[peter2]

@SomeGuyDude My Elears are exploding from the sound of Kamelots album "epic" - I have been a fan of this kind of music for decades - normally It's ECM music, i.e. contemporary jazz and classical. I have also enjoyed the Dolven album: Navigating the Labyrinth. I think it's about re-discovering the metal soul within my aging body, The firse LP album I ownd was Black Sabbath's "Black Sabbath", followed by Deep Purples "Machine Head" and Led Zeppelin "IV".
 
I tend to reach for the Elears for this kind of music. Not sure I want to expand on this. The are very suitable for, at least, some kind of metal musik.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  @SomeGuyDude My Elears are exploding from the sound of Kamelots album "epic" - I have been a fan of this kind of music for decades - normally It's ECM music, i.e. contemporary jazz and classical. I have also enjoyed the Dolven album: Navigating the Labyrinth. I think it's about re-discovering the metal soul within my aging body, The firse LP album I ownd was Black Sabbath's "Black Sabbath", followed by Deep Purples "Machine Head" and Led Zeppelin "IV".
 
I tend to reach for the Elears for this kind of music. Not sure I want to expand on this. The are very suitable for, at least, some kind of metal musik.

They absolutely!
 
Unfrotunately, I took a trip down Audeze Lane and ended up not with the Elears. I definitely would love to help you re-discover metal, because there's a lot of great stuff out there!

 

[LinkError404]

Hello everybody. I've been a lurker here on Head-fi for about 2 years when I really started to get into the audiophile world. Compared to my friends and family, I have always cared for a higher quality audio experience and began my quest for great sound. My first pair of decent cans were the Sony MDR-7506. I really enjoyed the clarity, and that's when the itch really began. 
 
Later on I moved onto the ATH-M50x which were more punchy in comparison. After reading countless threads here on Head-fi I started to venture out of my comfort zone (and wallet capacity) to greater things. I figured it was time to get a good DAC/amp. I settled on the Mojo which so far I absolutely love. 
 
After scouring these posts for a while I finally took the plunge into an open headphone, the AKG 712 Pro. I absolutely love that thing! The clarity, the openness and wide soundstage (comparatively to the M50x). It made my music really pop. Then, the itch started again. I wanted to find myself an amazing high end headphone with my budget being around 1200. 
 
I worked my way through this site for about a week before I came across the Elears, which were harder to find information about because they are so new. I think I have been through every page (all 217 pages)  and after reading all of your impressions I caved and purchased the Elear!
When I first opened the box, I immediately noticed the presentation of the headphones. From the case, to the ear cups, these cans look great. I can definitely see why people say these cans are heavy, especially when comparing them to my K712 at 235g it's nearly twice the weight. I do admit though, once they are on my head, they sit very comfortably and for the last hour they've been on my head I haven't noticed the bulk. 
 
I generally listen to electronic, but also enjoy a large variety of music. The very first song I listened to was Lindsey Stirling - Take Flight (Orchestral). I first noticed the level of detail in the clarity and was heavily impressed. I immediately turned up the volume because it was so non fatiguing in the highs compared to highs on my K712s at higher volume levels.  The second thing I noticed was the separation of instruments between left and right, it almost had my eyes bouncing back and forth looking for the sounds. 
 
I purposely didn't listen to my K712 for a few days to try to get a real feel for the Elears. I also noticed from my memory of the K712 that it the Elears seemed a little dark, while still having great musicality. The vocals in the orchestral version sounded like angels from the heavens. I found myself swaying my head back and forth periodically closing my eyes and putting on a big grin. I changed songs to a bass heavy electronic song and was very pleased how the bass response was. Very clear while having good thump, especially in the sub bass. The mids really brought out the magic of the song and reminded me what I loved about it, even though that was probably the 200th time I've heard the song. There were also some songs that I played where I noticed more notes or instruments that I haven't before, even with my K712 which surprised me because of the AKGs clarity. 
 
Noticing again the darkness I put the Elears down and popped on my AKGs. It was almost like going back down to my M50s. Not that they sounded closed, but because the clarity was just that much better on the Elears. Once I put the Elears back on my head, the sound profile opened wide up for me. It sounded better, more full than the first time I wore them. For them having less of a soundstage than my AKGs is a non issue. The dynamism and musicality of these cans are wonderful, at least to my ears. I know I don't have anywhere close the experience as most of you on here, but I am a believer now. 
 
At least I have you guys here to understand why I'm willing to spend boatloads of money on my quest for great audio. This is by far the most expensive, yet most rewarding hobby I've had yet and I'm never look back.  Thanks everybody for your impressions of the Elears and everywhere else on Head-fi. Keep the knowledge flowing!

 

[Skyyyeman]

​Nice impressions, certainly agree. Welcome to the club!

 

[LinkError404]

Thanks! I think I'm gonna like it here 

 

[geoffalter11]

As of late I have been feeling like I was done with my Elears. I was struggling with their up-mid lower treble. I was becoming fatigued and constantly having to adjust the volume dial. i was powering it with an Audeze Deckard. I just got a Wells Audio Milo and my Elear's have found new life. They are a completely different headphone. As easy as they are to drive, they definitely like the 18w of perfection the Milo puts out. The upper mids have moved forward and the treble has opened up like a warm summer breeze. No fatigue, and super resolving. They went from the selling block to my favorite pair in my stable overnight. For those who have felt similarly, give em some power and let em sing.

 

[DiscoProJoe]

Went to my local hi-fi shop yesterday evening to hear some headphones, and the Focal Elear was one of several that I checked out.

If sub-bass weren't a consideration, and if only considering mids & highs, then the Elears would be "tied in first place" with the Sony MDR-Z1R that I also listened to.

I was using my beloved Rockboxed iPod Classic, running through a Cayin C5 portable amp, and was playing the Chinese soft-rock song "Qin'ai De Ni Zai Nali" （“亲爱的你在哪里”）("Where are you, my love") by Long Fei & Men Li （龙飞 & 门丽）. This song is on a good-sounding various-artist album that I bought on CD at a local store a few weeks ago, converted to MP3 at 192 kbps, and added to my music collection.

You can hear this song (but with lackluster sound quality) at this link. (I bought various-artist CDs at a local store, because most songs on Chinese web sites have lackluster -- or terrible -- sound quality.)

Anyway, with the Rockbox EQ and all bass boosts turned off, the Focal Elears sounded slightly better than my beloved V-Moda M-100s (also without using any EQ or bass boosts) -- with slightly better clarity and detail.

However, when turning on the bass boosts in Rockbox and on the portable amp, and using the EQ preset "Ultra Lite Classic 3" in the "Cayin C5" set of DiscoProJoe's Rockbox EQ Presets, the Focal Elear's drivers bottomed out with the sub-bass and made a popping noise (and without any clipping from the amp or EQ), so I quickly turned down the volume so it wouldn't damage the drivers.

(This song sounds best with my M-100s using that particular preset, and this combination totally blows away the competition, in my opinion, versus anything else.)

Anyway, I also tried this same song with the same sound settings with the Sony MDR-Z1R, and it sounded almost as good as my M-100s (and without the drivers bottoming out), but the Sony had slightly less sensitivity, and a little less sub-bass sensitivity, comparatively. But, of course, as with the Elear, the MDR-Z1R had slightly-better sound quality than my M-100s did with the EQ and bass boosts turned off, and just as good of sound quality as the Elears.

Moral of the story:

If you don't use any EQs or bass boosts, and you don't care about price or portability, then get the Focal Elear.

If you do use EQs and bass boosts (such as DiscoProJoe's Rockbox EQ Presets), if you don't care about price or portability, and are using a powerful desktop headphone amp, then get the Sony MDR-Z1R.

However, if price and portability are big considerations for you, and especially if you're also using EQs and bass boosts (such as DPJ's Rockbox EQ Presets), and are possibly also using a portable headphone amp to go with it, then the V-Moda M-100 is a no-brainer!

That's my story, at least.

 

[bronzboy]

As of late I have been feeling like I was done with my Elears. I was struggling with their up-mid lower treble. I was becoming fatigued and constantly having to adjust the volume dial. i was powering it with an Audeze Deckard. I just got a Wells Audio Milo and my Elear's have found new life. They are a completely different headphone. As easy as they are to drive, they definitely like the 18w of perfection the Milo puts out. The upper mids have moved forward and the treble has opened up like a warm summer breeze. No fatigue, and super resolving. They went from the selling block to my favorite pair in my stable overnight. For those who have felt similarly, give em some power and let em sing.

Are you using balanced or unbalanced. It my understanding that Wells believes balanced is inferior to unbalanced, and that's why the Milo comes standard with unbalanced RCA inputs only. (balanced inputs being an option)

 

[ProfoundSounds]

The Hifimans are meant to be utilized with mobile devices, and generally sound the same out of any setup.
I've auditioned the Edition X v1 for 3 weeks, owned the v2 for a few months. Pretty confident in saying they're nowhere near end-game in terms of clarity and resolution.
Also, not to detract your setup, but you're running a Modi and a Chinese NFB amp. I was saying in my initial statement that I was utilizing Cavalli amps (Liquid Carbon 2, Crimson, Glass) with the Elear. Even the Chord Hugo will offer a substantial improvement over the Modi+NFB.

The Elears scale way beyond their level. They're like the HD650s for that reason, probably why they're compared as such (that and sonic presentation).
I judge them at their best, not their worst.

I also own a HE-1000 and a SR-007 MK2/SR-507. And I still enjoy the Elears.
At the end of day, I'm happy with my headphones.

How well do you think the NFB-11 will drive the Elears v.s. your setup? Percentage wise too if that's possible.

 

[RobinTim]

Speaking of EQ-ing: What are your favourite settings? I have done the following:

I would be greatful for any other input.

 

[ZenErik]

I was already enjoying the Elear I purchased recently through a FiiO E10K, but I got a Jotunheim with DAC in today and finally got to try out the balanced cable I purchased. Very happy with the results. I don't even want to try to put into words what has changed, but I am certainly satisfied.

 

[remilio]

Hi guys!

My friend is using Elears and have clipping noise when cranking up the volume on his OTL amp.

I know, I know - OTL is not ideal for Elears, but clipping?! Have anyone experienced this? Is it the case with these headphones?

 

[cskippy]

They might be bad. See if he/she can get a replacement or return them. This was an issue with early models but Focal was supposed to recall and fix those.

 

[abvolt]

That's not normal for the Elear's have your friend send them back there defective, my Elear's have no distortion at all even at higher volumes..enjoy

 

[geoffalter11]

Are you using balanced or unbalanced. It my understanding that Wells believes balanced is inferior to unbalanced, and that's why the Milo comes standard with unbalanced RCA inputs only. (balanced inputs being an option)

I apologize for the delay. Still getting used to the new site. I am using both terminations as it has both on the front so it appeases both cable type owners. However, the amp is unbalanced. It is true, Jeff Wells does not believe balanced makes a sonic difference. Unbalanced, this thing puts out 18w of clean unfettered power. It is truly a marvel. All inputs are unbalanced RCA. It is has one XLR and one 1/4" output on the front. A very simple and intuitive amp.