[Todd]

Hi All,

We completed out first Elear loaner program and are set to start a new one. For those of you who missed out on the first opportunity, here is a second chance. Our standard loaner rules apply. We have this fine headphone in stock for those of you who decide you like it enough to buy it. We offer free shipping with all Elear (and Utopia) purchases! We will limit this program to 8-10 people. I look forward to hearing from you and later on reading your impressions of the Elear!


Loaner Program Rules:



Send your name and address as well as a telephone number and your Head-Fi user name to me at todd@ttvjaudio.com. Do NOT PM me as you will not be included in the program without an email.

You will get the loaner for 1 week to use in your home with your system. After your one week is up, you must send it to the next loaner participant. Email me (todd@ttvjaudio.com) the tracking info so I can pass it on to the recipient.

You MUST write a review and post it in this loaner thread. It must be posted in the same thread as this announcement for the loaner program. Please do not post it somewhere else!

Once you have received the loaner, email me to let me know you have it and I will send the address for the next person.

Our loaner programs are USA only. We are restricted from shipping/selling outside the USA on most products.

Todd
TTVJAudio

 

[Makiah S]

Oh, I'd love to get to hear this!

 

[Todd]

I have a few more openings if anyone is interested...

 

[Makiah S]

Todd I guess it's you and me on this on! I emailed you, but I'll ask you openly. Do you mind, If I take these with me to the Greensboro NC meet on the 27th this month. I'm hoping you'll be alright with that! A few of the guys up there are excited at the chance to hear them, though even while speaking about them on that thread I've left the final decision to you.

Moving on to my first impressions

These are heavy, the cable is very rugged and also exceptionally heavy. Sound wise, I'm really impressed! They are quite dry, even with my Ember II, though at no point do they sound thin or metallic! I'll be comparing them directly to my HE 4! Should be an exciting week!

Though with an very initial comparison, it doesn't have the tactility that the HE 4 does, but the HE 4 doesn't quite have the edge in timbre, there's a sweetness to the Elear that the HE 4 doesn't have.

Though, that is more of the Elear pairing nicely with my Project Ember II... and it really does Pair nicely!

Spoiler: SingleEnd Out Comparison Notes

As a quick foot note, I did a volume matched comparison of the Elear with my NFB10ES2 SE out, and the Ember II SE out, and the Ember was just better overall for Single Ended output which is part of why I own it, without a balanced Cable I really can't compare the Elear to the HE 4 out of the same amp. as the SE out of the NFB 10ES2 is warm, and a little congested... the Ember has the same warmth, but the much better clarity

That said, I'm going to stick with them for the next few days before I do another comparison. As the Elear has a sound signature that I really like! An a tonal presentation different from, but equally as present as my HE 4

 

[imbroke]

Emailed you if you have more openings

 

[ngoshawk]

These are fantastic, as I got in on the first round...you peeps should jump on this...the Elear is brilliant, plain and simple. I loved them.

 

[Galm]

I really need this to happen with Utopia... No where anywhere near my to audition the thing...

 

[nimbostruck14]

I sent an email of my interest if there is still space!
I received the chance to listen to them from Mshenay at the meet I organized and I was thoroughly impressed.

 

[ahmadfaizadnan]

I've sent an email and hope there's still opening

 

[Makiah S]

Sound wise, I've had these on loaner for a little over a week. I'm currently waiting to hear who get's them next, but for now I can say I like their combined smoothness with an excellent black background and overall detail, I recently took these with me to CanFest 6 in NC and EVERY ONE loved them! I couldn't keep them at my table at all! So Focal clearly has a winner here

I'm not as big of a fan, as I find it to be too smooth, unlike my HE 4 and the Utopia [which I got to here] the Elear is too smooth, and switching to a Solid State doesn't give it the same tactility/presence as my HE 4 and the Utopia have, so I prefer it with my Ember II running a 6sn7W JAN-CHS, I get a stunning mid-range with a lot of detail.

An the mids, are what set the Focal Apart I think, I recently heard the Grados RS2E and the Elear leaves me with a similar experience, while not as intimate as the Grado, they both share a beautiful detailed mid range. With the Elear offering big improvements on the sound stage, though the Grado has a bit more PRESENCE, still I'm finishing up my review and official comparison to my HE 4 today, and I'm hoping Todd get's back to me soon with whose getting these next!

 

[ahmadfaizadnan]

Sound wise, I've had these on loaner for a little over a week. I'm currently waiting to hear who get's them next, but for now I can say I like their combined smoothness with an excellent black background and overall detail, I recently took these with me to CanFest 6 in NC and EVERY ONE loved them! I couldn't keep them at my table at all! So Focal clearly has a winner here

I'm not as big of a fan, as I find it to be too smooth, unlike my HE 4 and the Utopia [which I got to here] the Elear is too smooth, and switching to a Solid State doesn't give it the same tactility/presence as my HE 4 and the Utopia have, so I prefer it with my Ember II running a 6sn7W JAN-CHS, I get a stunning mid-range with a lot of detail.

An the mids, are what set the Focal Apart I think, I recently heard the Grados RS2E and the Elear leaves me with a similar experience, while not as intimate as the Grado, they both share a beautiful detailed mid range. With the Elear offering big improvements on the sound stage, though the Grado has a bit more PRESENCE, still I'm finishing up my review and official comparison to my HE 4 today, and I'm hoping Todd get's back to me soon with whose getting these next!

What kind of music do you listen to?

 

[Makiah S]

What kind of music do you listen to?

All kinds, I primary stick with 9 tracks, for critical listening,

The Zephyrtine - A Ballet Story [ Fundacao Orquestra Estudio, Rui Massena] #09 Dance of the Zephyrtines
Kind of Blue (2015 Mobile Sound Fidelity Labs Re-release) [Miles Davis] #01 So What
Igor Levit: Bach, Beethoven, Rzewski #01 Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 - Aria with 30 Variations
Collected [Shadow Child] #07 The Verdict (Part 2) (Edit)
... And Justice for All - [Metallica] #05 The Shortest Straw
Migration - [Dai Quing Tana & Haya Band] #04 Gayatri
Dead Heart In A Dead World - [Nevermore] #05 The River Dragon Has Come
Jazz In the New Harmonic - [David Chesky] #08 Transcendental Tripping
Beginning of The New Legend - [Ark Storm] #06 Evolution

In addition to listening more casually to some Sublime, Eagles and a lot of other bands

Follow this link here, and It'll cover those songs in more detail,

 

[Dellwolf]

I would like to take part in this program, but I am going to be going away to work in the next coming weeks so it would be almost 2 months till I could take part.

 

[ahmadfaizadnan]

All kinds, I primary stick with 9 tracks, for critical listening,

The Zephyrtine - A Ballet Story [ Fundacao Orquestra Estudio, Rui Massena] #09 Dance of the Zephyrtines
Kind of Blue (2015 Mobile Sound Fidelity Labs Re-release) [Miles Davis] #01 So What
Igor Levit: Bach, Beethoven, Rzewski #01 Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 - Aria with 30 Variations
Collected [Shadow Child] #07 The Verdict (Part 2) (Edit)
... And Justice for All - [Metallica] #05 The Shortest Straw
Migration - [Dai Quing Tana & Haya Band] #04 Gayatri
Dead Heart In A Dead World - [Nevermore] #05 The River Dragon Has Come
Jazz In the New Harmonic - [David Chesky] #08 Transcendental Tripping
Beginning of The New Legend - [Ark Storm] #06 Evolution

In addition to listening more casually to some Sublime, Eagles and a lot of other bands

Follow this link here, and It'll cover those songs in more detail,

that's a great track selection you got there! Gonna give it a try with elear when it arrives.

 

[Makiah S]

My official impressions are live here
http://hifilowlight.blogspot.com/2017/06/focal-elear.html
https://www.head-fi.org/f/showcase/focal-elear.21681/reviews#review-18709

I'm still working on the final verbage for my comparison of the Elear vs my HE 4, I'll have that updated here shortly