every year. Even the two year model for phones has been reduced to one. Forget this.
And this is from the same company that promotes so many liberal values, but they make all of their money from people with money... The exact people they hate. Kind of ingenious, I guess. Redistribute the wealth through corporate means.
No I don't have good headphones...however I do have subwoofers, speakers and amplifiers for my car that are all worth thousands of dollars. I am talking Digital designs subwoofers with kevlar cones, carbon fiber dust caps, subs with neodymium column motors, 7000 watts of power (RMS). Trust me these headphones don't hold a candle to what you can get in a car and the mark up on them is insane
So it's worth it in a car but not in headphone form? I can't say I've ever heard that argument before. I spend only a little over a half hour in a car every day. Some nights I listen to music for 4 hours. It wouldn't make sense for me to invest in a car sound system when I don't spend much time in a car. This is probably the case for most others as well.
A good pair of closed headphones can be enjoyed anywhere at almost any time.
In the audiophile world the EL-8 are actually considered a mid to lower end headphone, perfect for an on the go headphone to plug directly into your iPhone. There is a market for this style of headphone and they will sound night and day better then any sub-$800 headphone you plug into your iPhone. People who dispute the value here simply have never heard a headphone of this quality. Those of you who are curious and can afford to part with the cash once your jaw drops to the floor after listening to them should take advantage of Apple's return policy and give them a try. I think you will find yourself very impressed.
This is an exaggeration as 256 AAC is not really that poor of a standard. In blind testing most people will never be able to tell the difference between that and uncompressed. It isn't about that difference though, this is about the vast difference in tonality, clarity, impact, balance, and soundstage that these headphones offer over cheaper models.
No one is listening for the insignificant difference between uncompressed and compressed, it is the significant differences otherwise that count the most. Once you hear some of your favorite tracks through these headphones you will never think about them the same again.
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Pretty stupid purchase, considering knowing what dbags Apple are/is, they'll probably get rid of the lightening port in the iPhone 7 next year. I can easily see them going with a C port.
It does come with a non-lightning cable:
What’s in the Box?
Audeze EL-8 Titanium Closed-Back Headphones
Lightning cable with headphone amp and DAC
Standard audio cable for use with non-Apple devices
3.5mm to 0.25 in. plug adapter
Wow, I didn't think Audeze would ever be such an early adopter.
Also to the people complaining about the price $800 in the audiophile world is nothing for headphones, especially from a high end brand like Audeze. Even the Sennheiser HD800 costs twice as much!
You guys should check out InnerFidelity if you think these headphones are mindblowing.
Also to the people complaining about the price $800 in the audiophile world is nothing for headphones, especially from a high end brand like Audeze. Even the Sennheiser HD800 costs twice as much!
You guys should check out InnerFidelity if you think these headphones are mindblowing.
I think they are absolutely going to add aLightning connector to their Macs, starting with the Retina MacBook, AFTER the iPhone 7 drops the 3.5mm jack. And then eventually every Apple product will have a Lightning connector. Why wouldn't they add a Lightning connector to their Macs when there's already one on their Mac accessories? It's a useable multifunctional port capable of USB 3.0 speeds, and as some have speculated may even measure up to USB-C standards.
Apple is pushing to move audio to a wireless standard, and eliminate ports on devices. Getting rid of the 3.5mm is a start, by eliminating a port that does one thing only. It will also allow Lightning devices like HDMI dongles, to be used across all of their products, reducing costs of duplicating the dongles for the Macs and iOS. I see Lightning being the standard for Apple even after USB-C has been replaced by something else. Maybe even lasting until all ports are replaced by wireless (the day will come).
I own an LCD-X. Bought it last year as I was looking for something that gives me the best sound quality in the studio and at home. These headphones are the best thing I bought when it comes to sound quality. Ever.
Worth every cent, even if it hurt.
If I wouldn't have thrown that money at it last year, I would immediately run to the (online) store to check those for 1/2 the price. Wow, this is the coolest thing I read today. I now want one, too!!
Audeze rules. RULES!
Worth every cent, even if it hurt.
If I wouldn't have thrown that money at it last year, I would immediately run to the (online) store to check those for 1/2 the price. Wow, this is the coolest thing I read today. I now want one, too!!
Audeze rules. RULES!
I have a pair of the EL-8 but I doubt I'm going to order this lightning cable once it becomes available separately. Being unable to power and and listen to the headphones simultaneously is a dealbreaker. I stream 6 to 8 hours a day through my iPhone so battery life drains much faster than playing back locally saved files. With the new lightning cable, I'd likely have to stop using my headphones for some time period during the day to recharge the phone batteries.
Also, the lightning cable doesn't just have a built-in DAC - the Audeze product page says that an amp is integrated with the cable. No further details are provided about the amp aspect but that detail is one of the more interesting aspects of this announcement.
All the EL-8 cables detach from the bottom of the earphones. You just swap out the lightning cable for the 3.5mm jack cable.
Also, the lightning cable doesn't just have a built-in DAC - the Audeze product page says that an amp is integrated with the cable. No further details are provided about the amp aspect but that detail is one of the more interesting aspects of this announcement.
All the EL-8 cables detach from the bottom of the earphones. You just swap out the lightning cable for the 3.5mm jack cable.
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That is certainly true. I would not expect a non-audiophile to care about 800 dollar headphones, or even 300 dollar headphones. Unfortunately most consumers don't even see the reason to spend in the 50-200 dollar range. They don't realize what they're missing out on and most never even get the opportunity to try it out. There's so much stigma around audio quality for some reason. It is popular to think that audiophiles are either completely nuts, have super human hearing, or both. Most people could easily tell the difference between stock phone earbuds and a nice set of sennheiser headphones.