Folks, need some amping advice here. Apologies in advance for not being patient enough to read through the 5000+ messages on the thread, will probably read through in due course.
So I'm using the Mojo (hooked to my Fiio X3 1st gen) as my main source for the Elear, and would like to know your thoughts & opinions on any amps (portable or otherwise) that would 'better' the sound. I'd ideally like the budget to be around 300$, but if something's worth the extra 100 dollars or so, I'm willing to wait a while and look into it.
I don't know anything better than the Mojo for the Elear at this price range. If you had demanding, difficult to drive headphones, then a iFi product with more power such as the iFi iDSD micro would be an improvement. But in the case of the Elear you don't need this power and the tiny Mojo make them already sound wonderful. Just keep ad enjoy your Mojo being satisfied with it
My 2 cents. Different strokes for different folks. I keep seeing the HD 800 or 800S listed as a Holy Grail for many. Unfortunately 300 Ohm sets really will not work for me, I'm pretty sure. If you see my post earlier in the thread about which sources I listen to the most, you'd see why. I got my Elear on the deal offered last year and they're my best all around set, especially for the price I paid. If I did spend $1700, I'd still be looking for a lower impedance set. *cough*Clear Pro looks really nice
I also get plenty of detail through my limited equipment although my Grado still wins on soundstage IMO. For imaging(I'm not a good audiophile so my definition may be off), I listen to a lot of electronic, R&B and the like. So much of that is studio or electronically produced that I don't know if I'm missing out on much imaging. If I listened to classical more, or live jazz and live produced music, this might matter more to me. I did listen to a live band online and I was satisfied. I hear the instruments up close. I'm happy with my purchase and don't regret it at all.
I use the Elears and HD800S with either my Little Dot MKVI+ or my Massdrop X Cavalli Liquid Carbon X. From what I read online, most don't like the Elears with a tube amp, and I do tend to agree. My HD800S works well with both, but a solid state amp may be better with the Elears.
Just my 2 cents. And of course, what type and quality of music makes a big difference.
@TSAVJason sure, no problem. Amps I have on hand are Magni 3, Vali 2 and a modded Amps & Sound Kenzie. The Kenzie has a set of outboard input transformers Justin made for me and I am using my preferred tubes over stock: 1944 Tung Sol 1626 matched power tubes and a 1963 Telefunken "Black Diamond" ECC801S input tube. The Kenzie has holographic imaging and remarkable inner detail and clarity with these tubes. Still has the Amps & Sound house sound but kicked up a few notches.
The HD800S scales well when going from Magni 3 > Vali 2 > Kenzie. As I move from least expensive to most expensive amp SQ improves as expected. The HD800S are known to be very resolving phones with one of the best soundstage.
I'm not hearing as great a change using the Elears. My Kenzie was made with 32 Ohm and 300 Ohm taps and the Senns clearly sound best on 300 ohm jack and Elears on the 32 Ohm headphone jack. While the Elears do sound somewhat better on the Kenzie vs the Vali 2 the soundstage does not improve, nor does imaging or inner detail. This is what I hear with my ears and setup YMMV. Hope this helps.
As a sponsor I can’t comment on some of your gear since I don’t sell it. I can say that I wasn’t tremendously impressed with some of that gear on quite a few headphones but that’s just my personal findings
Thinking about a future purchase of these.. interested in opinions comparing them to LCD-X And maybe LCD-2C.. is LCD-X a more neutral signature and thus better suited for studio work (music production/mixing)? How does the sub bass extension and quality compare? Soundstage?
To me from my research thus far it seems like the Elear would be a more enjoyable (and comfortable) listening enjoyment headphone, but the LCD-X more suited for pro use, and with the 2C somewhere in between (a lower price point and clarity/detail and quality than elear) . Wish I could try them might have to find a local store that has them..
The other headphone that really has me intrigued is the zmf atticus but it sounds like thats a more relaxed headphone and its closed. Beautiful though, If I prefer the wood to the elear's clinical metal grill look and big logo...
Are you looking for headphones for studio work?
I am not a pro, but in my experience my LCD-X and LCD-XC have quite recessed treble and sound dark -- which is great when I have a headache -- and in comparison the Elear feel much more generally balanced and therefore more neutral to me.
The Elear have much more detail and imaging, are much faster and more dynamic than the LCD-X and XC . The LCD-X and XC do punch hard, but strangely slowly compared to the Focal. The Focals are much more fun for metal and hardrock. But the LCD are better for listening in a more relaxed manner and thus would be suitable for very long sessions, but unfortunately this doesn't work because after one or two hours the LCDs become painful (not comfortable).
Another point often overlooked is that with all three Focal the noise floor is not heard, so one can enjoy the music at very low volumes.
The LCDs on the contrary have much more noise floor, especially a bad SNR at very low volume, requiring to turn up the volume to get a cleaner sound with many amps (e.g. iFi iDSD micro, iCAN Pro). This varies though depending on the amp (e.g. is less an issue with RME's DAC-amps).
I do think the Elear may be a bit amp picky. I have to say that I wasn't that impressed with the Elear using Fiio amps, not a whole lot of difference except volume. But with the DFB, wow! A lot richer sounding. Besides the Mojo, I wonder which other budget portable amps I can use effectively. I can't use tube amps and the like because I think they are a waste of power on my apartment space gear, LOL.
I don't know anything better than the Mojo for the Elear at this price range. If you had demanding, difficult to drive headphones, then a iFi product with more power such as the iFi iDSD micro would be an improvement. But in the case of the Elear you don't need this power and the tiny Mojo make them already sound wonderful. Just keep ad enjoy your Mojo being satisfied with it
Thanks for this reply, you've made my choice quite easy (I asked the question because I didn't want to waste $100-200 on just a transport that would otherwise buy me a sonic upgrade). I've now decided to go for a cheap transport/ DAP that I can hook up to the Mojo, and somehow use my phone's streaming apps (I don't like using my smartphone stacked with the Mojo as my main rig). I'm looking at something like the Hidizs AP60-II; looks like just what I want.
I tried both angled and flat Brainwavz HM5 PU pads. They're both more comfortable than stock. The angled were less comfortable, softened the sound, and sounded more like a closed can. The flat delivered even more attack than the original. The original seemed to slot in between. With limited time on each, I feel somewhat satisfied with the OEM pads so far. It would be great to try Clear pads, but not for $200, if they're offered at all.
I like that these are easy to drive. I use an Asgard 2 in low gain mode and get plenty of volume by 11:30 or so, with "redzone" around 1:00. They work right out of an iPhone. All due respect for an HD-6XX and scaling ability, but it gets inverted to make a big amplification investment for a $200 headphone, whereas the HD-800/S demands it, at a much higher price. And it's still not perfect.
I also don't mind the pronounced attack and lack of soundstage, such as it is. I've got studio monitors for more ambient listening. The attack does command a more intense listening experience. You don't forget they're there and get lost in the music—you face the music.
Hey, I have a focal elear and a meze 99 classics and I'm looking for an head amp and a dac (either separated or assembled). My budget is about 400 euros / 500 dollars. I can buy a 2nd hand one it doesnt matter.
I made lots of researchs and here is what I found :
-the combo schiit modi multibit + vali 2 seems very good -the audio gd r2r 11 too
What do you think about those, and do you have ano other idea? Thanks.
Hey, I have a focal elear and a meze 99 classics and I'm looking for an head amp and a dac (either separated or assembled). My budget is about 400 euros / 500 dollars. I can buy a 2nd hand one it doesnt matter.
I made lots of researchs and here is what I found :
-the combo schiit modi multibit + vali 2 seems very good -the audio gd r2r 11 too
What do you think about those, and do you have ano other idea? Thanks.
Anyone interested in the new Dekoni pads? They're up on Massdrop now. The Dekoni options resemble the OEM Elear and Utopia pads, plus the hybrid and non-fenestrated lambskin options. I like the idea of the fenestrated options but that's been available in the Utopia pad, which doesn't seem to unequivocally improve Elear. I haven't heard any consensus on a superior pad. I suspect that Clear pads might be the endgame for an Elear. There's value in trying different pads but my investment in my used Elear is racking up to an Elex.
Anyone interested in the new Dekoni pads? They're up on Massdrop now. The Dekoni options resemble the OEM Elear and Utopia pads, plus the hybrid and non-fenestrated lambskin options. I like the idea of the fenestrated options but that's been available in the Utopia pad, which doesn't seem to unequivocally improve Elear. I haven't heard any consensus on a superior pad. I suspect that Clear pads might be the endgame for an Elear. There's value in trying different pads but my investment in my used Elear is racking up to an Elex.
it's my understanding that the Elex is the Elear with Clear pads, as you said in your last sentence. I tried that combo (I own both sets of headphones) and was thoroughly unimpressed, it loses out on everything that makes the Elear great
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