[abirdie4me]

I was looking up replacement pads for the Elear and the only place I saw that had them was Moon Audio and they were a shocking $150 for just 2 pads. I don't need any at the moment but eventually I will so I was wondering what are some good alternative pads to use?

I don’t have an answer for you, but I’m interested as well. I’d like to know of a different option for the Elear.

By the way...BOOMER!

 

[Gridlinked]

How is the wheight and flexibility of the cable?
If you could post some pictures I'd be very grateful.

The cable is Canare L-4E5C so it's very flexible and lightweight. It looks and feels very similar to the feel of the stock cable when it splits into the L/R sides terminated in the 3.5mm connectors (but lighter weight and maybe 1 gauge thinner).

Here's a few photos that hopefully give you some idea how they compare.

 

[BubbaJay]

BOOMER SOONER all the way, can't wait to see what Lincoln Riley can do with the team next year.

When I saw $150 for a set of new pads I about fell out of my chair, I've never seen pads cost that much.

 

[Zombie_X]

I haven't posted in a long while but I also got the Elear this past Sunday. It sounds pretty damned good to my ears. I wouldn't say they are like the HD650, the Amiron Home are more of a HD650 upgrade. What I love is how impactful the bass is on the Elear. It has tons of body but never sounds muddy. The slight midrange recession isn't all that bad, heck I've had the DT990 for a while and they have and even bigger dip in the midrange than the Elear. Treble is great buy is a tad off, mostly likely the lower treble recession. Not a deal breaker though.

I bought these as a companion for the HD800 and T1. The HD800 is for neutrality, the T1 for mainly rock/metal, and the Elear for when I want more bass. Although the Elear might overtake the T1 as my metal headphones. Most metal has aggressive upper mids and the laid back mids on the Elear kinda go well with it.

 

[BubbaJay]

I have the HD700 for when I'm in the mood for a more open sound along with the treble, though they don't sound as harsh to me as they do most others it seems and I hate sibilant highs. I'd say it's rare that I use the HD700 much anymore because my Elear is my go to headphone for sure, I also still like my Nighthawk a lot.

 

[makne]

The cable is Canare L-4E5C so it's very flexible and lightweight. It looks and feels very similar to the feel of the stock cable when it splits into the L/R sides terminated in the 3.5mm connectors (but lighter weight and maybe 1 gauge thinner).

Here's a few photos that hopefully give you some idea how they compare.

Thanks! Lightweight and flexible is all I want. Looks like the perfect cable for someone who just wants functionality and decent build (like me). Will order one when I get around to buying a Jot. Any problems with microphonics?

 

[TSAVJason]

I was looking up replacement pads for the Elear and the only place I saw that had them was Moon Audio and they were a shocking $150 for just 2 pads. I don't need any at the moment but eventually I will so I was wondering what are some good alternative pads to use?

All focal Utopia/Elear/Listen dealers can sell you the Focal replacement pads none of this group of dealers have an exclusive on the Focal pads.

I haven't seen an aftermarket replacement pad that works even near correct yet.

 

[makne]

I was looking up replacement pads for the Elear and the only place I saw that had them was Moon Audio and they were a shocking $150 for just 2 pads. I don't need any at the moment but eventually I will so I was wondering what are some good alternative pads to use?

I've just tried the HM5 velours, doesn't sound good imo. I didn't remove the thin fabric on the HM5 that covers the driver though. Given that the Elear pads don't have that fabric cover, that may change the sound, I don't know.

 

[kman1211]

I haven't posted in a long while but I also got the Elear this past Sunday. It sounds pretty damned good to my ears. I wouldn't say they are like the HD650, the Amiron Home are more of a HD650 upgrade. What I love is how impactful the bass is on the Elear. It has tons of body but never sounds muddy. The slight midrange recession isn't all that bad, heck I've had the DT990 for a while and they have and even bigger dip in the midrange than the Elear. Treble is great buy is a tad off, mostly likely the lower treble recession. Not a deal breaker though.

I bought these as a companion for the HD800 and T1. The HD800 is for neutrality, the T1 for mainly rock/metal, and the Elear for when I want more bass. Although the Elear might overtake the T1 as my metal headphones. Most metal has aggressive upper mids and the laid back mids on the Elear kinda go well with it.

The Elear is a nice headphone, spent a good amount of time with it, plan on getting one myself as I really like it. I agree the Amiron is definitely a HD 650 upgrade due to the Amirons soft and smooth character despite the Amiron having notably more treble extension than the HD 650. The Elear sounds nothing like the HD 650 to my ears. The bass on the Elear on the right system is very impressive, really took me aback the force it could create plus the sound is super clean. Didn't bother my ears one bit, they do seem to like certain listening levels the most. The treble does dip a bit in the lower ranges and I found the upper treble to have some sparkle on the Elear, I found it's imaging quite unique. While the Elear is very dynamic, the dynamics are strongest in the bass, I do have to say the new DT 1990 is overall more dynamic, while the Elear does outdo in the bass dynamics, the DT 1990 is no slouch in the bass, the DT 1990(don't assume these sound all that similar to it's sister headphone the Amiron, they are much more dynamic and robust sounding than the soft sounding Amiron) has notably stronger dynamics in the midrange and treble than the Elear in my direct comparison of the two at listening levels. The Elear did get very intense dynamic wise at higher than listening level volumes.

 

[makne]

I don't really get the Elear / HD650-comparison either. I guess it's because of the full midrange and the bass emphasis, and that they both have a laid-back sound signature. But the HD650 sounds laid-back because they're dark, the Elear have far more airy, detailed and sparkly treble, but still sounds a little laid-back because of the 4k dip. Bass is much better on the Elear in every way, but I've still heard headphones with cleaner/faster and more extended bass. Imaging and soundstage-wise I think the HD650 and Elear are pretty similar, especially soundstage depth is not great on the Elear compared to other headphones in the same league. High-end Hifimans are better in that regard, but they lose the fullness and intimacy that the Elear provides. Also, they don't come close to the dynamics that the Elear is known for.

The Elear isn't perfect, but it's my favorite headphone because it just does everything so well, it sounds so natural to me. I don't focus on the headphones' signature, I can get totally immersed in the music. No other headphones have given me that feeling, even with price tags exceeding the Elear, with two exceptions: EQ'd isine 20, very similar to the Elear, the Elear is just better at almost everything. The other one is the Hifiman Susvara, which sounded very different from the Elear, but still natural with the right amp (could get too bright for my preferences with a colder amp). The Susvara is 6k$ though.
I'm not saying that i think the Elear is better quality-wise than all other headphones on the market (obviously, they aren't). But their sound signature and strengths are the best match for me, out of all the headphones I've heard.

 

[BubbaJay]

All focal Utopia/Elear/Listen dealers can sell you the Focal replacement pads none of this group of dealers have an exclusive on the Focal pads.

I haven't seen an aftermarket replacement pad that works even near correct yet.

Are they $150 also? I can't believe a set of pads can cost that much.

 

[SRKRAM]

the cable that you´ve posted has in the mini jack two pin. the cable of my elear has only one. seems t me that the minijack of elear is equal to hifiman he-1000 and different compared to beyer cable

I'm using the Beyerdynamic cable with my Elears. The cable works fine, but it doesn't make the Elears sound better than my T1.2s

 

[alota]

I'm using the Beyerdynamic cable with my Elears. The cable works fine, but it doesn't make the Elears sound better than my T1.2s

Lol. I had two T1 first edition. I don't know the second.

 

[BubbaJay]

I bought a cheap cable from Amazon that was for Denon headphones and it works well. If I take my Elear's with me somewhere I use that cable because it's only 4.5 feet which is much easier to manage and the SQ is almost as good as with the stock cable. For $25 I wasn't expecting much but it works fine for what I need it for.

I've thought about getting a cable I found on Ebay that are between $150 and $175, here's the link http://stores.ebay.com/LQi-Cables/Focal-Elear-Cables-/_i.html?_fsub=50818168013
If anyone uses or has used any of them please let me know how they sound and if there's any difference in SQ compared to the stock cable.

 

[Gridlinked]

Thanks! Lightweight and flexible is all I want. Looks like the perfect cable for someone who just wants functionality and decent build (like me). Will order one when I get around to buying a Jot. Any problems with microphonics?

No microphonics whatsoever.