I would be very curious with Elears on a balance set up. I use my Marantz from FLAC CDs from computer or Tidal.To me it sounds great already. I can't imagine even better but I am sure it is. 

Minidisc is in my opinion an acceptable quality given it's compression to a smaller size er ahh "mini disc." A blast from the past for sure. 

I am still in somewhat of a state of disbelief in how much a good DAC and good headphones turn music into a real bona fide experience. It's as if the Dac is picking up otherwise lost music coding 0s and 1s into a much more rich accurate signal. hmmmmmm I am using a Marantz Dac 1 and Focal...

I can tell anyone that for the last couple days I have been nothing less than impressed with the sound of my Elears. Good thing I cannot audition the Utopias cuz that would break me. Ha!

Hi Mac, I am pretty new to this forum myself but love all these hi res gadgets and things. Welcome!

What about comparing the new HD800S? The black updated version with the Elear?

Sublime is a good descriptive......

Nice, it all starts somewhere. I may have to get a pair of HD600s or 650s to see what all the fuss is about. Lol. I am certain they are serving your current needs. Seems as though the 600s were the standard set for mnay years. I'd really like a pair of HD800S' but at their price, ouch...

What four sets of cans do yoy have now?

I have to say that there are so many very good headphones though. Even great ones. I would really like to have one of each of them!!! The Elears are the first pair I've bought in this price class.

Yes they are that good. Lol.

I'm still working on the day when I will have "too many cans" to list. Ha!

I bet it does sound great. There is so much out there to pick from. I have also been checking out some of the Questyle pieces and oh my are they pricey.

My Elears are coming in tomorrow and I will be running them through an HA-1. I have also ordered a balanced cable for them also. There seems to be to kind of people on here, ones that love the HA-1 and ones that don't. Personally I could not be happier with it, I think it will be a great match...

Not sure about the Mojo but I would think it would depend on what you want in a dac/amp. For example basic or connectivity, or lots of connecting options. I am in the same boat. I received my Elears today and need to upgrade. I am looking at an Oppo Ha-1 and a few others.

I received my Elears today and I am stunned by the quality overall. As far as sound, I have not hear anything like this except on my Martin Logan towers with a dedicated amp running them. But apples and oranges. These are so very punchy yet detailed however I am new with these. Now to upgrade my...

I love minidisc too! I still have a Sharp MD player recorder and a bunch of MDs I recorded. Ha. Those were the days. I had also bought a Sony home player recorder an actually still listen to them.

I am a proud new owner of a set of Elears! I'll get them Wednesday through email confirmation. I was asked to spread the word that they are in stock and to contact Mark of Music To My Ears in Philly. They also have the Utopia for those that so desire. I can't wait. Now to find and amp/dac to...

Just about to get me a pair of Elears.......

Good to know David, I have the x1 and I can see how that would not power the 800S headphones well at all. Same goes for my X5ii. Maybe the Focal are distinctly easier to power than the HD800S? I've dabbled in sensitivity and ohms ratings but that can be quite confusing at times at least to me. I...

Excellent advice, but I might want to keep both! Literally. I do know the HD800S is more money. Several hundred more. 1000 or more is not cheap by any means but considering the law of diminishing returns.....I've got some deciding to do.

Thank you Sonic. I did see that Audiolab states on their site that they have them and I've checked Focal's site to confirm they are an authorized dealer. Now, I prob need to wait til monday to call and ask officially. Hopefully this hasn't been asked numerous times but are there other headphones...

Hello alll, I am new here and attempting to add to an existing thread. Lol. Does anyone know if the Focal Elear headphones are really back ordered by literally almost all authorized dealers?? I'm wanting a pair of these badly but have an issue with patience. Any info on grabbing a pair quicker...