[ld100]

Then it would be difficult to justify Elear and Clear price wouldn't it ?

Even at 699 it would be the same. I think between 500 and 600 they would sell full drop and then some. I think comparing to other models and competition does not make sense here. It is a Massdrop offering, unknown, delivered in months... And not cheap.

 

[Svatopluk]

I have a question about soundstage for those who have heard this headphone and for this Focal line in general. The specific reviews here don't really go into it. I am not a 'soundstage width' junkie because ime wide soundstage usually means poorer left-right imaging. I passionately dislike '3 blob' soundstage with far left-center-far right imaging which leaves a big gap between the left/right and center. I somewhat prefer an 'in-head' soundstage with left-right 'out of head' extension being built into the recording rather than artificially added by the headphone, because to me that's more speaker-like in a way when sounds that are 'wall of sound'/background sounds are spread across the soundstage properly rather than having no presence in the space between the left/right and center. Sounds like this may be more present in studio-type recordings rather than 'audiophile' classical-type recordings. The varying reviews on other headphones in this line regarding soundstage have me confused, some mention a narrow, in-head soundstage, some mention that it is very wide and even sounds like a 'room DSP' is added.

I would overall call my strong preference in this area 'soundstage evenness' or 'soundstage continuity' where exaggerated width isn't the goal, but rather a continuous and even soundstage is. To me: an example of not overly wide but even soundstage with appropriate, continuous left-right imaging would be a Senn HD600; an example of a more 3-blob, lacking left-center and right-center imaging would be a Fostex TH-X00 in stock form (I have a pair of ebonies and this issue was solved with Dekoni Fenestrated pads.)

So, my question, for those who are sensitive to soundstage evenness...do these headphones exhibit a 'speaker-like' soundstage distribution, with good continuity and evenness (left; left-center; center; right-center; right with smooth transitions), and appropriate spread of 'background' sounds? Or are they more far left-center-far right, with an artificial space between the center and sides? (I'm not suggesting what's objectively good or bad here, just my preference).

I only have the Utopia for reference but the sound-stage presentation should be similar to the Clear and Elex. The Utopia is definitely not far left-center-far- right like the HD800, they are more in line with you're described sound-stage preference.

 

[AnakChan]

The Focal range (namely the Utopia, Elear, & Massdrop Elex) has never really hit me as large soundstaging. However they do sound holographic - the Utopia being the most. Aside though the Utopia does seem rather more distinctive in pinpointing position of instruments on the stage I guess that’s one of the additional features of the more expensive model.

The Susvara is probably one that does those 3 factors the best over the Focals (wide soundstage, very holographic, and distinctive pinpoint accuracy), but at a hefty cost.

 

[dannyvstheworld]

Seems lots of people are comparing these to 1990. Could anyone having tried both provide a bit more detailed comparison?

I already have (and love!) 1990 and was looking at Elear/ AFO for protential upgrade, then came the Elex which makes it more complicated. I was looking for something with quality sub bass but not some huge mid bass bump, engaging mid range without significant upper mid lift (because I'm insanely sensitive in this range), and relaxed treble but with decent extension. Looks like I'd better just grab Elear or AFO instead of waiting for the Elex?

 

[gb21011971]

Seems lots of people are comparing these to 1990. Could anyone having tried both provide a bit more detailed comparison?

I already have (and love!) 1990 and was looking at Elear/ AFO for protential upgrade, then came the Elex which makes it more complicated. I was looking for something with quality sub bass but not some huge mid bass bump, engaging mid range without significant upper mid lift (because I'm insanely sensitive in this range), and relaxed treble but with decent extension. Looks like I'd better just grab Elear or AFO instead of waiting for the Elex?

If you're looking for engaging mid range, the Elear migh not be for you. It has very recessed mids. This is what most commentators think. Personally, I would also add that highs are a bit recessed too, but that's my personal opinion. Bass however is good, no mid bass bleed (I am very sensitive to that).

 

[dannyvstheworld]

If you're looking for engaging mid range, the Elear migh not be for you. It has very recessed mids. This is what most commentators think. Personally, I would also add that highs are a bit recessed too, but that's my personal opinion. Bass however is good, no mid bass bleed (I am very sensitive to that).

I've heard about the mid range dip but I thought it was in the upper mid range, like 2kHz - 4kHz? If that's the case I think I'll be fine since I'm very sensitive to it. I probably shouldn't use the word "engaging".

 

[thecrow]

3+ days in, and only 237 sold!
My prediction of no rush needed in the first 10 minutes, and that hundreds of units would remain unsold by drop's close still hold firm.
Just saying...

On behalf of all of us here let me just say congratulations!!!

1/2 of this thread has been people wanting to prophetise (if that's a word) if this was going to sell or not and complain about the fact that the elex was not $500

I could go on about my own questions around focal's recent releases and pricing (and price drops) but I shan't

best i unsubscribe...........i'm feeling cranky

 

[Zachik]

On behalf of all of us here let me just say congratulations!!!

1/2 of this thread has been people wanting to prophetise (if that's a word) if this was going to sell or not and complain about the fact that the elex was not $500

I could go on about my own questions around focal's recent releases and pricing (and price drops) but I shan't

best i unsubscribe...........i'm feeling cranky

You ARE a little cranky...
Just for context (and I know it is hard sometimes here, especially with long threads) - my prediction (your quote is of a follow-up to it) came in the context of people writing that they have to wake up at 6am (PST) or complaining they may be busy at that time and miss out since the 1,000 units would sell out in minutes!
I was just giving my advice that there is no reason to rush since it will NOT sell out.

Anyhow, have a happy holiday season and enjoy the music

 

[SirMagnificat]

I have very similar taste to you (also quite sensitive to upper mids), and I think you'd prefer either the Utopia, Clear, or Elex since the Elear has pretty exaggerated bass. It's good bass (great bass, actually), and I can see why some would like the tuning, but it's really too much if you prefer a more neutral or neutral-warm sound. I've only demoed it the Elear for a short while (along with the Utopia), but from the descriptions of those who have heard it and the graphs, the Elex seems like it's much closer to the Utopia's tuning which I liked more (closer to neutral). Also, the Elear's cable is ridiculously heavy and long; you would likely end up replacing it.

Seems lots of people are comparing these to 1990. Could anyone having tried both provide a bit more detailed comparison?

I already have (and love!) 1990 and was looking at Elear/ AFO for protential upgrade, then came the Elex which makes it more complicated. I was looking for something with quality sub bass but not some huge mid bass bump, engaging mid range without significant upper mid lift (because I'm insanely sensitive in this range), and relaxed treble but with decent extension. Looks like I'd better just grab Elear or AFO instead of waiting for the Elex?

 

[dannyvstheworld]

I have very similar taste to you (also quite sensitive to upper mids), and I think you'd prefer either the Utopia, Clear, or Elex since the Elear has pretty exaggerated bass. It's good bass (great bass, actually), and I can see why some would like the tuning, but it's really too much if you prefer a more neutral or neutral-warm sound. I've only demoed it the Elear for a short while (along with the Utopia), but from the descriptions of those who have heard it and the graphs, the Elex seems like it's much closer to the Utopia's tuning which I liked more (closer to neutral). Also, the Elear's cable is ridiculously heavy and long; you would likely end up replacing it.

Thanks man. The cable is definitely a down side. I see you also have a lot of Grados, so if you still describe Elear's cable as "ridiculously heavy", I can't imagine how ridiculous it is lol..

I have to say that judging from the frequency response graphs alone, the Clear looks like the perfect headphones to me, while the Elex/ Elear show some sub bass roll off from 50 Hz. I think I'll go demo the Elear in the next few days, and if I don't notice some significant sub bass roll off, I will just wait patiently for the Elex; but if I don't like it then I should probably save up for the Clear.

(Or I'll find I love that exaggerated Elear bass and just go for it.. that would save a lot of trouble..)

 

[MadMan007]

Thanks man. The cable is definitely a down side. I see you also have a lot of Grados, so if you still describe Elear's cable as "ridiculously heavy", I can't imagine how ridiculous it is lol..

I have to say that judging from the frequency response graphs alone, the Clear looks like the perfect headphones to me, while the Elex/ Elear show some sub bass roll off from 50 Hz. I think I'll go demo the Elear in the next few days, and if I don't notice some significant sub bass roll off, I will just wait patiently for the Elex; but if I don't like it then I should probably save up for the Clear.

(Or I'll find I love that exaggerated Elear bass and just go for it.. that would save a lot of trouble..)

Note that in the FR graphs with the direct comparison between the Elex and the Clear (second and third to last graphs at the start of the thread, one raw, one with compensation applied) the frequency range goes down to 10Hz, making the bass rolloff look much more severe than it would on a 20Hz-20kHz graph. I don't know why Jude did this, some of the other graphs in the same post go down to 20Hz, so posting graphs with tiny text and different scales is a bit deceptive. The Elex doesn't go quite as flat to 20Hz as the Clear, but it's only a few dB lower.

 

[dannyvstheworld]

Note that in the FR graphs with the direct comparison between the Elex and the Clear (second and third to last graphs at the start of the thread, one raw, one with compensation applied) the frequency range goes down to 10Hz, making the bass rolloff look much more severe than it would on a 20Hz-20kHz graph. I don't know why Jude did this, some of the other graphs in the same post go down to 20Hz, so posting graphs with tiny text and different scales is a bit deceptive. The Elex doesn't go quite as flat to 20Hz as the Clear, but it's only a few dB lower.

..Indeed. I didn't notice it, thanks for pointing that out.

They probably show these to tell us it's not a Clear driver; up from 20 Hz it looks exactly like a Clear driver.

 

[jude]

..Indeed. I didn't notice it, thanks for pointing that out.

They probably show these to tell us it's not a Clear driver; up from 20 Hz it looks exactly like a Clear driver.

That is correct. On that graph, that is why we went lower -- I knew many would assume they were exactly the same otherwise. This was not an attempt to deceive, and I made sure to state the measurement frequency range in each of the frequency response measurements (link), which I won't normally do in the title if all the graphs are spanning the same range.

All that said, in my opinion, the measurements of these two headphones are more similar than listening impressions might suggest.

 

[dannyvstheworld]

That is correct. On that graph, that is why we went lower -- I knew many would assume they were exactly the same otherwise. This was not an attempt to deceive, and I made sure to state the measurement frequency range in each of the frequency response measurements (link), which I won't normally do in the title if all the graphs are spanning the same range.

All that said, in my opinion, the measurements of these two headphones are more similar than listening impressions might suggest.

Thanks for the clarification. I also noticed you reiterated it was down to 10 Hz just up above the 2 more extended graphs, it was pretty clear to see. Not sure why I missed it the first time.

I know the measurements don't show the full picture, but for these Massdrop collaborations, these are probably the most useful information available, so thanks for doing these for us.

 

[Fatdoi]

However good it is, seems the drop is shrinking by the day