[remilio]

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.

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

Thanks guys!

 

[myhalis]

I am a happy owner of an Elear since December and new to this forum, as you can probably infer. I mostly listen to them at work daily through a chord mojo. Although I really like the Elear's fun tonality at times they are a bit bassy for me. So yesterday on a whim I got the Utopia pads and tried them on.

Initial verdict: yes the pads lower the base and make the headphone more natural and a tad less warm. At the same time, on some songs, I feel a tiny bit of fun being lost. Imperfections in the mix or the recording sound more pronounced. Is the swap worth it? I don't know yet. It is not immediately evident, at least to me. I will have to listen to a wider range of genres.

The Utopia pads are better constructed and feel more durable. These are probably the most expensive pads around? I think Focal charges more than they should. As plush as they are they may need some...burn in before they adjust better to the shape of my head and become super comfy as the Elear ones.

 

[cskippy]

Aren't they $250? That's a Modi Multibit! Like, Wow!

 

[Skyyyeman]

And, ironically, Utopia owners are buying the Elear pads for more bass.

 

[myhalis]

Aren't they $250? That's a Modi Multibit! Like, Wow!

Yes they are. Also, I was told by the Focal reps that their very nice stand is another $250. Although the quality is apparent, I agree with you that for the same money you can buy some decent headphones or other equipment.

Going back to the Utopia pads, I listen to them at work and the noise around me is about 50 decibels. Also, I usually listen to music at relatively low volumes say at around 70db (one red and one yellow button on the mojo). Even though the differences in tonality are apparent, at these relative levels of music and noise I find it harder to make critical judgments.

 

[cskippy]

I still need to hear one of these, maybe try some stealth removable mods...

 

[soundkist]

New Elear owner here; had a chance to hear the Utopia's recently, and was quite smitten with them. Being a bit outside my price range, decided to give these a shot. So far, VERY happy! I'm not the best at accurately describing sound characteristics, so I'll just say this: although not to the same degree, I feel like I get a lot of the same feels as I did hearing the Utopia. Excited to hear what kind of sound these settle into after some time, and perhaps upgrade my aging Yulong D100mkII to get even more out of them!!

 

[myhalis]

New Elear owner here; had a chance to hear the Utopia's recently, and was quite smitten with them. Being a bit outside my price range, decided to give these a shot. So far, VERY happy! I'm not the best at accurately describing sound characteristics, so I'll just say this: although not to the same degree, I feel like I get a lot of the same feels as I did hearing the Utopia. Excited to hear what kind of sound these settle into after some time, and perhaps upgrade my aging Yulong D100mkII to get even more out of them!!

I had the chance to compare my brand new Elear to an older one and the differences were apparent. Soundstage was smaller and the sound was less refined and more aggressive. After say 200 hours of burn in things become better in my opinion. I love the dynamics of this headphone.

There are many utopia owners who say that the Elear provides a good helping of the Utopia sound and I think they are right. The rest say the Utopia blows away the Elear. The Utopia to me sounded way more transparent. When I swapped them it felt like going from lossless to something like 192Kbps in terms of musical information. So, one needs to be careful or the Elear may sound lacking which of course is anything but. I love the Elear but I may also be infected by Utopia-envy by the way. I am battling it.

 

[Topspin70]

After reading about this headphone the last two days, I dropped by a local store for a listen. I must say I was instantly smitten. Using just my iphone, and then an AK dap to get a taste of the sonic signature, I was surprised by what I heard. I shan't repeat descriptions that have already filled this thread, except that it didn't felt underpowered by the players and delivered a truly 'wow' experience.

 

[SpacePope99]

Hey guys, just got a pair of Elears as an upgrade to HE-400s,
but I find the sound to be a bit harsh and dissatisfying, and that might be because I'm running them through an old budget magni1 + modi1.

Does anyone have an amp recommendation in < $500 range?
I see most recommendations in the $1000+ range.
I read two people saying they worked well with the Elemental Watson. Any other recommendations?
Has anyone tried them with the Little Dot MKIII?
I'm currently considering the little dot and the watson

thanks!

 

[Topspin70]

Hey guys, just got a pair of Elears as an upgrade to HE-400s,
but I find the sound to be a bit harsh and dissatisfying, and that might be because I'm running them through an old budget magni1 + modi1.

Does anyone have an amp recommendation in < $500 range?
I see most recommendations in the $1000+ range.
I read two people saying they worked well with the Elemental Watson. Any other recommendations?
Has anyone tried them with the Little Dot MKIII?
I'm currently considering the little dot and the watson

thanks!

You might also want to consider the ifi iCAN SE. It's warmer than many amps that I tested, yet is clean and detailed. It might cut out the harshness you experienced without losing the details that the Elear is capable of bringing out.

 

[geoffalter11]

I just picked up a Moon Audio Silver Dragon cable for my Elears. Coupled with my Wells Audio Milo, my Elears have become a formidable force. I used to struggle with the upper mid shoutiness, then the Milo took care of that. Now the Silver Dragon has taken them up another few notches. I am absolutely floored by the difference in resolution, imaging and clarity. They sound closer to the Utopias than ever before. My ears are happy. The biggest change is in the midrange. It no longer sounds faintly grainy. It is liquid, and present. The attack and decay of the bass drum is natural and forceful. Separation is top notch. Treble is more extended with the perfect amount of air and sparkle. I have never been an aftermarket cable guy, but I found one at a great price and thought I would give it a shot. So glad I did.

 

[ecmfidelity]

Anyone got the Lavricable Master Silver for the Elears? Some good reactions on the Utopia forum. I'm thinking getting this cable booth for the Elears and the HD800S.

 

[soundkist]

There are many utopia owners who say that the Elear provides a good helping of the Utopia sound and I think they are right. The rest say the Utopia blows away the Elear. The Utopia to me sounded way more transparent. When I swapped them it felt like going from lossless to something like 192Kbps in terms of musical information. So, one needs to be careful or the Elear may sound lacking which of course is anything but. I love the Elear but I may also be infected by Utopia-envy by the way. I am battling it.

Agree, and I think that's a great way of describing it. I will just add one standout from my time with the Utopias, the precision of the separation/imaging. Their ability to so accurately pinpoint instruments in the mix without losing any musicality caught my attention on several occasions, and when things panned around, I almost caught myself turning my head to look, lol. Elears are a little murkier in this department. Regardless, while certainly amazing to my ears, I am of the camp the Utopias in no way blow these away. Only ~60 or so hours of burn-in so far, but already a little less shouty, and really sounding good. But yeah... Utopia-envy is a real thing, lol.

 

[daddyo1973]

I had a chance to listen to the Utopia's at a recent meet and I must say they were impressive. They were backed by top flight gear so even before listening my expectations were high. It was a brief listening session but they still exceeded my expectations and left an positive impression.

Spending $4k on headphones isn't going to happen for me, but the Elears are at least in my wheelhouse. Based on my brief time with the Utopias and the favorable impressions here I decided to go for a (another!) totally unnecessary purchase and get the Elears.

After only a few days spent with them being driven off a Mojo or a Mojo to Jotunheim pairing I have no regrets. Count me as yet another happy Elear owner!