[Flyfisher 60]

"Tar like substance" might be no clean flux left from the soldering of the joint.

it felt rubber like and ran up the length of the wire. Seems to be what was holding it to the solder point. I didn't have to heat positive nor negative contacts to release the fine wire. I used a contact cleaner and it softened the substance and the wire just wiped free.

 

[dontfeedphils]

it felt rubber like and ran up the length of the wire. Seems to be what was holding it to the solder point. I didn't have to heat positive nor negative contacts to release the fine wire. I used a contact cleaner and it softened the substance and the wire just wiped free.

Oh weird, definitely not flux then.

 

[MarkF786]

Mine were purchased October 2017. Stored since 2018 and opened last week. Headphones are in pristine condition cosmetically.
If you look at the picture I posted which was prior to repair you'll so no wire tension or corrosion. I 'm not sure what the tar like substance Focal coats the solder points with does. I also noticed what appears to be a drop of translucent silicone right at the solder point.

The drop of silicone seemed fishy to me, since solder should be enough to hold the wire. It's like Focal discovered the defect and thought, "let's put some silicone on it to see if that'll prevent the wire from disconnecting".

Sorry for being so negative and jaded on this.

 

[Flyfisher 60]

The drop of silicone seemed fishy to me, since solder should be enough to hold the wire. It's like Focal discovered the defect and thought, "let's put some silicone on it to see if that'll prevent the wire from disconnecting".

Sorry for being so negative and jaded on this.

It does seem fishy. What's worse is the lack of follow up. I called two Focal USA numbers where one person referred me to the second number. No one answered and I left a message. No one has responded. I don't expect that from such a prestigious company. Focal is supposed to be one of the poster boys for 'High End'. What makes a company eligible for that category Price point, sound quality,Customer Service? I lean strongly on customer service....

 

[volly]

The drop of silicone seemed fishy to me, since solder should be enough to hold the wire. It's like Focal discovered the defect and thought, "let's put some silicone on it to see if that'll prevent the wire from disconnecting".

Sorry for being so negative and jaded on this.

You're not the only one feeling this. Hahaha....I have Hifiman, Sennheiser, Beyer and many other Headphones from many other companies....Never experienced a damn issue with any of my other headphones. Loved the Elear's, loved to death, one day....they just died! And it wasn't from misuse, or accidental damage....nothing like that! Just plugged them and lost the left channel....it's funny as I went online to see whether I was alone or was it a problem as I did remember members on here reporting RMA's and such. Even after my post a few pages back, others have since come forward between then and now and that just makes me just that little bit more annoyed. I got over the loss but I don't ever wish it upon other members here. We all here to enjoy a hobby together.

But I tell ya what....where's Focal rep over here and trying to help out....they're not, they're off promoting their next Halo-tier product. Once bitten, twice as shy!

 

[flaxton]

You're not the only one feeling this. Hahaha....I have Hifiman, Sennheiser, Beyer and many other Headphones from many other companies....Never experienced a damn issue with any of my other headphones. Loved the Elear's, loved to death, one day....they just died! And it wasn't from misuse, or accidental damage....nothing like that! Just plugged them and lost the left channel....it's funny as I went online to see whether I was alone or was it a problem as I did remember members on here reporting RMA's and such. Even after my post a few pages back, others have since come forward between then and now and that just makes me just that little bit more annoyed. I got over the loss but I don't ever wish it upon other members here. We all here to enjoy a hobby together.

But I tell ya what....where's Focal rep over here and trying to help out....they're not, they're off promoting their next Halo-tier product. Once bitten, twice as shy!

 

[flaxton]

I agree. After paying £450 for the Elear I was expecting top quality in the product and after sales service.

 

[MarkF786]

Has anyone had success buying new drivers? I seem to recall reading a while back that Focal was charging somewhere between $400-$500 for them.

 

[jasonb]

There needs to be a Focal representative here on headfi. I know Etymotic has a rep on here, and I’m sure there are other headphone makers with a rep on here as well.

Someone to try to answer questions and help get people the warranty or service help they need.

 

[Flyfisher 60]

Hey Guys,
Just as quickly as I complained about the lack of followup from Focal I need to share the outcome of my situation. As you know I was able to solder the thin wire in the left channel and thus restore the sound. So far they sound as before, Great.
I received a phone call today from Focal in Canada. The rep was attentive and explained that Focal was aware of the problem with the Elear. As a result they had extended the warranty from the standard two years to Five years. During the course of conversation I explained that set had been in storage the last four plus years and in addition I had opened and 'repaired' the channel. Of course just by me opening them I voided the warranty which was expired past the 5 years anyway. We did end on a good note where The rep gave me his contact info and offered his services in the event that I should have any further problems. No less than I would expect from a company such as Focal. As I said in a previous post, customer service is everything.

 

[MarkF786]

Has anyone been able to buy replacement drivers? Through my dealer, Focal quoted $325 for the drivers and $100 bench fee, so I asked my dealer to check if Focal will just sell me the drivers.

Considering new Elegia’s sell for $299, the price is overly inflated, but I might consider buying the parts. No way for $425 though, with the shipping charges & aggravation.

 

[kith86]

Has anyone been able to buy replacement drivers? Through my dealer, Focal quoted $325 for the drivers and $100 bench fee, so I asked my dealer to check if Focal will just sell me the drivers.

Considering new Elegia’s sell for $299, the price is overly inflated, but I might consider buying the parts. No way for $425 though, with the shipping charges & aggravation.

Same, $433 here including service fee, it's better to find pair used that works normally instead

 

[jasonb]

Same, $433 here including service fee, it's better to find pair used that works normally instead

Better to buy something else when they die. I won’t pay that kind of money to fix a headphone and I wouldn’t support a company that’s going to charge that much for a repair like this. It’s bad enough they want so much for replacement pads.

I love my Elear with Clear pads and hope they never die though.

 

[kith86]

Better to buy something else when they die. I won’t pay that kind of money to fix a headphone and I wouldn’t support a company that’s going to charge that much for a repair like this. It’s bad enough they want so much for replacement pads.

I love my Elear with Clear pads and hope they never die though.

Yeah, to be fair this also same case with other company, like example, sony (i've read some testimonies that they have been charge 80-85% of the msrp out of warranty product to fix it, even worse, they refused to fix the product for certain lineup for some reason, and maybe this also happened/applicable to the other headfi companies depends on their policy), it's unfortunate though, let's just not forget that the original retail price of elear is $1000, the pattern then it's about 30-40% of msrp, maybe it's their repair fixed rate based on that original retail price.

 

[MarkF786]

Focal agreed to sell the replacement driver pair for $325. I'm going to proceed with buying them. I'll let you know how it all works out.