[TSAVJason]

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

Close and you’re right but it doesn’t use the Clear pads, it uses a pad that looks similar but not the same

 

[Jo28]

Hey, so, is there any feedback 'bout the combo fostex hp-a8c and the focal elear?

 

[crayons23]

tried out the elear for a week but ended up returning them. i was hoping for a similar sound
and experience to my hd 800 S but alas.. the elear has better bass but still not as much as i wanted. couple that with the diminished soundstage, not as good mid range and treble fatigue issues. the search goes on.. i essentially want a hd 800 S with double the bass.

 

[nicknack40]

What about Fostex or Denon H-7200? There suppose to be bass cannons i was looking at the denons but the wooden cups put me off i love wooden speakers but not cans

 

[PopZeus]

There’s no way the Elear is more treble fatiguing than the HD800. If you’re suffering fatigue from the Elear, it’s from the super dynamic nature of that custom driver that is slamming a bunch of air into your ears. Voicing-wise, the Elear is kinda warm with the boosted bass. There’s a peak at 5.75k, but all the Focal headphones share that trait. Personally that dynamic punch is what I love about this line of headphones but I admit it’s a lot of handle so I’ll keep the a couple notches volume lower. I think it’s alsowhy I’ve kept the E-mu Teaks close by. Ok, so they aren’t as revealing as the Elear, but they have a much smoother driver and it’s still incredibly listenable.

Anyways, I just dropped by the thread to remark how awesome the Clash London Calling sounds thru the Elear. Fantastic!

 

[makne]

There’s no way the Elear is more treble fatiguing than the HD800. If you’re suffering fatigue from the Elear, it’s from the super dynamic nature of that custom driver that is slamming a bunch of air into your ears. Voicing-wise, the Elear is kinda warm with the boosted bass. There’s a peak at 5.75k, but all the Focal headphones share that trait. Personally that dynamic punch is what I love about this line of headphones but I admit it’s a lot of handle so I’ll keep the a couple notches volume lower. I think it’s alsowhy I’ve kept the E-mu Teaks close by. Ok, so they aren’t as revealing as the Elear, but they have a much smoother driver and it’s still incredibly listenable.

Anyways, I just dropped by the thread to remark how awesome the Clash London Calling sounds thru the Elear. Fantastic!

Elear’s also got a small zing at 10k which some people get annoyed at. Maybe he’s really sensitive in that area, and not so much around 6k where the hd800 peaks.
Personally I’m the other way around, and the hd800 kills my ears

 

[gardibolt]

My Elear has something rattling around loose in the right earcup when you move it., like a tiny screw or maybe a piece of plastic. Any chance there might be a DIY fix for that, or should I just contact Focal's service people? Doesn't affect the sound, but I can't imagine having something rattling around in there is good for the driver.

 

[PopZeus]

Elear’s also got a small zing at 10k which some people get annoyed at. Maybe he’s really sensitive in that area, and not so much around 6k where the hd800 peaks.
Personally I’m the other way around, and the hd800 kills my ears

Yeah, I've read that on Tyll's Elear review. The frequency graph on the MD page states that the ~10k bump is actually 12 db below that 5.75k peak, which to me defines the mid-to-treble transition more as rolled-off. The Elex's 11k bump is actually only 5 db lower than the 5.75k peak. The HD 800 drop-off from 6k to 10k is only ~3 db. Add to that the HD 800's universally described lean bass response and you have a much brighter headphone any way one slices it, anecdotally from users 1st-hand experience or via scientifically measured graphs. Then add to that the unique hyper-dynamic nature of the Elear driver and it becomes harder to pin the blame on the voicing at 10k. But maybe I'm wrong, I'm just extremely sensitive to unnaturally extended treble and find the only tiring thing about the Elear to be when I turn up the volume too many notches, forgetting how much slam there is across the entire FR.

 

[makne]

Yeah, I've read that on Tyll's Elear review. The frequency graph on the MD page states that the ~10k bump is actually 12 db below that 5.75k peak, which to me defines the mid-to-treble transition more as rolled-off. The Elex's 11k bump is actually only 5 db lower than the 5.75k peak. The HD 800 drop-off from 6k to 10k is only ~3 db. Add to that the HD 800's universally described lean bass response and you have a much brighter headphone any way one slices it, anecdotally from users 1st-hand experience or via scientifically measured graphs. Then add to that the unique hyper-dynamic nature of the Elear driver and it becomes harder to pin the blame on the voicing at 10k. But maybe I'm wrong, I'm just extremely sensitive to unnaturally extended treble and find the only tiring thing about the Elear to be when I turn up the volume too many notches, forgetting how much slam there is across the entire FR.

yeah I agree, was just trying to find an explanation to his perceived treble fatigue
To me, it seems more likely that the in-your-face presentation and incredible dynamics are to blame. And perhaps the 4k «void» makes him turn the volume louder, which of course will fatigue more

 

[crayons23]

There’s no way the Elear is more treble fatiguing than the HD800. If you’re suffering fatigue from the Elear, it’s from the super dynamic nature of that custom driver that is slamming a bunch of air into your ears. Voicing-wise, the Elear is kinda warm with the boosted bass. There’s a peak at 5.75k, but all the Focal headphones share that trait. Personally that dynamic punch is what I love about this line of headphones but I admit it’s a lot of handle so I’ll keep the a couple notches volume lower. I think it’s alsowhy I’ve kept the E-mu Teaks close by. Ok, so they aren’t as revealing as the Elear, but they have a much smoother driver and it’s still incredibly listenable.

Anyways, I just dropped by the thread to remark how awesome the Clash London Calling sounds thru the Elear. Fantastic!

i have the hd 800S and the elear was more treble fatiguing and less dynamic which is why i returned them. yes they had a little bit more bass which is what i am looking for, but it was too much loss of separation and not enough bass to make up for the difference. the sound stage was also much less. in short i felt like it was a step up from say the hd 650 but a big step down from the hd 800 S.

 

[crayons23]

Yeah, I've read that on Tyll's Elear review. The frequency graph on the MD page states that the ~10k bump is actually 12 db below that 5.75k peak, which to me defines the mid-to-treble transition more as rolled-off. The Elex's 11k bump is actually only 5 db lower than the 5.75k peak. The HD 800 drop-off from 6k to 10k is only ~3 db. Add to that the HD 800's universally described lean bass response and you have a much brighter headphone any way one slices it, anecdotally from users 1st-hand experience or via scientifically measured graphs. Then add to that the unique hyper-dynamic nature of the Elear driver and it becomes harder to pin the blame on the voicing at 10k. But maybe I'm wrong, I'm just extremely sensitive to unnaturally extended treble and find the only tiring thing about the Elear to be when I turn up the volume too many notches, forgetting how much slam there is across the entire FR.

while i concede that the hd 800 S is very bass lean (which is my main fault of the headphones), i would not say that the elear is especially dynamic. not in the same boat as the 800 S in that regard. i did experience treble fatigue with the elear that i never got with the 800 S. I was basically looking for the sound stage of the 800 S with double the bass response and did not find that with the elear. my personal search goes on.

 

[Glasha]

Can't you increase the bass with a good equalization?

 

[crayons23]

Can't you increase the bass with a good equalization?

not to the point i want the bass increased too at least on the 800 S. With the elear, the bass was better at least i perceived it to be better at first but over time it was less impressive. on the flip side i missed the soundstage of the 800 S when i listened to the elear which made me not want to use the elear as much. i am now looking
at mr speakers to see if i can find anything there with better bass response without sacrificing sound stage and tonal balance.

 

[dontfeedphils]

while i concede that the hd 800 S is very bass lean (which is my main fault of the headphones), i would not say that the elear is especially dynamic. not in the same boat as the 800 S in that regard. i did experience treble fatigue with the elear that i never got with the 800 S. I was basically looking for the sound stage of the 800 S with double the bass response and did not find that with the elear. my personal search goes on.

We must have heard two completely different headphones then. The main word I use when describing any of the three main Focal cans is "dynamic". They move a good amount of air and they do it fast. One of the main reasons I find myself stuck with the Utopia; no other brand seems to deliver the same physical punch that Focal does.

 

[crayons23]

We must have heard two completely different headphones then. The main word I use when describing any of the three main Focal cans is "dynamic". They move a good amount of air and they do it fast. One of the main reasons I find myself stuck with the Utopia; no other brand seems to deliver the same physical punch that Focal does.

the elear is no where near as dynamic as the 800 S. it's not even in the same conversation. i wanted it to be trust me, but it was not at least to my ears. glad it is for you! Now the utopia is a whole other ball of wax but that is not what i was talking about, i was talking about the elear.