[AuditoryCanvas]

I don't understand all the hate for the Elears... I think they sound wonderful and are the best I've heard.

Edit: And I do not EQ a lick and still enjoy them immensely.

I find them very honest and revealing compared to a number of other cans. This makes them very chain/source dependent to my ears. Straight from an iphone they sound terrible, similarly via some amps/DACs, whereas with some amps/DACs they really seem to shine.

I do find them mid forward, with a relaxed treble, so I do use Sonarworks reference 4 to even them out, but once evened out, with the right amp/dac combo, I think they're one of the most dynamic and revealing headphones I've heard in the $2k and below market space.

That's just my experience. Everyone's chain and ears are different.

They're still one of my favorite cans.

 

[Glasha]

I find them very honest and revealing compared to a number of other cans. This makes them very chain/source dependent to my ears. Straight from an iphone they sound terrible, similarly via some amps/DACs, whereas with some amps/DACs they really seem to shine.

I do find them mid forward, with a relaxed treble, so I do use Sonarworks reference 4 to even them out, but once evened out, with the right amp/dac combo, I think they're on of the most dynamic and revealing headphones I've heard in the $2k and below market space.

That's just my experience. Everyone's chain and ears are different.

They're still one of my favorite cans.

What combination are you using?

 

[AuditoryCanvas]

Macbook pro 2017 (using Sonarworks Reference 4 plugin) > Wireworld Starlight 7 USB cable > Schiit Yggdrasil (Gen 5) > Gotham (starquad) XLR cables > Schiit Mjolnir 2 (various tubes) > Custom Silver Balanced headphone cable > Elear

Also sounds surprisingly good with an Aune T1se amp/DAC (with Telefunken ECC88 tube) that I use at work.

Other equipment I've tried them with, and they don't sound so good with are the headphone outs on a Tascam DM4800 Mixing board, or an Apogee Ensemble, or Apogee Duet, or Objective 2. Some of these were a surprise, but just a bad pairing.

edit: I've found silver or silver plated cables make a difference by opening up the treble. The Gotham XLR interconnects were only $30 for the pair of 0.5 foot (silver plated contacts), and made quite a difference. Silver (pure or plated copper) sounds brighter than just copper. Hence why I also got a silver plated USB cable and a silver hp cable.

I understand that different metals have a different sound, but quality of materials aside, I have always been wary of spending too much on cables, but with the USB cable and headphone cables, I just decided to try, and then return them if I didn't notice any worthy improvement. After hearing a marked improvement with a silver plated off the shelf headphone cable, I returned it, and had a custom silver one made. So for anyone sceptical, just try it. Return it if you don't notice a worthwhile difference.

Balanced vs. SE also sounds much better for the Elear to my ears, as it opens up the soundstage, which can be quite intimate on the Elear, and also noticeably increased the dynamics.

 

[MadMike]

They are breathtaking at times with the True-Fi app, running through Teac UD301 and Nu Force HA200. Blow away HE 400i on same setup.

I find them very honest and revealing compared to a number of other cans. This makes them very chain/source dependent to my ears. Straight from an iphone they sound terrible, similarly via some amps/DACs, whereas with some amps/DACs they really seem to shine.

I do find them mid forward, with a relaxed treble, so I do use Sonarworks reference 4 to even them out, but once evened out, with the right amp/dac combo, I think they're one of the most dynamic and revealing headphones I've heard in the $2k and below market space.

That's just my experience. Everyone's chain and ears are different.

They're still one of my favorite cans.

 

[koover]

What combination are you using?

I know you were not asking me but I thought I'd throw in my 2 pennies.
Like AC, we both run with Schiit gear. I run with a LYR2 and Mimby the majority of the time (sometimes with the Jot) and I believe they sound excellent. It's not the same quality of gear as AC has but it's still the Schiit sound signature. The LYR2 and Jot both are probably on the brighter side with the Mimby being a bit warm so it balances my system out. If you roll tubes, just find something that's on the brighter side with good mids (like a Tung Sol) if you think the treble is lacking (I don't at all) or something more mellow if it's too bright for you like a Mullard or WE. The only thing I'll nitpick about is at times I hear a metallic sound in the treble. Other then that, the Schiit I'm running with and the tube of my choice that suites my preference, I think these sound great. FWIW.

 

[makne]

I've been listening to a pair of Elears for the past few weeks powered by a Dragonfly Black while I research and save up to get a larger desktop amp. I like the dynamics and detail of the Elears, but sometimes get fatigued from how forward they are when listening for several hours. Has anyone had any experience pairing the Elears with amps that mellow out the sound a bit? Tubes? Any thoughts/recommendations would be appreciated.

If it's truly their dynamics that are fatiguing you, I'm afraid there is little one can do about it... In fact, most amps I've tried the Elear on draws even more dynamic impact out of them than the DFB does.
The Elear does lack energy in the uppermid/low treble region, which could make you turn up the volume more and fatigue you. Might be a good idea to try and eq them and see if that's the case. A 4k boost is a good place to start, or try a free trial of sonarworks reference 4 or true-fi. Sonarworks calibration on the elear sounds AMAZING imo, I use reference 4 with them (with some slight customization).

The best thing that you can do is get or buy another headphone. The Elear is an overrated very forward honking sounding headphone that is very annoying.

You need to EQ the heck out of them. They lack bass like nobodies business. I would exchange them for a better headphone altogether since they sound horrendous.

Wow, what a nuanced response...
Yeah, they benefit from eq, so does pretty much any headphone (the Elear maybe more than a lot others though). They do respond very well to eq though, and have some amazing qualities imo once the tonality is sorted a little.
If you find that the Elear lacks bass, you're either seriously misdriving them or are used to a VERY elevated bass response. The Elear does in fact have an elevated bass response that does indeed roll off in the subbass, but goes very low for a dynamic driver. With eq (I discovered this when trying sonarworks calibration with the Elear) it can actually output pretty insane subbass for a DD too, the driver is capable of way deeper bass than the stock tuning would suggest.

I can't disagree with you more, huberd!! With the latest 1.07 Dragonfly update, the Elear is even more dynamic(and better IMO). An excellent pairing. IMO the Dragonfly is surprisingly better than my Fiio amps. I have the DFB and will now probably get the DFR next.

That said, I understand what tbollier means if he did the 1.07 update. I have to turn the volume down now with the new update, because if too loud when playing music(voice is OK) the Elear can get fatiguing. Unfortunately I can't truly recommend any amps though. I'm limited in funds so I can't get the "good" ones. The Fiio ones are OK but didn't bring out what the DFB does. I wonder if Chord Mojo would work for you tbollier, everyone seems to rave about that one.

Lack bass?? WHAT?! I guess if you like booming head banging bass then yes. I like bass too but also need balanced bass. Too much boom is just a fatiguing as too much treble IMO.

I tried the Elear with DFR and DFB side by side, and actually preferred the DFB! The Red sounded a little too "round", almost muddy, and weaker dynamically than the Black. The red did show better refinement and layering, but the slightly edgier and "wilder" sounding Black pushed details a little more forward and was preferrable overall for me.
Haven't tried with the Mojo... People say it's a warmer-sounding dac/amp, so maybe not a great pairing? Mojo is pretty powerful so doubt it would be any LESS dynamic
BTW my daily driver is Elear from Chord Hugo, THAT is an amazing pairing. Hugo is just so transparent, and more than powerful enough to drive the Elear. Hugo's great PRaT and Elear's dynamics is a great combo.

I’m not a fan of the sound signature of them, but the dynamics, details, and separation are too good for me to get rid of them, so I opened up the top end and smoothed the mids a little with a silver balanced cable. I also run them on a tube amp that let me find tubes that compliment them and balance them out.

Sonarworks reference 4 also helps balance them out.

Sonarworks definitely removes most issues with the Elear. Except for the soundstage which is on the shallow side, seems like you just can't get those dynamics and a deep soundstage in one package. According to reviews, Clear and Utopia are the same way....

 

[DivaFonda]

I can't afford Hugo unfortunately. If I had better equipment, I'm sure it's preferable. I mainly use mobiles and laptops for music though. But I'm impressed with the DFB for what little it costs. It confirmed the Elear is my top headphone until I can afford the Clear.

Anyone ever use the Ultrasone Naos?

 

[makne]

I can't afford Hugo unfortunately. If I had better equipment, I'm sure it's preferable. I mainly use mobiles and laptops for music though. But I'm impressed with the DFB for what little it costs. It confirmed the Elear is my top headphone until I can afford the Clear.

Anyone ever use the Ultrasone Naos?

Yeah by all means, I liked the black so much I bought it!
Or, well, it was stolen in shipping (received a torn-up package and a «sorry»-card from the mail company) so yeah...

I’m interested in the Clear aswell. Although since most reviews say it’s just the tonality that’s changed from the Elear, I’m not holding my breath. I suspect that my Elear with sonarworks will sound just as good... Won’t know 100% until I try the Clear though.
Have you tried sonarworks? Very, very impressive imo (with some customization to personal taste).

 

[makne]

I've been listening to a pair of Elears for the past few weeks powered by a Dragonfly Black while I research and save up to get a larger desktop amp. I like the dynamics and detail of the Elears, but sometimes get fatigued from how forward they are when listening for several hours. Has anyone had any experience pairing the Elears with amps that mellow out the sound a bit? Tubes? Any thoughts/recommendations would be appreciated.

Oh, and a pad swap might be something to try out if you have something laying around. The pads I've tried on mine (ZMF oval lambskin with some tissue/toilet paper damping, and HM5 velour, flat) have made them slightly brighter, far thinner sounding, more "expansive" and airy, with instruments and voices further away from you. Personally I prefer the "bigger" and up-close, dynamic sound with the stock pads, and also feel like they have better coherency (maybe different pads introduce some odd peaks?) but idk, might be worth a shot. HM5 velour pads aren't too expensive and could be nice to have in back-up for other modding-funzies in the future anway, if you don't have any laying around already.

 

[ZenGentleman]

I can't afford Hugo unfortunately. If I had better equipment, I'm sure it's preferable. I mainly use mobiles and laptops for music though. But I'm impressed with the DFB for what little it costs. It confirmed the Elear is my top headphone until I can afford the Clear.

Anyone ever use the Ultrasone Naos?

I purchased the Ultrasone NAOS through Moon Audio when it first became available last year. I was excited to try a sleek mobile Amp/DAC solution for my iPhone X and iPad Air 2 that did not require a Lightning-to-USB adapter to use like the DFB or DFR (the NAOS comes with multiple connection cables, including Lightning). I wanted to use it to drive not only my Elears but also a pair of Massdrop Sennheiser HD6xx.

I was disappointed in the lack of amp power to drive the 300ohm HD6xx. Volume level was decent for newer, “louder,” more dynamically compressed music, but older music that was not so dynamically compressed was lacking a few extra notches of volume needed. Let me add that I do not listen to my music at ear-splitting levels, I normally listen at a moderate volume. Though an issue for me, that ultimately was not the deal-killer.

I experienced problems immediately with audio drop-outs using the NAOS on both of my Apple mobile devices, with all types of headphones, whether I was streaming or playing back files on the devices. I got in touch with Drew at Moon Audio and was informed that the NAOS Amp/DAC had “known issues” with Apple’s latest mobile devices and that Ultrasone was aware of it but they claimed it was a problem Apple needed to fix on their end. As a result of this information gleaned from corresponding with Moon Audio, I returned the NAOS unit. I was disappointed that Moon Audio hadn’t included a brief disclaimer on their website store page for the NAOS alerting potential buyers that it currently doesn’t work well with newer Apple devices. They accepted the return but still charged me a 20% restocking fee, even though I requested it be waived since they sold me something they knew wouldn’t work with newer Apple devices. They rejected my request. I’m still rather salty about the entire customer service exchange, as they ignored me for several weeks before finally, after reading my less-than-stellar customer review on their website for this transaction, responded by simply re-emphasizing their return policy and the re-stocking fee buried deep in the bowels of their website and, in my opinion, refused to stand behind a product they are selling.

If you have a non-Apple mobile device, or plan to use it with a laptop (I had no problems using it with my 2014 15” MBP running macOS High Sierra), and are trying to drive ‘phones LESS than 300ohms, then it might be a slick little solution for you. The Elears are much lower than 300ohms and the NAOS is a slick little Amp/DAC solution that sounds good, when it works.

 

[AuditoryCanvas]

Sonarworks definitely removes most issues with the Elear. Except for the soundstage which is on the shallow side, seems like you just can't get those dynamics and a deep soundstage in one package. According to reviews, Clear and Utopia are the same way....

Using a balanced cable with the Elear made a significant difference in soundstage width and depth in my chain. The DACS I mentioned earlier that didn't pair well all had narrower soundstage (more realistic) as they're mostly for audio production to get a true picture, which was part of the reason they didn't pair well for general listening, as the Elear is relatively intimate, which can also cause the mids to be more prominent.

 

[abvolt]

I don't understand why people hate the Elear's I find them very enjoyable and not lacking in bass at all..enjoy

 

[tbollier]

If it's truly their dynamics that are fatiguing you, I'm afraid there is little one can do about it... In fact, most amps I've tried the Elear on draws even more dynamic impact out of them than the DFB does.

Wow, what a nuanced response...
Yeah, they benefit from eq, so does pretty much any headphone (the Elear maybe more than a lot others though). They do respond very well to eq though, and have some amazing qualities imo once the tonality is sorted a little.
If you find that the Elear lacks bass, you're either seriously misdriving them or are used to a VERY elevated bass response. The Elear does in fact have an elevated bass response that does indeed roll off in the subbass, but goes very low for a dynamic driver. With eq (I discovered this when trying sonarworks calibration with the Elear) it can actually output pretty insane subbass for a DD too, the driver is capable of way deeper bass than the stock tuning would suggest.


Sonarworks definitely removes most issues with the Elear. Except for the soundstage which is on the shallow side, seems like you just can't get those dynamics and a deep soundstage in one package. According to reviews, Clear and Utopia are the same way....

THANK YOU for the EQ recommendation. I downloaded a Sonarworks trial and it's a significant improvement. I'm still looking to upgrade my DAC and amp, but this makes them much more mellow for the time-being.

PS I've wanted to visit Bergen ever since reading Knausgaard Book 5, if you're familiar.

 

[makne]

THANK YOU for the EQ recommendation. I downloaded a Sonarworks trial and it's a significant improvement. I'm still looking to upgrade my DAC and amp, but this makes them much more mellow for the time-being.

PS I've wanted to visit Bergen ever since reading Knausgaard Book 5, if you're familiar.

Happy that it works well for you!
The DFB is capable of pushing the Elear reasonably well, it’s not that hard to drive. It’s certainly far better than a smartphone. I’d just skip the Red, and aim at something like a micro idsd BL down the line.
I’m just spoiled with the Hugo...

Familiar with Bergen? Yup, live a little outside Bergen (around 15-20min car drive on crappy Norwegian roads).
Not too familiar with Knausgård actually (haven’t read his books)!

 

[tbollier]

Happy that it works well for you!
The DFB is capable of pushing the Elear reasonably well, it’s not that hard to drive. It’s certainly far better than a smartphone. I’d just skip the Red, and aim at something like a micro idsd BL down the line.
I’m just spoiled with the Hugo...

Familiar with Bergen? Yup, live a little outside Bergen (around 15-20min car drive on ****ty Norwegian roads).
Not too familiar with Knausgård actually (haven’t read his books)!

Well, Book 5 of his My Struggle series is set in Bergen when he's around 20 years old, it might hit close to home.

Anyway, for those who take issue with the Elear's sound signature, try a good EQ. For me, bringing up the mids helped bring vocals forward and sound clearer.