Massdrop x Focal Elex Review and Measurements

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by purr1n, Dec 15, 2017.

  1. Aklegal

    Aklegal Friend

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    Man, these sound alot like my modded HD650s which means I love them very much. Treble is a bit more present but not fatiguing except after really long listening sessions - I never get fatigue with the HD650. Midrange is a little more pushed back than the HD650 but is a little clearer. The HD650s midrange is closer to you but seems to have more depth. HD650s bass is a bit fuller but the Elex sounds a tad bit more articulate - this might be because there is less of it. I'm struggling here because the two sound ALOT like to me. I can switch to the TR-X00 or K7XX after listening to either the Elex or HD650 and say to myself "ok THIS sounds different".

    Again lol, these two sound so close to me that even though I got a like new Elex for $500 I feel like I overpaid. BUT, they sound different enough that I did find songs I preferred on one or the other - though not whole genres like with a TR-X00 and HD650 comparison. Like the Alabama Shakes "You Ain't Alone" leans toward harsh on the Elex but is just right on the HD650s. On well recorded/mastered material its a toss up between the two. I can't remember off the top of my head which songs I preferred with the Elex but I do remember saying wow a couple of times while listening to thicker sounding mid-90s R&B.

    All this means is that my K7XX will find a new home soon. It looks like I will have to sell them for $100 though. 3 headphones is my personal limit although the ZMF Autuers and Aeolus have piqued my interest a small bit.

    I may modify this post later. I'm at work and I have only owned the Elex for about 36 hours.

    March 10, 2020 update

    I upgraded my source from the Digigram vx222e to the Pi2AES recently. The differences between HD650 and the Elex is now much more apparent to me. The Elex is more energetic than before and it is a little more fatiguing but man it sounds phenomenal. I am now thinking about checking out a Focal Clear. The HD650 of course scaled with the improvement to the system and sounds better than ever.
     
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2020
  2. creuzabar

    creuzabar New

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    Hello gentlemen! First I would like to say that this forum is very good, I could understand several things, such as that the overall sound of hd660S is at a level below the 300 ohms models, the explanation of the experienced Purrin (forgive me if I wrote wrong) helped me understand what I actually heard. So thank you.
    But now I have two doubts and would be immensely grateful if you could help me.
    Gentlemen a Sennheiser HD650 with any of the mods reported on this site or a combination of mods can make the HD650 compete with the Focal Elex and stay in the same league in terms of micro and macro details, general resolution, soundstage and image? Because I read that some of the mods in which the cage is removed behind the driver and applies shock absorbers increases the resolution of the HD650, but I need to know if it reaches the Focal level.
    And my other doubt is related to the problem of the driver of the Focal elex presenting cutting sounds when reaching certain sound intensity, which most scares me when I think about buying a Focal Elex one day. It is very important to know from how many decibels the problem of the sounds cutting in this headphone appears. Understand my situation, I live in Brazil, Drop does not send products directly to Brazil, so I have to use a order redirection company, and so I need to know the characteristics of this product in order to be able to instruct the staff of the redirect company so they can identify the units most affected with the problem until they receive a more close unit of perfect, so then send it to my parents. I even think about buying a decibel meter to identify better.
    I thank you for the attention and apologize if I behaved inappropriately in the post.
     
  3. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    No amount of mods, the HD650 KISS, the JAR 650, will make the HD650 have the transient response or "speed" and midbass clarity of the Elex.

    While the Elex highs and timbre can be tamed with mods (filter paper or similar) in front of the driver or damping behind it, the HD650 is slightly more resolving in the mids and highs when we start moving up to to really good amps and sources.

    Ultimately, both are different their strengths and weaknesses are opposite.

    Elex won't clip unless you listen very loudly hitting 100db 30Hz bass notes. In other words, I've never had a problem with music - as opposed to test tones.
     
  4. creuzabar

    creuzabar New

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    It's been a while since you answered me. Now that I have received my Jotunhein 2, I would like to know, in your opinion, if the Jotunhein 2 can be considered one of those really good amps that can make the HD650 more resolving than the Elex (in the mids and treble)? Just curious...
    If you can take this test when you have time available, thank you. Or any other member who has an opinion about it.
    For example in the reviews of Elex, on the Drop website, it is very common for people to rate Elex well above the HD6XX, I believe these people did not allow themselves to hear the HD650 in the worthy amplifiers.

    Thanks!
     
    Last edited: Apr 19, 2021
  5. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Onkyo C7030 CD player coax > Modi 3+
    Mofi Studiodeck TT > ifi zen phono stage
    Eddie Current 445 > HD650/600/Elex

    I became interested in these after Marv said he had a pair in his stable. I've come to trust his taste. I liked the Clear for the most part, but thought they were a little too tizzy/metallic in the upper treble. But everything else about them was captivating enough for me to keep Focal on my radar.

    These sounded just okay fresh out of the box. They opened up considerably in the first five hours. And then again around the 40-50 hour mark. Microdynamics in particular seemed to improve quite a bit over time. So these definitely have a break in period that should be considered before passing judgement.

    The Elex seems to retain most of what makes the Clear great, but dials back the bass a bit (I always thought the Clear went a little overboard on bass) and the highs seem less metallic to me to the point where I don't notice it much anymore, if at all. I don't have any problem with the highs really... they are a little rougher than the Clear, but the 445 is extremely smooth up top to compensate. I've heard people have a problem with fatigue, but so far I've not really experienced that. Could be system dependent maybe. Clear might be a smidge more resolving but I'd have to compare them side by side to know for sure. But to me the differences are so slight (if they are there) as to be inconsequential. I don't think these tiny increments in performance contribute to more musical enjoyment. It is not like the HD600 vs HD800, where the gap is significant enough to make a big deal of it.

    This is the closest thing I've heard to a literal HD650/600 upgrade (I think it splits the difference between them tonally). It utterly slaughters them both in every single category. Slam, bass quantity/quality, speed, overall clarity. Microdynamics in particular are outstanding, what makes a singer seem like a living breathing person rather than just a series of sounds.... and all the delicate subtleties in songs are greatly aided by the insane speed of the driver. They seem about as fast as Verite open. Staging is about on par with modded 650 (which is a bit larger than stock 600), but the Elex has smaller images, imaging is taller and slightly bigger on the modded 650. The 445 throws a massive stage that is pushed in front of you, so I didn't have any issues with the "intimate staging" thing others have reported in Focals. There is also none of the slight upper midrange shout the Senns are guilty of. Modded 650 might be close in resolution, but Elex is still better here I think. Elex is slightly warm, like the Senns, but feels way less sleepy sounding than even the modded 650. Modded 650 seems a bit more revealing of sources though as they are more elastic with scaling ability. I dont get the same holy shit jump going from digital to vinyl on the Elex as I do the 650, but the difference is still extremely obvious on the Focal. But Elex makes digital alot more tolerable than the 650, as in, I'm not sitting there hearing "inferior digital" on Elex like I do the 650 (which begs for vinyl). Elex seems to pull more from digital, and plays better with lesser sources. It is a better allrounder. You really need TOTL amps and sources to appreciate what the 650 is capable of... not so with Elex.

    Sennheiser is making it difficult to care anymore. I sold my 800S because the diffuse imaging was driving me nuts. And there still isn't enough bass (distortion doesn't count as bass). And they are not very fast like other high end headphones. I just feel like I'm leaving too much on the table with all the new kids on the block offering more.

    As for the more intangible things... Elex presents individual sounds in a much more distinct manner. The lower tier Senns are considerably more "homogenized" sounding in comparison. Great headphones, but they sound old and washed up next to the more advanced Focal, which seems to dig deeper into the inner structure of notes... and harmonics stand out alot more. It makes you sit up and notice, especially well mastered recordings. As a result of all this, the mood of a song is alot more apparent on the Focal. It is way more atmospheric and captivating to me. But never analytical about it, like the 800(S). There is a distinct sense of fun and excitement to be had. You can sit there and dissect every fragment of a mix and still feel emotionally caught up in the experience. This amazing balancing act is something I don't get from any of the Senns.

    I like the presentation box, but the stock cables are a disaster. Why Focal keeps using these stiff, unwieldy things is beyond me, especially since they are so universally hated. I also wish they were a bit longer.

    I also bought the Dekoni Elite Velour pads. These pads darken the signature a bit, eliminates the slightly rougher treble and gives the presentation a more liquid feel. The downside is that stage is a bit more constricted and they feel a tiny bit muddy in the lower midrange.

    But yeah, the Elex is pretty amazing, especially for $600 brand new, easily competing with the kilobuck titans that cost an arm and a leg. And seems more balanced than the Clear to me. Elex really makes me want to hear/possibly own a Utopia now.
     
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  6. FlySweep

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    An absolutely terrific review, as usual. The Elex (along with an unmodded 6XX) have been my sole cans for the past couple of years and I've said very little about them. You've mentioned nearly every noteworthy observation I've recognized about the Elex. The fact I've held onto a can (beside the 6XX) for that long does speak volumes (to me). I still look forward to using it every day. I adore its excellent low volume listening ability. It sounds pretty damn good off of most anything, but I find the Elex quite picky and sensitive to upstream matching if one wants to enjoy it long term. AKM 'velvet' series (Modi 3 included) sucks with them. This doesn't need explanation.. as the velvet series just sucks in general. The more resolving your gear down stream, the more obvious the suckiness. I don't like them off excessively high OI amps. Bass and imaging goes to shit, overall presentation gets annoyingly forward, midrange becomes closed in, and it basically turns into a jumbled mess. Conversely, super low OI (<1 ohm) isn't entirely desirable either. Many of the super low OI amps I've heard tend to present the Elex's wonderful imaging with great stability, but there was a 'compressed,' sterile quality to the sound. With excessively low cross talk, the Elex can sound too diffused and airy.. like someone flipped on a corny surround sound button. 2 - 7 ohms OI seems the sweet spot (based on what I've heard). I'd rather listen with them through my Galaxy S7E than Pi2AES> Modi 3 > SW51+. You read that right. I haven't heard them off everything out there, but I'm not sensing a hybrid with the Elex would be up my alley. Most tube hybrids amps sound like ass and rob resolution. Finding a non-shit solid state amp might be even harder. A rig with very linear bass, slightly full bodied (but expansive, open and not forward) mids, and a clean, very extended, but slightly dark treble presentation would be the ticket, I think.

    I've come to a point where as much as I love the HD650, it's probably not be the can I'm going to build around (sorry SW51+). That is unless, I find a giant pile of cash and can get some of that EC big boy goodness. The 650 will always be in my stable, but the Elex is has mostly taken over 'daily driver' duties. They're too much fun to listen with. Hope @Marvey still does an Elex appreciation post/thread/whatever. Would love to heard what he likes it paired with and his observations.
     
  7. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Yeah, I got Modi 3+ as a temporary DAC until I was able to snag Bifrost 2 again, which will be here soon. But Modi is not a long term DAC for the Elex, which reveals its weaknesses (mostly wimpy dynamics and somewhat congested presentation). I'm not as offended by the velvet stuff as most seem to be (which has been blown out of proportion), and a high end source tends to mitigate alot of it.
     
  8. Beefy

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    Thanks for the superb review. This comment really reinforces in me that I'm glad I spent the extra to grab the Clear.

    The reason I like the HD650 with my Bottlehead Crack is that it feels like such a guilty pleasure, all that low end warmth (I call it phat bass; I'm not sure if I'm being ironic or not). Except it comes at a price, because it just doesn't have the detail and liveliness across the rest of the spectrum.

    The Clear from my M3 retains every single ounce of that guilty bassy pleasure, but with none of the costs. Incredible detail and energy is retained all the way to the top of my hearing threshold. It somehow makes me grin like a toddler with candy, and stoically stroke my chin to consider the complexities of the universe. A bizarre balance that is absolutely spot on for my tastes.
     
  9. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    @yotacowboy recently posted that his Elex dropped a channel. @Ti_Leo mentioned a repair involving the lead from the voice coil to the connector wire solder point. I was searching for the other common Focal fail (headband breakage) and stumbled upon this video that tears down the Elex and repairs the broken voice coil lead (valid for Clear and Elear too I expect). The guy is Indonesian and is speaking Bahasa, but it's pretty easy to follow along.

    What I found really interesting is how the magnet assembly just pops off leaving the voice coil and diaphragm in place. Or maybe most dynamic drivers are like this, I dunno.

    Edit: it doesn't really show him doing the repair, but I think you can see the solder joint connecting the broken voice coil lead at 15:00.

     
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    Last edited: Aug 19, 2021

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