Ether Flow vs Focal Elear

[RollsDownWindowsManually]

Hello,

Interested in purchasing a full sized headphone for home listening and can't decide between these two. I have varied musical tastes running the gamut from heavy metal to classical and plan to use them for some video gaming as well, although most of music preference lies in the industrial/metal/hard rock genres (KMFDM, Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, etc), which is not to say I get fatigued after a couple of hours of that type of music and throw on some mozart symphonies though.

Listening will be through a headroom Micro DAC and Micro AMP.

Sonic priorities: Accurate, Punchy, but not bloated bass, am not opposed to moderately exaggerated sub-bass; neutral mid bass, neutral mid range that avoids being nasaly, accurate treble that avoid being tinny, not opposed to a little sparkle though.

Current headphones: Senn HD800, Alessandro MS2i, Etymotic ER-4S/P, Etymotic ER-4XR, Beyerdynamic DT-250-80, Sony MDR-7506, Kosss Portapro & Sportapro. The HD800 gets most of my in home listening time and the ER-4XR is my portable staple.

I used to have some Focal kevlar series component speakers in my old car, loved the sound of them, and their headphones intrigue me. I generally haven't been disappointed by Tyll's recommendations and he seems to rave about the Elear.

On the other hand I've always wanted to try planar magnetics, and the Mr. Speakers appeal to me more than the audeze because the seem to have a reputation for slightly better sound quality compared to the similairly priced LCD line, and seem like they would be a lot more comfortable because they're 25-30% lighter.

Pros of Ether Flow -

Planar Magnetic which I want to try
Made in USA which appeals to me as a citizen of the USA
Sound Quality highly regarded
Planar magnetic sub-bass extension
Look very comfortable

Cons of Ether Flow -

Almost 2x the cost of Elear
All the different dampening material options seems a bit confusing
Rolled off treble from Planar Magnetics (my hearing ends at 16.5 khz as a 35 y/o man), but also has the reputation of a "scooped sound"?
Not a huge fan of the blue color, but looks don't matter that much since I just wear them at home.

Pros of Focal Elear -

More affordable
Great sound quality by most accounts
Looks comfortable
Looks good aethetically

Cons of Elear -

10khz peak might make it a little tinny?
Probably a little shier in sub-bass than the Ether Flow - although Tyll says the Ether has better bass than the non-flow Ether.
Imaging described as a bit muddy.
Not the the TOTL Focal so the thought of how much better is Utopia is always there



Which of these two has better "soundstage" (which I know is a pscyhoacoustic and very subjective thing, but how might it compare to the HD800 in this regard?)? Which is less fatiguing to listen to for 3-4 hours? Which would probably have better re-sale? Which is more comfortable?

 

[GU1DO]

Get LCD-X ,, it have the bass for (industrial/metal/hard rock genres) ,, nether Elear or Ether have the quantity or the punch needed ,,
if it is a must between these two ,, get the Ether ,, it is way better than the Elear , in every aspect of sound ..

 

[Jmask5]

I can vouche for the LCD-X. I had a chance A/B the elear and lcd-x and the lcd-x was clearly better to me.

 

[RollsDownWindowsManually]

How is the weight and comfort of the LCD-X? It's the main thing steering me away from it. Is it overblown? I can wear my grados for a few hours without problem, how would their (dis)comfort compare to the audeze?

Also, how does the treble roll off on the audeze compare to the other too? Planars still have a reputation for recessed treble AFAIK, but I've never gotten to hear one for myself.

 

[aqsw]

I am a real Audeze fan, but they are expensive. I sold my LCD2 non fazor, bought Ether Cs, sold them , and bought Elears. Now I'm happy.
Listened to the lcd x and was very unimpressed. Way too much money!

I use the Elears for music and the Beyer T1s for movies. Both with my Feliks Audio Euforia .

Go for the Elears. Cheaper and Better. (IMO)

Audezes are heavy if you are a pencil neck geek. (Just kidding),
But if Grados get heavy, do not even think about Audezes.

 

[Jmask5]

How is the weight and comfort of the LCD-X? It's the main thing steering me away from it. Is it overblown? I can wear my grados for a few hours without problem, how would their (dis)comfort compare to the audeze?

Also, how does the treble roll off on the audeze compare to the other too? Planars still have a reputation for recessed treble AFAIK, but I've never gotten to hear one for myself.

Weight is definitely an issue. For me i could not listen for an extended time. I recommend to demo them somewhere. In general i would say never buy a headphone before you try it.

 

[RollsDownWindowsManually]

Wow all this debate almost makes me want to save $700 and just buy the AKG K701 that I wanted 10 years ago and was all the rage here.

 

[GU1DO]

How is the weight and comfort of the LCD-X? It's the main thing steering me away from it. Is it overblown? I can wear my grados for a few hours without problem, how would their (dis)comfort compare to the audeze?

Also, how does the treble roll off on the audeze compare to the other too? Planars still have a reputation for recessed treble AFAIK, but I've never gotten to hear one for myself.

Weight was the main reason why i sold my LCD-X ,, now i am looking for the LCD-Pro ,, weight is fixed , i hope they sound good ,,

Treble roll off in LCD-X (from memory) is the almost like the Ether , both lack in the presence area ,,
although imaging is accurate in the Ether , this is way it sound better ,, but still LCD-X have way better bass
so it is a matter of balance and needs ..

FYI not all planers have treble roll off ,, M1060 , HE560 , HE400 all have extended Treble.

Elear ,, i dont recommend them at all for the type of music you mentioned.

Why you don't put the TH900 in your choices ? ( with some tuning they are very good )
Amazing bass & sub bass, huge sound stage , quality imaging , light weight ..

 

[JuanCamiloso]

I really love the Elears and find that they perform really well for rock and metal. They are punchy and very dynamic. I do not have any problem with any 10 kHz peak or similar. These headphones, however, may be a hit or miss, I would recommend you to try them before making a decision.

 

[Nitreb]

Weight was the main reason why i sold my LCD-X ,, now i am looking for the LCD-Pro ,, weight is fixed , i hope they sound good ,,

Treble roll off in LCD-X (from memory) is the almost like the Ether , both lack in the presence area ,,
although imaging is accurate in the Ether , this is way it sound better ,, but still LCD-X have way better bass
so it is a matter of balance and needs ..

FYI not all planers have treble roll off ,, M1060 , HE560 , HE400 all have extended Treble.

Elear ,, i dont recommend them at all for the type of music you mentioned.

Why you don't put the TH900 in your choices ? ( with some tuning they are very good )
Amazing bass & sub bass, huge sound stage , quality imaging , light weight ..

I bought the LCD-XC in 2014. They definitely have some weight, but I can wear them for several hours without having comfort issues, and they sound great!

 

[seamon]

Interesting thread here. A month ago, I had the opportunity to A/B my friend's Ether Flow to my LCD 3. Both driven out of a Cavalli Audio Liquid Carbon.

Bass - Ether Flow has better mid-bass impact but it can't touch the legendary texture and extension of the LCD 3 bass. Ether Flow bass texture seemed very soft in comparison to the LCD 3.
Mids - LCD 3 has much thicker mids than Ether Flow and the mids are also placed further away. LCD 3 mids are placed very close to you. Ether Flow mids almost seem recessed in comparison.
Treble - Ether Flow wins hands down. Ether Flow has more Treble quantity and also has smoother Treble than the LCD 3. However, the quantity was a little too much for me.
Soundstage and separation - LCD 3 wins in separation. Soundstage is almost similar with slight edge to the Ether Flow.

Comfort wise, Ether Flow is very comfortable. Meanwhile, with Lohb strap and earpad risers, I can wear the LCD 3 all day. The weight is not that much a problem for me.

 

[waveSounds]

I really love the Elears and find that they perform really well for rock and metal. They are punchy and very dynamic. I do not have any problem with any 10 kHz peak or similar. These headphones, however, may be a hit or miss, I would recommend you to try them before making a decision.

Yup.

The chap who said the Elears aren't suited to EDM/rock/metal etc. is just plain wrong, lol. Of course, you're allowed an opinion; just make sure it's not wrong

I listen to music from every genre with the philosophy that if it's good music, it's good. However being someone who frequented Fabric (the famous London EDM nightclub) on an almost weekly basis back in my earlier 20s, a large portion of my listening is made of up electronic, drum & bass, house, techno... you get the picture. I also have a particular penchant for classic rock. The Elear beats my Shure SRH1540 in sheer enjoyment of all the aforementioned genres, and has a weightier bass impact.

I've not heard the LCD-X or Pro so can't advise you on that, but as an owner of the Elear I can tell you that for half the price of the X, you're not going to be left wanting.

 

[Within]

All the caveats, far from an expert, your mileage may vary etc. etc.

The only pair that you currently own that we have in common are the Entymotics, I bought my first pair of ER4S from Headroom in 1998. I have also owned various headphones including multiple Sennheisers (but not the 800) and even a medieval torture device from Stax called the SR-34Pro an age ago. I am probably less of a metal head than you but enjoy industrial and hard rock. Movie soundtracks are a guilty pleasure and I am a Gamer4lyfe
I went to Axpona this year to audition the Elear and compare it to the incredible headphone selection at the show. I spent nearly six hours at the Eargear tables and although the environment was loud I think I was able to get a pretty good representation of the equipment there.
I walked out with a pair of Ether Flows.
The Elears are nice and the design and build quality is incredible, but they just weren't exciting. I thought the Utopias were amazing, but they are out of my league.
I spent so much time at the Mr Speakers table listening to the Ether Flows I have seen multiple pictures of myself in various show recaps around the web. Two months later I am still totally in love with them.
There is bass but you are not going to get your slightly exaggerated sub bass with the Ether Flows, but neither do the Elears. Otherwise I think it hits all your other priorities. I felt the sound stage was more defined in the Ether Flows, big, not huge.
The comfort of the Ether Flows can hardly be matched out of the box. You can wear them all day long without discomfort. I can't speak for the Elear's all day comfort, they were comfortable for the time I wore them.
I bought a Chord Mojo while I upgrade my fixed source and imagine your dac/amp combo will do just fine.

I would have a very hard time buying any headphones, and would not have bought the Ether Flows, without a demo. As I understand it, Dan (Mr Speakers) goes to a lot of shows, I would definitely try to find one.

I salivated over the Elears since the moment they were announced, but they just didn't meet my expectations. There were a lot of other very fine headphones at the show and some incredible iems, but I highly recommend the Ether Flows.

 

[Bastianpp]

You tested the T5P 2ND?, is really good headphone
You only need good fit (Ear -Driver ) and the t5p sound really clear, they can sound congested if you don't have a good fit

I listen: metal, rock and little of jazz/instrumental.