Skip to main content

Hi-fi Corner: Audeze goes direct to Lightning with new EL-8 Titanium cans

audeze el8 titanium lightning jack headphones iphone 7 el 8 girl the manual
If the name Audeze doesn’t ring any bells, that’s ok. The high-end headphone maker isn’t exactly as popular as Beats. But Audeze just made a move that could be a bellwether for a potentially radical turn for the headphone world — a turn rumored to be led by Apple — and it might just give the company a serious boost in recognition. Say hello to the new EL-8 Titanium, an exciting new iteration on the company’s already revered planar magnetic headphones which includes a new Apple Lightning connected headphone cable, with a digital audio converter (DAC) and headphone amplifier built right in.

Audeze made some big waves last year when its EL-8 headphones lured high-end planar magnetic designs away from the hi-fi and closer to mobile devices. The EL-8 quickly became one of our favorite headphones of the year. Now, with the EL-8 Titanium and their new Lightning cable system, users will be able to bypass an iPhone’s limited internal components for  high-res 24-bit digital audio playback, and better overall sound, supercharging the iPhone’s street cred as a quality music player.

For those unfamiliar with planar magnetic headphones, the design uses a thin membrane excited by a magnet to create sound (as opposed to the cone and coil design of most headphones), making them notorious power hounds. As such, the original EL-8 were designed with a new kind of “Fluxor” magnet technology that focuses voltage towards the drivers in order to allow the cans to work better with smaller amplifiers — such as those inside mobile devices.

Related: These crazy wireless earphones mold to fit in hot water

With the new Titanium, Audeze aims to innovate mobile listening even further, bypassing an iPhone’s internal DAC and amplifier entirely by building all the critical electronics right into the cable itself. When plugging in digitally, users even have the ability to adjust the EQ and sound presets through the Audeze app.

EL8Titanium-cable

By relying only on your phone’s digital output, the EL-8 Titanium are also compatible with audio files at 24-bit resolution, the starting point for high-resolution audio files. It should be noted, however, that the resolution for current iPhone models tops out at 24bit/48kHz, which is higher than CD-quality files, but lower than the 24bit/96kHz resolution commonly accepted as hi-res quality.

While most folks listen to lossy MP3s and streaming services for convenience while on the go, both the DAC and headphone amplifier inside Audeze’s new Lightning-connected cable should still provide a considerable improvement in sound quality for Titanium users.

The Titanium’s new Lightning-based system is perhaps more intriguing given the long-whispered rumors that Apple is considering doing away with the conventional 3.5mm headphone jack altogether for future iPhones, ostensibly to make them the thinnest phones in the world. Is it possible that Audeze has inside Apple info we don’t have access to? The Apple-approved logos on the box certainly seem to point that direction

Related: Behold the greatest headphones in the world, the Sennheiser Orpheus

Either way, given the fact that the cans allow for higher resolution playback from current iPhones, and also come with a standard headphone cable for the same brilliant audio experience you’ll get from the original EL-8 from any input, this a pretty low-risk investment for Apple fans. Design elements were also upgraded for the Titanium, courtesy of BMW DesignWorksUSA, which used sleek aluminum components to create the “Titanium” look.  Unfortunately, they only come in the closed-back design (we prefer the open-back).

The EL-8 Titanium will be sold directly online and through select Apple retail stores. At an MSRP of $800 — $100 more than the original EL-8 — users are essentially paying for the Lightning cable and components as part of the package, which aren’t currently sold separately. Whether that’s worth the money may just depend upon what kind of tracks/storage capacity you have on your iPhone.

Regardless, this design move by Audeze could be a sign of future events. Ditching the convention headphone jack wouldn’t necessarily mean instantly making millions of headphones obsolete. The solution could be as simple as a new kind of headphone cable, such as the one seen here.

We hope to get some hands-on time with the EL-8 Titanium’s new digital setup soon, so stay tuned.

This post was originally posted on our “brother site” Digital Trends.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is an audio engineer, musician, composer, and all-around lover of all things tech, audio, and cinema. Hailing…
The 10 best Marvel movies, ranked
With 32 MCU movies to choose from, we think the top 10 stand tall above the rest
Avengers Endgame Best Movies

Some people don't like the dominance displayed by the Marvel Cinematic Universe in recent years, as it seemingly blocks out all of the other great cinema on display at the movie theater and at home. Still, there's no denying the pop culture influence and the mainstream adulation towards the superheroes that make up these 32 films in the MCU. With almost 15 years of movies to choose from, most have been a hit, but several also didn't live up to expectations. We're here to help you watch the 10 best Marvel movies, from the Avengers movies to all of the niche MCU movies that make the universe stick and come together in special unison. You can watch nearly all of these movies on Disney Plus!

10. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Read more
UFC Live Stream: Watch UFC Fights Online From Anywhere
ufc 257 poirier vs mcgregor 2 ppv bundle deal conor v donald cerrone

Looking for a reliable way to watch UFC fights online? In the past, regional broadcasting regulations presented challenges for sports enthusiasts who wanted to stream live events without a cable subscription. Fortunately, the landscape has changed, with sports broadcasters embracing streaming and making live programming more accessible than ever. ESPN, the official broadcaster for UFC in the U.S., responded to this trend by launching ESPN+ in 2018. With ESPN+, you can now easily enjoy UFC fights and pay-per-views on your PC, mobile device, smart TV, or gaming console. We've got a full guide on how to watch UFC fights online from anywhere, along with a schedule of upcoming fights, to make sure you don't miss a single UFC live stream.

Watch the Official UFC Live Stream
By far the best way to watch UFC live streams online is ESPN+, a premium streaming service that launched in 2018. ESPN+ delivers a cornucopia of sports content, including MMA and boxing, to almost any modern streaming device. That said, you've got some other options that are also worth mentioning. But due to the very tight relationship between ESPN and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, you'll still need to sign up for ESPN+ in order to live stream UFC pay-per-view events.

Read more
The 11 Robert Redford movies every fan should watch
Is your favorite Redford film on the list?
Robert Redford in All the President's Men answering the telephone.

Robert Redford is one of those classic movie stars who disarmed you with his incredible looks, and then mesmerized you with his on-screen talent. He's not an actor's actor like Robert De Niro, but he's shown for decades what type of performer he is. Redford's charm and natural charisma have made him compelling in a wide variety of roles, and they've also occasionally been weaponized against his audience.
Not every role in Redford's decades-long career has been a roaring success. For every All the President's Men there's a stinker like Havana. In general, though, Redford has built a remarkable body of work, and if he never acts in front of a camera again, he can be proud of what he's accomplished.

The Sting (1973)

Read more