[stacker45]

 
It's a crazy amount imho.
 
Much rather put it towards other stuff down the road. Amp, music, travel.

 
Good for you, and the entry level headphones often give you a much greater price/performance ratio anyway!

 

[frigginloony]

You people criticizing the Elear do realize for a $1000 it's pretty amazing right!?

 
 

 

You people criticizing the Elear do realize for a $1000 it's pretty amazing right!?

When I first got it I did not like it but now I do. For me it was not a criticizing but disappointment to know that it is not the perfect one that it was hyped to be (specially Tyll @inner fidelity). If you are willing to look away some issues and EQ then there are other headphone out there for similar or cheaper price. Elear is very good but like most of other headphones not perfect so cannot say "OK now I can live with this and sell everything else"

No headphone, or amp, or dac or cable is PERFECT.  Why is that?    Cause everyone's ears are different folks.  Everyone's musical preferences are different, and finally everyone's brain is different. We like what we like and we move on from what we dislike. Lets just imagine that Tyll was a food critic instead of a HiFi reviewer for just a moment K?  And today Tyll wrote a review that said he suddenly found that McDonald's newest burger that costs thousands of $ was a gastronomic delight and that all other food pales in comparison. Would you automatically step out to your local mickey D's and plunk down a couple of K's. Would you ask for a taste first?  Would you add a pickle or lettuce or special sauce? Personally, that burger would have to be damn outstanding for me to spring a couple of K's on and i would CERTAINLY have to do a cautious taste test FIRST.  Headphones are no different. To some they may be TOTL, they shine in every way possible to their taste. To others, they may need a little boost to be just right. Think not? Just look at those who mod headphones and the huge amount of money spent doing so.  Still others may just rip them off their head and toss them against the wall in disgust.
 
How many bad reviews have you seen about the Sen 800S, 800's 700's, how about Audeze  lcd 2, 3, and 4, the Beyer T series. How many times have the words like veiled, mushy, too bright, too loose, dull, flat and lifeless, boomy, bloated .... blah blah blah have you seen on other hp's?   Does this mean that all of those TOTL or near TOTL HP's are a waste of money? To some yes, but to a majority of those who do enjoy them, they are their sweet spot.
 
TO ME, the elear just sounds RIGHT. It appeals to my ear, my music and my build quality taste. It does what it needs to do to make ME happy. We share our views on the equipment we enjoy and dislike on these forums because in most cases we WANT to help others make informed decisions. There is no concrete answer as to if the Elear is right or wrong for anyone. But, if anyone has any inclination at all about giving them a try, then I would certainly think it would be worth the effort to do so. 

 

[CanadianMaestro]

   
Good for you, and the entry level headphones often give you a much greater price/performance ratio anyway!

 
 I still have my SR80i/60i, and there's satisfaction in those! 

 

[stacker45]

   
 I still have my SR80i/60i, and there's satisfaction in those! 

 
These days I do mosy es and I tend to of my listening with my new Focal Utopia

   
 
No headphone, or amp, or dac or cable is PERFECT.  Why is that?    Cause everyone's ears are different folks.  Everyone's musical preferences are different, and finally everyone's brain is different. We like what we like and we move on from what we dislike. Lets just imagine that Tyll was a food critic instead of a HiFi reviewer for just a moment K?  And today Tyll wrote a review that said he suddenly found that McDonald's newest burger that costs thousands of $ was a gastronomic delight and that all other food pales in comparison. Would you automatically step out to your local mickey D's and plunk down a couple of K's. Would you ask for a taste first?  Would you add a pickle or lettuce or special sauce? Personally, that burger would have to be damn outstanding for me to spring a couple of K's on and i would CERTAINLY have to do a cautious taste test FIRST.  Headphones are no different. To some they may be TOTL, they shine in every way possible to their taste. To others, they may need a little boost to be just right. Think not? Just look at those who mod headphones and the huge amount of money spent doing so.  Still others may just rip them off their head and toss them against the wall in disgust.
 
How many bad reviews have you seen about the Sen 800S, 800's 700's, how about Audeze  lcd 2, 3, and 4, the Beyer T series. How many times have the words like veiled, mushy, too bright, too loose, dull, flat and lifeless, boomy, bloated .... blah blah blah have you seen on other hp's?   Does this mean that all of those TOTL or near TOTL HP's are a waste of money? To some yes, but to a majority of those who do enjoy them, they are their sweet spot.
 
TO ME, the elear just sounds RIGHT. It appeals to my ear, my music and my build quality taste. It does what it needs to do to make ME happy. We share our views on the equipment we enjoy and dislike on these forums because in most cases we WANT to help others make informed decisions. There is no concrete answer as to if the Elear is right or wrong for anyone. But, if anyone has any inclination at all about giving them a try, then I would certainly think it would be worth the effort to do so. 

 
I agree, and let's not forget that we all have different upstream components.

   
 I still have my SR80i/60i, and there's satisfaction in those! 

 
Of course there's satisfaction in those too.
 
I don't know if it's because I've set the bar low because they're my least expensive headphones, but every time I put my SR80e on, they manage to surprise me by how good they sound.

 

[beyondthepale35]

The SR80s are what got me into audiophile land. Still love the way Grados do guitar. But theElears are just another level, especially since I got my mimby. They just sound like music should be heard.

 

[abvolt]

   
Nice looking amp.

 
Betcha the Polaris/Ember sounds just as smooth and musical. 

 
Funny..enjoy

 

[abvolt]

 
WOW.... You went all out on this one !! Would love to hear what it's like. I had the WA2 but it was not punchy enough and was too noisy for my taste. May I ask how much you spent on tubes for this setup?
If the WA22 had a preamp out, I would definitely consider it. While I'm pretty happyy with my Taurus MKII, I would like to switch to an tube or hybrid amp to get more smoothness. Unfortunately, there aren't many tube based headphone amp with a an XLR preamp (I'm using studio monitors for my regular rig, hence this particular need). 

 
Do you mean total $ spent on tubes ? Well probably 5x the cost of the amp or more, the current combo is like under 500, you should ask someone like say Badas that dude buys them by the case hehe..enjoy

 

[Rchandra]

So I contacted focal and they did say between 60 to a 100 hours burn is recommended at 50 percent volume the rep said the headphone can be left playing for days straight. So these drivers are not as delicate as it seems. The more I listen to them I am purely enjoying them I am going to be getting a z1r down the road but that is for a great closes set. The focal Elear just do so many things right. I love the customer service the headphones (both Elear an utopia) I am going to to continue the 100 hour burn in and see how they put up. But comparing it to other headphones in the $1400 and less category the Elear holds its own. The up front forward Ness gives the sound a clear and in your face sound quality that to me bests a ton of other headphones out there. Now now I do realize that everyones a difference I talked to my doctor about this actually we all have earwax and hair in our ear canals that could be gone and depending on many factors if you have semi bad hearing the Elears upfront sound could actually be a God send signature.

 

[dannybgoode]

I am going to be getting a z1r down the road...

Have you heard the Z1R? Reason I ask is because I tried them and really didn't like them.

I understand why people do but I found them way too dark and unemotional. Not a keeper for me.

 

[Rchandra]

Have you heard the Z1R? Reason I ask is because I tried them and really didn't like them.

I understand why people do but I found them way too dark and unemotional. Not a keeper for me.

Yes I have! I really enjoyed it not as much as my Elear but for a closed back headphone the bass response is what got me. If I can pump out edm without bothering anyone I'm a happy camper. I do also enjoy the lushness to it. Although I don't like the treble response a bit lacking to me the bass impact and upper mid range makes it a good headphone but not a $2000 hp it's more of a $1300 headphone. If I'm being honest.

 

[dannybgoode]

Yes I have! I really enjoyed it not as much as my Elear but for a closed back headphone the bass response is what got me. If I can pump out edm without bothering anyone I'm a happy camper. I do also enjoy the lushness to it. Although I don't like the treble response a bit lacking to me the bass impact and upper mid range makes it a good headphone but not a $2000 hp it's more of a $1300 headphone. If I'm being honest.

For closed back I'll stick with my Beyerdynamic T51P! Astonishingly capable for the money and all the can I need for closed back.

Plus because they're on ear don't give me ear ache like a full over ear closed does.

Back to the Elear though - had another listen to them yesterday and for the money they're as good as it gets I think.

 

[Rchandra]

For closed back I'll stick with my Beyerdynamic T51P! Astonishingly capable for the money and all the can I need for closed back.

Plus because they're on ear don't give me ear ache like a full over ear closed does.

Back to the Elear though - had another listen to them yesterday and for the money they're as good as it gets I think.

As far as the Elear goes I agree I think some people can't come to terms that a headphone costing less outperforms headphones costing more. But yes the Elear does have a few faults but man does it get so many things right.

 

[dannybgoode]

As far as the Elear goes I agree I think some people can't come to terms that a headphone costing less outperforms headphones costing more. But yes the Elear does have a few faults but man does it get so many things right.

Just don't try the Utopia and all will be well with Elear ownership for years to come

 

[Audio Addict]

Just don't try the Utopia and all will be well with Elear ownership for years to come

Agreed

 

[vinyl addict]

 


I am still wondering to spend that money for Balanced cable for Elear

 chop off the TRS plug and add on a 4-pin XLR plug by Neutrik.
Cheaper.

I posted a question regarding whether this was possible and the response was no.

I'm not the DIY type and don't understand why this is not possible.

I do want to try balanced mode but need to know if it's as simple as swapping it for 4-pin XLR...

Has anyone done this?