Massdrop x Focal Elex Review & Measurements
Oct 24, 2021 at 5:33 PM Post #1,726 of 2,030
@Marlowe Sorry to hear your experience. I bought mine in Aug 2018 along with a Massdrop Liquid Carbon X + SDAC DAC/Amp which I use in balanced mode and have had no problem with either; in fact I recommend the Liquid Carbon as a great amp to drive the Elex. Drop is great to stand behind their products and quick to answer and resolve issues, have purchased several items from them for that reason.
 
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Oct 25, 2021 at 10:11 AM Post #1,727 of 2,030
The current discount has my interest piqued. I tend to be a basshead, how are these going to appeal to me?
 
Oct 25, 2021 at 10:59 AM Post #1,729 of 2,030
The current discount has my interest piqued. I tend to be a basshead, how are these going to appeal to me?
Suspect you would enjoy the closed back Elegia more, and usually only $399 at Adorama
 
Oct 25, 2021 at 5:51 PM Post #1,730 of 2,030
The current discount has my interest piqued. I tend to be a basshead, how are these going to appeal to me?
It is a full, balanced sound, like the HE6se V2's. They have more bass than I expected. However, they are not in the Cascades end of bassheads.
But, unlike my Grado's, the Elex's will NEVER feel bass-lite. :L3000:
 
Dec 16, 2021 at 6:23 PM Post #1,731 of 2,030
Just reviewed the Elex on my YT channel:



Enjoy!
 
Dec 31, 2021 at 2:33 PM Post #1,732 of 2,030
I
 
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Jan 22, 2022 at 11:17 AM Post #1,733 of 2,030
After listening to music via DT770s for the last 10 years or so it was time to look at some mid-range headphones, naturally I tried the DT1990 which were a nice improvement but came scratched so were returned. I kept researching and came round to Focal, then found a set of nearly new Elex available in Europe. They sound so beautiful, you couldn't ask for more as they lack nothing, so detailed and upfront yet still delicate, a revelation.
 
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Jan 27, 2022 at 12:49 AM Post #1,734 of 2,030
After listening to music via DT770s for the last 10 years or so it was time to look at some mid-range headphones, naturally I tried the DT1990 which were a nice improvement but came scratched so were returned. I kept researching and came round to Focal, then found a set of nearly new Elex available in Europe. They sound so beautiful, you couldn't ask for more as they lack nothing, so detailed and upfront yet still delicate, a revelation.
I agree wholeheartedly. Been listening to them with tubes via my Feliks Echo MkII lately and it has upped my enjoyment even more. They handle everything I throw at them pretty well, managing to be revealing but not at all fatiguing such that I can listen to them all day. I "upgraded" to the Clear MG for a while, but ended up selling them and keeping the Elex.
 
Jan 29, 2022 at 10:58 PM Post #1,735 of 2,030
New Head-Fier here! How do the Elex compare to the Sundara in terms of frequency response, soundstage, detail retrieval, and comfort? I find the Sundara's very pleasing with my audio chain, and I'd like to find something similar in presentation but with a wider soundstage. Many thanks!
 
Feb 21, 2022 at 6:21 PM Post #1,736 of 2,030
would the focal elex with a bass shelf/boost be good for edm/dance/pop and other stuff with bass and have good slam/punch? more so then and lcd-2f with a bass boost for the mentioned things?
 
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Feb 26, 2022 at 7:56 AM Post #1,737 of 2,030
If you have a set of elex with 2 broken drivers, the good news is that it's pretty easy to install normal 40mm drivers if you have basic soldering skills. Of course, I recommend going the warranty route if it's available.

The first 40mm drivers I used sounded terrible, but I ended up with my favorite non electrostatic headphones. I documented my process here:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...ized-headphone-mods-here.867426/post-16804687
 
Mar 8, 2022 at 8:03 PM Post #1,738 of 2,030
After listening to music via DT770s for the last 10 years or so it was time to look at some mid-range headphones, naturally I tried the DT1990 which were a nice improvement but came scratched so were returned. I kept researching and came round to Focal, then found a set of nearly new Elex available in Europe. They sound so beautiful, you couldn't ask for more as they lack nothing, so detailed and upfront yet still delicate, a revelation.

They are really great cans. I agree, the detail retrieval is really good. They have great imaging and separation. They are airy and holographic.

I find the sound to be addictive and engaging.

If I used one word for the Elex, it is crisp. There is a lot of crunch and crispy clarity in the treble. Very good overall definition and super enjoyable too.
 
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Mar 8, 2022 at 8:08 PM Post #1,739 of 2,030
would the focal elex with a bass shelf/boost be good for edm/dance/pop and other stuff with bass and have good slam/punch? more so then and lcd-2f with a bass boost for the mentioned things?

You can certainly enjoy them for EDM but IMO they are a little bit on the clean/analytical spectrum of sound for it.

Not the most fun sound in the world for EDM compared with some other options but could absolutely do it especially if you like slightly more clinical sound.

They have very good definition, bite, and punch. The dynamics are great, the detail is great and they have a large and holographic soundstage.

Bass is tight but has good attack and definition. It has fast drivers with quick decay.

As far as vs. LCD 2, I never was that into LCD-2 as I found it lacked treble bite. Elex do not suffer from that problem.
 
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Mar 29, 2022 at 7:33 PM Post #1,740 of 2,030
I agree wholeheartedly. Been listening to them with tubes via my Feliks Echo MkII lately and it has upped my enjoyment even more. They handle everything I throw at them pretty well, managing to be revealing but not at all fatiguing such that I can listen to them all day. I "upgraded" to the Clear MG for a while, but ended up selling them and keeping the Elex.

Same camp here. I had Clear MG too. It does aspects better. The midrange is clearly more resolving on the MG but I am not a midrange guy. But the Elex has a more open and less warm sound. Very similar punch and impact, dynamics are all there in Elex at half the price. I'm someone who likes some bite and attack in my headphones and the Elex has it in spades and the MG had it too.

They are so exciting and energetic too - love them.

Someone asked about bass before - I'm into bass myself and while these don't have gobs of it what they have is impact and punch and so you have the feeling of the bass even if the quantity isn't a ton. I really like how these handle bass.

These are up there with those high end headphones. Choose your flavor.
 
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