[koover]

i think the mids sound wonky on the Elear - especially when compared to the DT1990. audeze lcd-x or xc would do you pretty well. you could also try the lcd-2c - haven't heard those yet though...

I actually think the mids aren’t that bad except a bit recessed to my ears. There is a bit of mid suck out but not to the extent I’ve read where some owners have reposted.
I have issues with the treble. It’s got a weird, mattalic, thin, tinny, shrill, just off sounding response. Don’t really know how to describe other then how I just did. I actually like this headphone a lot if I can find a tube that will pair with this headphone and to control the treble issues.

 

[DivaFonda]

Lots of people say that about the mids(wonky or sucked out) but with amping and good music, not an issue for me at all. I've also seen that about harsh treble spikes but I've never experienced this. Now I do have to say that I wasn't used to the sound at first but Elear opened up and is now my "baby" LOL.

 

[aqsw]

Lots of people say that about the mids(wonky or sucked out) but with amping and good music, not an issue for me at all. I've also seen that about harsh treble spikes but I've never experienced this. Now I do have to say that I wasn't used to the sound at first but Elear opened up and is now my "baby" LOL

I totally agree. I have only used them with a Feliks Euforia, and I must say I do not hear anything "wonky". Power these babies up properly and they are amazing.
I had a try out with the Utopias on the Euforia, and they sounded fantastic, but the Elears sound almost as good. Interested in the Clears, but probably because I want the cables!!

 

[koover]

I have to say though, I haven’t fired these up on Mjolnir2/Gumby since I acquired it. The Elear are being borrowed by a friend so I’m looking forward to hearing them now. I had a LYR2 and Mimby before.
You guys really don’t hear somewhat of recessed mids and the treble sounds fine to you? The treble is such a weak point with the gear I was using before.

 

[DivaFonda]

Yes I hear the situation with the mids but it doesn't come into play after I changed the stock cable, use a DAC/AMP, and raise the volume somewhat. No treble issues either.

 

[aqsw]

A good dac really helps. I'v never believed in the cable dispute, but I do use a very well respected cable. I use it for the weight and length over the stock elear..

I believe the dac is #1, phones "2, and amp #3, . You just don' get good sound out of a bad source.

 

[bidn]

i think the mids sound wonky on the Elear - especially when compared to the DT1990. audeze lcd-x or xc would do you pretty well. you could also try the lcd-2c - haven't heard those yet though...

I actually think the mids aren’t that bad except a bit recessed to my ears. There is a bit of mid suck out but not to the extent I’ve read where some owners have reposted.
I have issues with the treble. It’s got a weird, mattalic, thin, tinny, shrill, just off sounding response. Don’t really know how to describe other then how I just did. I actually like this headphone a lot if I can find a tube that will pair with this headphone and to control the treble issues.

Hi progrockrob and koover,

I fear you may be using amps which may be too powerful for the Focals.

The Focals are super efficient (so they can be easily driven by weaker, portable amps) and are fantastic with low (ideally close to zero) impedance amps.
(BTW you can find many measurements of DACs and amps here:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?articles/ )

However the SQ of the Focals will degrade with high impedance amps (typically quite powerful amps; which is often the case with tube amps and sometimes with SS amps designed to drive difficult headphones).

Recent measurements of the FR of the Utopia with amps having quite different impedances were posted by csskippy here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-utopia-general-discussion.811273/page-467#post-14185471

I allow myself to repost cskippy's pic:

https://cdn.head-fi.org/g/9937618_l.png

The Frequency Responses on this graph were measured for the Utopia:
in the case of the Elear, you would have more bass and less treble.

As can be seen on these Utopia FR graphs (and was reported several times), high impedances increase the bass but thin out the trebble
and, something not visible on the graphs, they degrade the SQ of the mids,
this has also been reported several times re. the mids, and again here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-utopia-general-discussion.811273/page-467#post-14185574
I expect that this degradations would be more pronounced for the Elear given that they are more bassy than the Utopia.

My advice re. DAC-amp: just take a Mojo to drive them or better a RME:
I put more thoughts on different levels of DAC-amps for Focals headphones in the Clear thread here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-clear-headphones.861727/page-222#post-14167215

Hoping you find a solution (please let us know) to enjoy your music,
bidn

 

[makne]

It is true that using a really good, and low impedance, dac/amp for the Elear does thin out the sound and make it more balanced. However, it does not fix the issues at hand completely, at least when comparing to other more neutral/balanced headphones.

 

[makne]

After spending yesterday with the entire Focal line-up (driven by Chord Hugo and when I wanted to, Ayon HA-3) I wrote this in the FB-group, thought some of you’d want to read it

The Focal house sound is dynamic AF, with the downside being a soundstage that is a little on the small side. This, the dynamic capabilities and soundstage size, is pretty much unchanged throughout the range if you ask me.
Now for the differences:

Elear:
These hit the hype train hard when released, and for good reason IMO. They definitely do have their weaknesses however; A midbass/low-mid boost that gives the sound thickness, but can also be perceived as flabby or muddy. A massive 4kHz dip that removes some bite and edge to the music, which at times can be frustrating, and can make the elear come across as honky and blurs center-image. And at last a small zing at around 10kHz, which I personally was never bothered about.
Still, the Elear has for a long time been my favourite headphone in the 1k$-range because of their Focal trademark dynamics, great layering and above average resolution.

Now on to the Clear:
Compared to the stock elear sound, it’s like lifting a veil (cliché I know). Just take away all the excess flabbyness of the Elear, tighten it up, bring back the 4kHz-edge/bite, and you’ve got Clear. This headphone does not have weaknesses! Sure you can find a wider soundstage, sharper imaging, deeper bass or more airy treble, but usually at a much higher price or at the cost of other qualities in sound. The Clear is damn near a perfect all-rounder.
Is it worth a 500$ upgrade? Yes, I actually think so, unless....
I’m personally an Elear owner, and with the use of Sonarworks reference 4 I even/smooth out the FR to make it sound more balanced. How does it stack up against Clear?
They’re f*cking IDENTICAL. I honestly don’t think I could tell them apart in a blind test.
So if you want the cheapest solution, go for Elear and a sonarworks subscription. This does however demand that you use a pc/mac as listening source.
If you have the cash though, you can get the Clear which sounds perfect right out of the box, and comes with much nicer accessories. If I had been making my purchase today, I would’ve picked the Clear I think. But when I’m able to use sonarworks, upgrading from elear is not worth it for me.

Now Utopia:
Compared to the Clear, the Utopia is a little lean in the bass and unrelentless in the treble for me, when driven by the Chord Hugo. Adding the Ayon HA-3 in the mix fixes this, but also doubles the price...
so, why would one even consider buying a headphone more than twice the price of the Clear, and which requires an equally expensive amp?
Well, the Utopia does something better than anything else I’ve heard.
PRECISION.
At resolution, detail retrieval, texture, Utopia can hang with any e-stat (and the susvara). At imaging, layering and tight punchiness, the Utopia bests them all. I have never before heard the different layers of music so clearly, like 3D. Imaging is the tightest I’ve heard (makes even the susvara sound slightly blurry by comparison). And nothing can compete with the Focal line-up’s dynamic impact.

Bottom line: Elear was a great start. Clear is definitely an upgrade objectively seen, and (dsp aside) the best buy of the three. I don’t really see much reason to go past this, unless you feel the need to hear the vibration of every molecule in Clapton’s guitar, through the beryllium drivers of the Utopia.

 

[Glasha]

I can't use my PC as a source, it is too noisy
I'm waiting for the android version of Sonarworks, but they didn't start the tests yet :/
At the moment I'm driving the Elear with an amp with 6 ohms, I really need to find an other amp I guess XD

 

[koover]

Hi progrockrob and koover,

I fear you may be using amps which may be too powerful for the Focals.

The Focals are super efficient (so they can be easily driven by weaker, portable amps) and are fantastic with low (ideally close to zero) impedance amps.
(BTW you can find many measurements of DACs and amps here:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?articles/ )

However the SQ of the Focals will degrade with high impedance amps (typically quite powerful amps; which is often the case with tube amps and sometimes with SS amps designed to drive difficult headphones).

Recent measurements of the FR of the Utopia with amps having quite different impedances were posted by csskippy here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-utopia-general-discussion.811273/page-467#post-14185471

I allow myself to repost cskippy's pic:

https://cdn.head-fi.org/g/9937618_l.png

The Frequency Responses on this graph were measured for the Utopia:
in the case of the Elear, you would have more bass and less treble.

As can be seen on these Utopia FR graphs (and was reported several times), high impedances increase the bass but thin out the trebble
and, something not visible on the graphs, they degrade the SQ of the mids,
this has also been reported several times re. the mids, and again here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-utopia-general-discussion.811273/page-467#post-14185574
I expect that this degradations would be more pronounced for the Elear given that they are more bassy than the Utopia.

My advice re. DAC-amp: just take a Mojo to drive them or better a RME:
I put more thoughts on different levels of DAC-amps for Focals headphones in the Clear thread here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-clear-headphones.861727/page-222#post-14167215

Hoping you find a solution (please let us know) to enjoy your music,
bidn

Nice post and thank you.
My DAC/amp are now perfect and won't be swapping anything out for the sake of the Elear that's for sure. If I had to, I'd get rid of the Elear in a heartbeat before swapping out my components for the sake of this HP. Bottom line, I'm keeping them. But I have to hear them first on my gear instead of the LYR2/Mimby that I no longer have. Maybe they'll sound excellent now.
They have many great qualities with Dynamics being the best attribute of their sound. Their sound punches you right in the face and sometimes you need that to wake you up.
The thing is, I have other very easy to drive HP's (and sound excellent) and they do not have the same issues in the treble as the Elear when I was running with my ex's. I'm OK with the mids and don't think they sound wonky at all as I explained above. I also stated that I hear a small mid suck out but nothing like many owners have stated. Some people make these sound like there's no mids at all. I just chuckle. It's the treble that's all jacked up to my ears. I LOVE the bass and with my (ex) gear, they're pretty fast, tight, extends low with really good decay. Should sound much better with Gumby/MJ2. We can't forget either it depends what kind of music we listen too, quality of recordings, my ears and health of them, etc.

Thanks again for the time you spent on your explanations and thorough response man!

 

[djj65]

I use an Astell&Kern AK300 on its pedestal input to either my Little Dot MKVI+ or Massdrop x Alex Caballi Liquid Carbon X. I find this setup is great for both my HD800S and the Elear's.

 

[progrockrob]

yeah - i think for me it was the setup. (sidenote: wonky=uneven). I auditioned them at a store that only had the marantz dac/amp as a source. also, i only made it through a bit of the beck-sea change SACD with them. for whatever reason, i have really sensitive ears right around 1kHz, and the combo of the setup and music was just plain bad. switching over to the LCD-2F was pure bliss and i ended up purchasing them. now i'm going to sell them (probably) and i'm looking at the elear, elex, LCD-2C, and AFO.

Bottom line: i'm going to give the Elear another shot for sure - definitely more time and with better genres of music.

 

[TSAVJason]

yeah - i think for me it was the setup. (sidenote: wonky=uneven). I auditioned them at a store that only had the marantz dac/amp as a source. also, i only made it through a bit of the beck-sea change SACD with them. for whatever reason, i have really sensitive ears right around 1kHz, and the combo of the setup and music was just plain bad. switching over to the LCD-2F was pure bliss and i ended up purchasing them. now i'm going to sell them (probably) and i'm looking at the elear, elex, LCD-2C, and AFO.

Bottom line: i'm going to give the Elear another shot for sure - definitely more time and with better genres of music.

Good idea, keeping an open mind is always good when in search mode. Also using alternate amp/DAC’s during your audition helps understand the possibilities. All of your choices are good choices for review but there is one on your list that is likely not a good choice because of your 1k sensitivity.

 

[Blueshound24]

The Clear is damn near a perfect all-rounder.
Is it worth a 500$ upgrade? Yes, I actually think so, unless....
I’m personally an Elear owner, and with the use of Sonarworks reference 4 I even/smooth out the FR to make it sound more balanced. How does it stack up against Clear?
They’re f*cking IDENTICAL. I honestly don’t think I could tell them apart in a blind test.
So if you want the cheapest solution, go for Elear and a sonarworks subscription. This does however demand that you use a pc/mac as listening source.
If you have the cash though, you can get the Clear which sounds perfect right out of the box, and comes with much nicer accessories. If I had been making my purchase today, I would’ve picked the Clear I think. But when I’m able to use sonarworks, upgrading from elear is not worth it for me.

Thank you for your impressions. I am intrigued by your comments on Sonarworks reference 4. Do you utilize Headphone Edition, Studio Edition or Premium Bundle. And whatever edition you are using, why do you feel it's best for you?
TIA