[Fatdoi]

Then why is australia in eurovision?

Australia is geographical and cultural person of east and west.

 

[arnaud]

I was lucky enough to steal 1 hour of Anakchan's time today and get some listen time with the Elex, back to back against the Utopia which I had for a few weeks on loan.
To cut the story short, the Elex isn't a cheaper version of the Utopia, it felt very much like when I compared the Clear and Utopia at the recent Fujiya Festival.
The Elex is nicely voiced, more record and gear agnostic than the picky Utopia, very dynamic sounding like the rest of the family. The bass is more prominent than Utopia but not overboard like the Elear, prominent but not loose or walking over the mids.

Unfortunately, the highs is where the magic is gone compared to the Utopia imho. The Utopia is the only dynamic phone I heard that rivals my estat rig in that regard with the added benefit of sounding more dynamic / impactful. There is something very special with the Utopia which I can't find in the other Focal headphones, the Elex included. The Elex treble vs. Utopia actually reminds me of the Stax SR007 treble vs. that of the SR009. The former feels more hi-fi with emphasis at rather narrow range of frequencies while the latter is almost subdued in comparison but extends higher in frequency.

Now, I still think the Elex would work better than Utopia for some people as there are times / recordings for which I have to take the Utopia off my head after a half hour. It just sounds bright and gets me tired quickly. I would get frustrated and leave it for a few days, get back to it and be amazed again by the combination of micro- and macro-dynamics (percussions just sound unbelievably good out of Utopia). In comparison, my stat rig sounds very / sometimes too polite and I miss the raw energy of the Utopia.

In terms of imaging, it was not enough time to get a good picture. One thing though is that the room cues are much more easily picked up from the Utopia, which for me translates into a more solid headstage where I can place the instruments and feel the room around. This is very special, I normally only get this from estats, and I am afraid the Elex can't really deliver on that like the Utopia does.

In summary, it feels to me like the Massdrop deal is a no brainer for someone who hesitated on the Clear or Elear. I can't say how it fares against competition in that sub-1kUSD range but certainly is a better value proposition than the Utopia or even Clear as far as Focal range is concerned. It's also lighter than the Utopia which feel a bit heavy to me, the pads are really comfortable (material / feel reminds me of the HD800).

Thanks again Anakchan for the Utopia loan and letting me crash into your place today .

Arnaud

 

[jude]

The measurements from the video (and a few others) have been posted at the following link:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/massdrop-x-focal-elex-review-measurements.867615/#post-13916623

 

[bgbkt]

The measurements from the video (and a few others) have been posted at the following link:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/massdrop-x-focal-elex-review-measurements.867615/#post-13916623

Wow! Clearly follows Clear closely...

 

[Beagle]

Except the big drop in the bass, which might eventually bother people so much that they'd want their Elear back

Seems to mimic what occurred when I put Utopia pads on my Elear....an increase in clarity at the expense of losing the bottom. A typical trade-off in audio.

 

[BLacklWf]

Then why is australia in eurovision?

damn it... no wonder they don't look like the rest of asians..

 

[XERO1]

Except the big drop in the bass, which might eventually bother people so much that they'd want their Elear back

Seems to mimic what occurred when I put Utopia pads on my Elear....an increase in clarity at the expense of losing the bottom. A typical trade-off in audio.

I wouldn't worry too much about it, since the graph makes it look worse than it is by extending the FR measurement down to 10Hz. The Elex is only down 2dB at 20Hz compared to the Clear. But the Clear does have the better driver, so this is to be expected.

 

[ngoshawk]

Yeah everyone is listing Elear for $800 now, that seems to be standard. But there's really no reason to buy a brand new Elear over Elex given the improvements and balanced cable unless you won't be able to wait for Elex to ship (which I'm guessing will be in summer)."

Respectfully, I would. Since I auditioned the Elear, it has been my absolute favorite, and it’s still in my sig. I do believe there are plenty of Elear owners or potential owners who will choose it, and like the sound signature. I will now more diligently look for the Elear on sale...

I liken what Focal is doing here to owning a Mazda CX-5 (or any other car...), some like the more-basic Sport model, while others like the Grand Touring. I loved the sound from the Elear, and would gladly purchase it over the Elex, based upon what I have read here.

That said, best of luck to all seeking the MD Elex. I do like Focal’s business model, and just picked up a Focal Listen to use in comparison purposes...hope to add the Elear...Cheers!

 

[givemetacos]

Respectfully, I would. Since I auditioned the Elear, it has been my absolute favorite, and it’s still in my sig. I do believe there are plenty of Elear owners or potential owners who will choose it, and like the sound signature. I will now more diligently look for the Elear on sale...

I liken what Focal is doing here to owning a Mazda CX-5 (or any other car...), some like the more-basic Sport model, while others like the Grand Touring. I loved the sound from the Elear, and would gladly purchase it over the Elex, based upon what I have read here.

That said, best of luck to all seeking the MD Elex. I do like Focal’s business model, and just picked up a Focal Listen to use in comparison purposes...hope to add the Elear...Cheers!

Oh I'm actually considering picking up a used Elear myself. My statement was that I don't think anyone would choose a brand new $1000 ($800 sale) Elear over the $800 Elex considering the updates to Elex and extra balanced cable. But I do think used Elear prices are pretty great and can absolutely see people opting for a value priced Elear over Elex.

 

[ngoshawk]

Oh I'm actually considering picking up a used Elear myself. My statement was that I don't think anyone would choose a brand new $1000 ($800 sale) Elear over the $800 Elex considering the updates to Elex and extra balanced cable. But I do think used Elear prices are pretty great and can absolutely see people opting for a value priced Elear over Elex.

Hey no problem. I do like that Focal is listening to their customers, and taking seasoned experts opinions into account to modify an already excellent product!

 

[KaiserAX]

Hesitating between Elear and Elex

 

[iTsCraig]

I just bought an Elear, it seems to me that this is a different set of cans
I do not use the STD cable and I think that Focal knows that whomever buys the set will usually get and upgraded cable.
That said I am very happy they have listened to the market.
I look forward to comparing the two.
I use sonarworks and it takes away from the heavy bass.

 

[IamMathew]

Just in case you got the wrong idea, I'm Australian with English parents. This thinking is just common sense.

Common sense for someone heavily inspired by one of the buddhist traditions, maybe. Thanks to eastern schools of thought (mainly buddhism), asians tend to be more focused on experiencing things itself and are also more accepting of the status quo in general. While westerners, being heavily influenced by christianity and Plato, tend to look to the future of ideals and are less accepting of their own, present experiences in general.

By the way, do these Elex have larger soundstage compared to Elears? And what about the bass response of these compared to Elears? Elears had very nice bass response, one of the first things I feel in love with, when I heard them. And what about the Mojo? Is it a good match to those? What would be bigger benefit to these HPs? Adding better amp than Mojo or adding a better DAC?
Thanks

 

[KazeNg]

I still don't have a clear idea (no pun intended) of how the Elex compared to the Clear. Most reviews are comparisons between either the Elex and the Elear, or the Elex and the Utopia.

 

[MadMan007]

I wouldn't worry too much about it, since the graph makes it look worse than it is by extending the FR measurement down to 10Hz. The Elex is only down 2dB at 20Hz compared to the Clear. But the Clear does have the better driver, so this is to be expected.

This is an important note. The one graph that looks like the Elex bass drops off massively is a non-standard graph 'hidden' among the other ones. It's honestly a little sloppy to slip it in that way with the other graphs without a note...not everyone is going to look at it that closely.