[abvolt]

Z1r is not worth the $1200 over the elear if it was priced at $1500 then i would take it the sound quality is only slightly more better on the z1r the elear takes it with its better treble response

 
Agreed soo true..

 

[Vonsbaek]

i don't hear music at loud volume but last month when i read about this issue i did try to find distortion at loud volume for bass heavy music but i didn't hear any.
i didn't go to insane level of loudness.

I don't have any clicks, pops or anything. Even when driven past 90db which is way above comfort level.

 

[Dvdlucena]

Good morning !
I'm looking to get a new headphone , and Elear is the main option.
The problem is: I do not have any store to try them before buying.
For now, I have seen multiple impressions, but no consensus about
Elear.
Some head fiers even think that Elears have a bizarre and unneutral instruments
Sound.

Coming from sennheiser Hd800 and a Shure 846, do you think Elear would blow
Me away with any particular sound signature?

Another options for me: audeze LCDx ou even sennheiser Hd800S

Thank you for your help.

 

[Vonsbaek]

Good morning !
I'm looking to get a new headphone , and Elear is the main option.
The problem is: I do not have any store to try them before buying.
For now, I have seen multiple impressions, but no consensus about
Elear.
Some head fiers even think that Elears have a bizarre and unneutral instruments
Sound.

Coming from sennheiser Hd800 and a Shure 846, do you think Elear would blow
Me away with any particular sound signature?

Another options for me: audeze LCDx ou even sennheiser Hd800S

Thank you for your help.

I haven't heard the HD800s but I currently own the Elear and LCD-X.

I really do like the Audezes with their super balanced and natural sound. Good throughout the spectrum if a little rolled off in the top to my ears. So everything is good... except that to me they sound a bit boring.

The Elear may come of as a bit more unbalanced especially in the top, if you start a/b'ing them, but they are the far more engaging headphone of the two. The headphone with the best timbre, precision and resolution. The Elear comes across as more transparent and realistic sounding to me - even if less balanced.

Sound stage is about the same in size but the Elear have better placement and separation. The LCD-X is quite flat in this regard, which to me gives it that, not so super exciting sound.

I would go for the Focals.

 

[Kalavere]

I'm off to Highend Headphones in the UK next Tuesday to audition the Elear, HD 800S and a few others. I'm confident my Bifrost Multibit will play nice with the Elear, but I'm not so sure about the Lyr 2, does anyone have any experience with tube amps and the Elear?

 

[gonzfi]

I'm off to Highend Headphones in the UK next Tuesday to audition the Elear, HD 800S and a few others. I'm confident my Bifrost Multibit will play nice with the Elear, but I'm not so sure about the Lyr 2, does anyone have any experience with tube amps and the Elear?

Child in toyshop

 

[Dvdlucena]

I'm off to Highend Headphones in the UK next Tuesday to audition the Elear, HD 800S and a few others. I'm confident my Bifrost Multibit will play nice with the Elear, but I'm not so sure about the Lyr 2, does anyone have any experience with tube amps and the

I read that many
People liked their elear with tube amps.
Mjolnir and lyr are good amps for them!
Someone really enjoyed Elear with a Luxman
Rig.

Can you put some side by side comparisons
Between Hd800S and Elear when you get them
In UK?

 

[Kalavere]

Child in toyshop

 
Tell me about it, I went in 24 months ago thinking I'd spend £250 max on a pair of headphones and came out £650 lighter and owning the HE-560's. It's a dangerous place!

 

[Kalavere]

Can you put some side by side comparisons
Between Hd800S and Elear when you get them
In UK?

 
Sure can, watch this space. I'll post in a week and let you know what I make of them, side by side. 

 

[Dvdlucena]

Sure can, watch this space. I'll post in a week and let you know what I make of them, side by side. 

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I own LCD-3 and Elear and feel the Audeze cans outclass the Elears in almost all categories except comfort.

Don't get me wrong, I feel there's a place for the Elears in my headphone stable. Unfortunately, they are not the better of the two headphones IMO.

Yup, I guess almost everyone in this forum would think same like you as well.
 
That's why I called it as surprise right?

 
Playing with high end stuff really can show which driver scale better than the others (read: how far it scale up). For now, what I believe is high end dynamic driver could scale better than high end planar driver. As I stated before too, I did ended prefer the LCD4, but most people there voted for Elear. (That one in photo is my Elear actually).
 
Could be they just got surprised how black background and impressive depth performance shown by Elear driven by those big boxes and making it more impressive than LCD4? Could be. Or maybe most of them just simply don't like planar presentation? Could be too. (Each of them at there have their own high end headphones, but some only have DD, and some only have Planar, and the few rest just simply having every high end headphones)

 

[maibuN]

I don't know the LCD4 but from my memory the Elear can't even outclass the LCD-X or old LCD2 non Fazor.

 

[MartynB85]

   
Tell me about it, I went in 24 months ago thinking I'd spend £250 max on a pair of headphones and came out £650 lighter and owning the HE-560's. It's a dangerous place!

 
I did something similar at a place local to me, I went in to try some Oppo PM-3's and other in that price range. I came home with the Elears 

 
I must visit Highend Headphones at some point, I could spend all day in there!

 

[edhou1]

  I don't know the LCD4 but from my memory the Elear can't even outclass the LCD-X or old LCD2 non Fazor.

I just recently bought a demo Elear w/warranty at $799 last week - here are my initial impressions (Linn Unidisk SC univ player -> Deckard) relative to the Audezes is that its like an Audeze LCD 2/3/X had a stepchild with the Denon D7000s.  Its still breaking in so YMMV:
Out of the LCD-series, I do appreciate the LCD-X's neutrality and clarity, but do lean ever so slightly to the LCD-3F warm signature and bass "bloom" if you will.    The LCD-X are easy to drive so given the same price point I would probably choose them out of the Audezes if I had to only stick with one.  But it's close - for pure sonics it would be the LCD-3Fs.
 
 
The Elears in my initial impression with the above setup has the following pros and cons to the LCD-X:
 
a) pros: good comfort- can wear for hours with no fatigue.  I wasn't able to do more than 2 hours at a time with any of the LCDs
good immediacy and impact (slam, if you will) - not only bass but vocals and most of the midrange.    Always felt like I was 2 rows back of any performance, so if you prefer more laid back "rear orchestra" presentation it may feel too artificial?  I think this quality along with overall bass slam is what I remember liking most about the Denon D7000s.  
Treble was never shrill, bright, or sibilant
overall "musicality" that works well on all types of music -   seemed to work almost universally well with whatever rock, blues, jazz, classical, opera that I threw at it.   Can't say to R&B, hip hop, house, etc.  Even though I technically noticed the cons listed below, it never seemed to hamper the musical message of each track.
 
b) cons: smaller soundstage width and depth - more of a small but compact image which doesn't lend itself to a lot of aeriness.   When I contrast the presentation to my Sonus Faber Veneres at home running off the same source , you definitely notice the missing dimensionality of the imaging/staging.  As said above however, once the track gets going, the overall musicality of the phone still shines through
ultimate detail retreival ->maybe only 85-90%compared to TOTL headphones way over this price range?
Also did notice the slight muddiness that may hamper clarity in the lower treble - but depending on the amp and music it didn't really get in the way of me enjoying the music
 
Obviously am still processing the new phones but I am just enjoying these headphones for  whatever reason more than the LCDs.  This may be the stereotypical " dead neutral/ruthlessly revealing" vs "musical" debate -  A bit darker tonally than the LCDs perhaps? but it played all my SACDs/CDs/24bit tracks with great musicality; usually on the LCDs there would be whole discs that sounded sterile and  I never got the musical 'message' on...hmmm
 
 
I'll give it another week or two and post an update. But overall, at $800-1000, it is definitely worth of being in the conversation and value-wise I don't think there's any dispute re: value for $ unless you just hate the sonic signature.
-Ed

 

[Kalavere]

I did something similar at a place local to me, I went in to try some Oppo PM-3's and other in that price range. I came home with the Elears :atsmile:

I must visit Highend Headphones at some point, I could spend all day in there!

You really should check out out. Paul is really nice bloke, his wife, Wendy, runs the headphone side of things, I've spent an entire afternoon there on several occasions. I even took my entire Schiit stack with me on my final visit to make sure my HE-560's were perfect for me. They are both really accomodating.

Just make sure you book first!