[Lucky1]

I have decided to pick up a pair of focal elears, but here in Australia they are a ridiculous $1599 ($1250 USD). Does anyone know somewhere reliable where I can get them for a good price and have warranty. Would US Amazon be okay for $785 USD?
Also what's a good modestly priced AMP/DAC to power them that keeps them sounding fun
Thanks in advance

 

[Themordent]

If you don't mind waiting a few months, the Massdrop x Focal Elex is always an option (I believe it is closing soon). The current drop price is 699 USD and ships free to Australia among other places. There's been considerable chatter both on HF and elsewhere; maybe take a look at what's been said if you haven't already.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I drove the Elear from the Chord Mojo.

Not sure if ~$500 (or I guess more in Australia) would be considered modestly priced, but I think it's well worth it.

 

[Dulalala]

Would US Amazon be okay for $785 USD?

The current drop price is 699 USD and ships free to Australia among other places.

Customs exist too so don't forget to take that into account.

 

[Lucky1]

Ive done some reading about the Mojo and it seams like they'll provide ample power for the elears and wont get rid of their fun sound. As the elears dont use a 3.5mm cable but thats all that the Mojo supports, will an adapter decrease the sound quality? One other question, As I'll only be using this at home with my PC will I still need to charge it? I want something that'll last for years and don't want to be replacing it in a few years time because of the battery

 

[Music Alchemist]

will an adapter decrease the sound quality?

Most likely no.

will I still need to charge it?

The Mojo is battery-powered and has to be charged frequently. I used a 5V 2A micro USB wall charger (which is better) to keep it on permanent trickle-charge, but it can be charged via your PC and a USB A to micro USB cable. Note that you will need another micro USB cable for the data input. The Mojo only comes with one of these cables. If you want to listen to audio and charge it simultaneously, you would need to purchase another cable. You can use it while it's not charging, of course, but then the battery will deplete and you'll have to charge it again anyway.

If the battery dies within the 12 month warranty period (highly unlikely), you should be able to get a free replacement of the battery. Or if it's outside the warranty period, you can send it in and pay to have the battery replaced. Batteries do eventually die, but I can't say when that would be.

If you don't want to have to worry about the issues related to battery power, you'll need to look into another option.

 

[Themordent]

Ive done some reading about the Mojo and it seams like they'll provide ample power for the elears and wont get rid of their fun sound. As the elears dont use a 3.5mm cable but thats all that the Mojo supports, will an adapter decrease the sound quality? One other question, As I'll only be using this at home with my PC will I still need to charge it? I want something that'll last for years and don't want to be replacing it in a few years time because of the battery

As someone who has lived the starving student listener lifestyle and used both the Mojo and the vanilla iFi iDSD as tabletop units at home for a couple of years, I think the latter (or its newer iteration, the micro iDSD BL) is a better match for the job. Never had battery-related problems with either of them though the Mojo's charging circuit is pretty noisy (might depend on the unit). A few logistical notes:

1) The iFi unit requires only the provided USB cable for both power and data, while the Mojo requires two micro-USB (as mentioned above) or one micro-USB and an optical SPDIF cable assuming your source can deliver that.
2) The iFi is more versatile (has a host of other ports like analog coax out and SPDIF out, USB port for charging other devices; also has one 1/4" headphone plug, tuning switches for bass and crossfeed and power output and filters and whatever else, as well as a volume knob). The Mojo is very straightforward and to the point (two 3.5mm jacks, push-button volume control, and power/data ports).

If you like the Mojo's sound, simplicity, and portability then there's really no argument. However, if increased tunability/flexibility is something you're interested in, the iFi may be a good option to look into especially if you also listen to other cans and/or IEMs (the iDSD can deliver sufficient power + inaudible noise floor for a variety of transducers).