Focal Elear and Utopia Impressions at Source AV

600 is on his wof, so he perhaps still has one to compare the Elear to.

 

It's in the WOF commentary for the 600 and the 650 (near the bottom where "retired" WOF headphones are discussed). I'd post his reasoning here but the man needs some clicks so visit his site

Fantastic review of the elear by the way!

 

Having read the review again it seems that the elear displays a (subjective?) level of dynamism that is not reflected in the measurements. This could be a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. It would seem to me that the only way to really find out is to listen. His description of a piano key knocking an eye out at too high a volume level has me feeling like the elear could be an acquired taste that will be end-game for some but not necessarily most?

 

Yup, just one of the main reasons I pay close attention to his reviews because like him I prefer the HD600 to the HD650, so I am more willing to try what he considers good (according to his personal taste profile).

And I've always enjoyed the LCD-X, so it was a nice surprise to read this about it in his Elear review: "I think it may be a better headphone than I think it is." If the Elear is tonally similar to the LCD-X but more "dynamic, punchy, and balanced headphone overall", sounds like a winner.

 

Having heard the Elear on a few different amps recently, it definitely has a better bass balance then the EC. In my opinion it is on par with the LCD-2, and I think it might even qualitatively be better in that department. also note that the frequency response definitely changes with amp output impedance, making it more or less bass heavy.

 

I guess it all depends on which LCD2. Honestly I am not a fan of the LCD2F bass. I even had what was called the "silent revision" and found the ZMF OMNI bass to be on a whole other tier of quality in the bass department.

The LCDF has an integrated balance though and overall sounds good but it also lacks dynamics and micro detail even though it has a very clear sound. It is not the best at layering because it has no depth or dynamics. That is where I am hoping the Elear to best it at most.. imaging and dynamics. My Kennerton Vali has better bass quality than the LCD2F as well. But the LCD-X is better than all three in terms of bass quality. It shows in Tyll's review as well as my what I remember when I owned it. I am hoping the Elear to have bass as good as the Vali.

 

I had a first generation fazor model. Mine had a five DB shelf under 50 Hz. It's always been tight and super controlled. I just could use a couple DB more quantity-wise. I think the Elears are definitely higher resolution

 

You guys think Valhalla 2 is acceptable with Elear?
Or what amplifier is/should be enough for them?

 

Somebody please find out the best tube amp match for Elear

 

Sorry, that is impossible. Too many variables plus personal preference skews that infinitely.

 

You may be looking for this from the first page.

 

So how big of a issue is this 10 khz peak? Are elear prone to sibilance? or they are just little bit unrefined in treble?

 

I'm not sure what "too dynamic sounding" would be like.

I think the Elear, to my ears, had better pacing and rhythmic sway than the Utopias - there was a wonderfully textural quality to the music on the Cavalli LAu, Questyle Gold Edition Stack, and my lil' HRT microStreamer that I took w/ me!! They just sounded more natural to me than the Utopias - which sounded like what an "audiophile headphone" probably should (IMHO): Uber-resolving, and wide-open. But, it also came off as soulless to me...

 

Came across a good review here http://audio-head.com/focal-elear-headphone-review/

 

Ain't that stillhart?

 

It is.

 

The publisher I work for was bought by a public company a few years ago. Focus has gone from creating quality resources to getting clicks (FAST) and making stuff that shows well in sales demos. Nothing else matters. If I published a blank page every month but it always got the most clicks, I'd be promoted in no time. It's incredibly sad.

 

I got the Elear for about a week and I am enjoying it. I actually got it a day before the local SBAF meeting in Chelsea NYC where I had a chance to compare it with the Utopia, and plenty of other headhones including a burned in Elear. Compared to the other Elear which had plenty of hours, my Elear was a bit more bassy, had a slightly smaller image, and in general had a sound that was a bit hardened. At least to my ears. After a week of use I think it has improved and mellowed a bit. Not sure if will change any further. Regardless, it may still be a bit too bassy for me or just right there at the limit. In some orchestral scores you feel that the low end, timpani for example, is more prominent than it should be. Nevertheless, it is very enjoyable although I would have preferred a larger image. I am driving it through a chord mojo. Its image is not very different than 650's. Other amps may do a better job. I would say that it particularly shines in recordings with dynamic shifts such as Kleiber's reference recording of Beethoven's fifth symphony. As many others have said this is a punchy headphone. Guitar and piano notes are thrown at you. It may not be best for Classical though. I get the most kick out of it when I play remastered or recent recordings of pop and rock. Female vocals, as lovely as they are, may be a tad less exciting than male ones. Maybe.

I also had a chance to try the Utopia in one-to-one comparisons again though my Mojo and using Tidal. Trying the Elear just after the Utopia was a bit of a let down. In terms of detail, it short of felt like switching from FLAC files to 320 or 256 MP3's. Tonally the Utopia is probably more to my taste at least for Jazz and Classical (I prefer the HD800 over the HD800S for its accuracy). Putting the Utopia pads on the Elear was more to my liking. However, as I understand those pads are super hard to find. The retailer I bought the Elear from told me that the pads will probably go around $400. I really hope that is not the case. Paying 1/10 of a headphone’s price for its pads may be ok for Elear but I don't think it is ok for Utopia. And it wouldn’t speak well of Focal if that is the case. I guess we will have to wait and see.

 

400 for pads is flat out stupid.

 

And I thought $50 for HD650 pads was silly haha.