TL;DR - ladies and gentlemen, proudly presenting the world's first (and as far as I know, only) suspension strap for Focal headphones: the gStrap.
Wait, what? Did he just say 'suspension strap' and 'Focal' in the same sentence? How is that even possible!? Here's the low down:
I've been an Elear owner and enthusiast for some time now, and it's become my favourite daily driver. I just love everything about its sound, look, feel...well, almost everything. Over the course of the past few months, I've noticed a few 'issues' that instead of turning me off the Elear, have prompted me to look for solutions.
The first, and most obvious, was the material the pads and headband were made of. I bought my set used (and so-called 'mint'), and so it was - except the pads and headband were very clearly worn and used. The fabric has started to fleck, for want of a better word, and had also taken on an oily (gross, I know) appearance. Oddly enough I didn't fault the previous owner; he had every right to use them as intended, and he was even kind enough to compensate me after the sale so I can buy replacement pads. No, the blame lies squarely with whoever thought microfibre was a good idea for the two parts of a headphone that regularly come into contact with human skin, hair, and all the random stuff left on desks and bookshelves that the headphones inevitably sit on. It wouldn't be so bad if the fabric parts were easily (and affordably) replaceable, but replacement pads from Focal are currently priced at $150, and the headband is not only not replaceable, but also
not repairable.
The second was the design of the headband itself. The Elear, as you probably know, is not a lightweight headphone. While the headband itself is fairly well padded, and the clamping force distributes at least some of the overall weight of the headphone, I was still prone to developing hotspots where the headband met my head. This meant that after a few minutes' use I started to feel the pressure, and from time to time had to adjust the headband away from the hotspot it was creating. At times I got it just right and, without moving, was able to wear it for a longer listening session without any pain, but until that point I found myself constantly fiddling with the headband (and distracted from the music). So aside from the curious decision to use fabric for the headband padding, the headband itself was often a source of discomfort.
Luckily, soon after I bought the Elear, I discovered the
@DekoniAudio Elite range of leather pads for Focal. Not only did Dekoni's fenestrated sheepskin pads improve the comfort and instantly remove the issue of flecking fabric and oil absorption from the earpads, they also improved the sound of the headphone. You can read my full review of these pads here:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/de...r-focal-headphones.23227/reviews#review-20632
The headband issue was a bigger problem, and one that for months I've struggled to solve. Until now. Sure there are aftermarket "covers" for Focal headphones on eBay, but the idea of putting a cheap woollen monstrosity on such a sleek and stylish headphone just didn't sit right with me. It reminded me of those horrid wool carseat covers from the 70s and 80s - can you picture putting those on the seats of your modern day sports car!? Other owners took the matter into their own hands, wrapping home made neoprene padding, and even Maxi Pads (I kid you not, check out the recent post on the Clear thread), to try protect the otherwise very stylish and very expensive headband. At the same time, I'd just bought the new Audeze suspension headband for my LCD-3, and the ZMF Atticus I was using also had a suspension strap to distribute the weight, and realised that both those headphones were far more comfortable than the Elear for extended use despite them being far heavier than the Elear.
Which got me thinking...what if there Elear had a suspension strap? Obvious, right? Except there was no easy way, that I could see, to detach the Elear's ear cups from the headband to fit an aftermarket product like the
@Lohb strap, like I did for my LCD-2. But taking a closer look at how the new Audeze strap is designed, and having removed the two small plastic covers that conceal the yoke entry and excess headband material on either side of the Elear headband, I had a lightbulb moment. Many weeks later, after dozens of sketches and paper prototypes, and following close discussions with a good friend and leather craftsman, I can proudly present what I believe is
the world's first and only suspension strap for the Elear (and other Focal headphones like it).
Shoot if you have any questions and I'll try to answer on this thread, but I'll also link this post on the other Focal headphone threads, so there may be Q&As going on elsewhere as well. I'm currently considering producing the gStrap in limited quantities, so PM me if you think it's something you think you could use for your own headphones.