The Elear is listed at 80 ohms impedance, which is pretty low, all things considered (HD600 and HD650 are 300 ohms). They also have a high sensitivity, so they're pretty easy to drive. High gain would only likely be useful if you have a low output source, like a phone.
Sounds like Elear+Clear Pads+Clear Cable is the way to go.^^^BUMP^^^
Not much going on here…
Having Elear for nearly half a year I was curious about how they compare to the new Clear. Today I had a chance to listen to both pairs with familiar tracks (mostly 24/96-192 and DSF64) on unfamiliar front end (Cayin iDAC-6 /iHA-6 combo)
Both pairs were used with Clear unbalanced cable; I was just swapping the HPs without changes to volume level. In short, Clear sound a bit different from Elear and most noticeable difference I found was upper bass and lower midrange. Clear sounded more…clear, but also it felt flatter and less inspiring than Elear. The dominating punch and bass ‘oompf’ of Elear most likely affects midrange clarity. Highs were more less the same, but again, my demo session wasn’t long enough to come with a solid conclusion. For all tube based front end and amplification I would suggest Clear, especially if vinyl is your source.
However, I was more curious about the real differences between the two HPs; drivers and ear pads. Thanks to my accommodating dealer I was able to swap ear pads and listen the same tracks again.
A while back I posted published measurements of Elear and Clear and the way I read it, Clear didn’t look any better, in fact I Elear had flatter response. I am not exactly sure if the measurements were taken with or without ear pads, but to my ears Elear with Clear grey pads sounded more even than with Elear original pads. The bass and punch were still there, even tighter, but I felt overall clarity was restored, and it was more noticeable with female vocals.
Clear’s ear pads appear deeper and more firm than Elear’s. Elear pads felt like old pillows by comparison, pushing caps against my ear, where the grey pads gave more space between ears and drivers.
Although it was not a well controlled comparison, I preferred the sound of Elear due to its authority and dynamics. Extra clarity added by Clear pads made it easy for me; Elear are here to stay and a set of new pads and Clear cables will be ordered once available in few months.
Great comments. Thanks for posting. I was wondering the exact same thing about Clear earpads on the Elear. You answered all of my questions. Looks like I’ll be saving for some Clear earpads in the future. Though I must say, aesthetically speaking, I’m not loving the look of the light grey Clear earpads on the black Elears.^^^BUMP^^^
Not much going on here…
Having Elear for nearly half a year I was curious about how they compare to the new Clear. Today I had a chance to listen to both pairs with familiar tracks (mostly 24/96-192 and DSF64) on unfamiliar front end (Cayin iDAC-6 /iHA-6 combo)
Both pairs were used with Clear unbalanced cable; I was just swapping the HPs without changes to volume level. In short, Clear sound a bit different from Elear and most noticeable difference I found was upper bass and lower midrange. Clear sounded more…clear, but also it felt flatter and less inspiring than Elear. The dominating punch and bass ‘oompf’ of Elear most likely affects midrange clarity. Highs were more less the same, but again, my demo session wasn’t long enough to come with a solid conclusion. For all tube based front end and amplification I would suggest Clear, especially if vinyl is your source.
However, I was more curious about the real differences between the two HPs; drivers and ear pads. Thanks to my accommodating dealer I was able to swap ear pads and listen the same tracks again.
A while back I posted published measurements of Elear and Clear and the way I read it, Clear didn’t look any better, in fact I Elear had flatter response. I am not exactly sure if the measurements were taken with or without ear pads, but to my ears Elear with Clear grey pads sounded more even than with Elear original pads. The bass and punch were still there, even tighter, but I felt overall clarity was restored, and it was more noticeable with female vocals.
Clear’s ear pads appear deeper and more firm than Elear’s. Elear pads felt like old pillows by comparison, pushing caps against my ear, where the grey pads gave more space between ears and drivers.
Although it was not a well controlled comparison, I preferred the sound of Elear due to its authority and dynamics. Extra clarity added by Clear pads made it easy for me; Elear are here to stay and a set of new pads and Clear cables will be ordered once available in few months.
^^^BUMP^^^
Not much going on here…
Having Elear for nearly half a year I was curious about how they compare to the new Clear. Today I had a chance to listen to both pairs with familiar tracks (mostly 24/96-192 and DSF64) on unfamiliar front end (Cayin iDAC-6 /iHA-6 combo)
Both pairs were used with Clear unbalanced cable; I was just swapping the HPs without changes to volume level. In short, Clear sound a bit different from Elear and most noticeable difference I found was upper bass and lower midrange. Clear sounded more…clear, but also it felt flatter and less inspiring than Elear. The dominating punch and bass ‘oompf’ of Elear most likely affects midrange clarity. Highs were more less the same, but again, my demo session wasn’t long enough to come with a solid conclusion. For all tube based front end and amplification I would suggest Clear, especially if vinyl is your source.
However, I was more curious about the real differences between the two HPs; drivers and ear pads. Thanks to my accommodating dealer I was able to swap ear pads and listen the same tracks again.
A while back I posted published measurements of Elear and Clear and the way I read it, Clear didn’t look any better, in fact I Elear had flatter response. I am not exactly sure if the measurements were taken with or without ear pads, but to my ears Elear with Clear grey pads sounded more even than with Elear original pads. The bass and punch were still there, even tighter, but I felt overall clarity was restored, and it was more noticeable with female vocals.
Clear’s ear pads appear deeper and more firm than Elear’s. Elear pads felt like old pillows by comparison, pushing caps against my ear, where the grey pads gave more space between ears and drivers.
Although it was not a well controlled comparison, I preferred the sound of Elear due to its authority and dynamics. Extra clarity added by Clear pads made it easy for me; Elear are here to stay and a set of new pads and Clear cables will be ordered once available in few months.
![IMG_20220330_134246213[1].jpg](https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/11732807.jpg)
