[zeloutre]

 
Thanks for the reply ,,
 
how about the sound stage and imaging ?
 
I have LCD-X  and TH-900 , but i like the TH900 more
is the Elear sound signature more toward the Audeze or the Fostex  ?

I'll do a real Elear / TH-900 A/B testing tonight and will post here the results, but as I said in my previous post the Elear, with its lush, laid-back signature, leans more towards the Audeze house sound than the Fostex one. But the Elear is more transparent than the Audeze, and more open up top, so it's the best of both worlds: rich, fun sound with a lot of detail.

 

[mikek200]

  I'll do a real Elear / TH-900 A/B testing tonight and will post here the results, but as I said in my previous post the Elear, with its lush, laid-back signature, leans more towards the Audeze house sound than the Fostex one. But the Elear is more transparent than the Audeze, and more open up top, so it's the best of both worlds: rich, fun sound with a lot of detail.

Regarding the cable,and putting the length issue aside,what is the general opinion about it's SQ,,& build quality??

 

[zeloutre]

  Regarding the cable,and putting the length issue aside,what is the general opinion about it's SQ,,& build quality??

SQ seems really fine, I haven't tried other cables tough (but it should be really easy since it's standard mini-jack). Build quality is like a tank: the cable feels really solid in the hand, does not curl and has absolutely no microphonics. For me the length is a godsend: I can listen to the Elear in my bed (3m from the desktop amp) or my terrace (3.5m)...amazing!
 
Globally I don't tend to go the aftermarket cable route, I just doesn't make any sense to me to drop hundreds of euros on a cable when the headphone manufacturer has obviously provided a cable that will reveal the qualities of the headphone (doing otherwise would be suicidal). You could gain a few % in some areas, but seriously the investment and the risk is just not worth it to me.

 

[musicman59]

  What type of cable overall do you think would work best with the Elear? That is, a pure copper, hybrid copper/silver, or all-silver? Leaning toward copper / hybrid.

I used OCC Silver with great results.

 

[GU1DO]

  I'll do a real Elear / TH-900 A/B testing tonight and will post here the results, but as I said in my previous post the Elear, with its lush, laid-back signature, leans more towards the Audeze house sound than the Fostex one. But the Elear is more transparent than the Audeze, and more open up top, so it's the best of both worlds: rich, fun sound with a lot of detail.

Cant wait for your results ,, really thank you for your time and effort,
this will be the first comprehensive comparison with TH-900 .

 

[zeloutre]

  Cant wait for your results ,, really thank you for your time and effort,
this will be the first comprehensive comparison with TH-900 .

OK, so I just spent some time with the TH900 and the Elear, both plugged on my WA7tp with upgraded tubes (I found that they both sound better on this amp).
 
I mainly listen to EDM, a genre where both headphones are supposed to excel, but for good measure I also played some rock, jazz and blues.
 
The TH-900 has all of its usual qualities: a vast soundstage, amazing transparency in the mids, great separation, incredible bass. But its defects become apparent when I switch to the Elear: the sound is suddenly much less dry, the highs less piercing, the listening becomes instantly easier, more relaxed, but without losing any of its detail. The TH-900 is a lively headphone but after switching to the Elear its aggressiveness becomes apparent. The Focal has a notably darker sound, but for me in a good way: mids are fuller, instruments sound more natural. The music just seems more composed and mature. I miss the pure energy of the bass of the TH-900, but it's traded for a more englobing bass, that makes the Fostex's one seem more like a lateral punch. However the rumble of the TH-900's bass is still untouchable.
 
It's easier to follow individual instruments with the Elear, the sound is so dynamic its makes some of them (piano, guitar) seem palpable. On the Fostex it's more analytical, still very detailed but less musical. The Elear really has a kind of analogue sound that makes it very natural and pleasing to the ear.
 
All in all, switching back and forth I started to get the impression that the Elear sounds like a grown, mature man that keeps composure in every situation, when the TH-900 seems more like a technically adept but shouty kid. But with a mean punch!

 

[GU1DO]

  OK, so I just spent some time with the TH900 and the Elear, both plugged on my WA7tp with upgraded tubes (I found that they both sound better on this amp).
 
I mainly listen to EDM, a genre where both headphones are supposed to excel, but for good measure I also played some rock, jazz and blues.
 
The TH-900 has all of its usual qualities: a vast soundstage, amazing transparency in the mids, great separation, incredible bass. But its defects become apparent when I switch to the Elear: the sound is suddenly much less dry, the highs less piercing, the listening becomes instantly easier, more relaxed, but without losing any of its detail. The TH-900 is a lively headphone but after switching to the Elear its aggressiveness becomes apparent. The Focal has a notably darker sound, but for me in a good way: mids are fuller, instruments sound more natural. The music just seems more composed and mature. I miss the pure energy of the bass of the TH-900, but it's traded for a more englobing bass, that makes the Fostex's one seem more like a lateral punch. However the rumble of the TH-900's bass is still untouchable.
 
It's easier to follow individual instruments with the Elear, the sound is so dynamic its makes some of them (piano, guitar) seem palpable. On the Fostex it's more analytical, still very detailed but less musical. The Elear really has a kind of analogue sound that makes it very natural and pleasing to the ear.
 
All in all, switching back and forth I started to get the impression that the Elear sounds like a grown, mature man that keeps composure in every situation, when the TH-900 seems more like a technically adept but shouty kid. But with a mean punch!

 
From what i see from your comment ,, i seriously think i might give it a shot ,,
I like worm sound , this what got me in the first place with the audeze house  ,,
 
but after some time , i was missing the excitement and the openness and freshness of sound
so i bought the th900 which i enjoy very much but as you said it get  dry and piercing highs with some tracks ..
 
now  i think the Elear would be the answer for me
 
Thanks for this mini review ,, it clearfied a lot of points .

 

[BrutalLegend]

Anyone compared the Audeze El-8 open to the Focal Elear?

 

[sreenisatish]

How does the soundstage and imaging compare? 

 

[sreenisatish]

  OK, so I just spent some time with the TH900 and the Elear, both plugged on my WA7tp with upgraded tubes (I found that they both sound better on this amp).
 
I mainly listen to EDM, a genre where both headphones are supposed to excel, but for good measure I also played some rock, jazz and blues.
 
The TH-900 has all of its usual qualities: a vast soundstage, amazing transparency in the mids, great separation, incredible bass. But its defects become apparent when I switch to the Elear: the sound is suddenly much less dry, the highs less piercing, the listening becomes instantly easier, more relaxed, but without losing any of its detail. The TH-900 is a lively headphone but after switching to the Elear its aggressiveness becomes apparent. The Focal has a notably darker sound, but for me in a good way: mids are fuller, instruments sound more natural. The music just seems more composed and mature. I miss the pure energy of the bass of the TH-900, but it's traded for a more englobing bass, that makes the Fostex's one seem more like a lateral punch. However the rumble of the TH-900's bass is still untouchable.
 
It's easier to follow individual instruments with the Elear, the sound is so dynamic its makes some of them (piano, guitar) seem palpable. On the Fostex it's more analytical, still very detailed but less musical. The Elear really has a kind of analogue sound that makes it very natural and pleasing to the ear.
 
All in all, switching back and forth I started to get the impression that the Elear sounds like a grown, mature man that keeps composure in every situation, when the TH-900 seems more like a technically adept but shouty kid. But with a mean punch!

How does the soundstage and imaging compare between the two? 

 

[Niaron]

  How does the soundstage and imaging compare? 

Elear is quite fun to play around with. The sound stage is very close to your head, aka not so much. Yet, it scales with your amp and genre to open the space up behind the vocal, if any. In another word, I would say the mid is forward, but the sound stage is actually not as bad as some may think.

 

[heliosphann]

Elear is quite fun to play around with. The sound stage is very close to your head, aka not so much. Yet, it scales with your amp and genre to open the space up behind the vocal, if any. In another word, I would say the mid is forward, but the sound stage is actually not as bad as some may think.

I agree. I've found the Elears soundstage hard to describe at times. Sometimes it feels very intimate and other times quite open. I think that if it's anything, it's very natural sounding.

 

[James-uk]

I've just got the Elears in and my first impressions are very positive. Nothing I will Say is new I suspect but I suppose the more impressions help others in deciding if they want these.
I currently have HD800S, HD600, HD650 and IE800s.
My initial thoughts are that the Elears do nothing of note that beats any of the above in one area. For example the ie800s stand out because of their sub bass, the 800S is soundstage and treble, Hd600 is all about the midrange and the 650 is an all rounder but a little warm and a bit boring.
The Elears are basically doing nothing wrong and are effortless. I can see why some have called them a super HD650, they just let the music flow without shouting about it or showing off, I can see why this would be boring to some but for me it's what I want.
The HD650 does this but it just doesn't seem to hit the spot where as these are exciting enough to Satisfy.
The Bass weight is pretty much spot on for me, and probably my favourite bass out of the above headphones, bass texture and detail is also on a par with the HD800S imo, the same can't be said for the HD6**s. The upper midrange could do with a bit more energy to match my favourites in this department, the HD600s, although occasionally I do find them a bit forward so maybe this Is a good thing.
The treble is the one area where I think a bit more would be welcome to add a little sparkle and contrast to the music. I've not done any direct comparisons yet but I would say the treble is very similar to the HD650s treble, after I get used to the Elears and get a bit more time I will do some A/Bing.
So far I would describe the Elear as a jack of all trades but a master of none.
I am interested to see how they will sound with the Utopia pads.

 

[zeloutre]

I agree with the above comments. The Elear really is a very versatile headphone, sure you can find some cans that do better in this or that area, but in terms of overall performance and ability to play everything with a natural and effortless touch, the Elear is unbeaten for me by any sub-2000 dollar (yes, 2000) headphone (or at least all that I have heard). 

 

[zeloutre]

  How does the soundstage and imaging compare between the two? 

Soundstage is definitely bigger on the TH-900, but seems more artificial, cavernous-like. Imaging is great but everything seems to come from the sides.
 
Elear sounds much more open and immerses you more in the music. Due to the added dynamism to the music, imaging is more pronounced that on the TH-900. Individual sounds and instruments are easier to follow without having to focus on them.