[LeMat]

   
If the pads can have such an insane price mark-up, it really makes you wonder also about the mark-up on the headphones themselves. 

 

 
Lol... What did you guys were expecting?! The closest benchmark is the Solo6 active monitor from Focal...which retails for $1350. C'mon.. it's more or less the same technology behind it. Beryllium tweeter and on top of that, you have nice cabinet, amp, filters, a fancy composite woofer with a massive magnet. How can this retail for basically the price of the Elear?! It's not more mass market than headphone either. Only explanation, mark-up on headphones are huge. It's ok, people are still buying them... myself included. I just ordered an Elear.  

 

[ubs28]

   
Lol... What did you guys were expecting?! The closest benchmark is the Solo6 active monitor from Focal...which retails for $1350. C'mon.. it's more or less the same technology behind it. Beryllium tweeter and on top of that, you have nice cabinet, amp, filters, a fancy composite woofer with a massive magnet. How can this retail for basically the price of the Elear?! It's not more mass market than headphone either. Only explanation, mark-up on headphones are huge. It's ok, people are still buying them... myself included. I just ordered an Elear.  

​Only the tweeter is Be in those monitors. The Focal Utopia is a full range Be driver. It's not the same thing. I'm not aware of any monitor or speaker that is all Be like the Focal Utopia is, so it's a very special headphone.

 

[LeMat]

Sure it's full range but from a manufacturing perspective, I'm not sure if it's that different. "Be" diaphragm, magnet, coil, and a different suspension. Acknowledging how brittle is Be (and toxic if broken), a full range / full size driver seems impossible. Anyway, if that kind of example is not showing the difference in margin between headphones and speakers, I give up! 

 

[ubs28]

  Sure it's full range but from a manufacturing perspective, I'm not sure if it's that different. "Be" diaphragm, magnet, coil, and a different suspension. Acknowledging how brittle is Be (and toxic if broken), a full range / full size driver seems impossible. Anyway, if that kind of example is not showing the difference in margin between headphones and speakers, I give up! 

​Well, monitors usually sell for 1 monitor and not per pair. So the Focal Solo 6  Be costs $1.350 * 2 = $2700 and not $1.350 vs $4000. And you don't get a Be driver for the mids and bass. So I can see the price difference.
 
Also you have to wonder if the Focal Solo 6 Be has all the same technologies that was put into the Focal Utopia headphones which could explain the price difference also.

 

[fzman]

   
Lol... What did you guys were expecting?! The closest benchmark is the Solo6 active monitor from Focal...which retails for $1350. C'mon.. it's more or less the same technology behind it. Beryllium tweeter and on top of that, you have nice cabinet, amp, filters, a fancy composite woofer with a massive magnet. How can this retail for basically the price of the Elear?! It's not more mass market than headphone either. Only explanation, mark-up on headphones are huge. It's ok, people are still buying them... myself included. I just ordered an Elear.  

Wow, I guess it is just as easy to make a speaker cabinet as it is to create the tooling to make headphone parts.  

 

[snetman]

Materials cost is only part of the story. This is true for every product. Other factors to consider for Utopias/Elears: quantities they expect to produce, efficiencies in the production process, expected yields, profit margin.
 
Lots of factors go into the price. Some or all could have different considerations/pressures vs. their speaker lines.

 

[applebook]

The Elear and Utopia are also brand new designs that cost a lot to R&D, whereas these monitors are just trickle down technologies that they're been employing for decades.
 
Also, those MDF cabinets are dirt cheap to make, likely much cheaper than the yolk/ headband/ cup assembly of the Utopia.
 
Quality stands for monitors start at around $400.

 

[SHAMuuu]

Fine if Focal charges a cool 4k for their Utopia flagship, but the fact a replacement set of earpads costs more than a hd6XX?
 

 
they should include 2 extra sets for 4k,

 

[shockwaver]

Oppo's PM1 lambskin leather ear pads - $ 59
Audeze's LCD lambskin leather ear pads - $ 80
 
Utopia pads are overpriced.

 

[pkcpga]

I personally would have expected $80-100 for elear pads and $150 for utopia pads. But there some other company's charging even more for ear pads. Replacing my Hermes watch band was $250 and that's a very small amount of leather so who knows what the right price is.

 

[jaredjcrandall8]

Same here on the pads.

Any progress on this? I have the elear and enjoy it but wonder if the mids are a little recessed--as reviews have stated.

 

[james6333]

Any progress on this? I have the elear and enjoy it but wonder if the mids are a little recessed--as reviews have stated.

I did not buy Utopia pads because they are $250.

If you like them who cares how they measure. I find the upp mids very recessed but I am sensitive to this issue so I don't use the Elear anymore (still have it).

 

[jaredjcrandall8]

I did not buy Utopia pads because they are $250.

If you like them who cares how they measure. I find the upp mids very recessed but I am sensitive to this issue so I don't use the Elear anymore (still have it).

I am new enough not to tell the difference right now but I would like the extra detail in the upper mids, so if the utopia pads help then I'd like to do so because I would probably notice at that point

 

[james6333]

I personally would have expected $80-100 for elear pads and $150 for utopia pads. But there some other company's charging even more for ear pads. Replacing my Hermes watch band was $250 and that's a very small amount of leather so who knows what the right price is.

The right price is the price they sell at. People will buy replacement pads at this price (if you need them you need them) but I don't see people pad swopping to tune the sound much.

 

[FocalOfficial]

Dear all, 

 

Following many questions from the community, we would like to state that Jason Lord is one of our official US dealers which is why he regularly posts on Focal threads, especially regarding headphones. 

We would also like to clarify to the community, regardless of the numerous answers he gave you, he does not speak on behalf of the Focal Brand. 

 

If you have any official questions or issues, please contact us directly so that we can help you. 

 

Regarding numerous questions and rumors about Elear and Utopia ear pads, here are the SRP: $150 for Elear ear pads and $250 for Utopia ear pads. Please contact directly your local dealer or distributor if you want to buy some.

 

Thank you for your understanding,

Best regards,

Marine, Community Manager Focal