I got the opportunity to hear these last weekend through a friend who just bought them. They sounded very similar to the Sennheiser HD650 that he also owns, actually couldn't really tell them apart. Ergonomically very annoying though, was really put off by how heavy they were, along with how thick & heavy the cable was. Pretty sure I'll never buy one myself for that alone.
It's funny, when you have been around the mid- high end headphone block a while the Elears don't feel heavy at all. Totally my opinion of course... I have them on right now and listening to Tidal Indie Excellence Vol 2 (good stuff btw) through the TA-ZH1ES. I feel they have good clamp that isn't over bearing, and I don't have a thought about the weight. I think the sound they produce out weighs the weight. yes, pun intended. Now the cable length and weight... Yeah, we share the same view on that. ha
What confuses me about the HD650 comparisons is that my HD650s (black grill, old style) are super laid back and not engaging, whereas I hear so many reports about how engaging the Elear is.
The Elear signature is a little laid-back because of the 4k dip. But it is extremely dynamic and has great punchy bass, which makes them engaging. So kinda depends on what you focus on, and your listening volume level. The new HD650 is more laid-back than the Elear, and the older one even more so.
Hello, I've been reading a lot of reviews and it looks like the Focal Elear is the right choice for me for my taste in metal music, edm, and overall little bit of everything. I need a good dac/amp combination and wondering if there's a consensus here on what pairs with the Elears the best? My budget can go up to $1000, possibly more if it's really worth it. Thanks
Hello, I've been reading a lot of reviews and it looks like the Focal Elear is the right choice for me for my taste in metal music, edm, and overall little bit of everything. I need a good dac/amp combination and wondering if there's a consensus here on what pairs with the Elears the best? My budget can go up to $1000, possibly more if it's really worth it. Thanks
I really like them with the Schiit Jotunheim, clean and powerful amp. Pair with a schiit multibit dac and you're good to go. I'd also see if you could get a deal on the Chord Hugo, amazing pairing imo. The Elear is pretty easy to drive so the Hugo handles them well.
Hello, I've been reading a lot of reviews and it looks like the Focal Elear is the right choice for me for my taste in metal music, edm, and overall little bit of everything. I need a good dac/amp combination and wondering if there's a consensus here on what pairs with the Elears the best? My budget can go up to $1000, possibly more if it's really worth it. Thanks
Elear is not picky interms of apm/dac. even oppo ha-2 can drive it easily (1/5 of max volume), don't like it paring with chord mojo which paring very well with my 64audio u12. i recently got a questyle cma600i pairing with elear with xlr connection. easy to drive (10-15% of max volume). i am low volume listener. sound is so clean.
I really enjoy my Elear, but the signature is a lot more relaxed than what I was led to believe. Lots of people refer to them as "punchy" (which has become quite a cliched adjective if you ask me), but they're just as smooth as my Hifiman Edition X V2, if not moreso.
Moreover, the "closed in" soundstage doesn't bother me nearly as much as I had anticipated, and I'm not sure if that's because it's not as narrow as it has been made out to be or if my ears auto-calibrated to its particular sound a lot quicker than usual.
Sadly, with the rest of my headphone lineup, these get very little head-time. And -- shameless sales plug -- if anyone wants them for $849 (shipped), I would probably be willing to part with them. PM me if interested.
I really enjoy my Elear, but the signature is a lot more relaxed than what I was led to believe. Lots of people refer to them as "punchy" (which has become quite a cliched adjective if you ask me), but they're just as smooth as my Hifiman Edition X V2, if not moreso.
Moreover, the "closed in" soundstage doesn't bother me nearly as much as I had anticipated, and I'm not sure if that's because it's not as narrow as it has been made out to be or if my ears auto-calibrated to its particular sound a lot quicker than usual.
Sadly, with the rest of my headphone lineup, these get very little head-time. And -- shameless sales plug -- if anyone wants them for $849 (shipped), I would probably be willing to part with them. PM me if interested.
I've stated before, and still think, that the "punchiness" of the Elear has little to do with the sound signature, which is fuller and more laid-back than the HEX. They're punchy in the way that they are extremely dynamic, definitely more so than the HEX. Soundstage-wise I would rather say they're normal more than narrow, but they don't have a very deep soundstage. The HEX definitely beats them there.
What dac/amp do you use to drive them? My only real tip is to eq the 4k-area up a few dB, if you're interested in giving them a second chance. And burn them in of course, if you haven't already. I feel like mine were quite veiled when I got them, but they brightened up a bit and got that snappiness after burn-in.
As far as EQ, yesterday I did a comparison of all 4 models I currently own and found that I had to alter the higher frequencies just a little too much to make the Elear aurally palatable. This was not the case with the others.
Then again, they are about 5.5 months old for me now, so the honeymoon period may have worn off. Oh, well.
As far as EQ, yesterday I did a comparison of all 4 models I currently own and found that I had to alter the higher frequencies just a little too much to make the Elear aurally palatable. This was not the case with the others.
Then again, they are about 5.5 months old for me now, so the honeymoon period may have worn off. Oh, well.
Hello, I've been reading a lot of reviews and it looks like the Focal Elear is the right choice for me for my taste in metal music, edm, and overall little bit of everything. I need a good dac/amp combination and wondering if there's a consensus here on what pairs with the Elears the best? My budget can go up to $1000, possibly more if it's really worth it. Thanks
Elear is easy to drive but if you want to experience the true potential of the Elear go with desktop DAC/AMP. My main music genre is metal music and Elear is really good with this genre. Again try the Elear with desktop setup. You can get loud with only DAP, but its not as good as when you pair it with desktop DAC/AMP, it will takes the Elear to a whole new level.
I really like them with the Schiit Jotunheim, clean and powerful amp. Pair with a schiit multibit dac and you're good to go. I'd also see if you could get a deal on the Chord Hugo, amazing pairing imo. The Elear is pretty easy to drive so the Hugo handles them well.
Very practical and cost-effective, but mimby or bimby is a solid upgrade. Jot+mimby seems to be the go-to option for price/performance. I own the mimby myself and am very impressed with it.
you could always buy a lighter cable, and get used to the wheight, but sounds like this just isn't the right headphone for you. Weird that you couldn't tell them apart from HD650 though
Maybe you would like something like HD800S or HEX better?
Well I'm not that familiar with comparing headphones, and only listened for a few minutes. Are both of those over $500? Afraid I don't have the cash to buy anything that expensive at the moment.
Well I'm not that familiar with comparing headphones, and only listened for a few minutes. Are both of those over $500? Afraid I don't have the cash to buy anything that expensive at the moment.
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