[JaKo]

Nikkor 50mm/1.2

Nice. Thanks.

I should get my Nikon Df out again with 50mm/1.2 manual focus to shoot some pictures.

from

 

[JaKo]

You mean the Nikkor AI-s 50/1.2?

Love this lens. It's a legend! Got it brand new about 6 years ago and it's a keeper. Sharp as a tack at f/4+

WO, as intended

 

[kehorton]

@JaKo , would you mind sharing your thoughts on differences between the Elear and Nighthawks? I currently have Nighthawks driven with Bimby->Jot, and there's a lot I like about it (tonality works well for me compared to other phones I had like HE400i and HE500, and can finally listen for hours without fatigue), there's a lot that suggests Elear might be a great addition.

Thanks!

 

[makne]

How well do the Elears scale with higher quality amplification? I'm considering a Mjolinir, but keep reading stellar reviews about the Wells Audio Milo. I know, big price difference.

They're pretty easy to drive. What you want is quality, not necessarily power imo. A really good dac and a clean amp could be better than a just good dac and a beast of an amp. And of course it depends on what kind of sound you want, personally I don't prefer the Elear on a warm-sounding amp.

 

[makne]

@JaKo , would you mind sharing your thoughts on differences between the Elear and Nighthawks? I currently have Nighthawks driven with Bimby->Jot, and there's a lot I like about it (tonality works well for me compared to other phones I had like HE400i and HE500, and can finally listen for hours without fatigue), there's a lot that suggests Elear might be a great addition.

Thanks!

As you can see in my avatar, I used to own both. Recently sold my Nighthawks because it never got chosen over the Elear. Guess that answers your question, haha.
But in short Elear is less dark, cleaner, more airy, more resolving, and I actually find the treble less fatiguing on the Elear.

 

[oppman99]

They're pretty easy to drive. What you want is quality, not necessarily power imo. A really good dac and a clean amp could be better than a just good dac and a beast of an amp. And of course it depends on what kind of sound you want, personally I don't prefer the Elear on a warm-sounding amp.

My current DAC is a Wyred4Sound DAC2 being fed by a Sonore Signature Rendu. Not totl, but very good for the price point I play in. I'm looking for sound that is just on the warm side of neutral with good attack but without being harsh or bright in the vocals. I listen to mostly rock/classic rock. One of my concerns with the Milo is the high gain considering the high sensitivity of the Elear. I know attenuation is an option, or I could run the DAC at less than full output. Neither of these seems ideal. Definitely open to amp recommendations. The Mjolinir has been suggested already, but I haven't been able to get ears on it yet.

 

[makne]

My current DAC is a Wyred4Sound DAC2 being fed by a Sonore Signature Rendu. Not totl, but very good for the price point I play in. I'm looking for sound that is just on the warm side of neutral with good attack but without being harsh or bright in the vocals. I listen to mostly rock/classic rock. One of my concerns with the Milo is the high gain considering the high sensitivity of the Elear. I know attenuation is an option, or I could run the DAC at less than full output. Neither of these seems ideal. Definitely open to amp recommendations. The Mjolinir has been suggested already, but I haven't been able to get ears on it yet.

well the Elear on itself is slightly on the warm side imo, so if that's what you're going for I'd suggest getting a neutral, clean amp. Mjolnir with LISST is an option, but I'd also strongly consider the Jot. May be even better than the Mjolnir with LISST.

 

[honeyjjack]

Does hugo do the elears justice? Or would i have to invest in something grander for them?

 

[makne]

Does hugo do the elears justice? Or would i have to invest in something grander for them?

Hugo is the best I've ever heard the Elear on. It has enough power to drive the Elear on it's own. Getting a better dac than Hugo + a clean enough amp will be VERY expensive.
Of course if you want a particular sound signature, the story is different.

 

[mahrous]

Hi

I bought the Meze 99 Classics back in March to replace my B&W P5 1st gen and running them through Vali2/Modi2 and mostly listen to jazz, fusion, rock, prog rock, funk, soul/rnb and motown. I'm also a bassist and will always have my ears tuned to the drummer and bassist but not looking for silly overpowered bass.
Balance, clarity and warmth. And by warmth I mean I'm not into modern hi-fi sound signatures.

I searched the internet a lot and couldn't find direct comparisons between the Meze 99 Classics and Elear. Does anyone own both and willing to share their thoughts? I'm looking at the Elear for the open back sound experience ... that's what I'm looking at at the moment and of course a big step up from the rather impressive Meze. Will the Elear provide 3x the listening experience the Meze offers?

 

[makne]

Hi

I bought the Meze 99 Classics back in March to replace my B&W P5 1st gen and running them through Vali2/Modi2 and mostly listen to jazz, fusion, rock, prog rock, funk, soul/rnb and motown. I'm also a bassist and will always have my ears tuned to the drummer and bassist but not looking for silly overpowered bass.
Balance, clarity and warmth. And by warmth I mean I'm not into modern hi-fi sound signatures.

I searched the internet a lot and couldn't find direct comparisons between the Meze 99 Classics and Elear. Does anyone own both and willing to share their thoughts? I'm looking at the Elear for the open back sound experience ... that's what I'm looking at at the moment and of course a big step up from the rather impressive Meze. Will the Elear provide 3x the listening experience the Meze offers?

comparing closed to open isn't easy. But balance, clarity and warmth are all words I would use to describe the Elear. They're not very warm though but slightly on the warm side.
Saying that a headphone is X times better than another headphone is impossible to determine, and of course the law of diminishing returns plays a role here, but I'm sure it will be a big step up from the Meze's.

 

[JaKo]

@JaKo , would you mind sharing your thoughts on differences between the Elear and Nighthawks? I currently have Nighthawks driven with Bimby->Jot, and there's a lot I like about it (tonality works well for me compared to other phones I had like HE400i and HE500, and can finally listen for hours without fatigue), there's a lot that suggests Elear might be a great addition.

Thanks!

I my comparison between Nighthawks and Elear I did prefer Elear for their slight edge in clarity and punch. Mind you, Nighthawks are great and well designed headphones and if I were you I wouldn’t jump to replace them unless you already have a front end that sonically out resolves them. I will ask my friend to bring over his Nighthawks again and this time with his solid state amp. Will let you know in more detail how we find them with transistors and tube amplification.


As makne and few others mentioned in their posts Elear are on a warmer side, yet resolving and not lacking details. They are just not really in-your-face like other hp with elevated upper midrange. Also, I don’t find Elear missing anything with my tube amplification. Mind you my all front end is wired with silver interconnects, including tonearm internal wiring, phono cable and Kimber silver internal wiring of my 300B based tube (plus Mundorf silver coupling caps) and silver plated speakers and headphones cables. There are many solid state amps that sound veiled so IMO it’s more about design and execution. It’s given that you need to feed Elear and other higher end hp with well recorded music to hear what they can do. Try Charlie Haden’s ‘The Private Collection’ album (Nardis track in particular!) , Brad Mehldau Trio ‘Blues and Ballads’ or even ‘Linus and Lucy’ from Charlie Brown Christmas.


As for imaging and instruments separation humor yourself with decently recorded version of Benjamin Britten’s ‘Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra’ where each solo can easily show how well Elear can separate sections and instruments. Even better, play Gil Evan’s ‘Out of Cool’ and check learner notes for instruments placing during the recording. On my 45-rpm vinyl this album sounds sensational through Elear.

 

[mahrous]

comparing closed to open isn't easy. But balance, clarity and warmth are all words I would use to describe the Elear. They're not very warm though but slightly on the warm side.
Saying that a headphone is X times better than another headphone is impossible to determine, and of course the law of diminishing returns plays a role here, but I'm sure it will be a big step up from the Meze's.

Hi
The 3x remark was indeed a bit tongue in cheek. I was looking to have a direct comparison between the two headphones to measure how appealing the Elear is to me using the Meze as a baseline.

I read that you typically use tube amplification, do you have any idea how good the Modi2/Vali2 (stock tube) works with the Elear? I also assume that the Elear is not a big deal to drive with whatever amp, correct?
After the Elear I'd probably be looking at Mojo as the next upgrade. Thoughts on Mojo and Elear coupling?

 

[makne]

Hi
The 3x remark was indeed a bit tongue in cheek. I was looking to have a direct comparison between the two headphones to measure how appealing the Elear is to me using the Meze as a baseline.

I read that you typically use tube amplification, do you have any idea how good the Modi2/Vali2 (stock tube) works with the Elear? I also assume that the Elear is not a big deal to drive with whatever amp, correct?
After the Elear I'd probably be looking at Mojo as the next upgrade. Thoughts on Mojo and Elear coupling?

Now where did you get that from?
I usually prefer solid-state with most headphones, the Elear being one of them because I think they're warm enough on their own. Your Schiit-stack will have enough power, can't say anything about the synergi though.
I know a lot of people have had success pairing Elear and Mojo. AFAIK the Mojo and my Hugo has the same power output, so it should have plenty juice to drive the Elear. Synergi-wise I hear the Mojo is warmer than the Hugo which is not completely to my personal taste, but it may just be perfect for you.
You will have to get a more light-wheight cable with a 3.5mm plug though. I just ordered one from Forza Audioworks, will let you guys know when I recieve it.

 

[Mr H]

Noob questions,
I have the odac/o2 combo, power is good enough to drive the elear, hd650 (hell even to watch TV shows I can plug 2 headphones at the same time to watch with my wife, usually she likes the hd598 better for the size and weight). I'd like to upgrade the dac unit to get better clarity. Is the bifrost or for example the MOJO a clear step up from the odac?
Bifrost multibit + o2 would be a dumb combo?