[soundkist]

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!

Awesome to hear that! After also unnecessarily getting the Elears, I then proceeded to completely lose my mind, and now have a 2Qute and Jot on the way--absolutely cannot wait to hear everything together!

 

[Beagle]

The left channel of my Elear is gone

 

[soundkist]

The left channel of my Elear is gone

Definitely not cable and/or source/amp issue?

 

[Beagle]

Definitely not cable and/or source/amp issue?

Cable works on other headphones and amps are fine as well.

 

[cskippy]

I know Focal is really good about customer service so you should be fine. Shouldn't happen on a $1000 headphone, or any really, but you should be in good hands.

I had a chance to listen to both the Elear and Utopia very briefly. I can see why people call the Elear a super HD650. It does have a lower treble suckout, but I think part of that issue is the excess bass. A little modding could go a long way.

Utopia is pretty amazing. Nothing stood out, which is good, IMO, as if things are exciting at first, there usually is a coloration. Great clarity and slam for a dynamic, probably the best I've heard. I'll need to compared directly to my modded HE-6 sometime. I'll see about a in home trial.

 

[amham]

Can someone direct me to a comparison of the Elear/Utopia with the Senn 800S?

 

[x RELIC x]

Can someone direct me to a comparison of the Elear/Utopia with the Senn 800S?

http://www.innerfidelity.com/conten...al-elear-headphone-page-2#EKdysl0gh0rL6klW.97

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/worlds-best-headphone-focal-utopia-page-2#bgzZ43ImVW0TLJOl.97

 

[Beagle]

I know Focal is really good about customer service so you should be fine. Shouldn't happen on a $1000 headphone, or any really, but you should be in good hands.

I had a chance to listen to both the Elear and Utopia very briefly. I can see why people call the Elear a super HD650. It does have a lower treble suckout, but I think part of that issue is the excess bass. A little modding could go a long way.

I did get a pair of the Utopia pads to try on the Elear. Definitely less bass presence. Only drawback is that now the mid and top seem to float separately.

 

[cskippy]

Hmmm interesting. I'll see about swapping pads and doing some measurements.

 

[Topspin70]

http://www.innerfidelity.com/conten...al-elear-headphone-page-2#EKdysl0gh0rL6klW.97

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/worlds-best-headphone-focal-utopia-page-2#bgzZ43ImVW0TLJOl.97

Wow, Tyll much prefers the Elear over the HD800S but he does sound like he isn't much of a fan of the latter. But still, I can understand why the Elear is preferred for those reasons he mentioned.

 

[Uncle00Jesse]

So I was able to directly compare the elear to the utopia today at the dealer. I personally only have LCD-3 classics which I've had for over 4 years. The focals were both driven by a hifiman ef100 so not the greatest amplification in the world but gave me a good sense of what to expect.

I found the elear much more enjoyable and fun to listen to. They were so punchy and dynamic and really felt alive. I listen to a lot of live recordings and the elears really dont disappoint. I could tell the utopias were the better headphone overall, they had beautiful detail retrieval and a slightly wider stage, but in direct comparison to the elear, they just sound so polite. The bass was significantly less than the elear and I just didn't get that toe tapping groove with them at all. I'm just trying to mull over if the elears are different or exceed the lcd-3 in some way in order to justify throwing down a cool grand on them. But I really couldn't vouch for a 3k premium on the utopia. Oh and I almost forgot, I found the elears to be more comfortable. They clamp down far better than the utopia on my head and really have a good seal. The utopia felt kind of loose. YMMV on a more top class chain.

 

[Skyyyeman]

There are others who feel the same way - that the Elear is more enjoyable than the Utopia because the Elear is more dynamic and has more bass. I know I do and also feel that the Elear has "more meat on the bone" which, with the dynamism and bass, provides a stronger presentation, especially with contemporary music. Yet, the Elear still has outstanding detail and clarity, though a smidgeon less than the Utopia which is also more balanced.

The April, 2017 issue of Stereophile (the Recommended Components issue) had similar comments, as excerpted below for the Utopia and Elear:

Utopia review- "Utopia is capable of producing a gut level realism that is rare in high end audio" and "are lightning fast, extremely open and profoundly uncolored"

Elear review - "...both Focal models (Utopia and Elear) have delicate and beautifully rendered trebles... and sort out complex music better than any of their competitors." The original reviewer heard from the Elears (v. the Utopia) "a slightly thicker sound in the lower mid range and upper bass-- qualities that didn't always work against the less expensive phones (the Elear)." ..."the humbler driver dome (on the Elear) adds an extra enjoyable measure of tonal color that's absent from the more pure and empty-sounding Utopias."

 

[Topspin70]

Does the Elear sound ok (or even better) with high power amps? At 80ohms it's not hard to drive so I wonder if my iCAN SE which is quite powerful would be suitable.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

I'm guessing you own that? If so hear it for your self first. Then decide. But I am suspecting it will be fine. I have heard it with more powerful amps and there is a difference (like all cans) but to what extent I can't say off the top of my head

 

[Topspin70]

I'm guessing you own that? If so hear it for your self first. Then decide. But I am suspecting it will be fine. I have heard it with more powerful amps and there is a difference (like all cans) but to what extent I can't say off the top of my head

Yes I own the iCAN SE. It's great for high impedance cans but not sure if it suits the Elear. Gonna pull the trigger on the Elear any moment but would have to factor in additional funds if a lower power amp is a better match.