[xrayman]

I don't think the Elears are that comfortable. I constantly had to move them around while listening. After a short time... That's when they would start bothering me a little. So after a quick nudge they reset in the comfort department. They only started to feel heavy when that construction equipment cable started to drag it down.

That's interesting. I think the opposite. Albeit being heavier than I would like, I found them to fit well on my head and do not notice them at all. The D5000 are the most comfortable I have though. On the other hand, The He-500 are too tight for me and despise the design of those cans.

 

[jsplice]

I've been living with the Elears for a few weeks now, and comparing to my Audeze Sines still.  I've been using the Sines with both the Cipher cable and the iDSD, and the Elear with the iDSD.  At this point, I feel like the Elears are just missing something that I find more engaging about the Sines.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but it seems to be the midrange.  Also, it seems like the iDSD lacks a bit of punch in the bass that I think the Elears need.

 

[TWerk]

Yeah, it's probably that hole in the Freq Resp that sounds off to you. There's a few video reviews for these and many people mention that dip.

 

[xrayman]

Yeah, it's probably that hole in the Freq Resp that sounds off to you. There's a few video reviews for these and many people mention that dip.

Can you post the links for those videos?

Thanks.

 

[jsplice]

  Yeah, it's probably that hole in the Freq Resp that sounds off to you. There's a few video reviews for these and many people mention that dip.

 
Ah, very interesting.  I had read a bit about that before.  I'm huge on midrange, so this could be a fatal flaw for me as far as the Elears are concerned.  It's a weird paradox, because the Elear sound so transparent and detailed, with good tonality and everything, yet the midrange just sounds off.  It always feels like I have to listen harder for something than I do with the Sines.  It's probably by brain trying to listen harder to where that dip is in the frequency range.  It ends up leading to a slight disconnection with the music.  I used to own a pair of LCD-2.2 which were awesome, but the comfort is what got to me.  I may check out the EL-8s.

 

[TWerk]

Quote:

Can you post the links for those videos?

Thanks.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFyIDmX-1eU - 6 mins in.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJzJBCZZbV8 - 1 min 45 seconds

 

[xrayman]

  Quote:

Can you post the links for those videos?

Thanks.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFyIDmX-1eU - 6 mins in.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJzJBCZZbV8 - 1 min 45 seconds

 
Thanks I have seen the first link before.  I don't think I quite agree with what he has to say, but oh well!  To me he was trying to bash it more than anything else.  At least my ears do not agree with his observations.  Bear in mind I am no audio engineer, but I have the He-500 and D5000, which are not crappy headphones, but the Elear are a clear step up (to me) compared to those two.  There are just so many details and surprisingly not fatiguing at all.
 
Music dullness on the vocals????  I will say NO way as far as I am concerned.  I will invite him to listen to some Cohen, and Katie Melua, where vocals dominate the music.  There is no way I agree with that statement.
 
As for the second link, that guy seeks more for clicking attention than anything else.    His video "Why I sold it- Fostex TH900 Headphones" is quite laughable.  He is comparing bananas with apples.   Just my thoughts of course.
 
Thanks for sharing the links though.

 

[xrayman]

I think this review concurs more with my thoughts.  He provides a much better analysis as far as I am concerned than lachlanlikesathing and phototristan.  I actually agree with him when it comes to have separation between the music and the vocals.  A lot of DYNAMIC!!!    
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm1UM5Tb6Xo

 

[jsplice]

I am finding more and more that the iDSD is not a good match for the Elear.  It has a nice warm sound, but this tends to be "too much of a good thing" when combined with the Elear.  My comparisons are with an Audioquest Dragonfly 1.2.  For strictly desktop use, I can't justify the price of the iDSD over my old DF 1.2.  Also, with the Elear and iDSD, the gain is always way too high.  I have it set to "Eco" mode, and in that mode, I can barely get the volume past 9-10 o clock.  It was suggested by someone to try the "IEM Match" mode to lower the gain further, which then enables me to get the volume knob up to around 12-1 o clock, but it loses a lot of impact and dynamics in the IEM Match mode.  Not sure what is done internally when enabling those mode, but it has a very negative impact.  I will most likely be returning the iDSD if I plan to keep the Elear.

 

[sotto123]

I received my Elear's earlier today and have been listening and comparing them against the LCD2 and HD650. I think this is a fair comparison. LCD2 and Elear are the same price in the UK, and the Elear's are meant to be HD650 "on steroids". Probably foolish to say too much this early, but here goes in a stream of consciousness manner. I pretty much only listen to piano and guitar based music, with an emphasis towards modern music,  FYI.
 
LCD2 - Sound slightly boring in comparison with more of a laidback sound. Smaller soundstage, particularly depth. Separation isn't as good, somewhat dull treble, punchiness of bass is a real toss-up. Elear's do everything better.
 
HD650 - Elears just do everything better with the exception of the vocals - the HD650 edges it. I haven't heard any truly high end headphones, but even then I don't think I would prefer the way they deliver vocals. The Senn's just have this magical ability to make vocals sound so romantic and allow them to take center stage. It's a very mid-centric headphone, which is where the magic happens for me. Having said that, the Elear's still have that rich, full-bodied sound to the mids and vocals especially that I love. I eagerly await the day when Sennheiser pull their fingers out and give us a true successor to the HD650's. That would truly be endgame for me.
 
Elear - More comfortable than LCD2 but not as much as the HD650. Quite heavy and the headband presses down, you know you're wearing headphones. So easy to drive - I have to turn down the volume knob a few clicks to get a similar volume level compared to the other two. Build quality is a clear winner. Cable is unnecessarily long. A note hit harder in a song really does pop and can take you by surprise. Dynamic, punchy, better clarity and detail. Bass, mids and treble are delivered more evenly without any really overwhelming the other or taking center stage, although the bass and mids take more of a center stage than the treble. Arguably less engaging than the HD650 because of this, but still very, very enjoyable and musical (I've never been one to value technicality over musicality). Very smooth and non-fatiguing. 
 
Conclusion - I can no longer recommend the LCD2. If vocals aren't quite as important to you than me then by all means upgrade to the Elears, otherwise the HD650s will likely suffice. Even then the Elear's are a worthy step up, in my opinion, in every other way. Even with vocals it's close. I will certainly be keeping them and using them as my main headphone. Value for money at 1/3rd of the price the Senn's clearly can't be beat.
 
Hope this helps someone having a hard deciding on whether they should switch.
 
To anyone reading, what would you say is more of a mid-centric headphone than the Elears with a warm sound, but clearly a step-up in every other aspect to the HD650?

 

[xrayman]

 
HD650 - Elears just do everything better with the exception of the vocals - the HD650 edges it. I haven't heard any truly high end headphones, but even then I don't think I would prefer the way they deliver vocals. The Senn's just have this magical ability to make vocals sound so romantic and allow them to take center stage. It's a very mid-centric headphone, which is where the magic happens for me. Having said that, the Elear's still have that rich, full-bodied sound to the mids and vocals especially that I love. I eagerly await the day when Sennheiser pull their fingers out and give us a true successor to the HD650's. That would truly be endgame for me.
 
Elear - More comfortable than LCD2 but not as much as the HD650. Quite heavy and the headband presses down, you know you're wearing headphones. So easy to drive - I have to turn down the volume knob a few clicks to get a similar volume level compared to the other two. Build quality is a clear winner. Cable is unnecessarily long. A note hit harder in a song really does pop and can take you by surprise. Dynamic, punchy, better clarity and detail. Bass, mids and treble are delivered more evenly without any really overwhelming the other or taking center stage, although the bass and mids take more of a center stage than the treble. Arguably less engaging than the HD650 because of this, but still very, very enjoyable and musical (I've never been one to value technicality over musicality). Very smooth and non-fatiguing. 

 
I really need to try those HD650.  I am not sure the Matrix M stage will be able to drive them properly though.   

 

[donato]

Early holiday gifts for me - my Elear and my Massdrop HD6XX both showed up just now!  

 

[nordkapp]

Early holiday gifts for me - my Elear and my Massdrop HD6XX both showed up just now!  

Congrats! Enjoy.

 

[donato]

   
That's really cool that you know Katie's music.   To be honest, the whole album is gorgeous.  And what you right is spot on "Personally I like O Holy Night better, especally because this one is live recording. Her voice is soo beautiful, and Elear really produce rich sound of her. Feel so analog, textured, warm, and flowing like sweet honey."
 
My Elear are just new, and not quite burn-in yet.  I did some burn-in over night (about 7 hours), and Elear were even more responsive.  Vocals are indeed well reproduced with the Elear, much better than the D5000/HE-500.  

 
 

  Thanks for sharing, I love her songs since years ago, and still amaze everytime see her singing.
 
Personally I like O Holy Night better, especally because this one is live recording. Her voice is soo beautiful, and Elear really produce rich sound of her. Feel so analog, textured, warm, and flowing like sweet honey.
 

 
First time I listened this song with Elear, I really did turning my head several times to check whether it's coming fro outside or fom my headphone.

I've never heard her before, but since I just received my Elears and am catching up this thread, I gave them both a listen.  Certainly great extraction of detail.  At about 2:05 on O Holy Night, there are some cars honking in the background and I thought it was at my house, so I had to reply that segment a couple times just to confirm (and then out the window on the video, you see some flashing lights go by).  I also then quickly tried replaying this with my Ether Flows, which definitely didn't sound as prominent.  not sure which is the most accurate (yeah, i'm being a nerd about background sounds in a recording).  
 
I do find the female vocals to be a bit hooded/less airy.  Is that the suckout everyone mentions?  This playing through my Woo WA22, so maybe tube choice too, but i also noticed when just casually watching some TV through the Elears with my Mojo with some male dialog.
 
Anyway, I've only owned these a couple hours...more listening!

 

[TWerk]

  Early holiday gifts for me - my Elear and my Massdrop HD6XX both showed up just now!  

 
I'm interested to hear your comparison between them and if they are on the same level.