[Stillhart]

 
Mr.XERO1,
 
Good,Better, Best
 
In our headphone range context, the Elear competes against everything under $2k.  ( according to Tyll, who is believable )
 
$4k covers all the big Stax systems and every other pricy contender. 
 
The Elear seems to be a price mistake, it should've been $2k, which is the way a Corporate USA outfit would think. ( I think ) 
 
I'm a Sennheiser lover but Tyll has convinced me.  I'll have a listen and buy accordingly.   Tyll's comments seem far too positive but I'm taking the bait! 
 
And,  Ford gave up the triple marketing, GM reduced to the Triple range product marketing, I like the dual range concept, Linn in Scotland stayed with only one Turntable ( didn't they? ) which is still in production, phew.
 
Tony in Michigan
 
ps.  Maybe Focal will do a Closed version of that transducer device but I won't clamor for it. 

 
Focal already has a third headphone that was released on the same day as these two:  the Listen.  It's not getting near the same amount of hype because it's "only" $250, but it's actually quite good for the price as well.  For someone looking for a closed, portable (foldable, light, rugged), easy to drive headphone with great SQ for around $250, I think it's a clear winner.  I'd recommend it over the Meze 99 any day of the week.
 

  I agree. 
 
However, if someone is going to wait for more impressions on these I really don't think it is necessary. If you can't try before you buy and depend on impressions, I believe there is a wealth of solid ones already.
 
snip

 
Hey, I was saying this two months ago, but it doesn't make a difference.  Hearing is believing as you know.  Otherwise, people are still waiting for consensus.  I've been asking people who heard the Focals at Source events to pop in and drop some impressions.  Like you, I found that everyone liked them but most people aren't posting about it.  It'll take time.  
 
And yeah, Chicago and London next weekend should help...
 

does anyone know if jacks on the cup-end of the Elear recessed? (ie for aftermarket cables, would I need those extended 3.5mm plugs or would the regular 3.5 mm plugs suffice?)

thanks

 
Yes, they're recessed, but the barrel size is so wide that you probably won't need extended plugs.  Here's a pic from my review:
 

 
 

Tyll should talk more about genre restrictions in his reviews. Going by impressions (including his) it would seem hip hop, EDM etc will not be suited for the Utopia, where as everything else would - which is great for many. I would imagine classical/vocals/acoustic sounds great. If they don't have enough bass for Tyll, I'm struggling to see how they would for me. That kind of information is crucial in this hobby but is rarely brought up until owners themselves provide feedback.

 
It's funny you mention this.  Last weekend at the Source event I spent a lot more time with the Utopia (driven from LAu and AK500N) and I specifically went through my electronic collection to see how it would do.  I was surprised that it was actually quite good for electronic.  While the bass isn't as big as the Elear's, it's still quite adequate and it's very high quality.  
 
One track was impressing me a lot and I made a few people listen to it to check out how good the bass was on the Utopia.  It was this track here.  The bass is nicely layered and it extends decently low.  The Utopia was reproducing it all with aplomb.
 
Remember, Grizzlybeast loved the bass on the Utopia and he's a bona fide bass-head.

 

[jude]

  I am seriously wondering if Jude would pick the Elear or the Utopia over the Sennheiser Orpheus?
 
After all the Orpheus nearly brought him to tears...it was obviously an exciting, powerful, very personal, and emotional experience for him...

 
No, the HE-1 Orpheus would still get the clear nod. As I said in the CanJam London video, I feel the Utopia's overall performance is matched only by a few top-performing planar magnetic headphones, and exceeded only by the very best electrostatic headphones in the world. The new Orpheus is, in my opinion, perhaps without peer right now (and I still haven't had a chance to try the HE-1 Orpheus with the Chord DAVE yet).
 
My Stax SR-009 and Stax SR-007 Mk1 with the Frank Cooter Custom 845 Electrostatic Amp are still, in my opinion, the better sounding, more resolving headphones (versus either the Utopia or Elear). Of course, at that point, we are talking about an electrostatic system that would be priced significantly higher than even the Utopia, and it's also a system that was shipped on a pallet, because it's so large--so you can't really use it anywhere other than where it is (at my office).
 
Especially with the SR-007 Mk1 (which I've been using more and more lately), the bass is more present than with the Utopia, and the treble smoother and more refined, and, overall, more resolving. Both the SR-009 and SR-007 Mk1 play with beautiful body and drive through the Cooter--more than any other amp I've yet heard with them.

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

Okay, Yeah the hype is getting to me as well. But if i spend 4k on the Utopia my wife will have me sleeping next to the neighborhood railroad tracks lol. For EDM,HIP-HOP,POP music and such is the Elear a better choice. Money aside. Tks 

 

[guitarrules]

Well if it is just EDM and hip-hop, I would go with a TH900. You can pick a used one for 750.

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

I have a bass heavy closed headphone already. I'm leaning more towards clarity and what open headphones provide. I have nothing but closed in gear. So it's new and uncharted territory for me. 

 

[Jawed]

Tyll seems to report that imaging is "small".

I wonder if the problem with imaging in Elear/Utopia is due to the huge driver. It has such a large surface area that it will easily capture a large amount of sound that's reflected off the user's head and then reflect that sound back into the ear. The large area and the substantial number of pathways for reflection could be causing a lot of timing blur that, presumably, collapses imaging.

I dare say the ultimate measure of this is with binaural recordings.

So anyone with good binaural recordings: care to comment on Utopia versus HD 800 (S) versus whatever other "good imaging" headphones you have available?

 

[phonomat]

Careful not to confuse imaging and soundstage. While soundstage can be perceived as small, imaging can't; it is the placement of the sounds in the confines of the soundstage.

 

[potkettleblack]

Careful not to confuse imaging and soundstage. While soundstage can be perceived as small, imaging can't; it is the placement of the sounds in the confines of the soundstage.

I believe there can be many overlaps with this term. Placement, and the ability to single out individual things is all good and well, but soundstage height, width and depth assists the perception of how far the instruments are apart from each other and how far they are from the listeners position; which surely all fall under the term 'image'?

I'm hearing that these have the soundstage capabilities of the HD650/600.

I'm sure they are VERY precise but I'm not sure (with such a small soundstage) how well you're going to be able to get a sense of distant between the instruments, and from you as a listener.

 

[Aegruin]

IMO, there is no HP or IEM that does good imagining with a meaty(bodied) presentation(that caused by a bass boom). The depth always fails a little bit.
The HP tries to bring sound closer, sound expands in the stage and the imagining becomes a little blurry. I bet this is the case, but it's fine... I guess... and hope so. 

 

[Toolman]

Just placed my blind order for an Elear with option to upgrade to an Utopia should I deemed the 300% premium are worthy...problem is the audition unit will only arrive some time around the end of Aug or early Sep, and the soundbite by then will have my bank manager running for cover lol 

 

[deafanddumb]

they were playing some James Blake and downtempo cuts at the show, I would say utopia's quantity was around the same as Ether Open Flow, and that the impact of the Elear on the same tracks were more satisfying to me, if perhaps a little less precise.

I would say that for open cans, any audeze LCD models are still unsurpassed when it comes to the quantity vs quality vs scale delta imho.

Ahh....but how do th900 compare in bass quality and quantity??

 

[PLUSSOUND]

does anyone know if jacks on the cup-end of the Elear recessed? (ie for aftermarket cables, would I need those extended 3.5mm plugs or would the regular 3.5 mm plugs suffice?)

thanks

They are recessed, but its probably best to use extended 3.5mm connectors (that is what we use on our cable builds).

 

[jamato8]

And those headphones we sent were not near break in. So you can understand that break in only improves them yet they are great right out of the box! I think those had one day (7 hours) on them from the SF meet. Steve McCoin's group has them this weekend. I'm pretty sure we'll more great impressions out of the Chicago meet.

My question is, has anyone hear the Utopia with several hundred hours on it? Say 400 or 500 hours of burn in time? I find that little can be be said in the final thought on sound of headphones until they have adequate time on them. Something with 7 hours means little to me. I have often found that many things change on good headphones, they open up more, bass can increase in quality (not meaning quantity but quality) and an overall refinement of sound. So how many hours are on the Utopias that many have listened to recently, since you have the distribution going for the US area at this time? 

 

[TSAVJason]

Plrss

My question is, has anyone hear the Utopia with several hundred hours on it? Say 400 or 500 hours of burn in time? I find that little can be be said in the final thought on sound of headphones until they have adequate time on them. Something with 7 hours means little to me. I have often found that many things change on good headphones, they open up more, bass can increase in quality (not meaning quantity but quality) and an overall refinement of sound. So how many hours are on the Utopias that many have listened to recently, since you have the distribution going for the US area at this time? 

please! No one has owned any long enough.

 

[pervysage]

Probably not because Travis is on holiday. :wink_face:

If you are in Canada the first dealer is The Headphone Bar in Vancouver BC. They should have them later next week.

Would these be available for sale at this time or just audition for now?

Also has Canadian pricing been announced for Elear/Utopia?