That said, it slams real nice with Joti and … Also, due to the open-back design of these headphones, their soundstage may feel more open than that the closed-back counterpart Focal Elegia and Focal Stellia. Focal believes the M-dome allows an added degree of physical space in the earcup that allows the plane sound wave to fully develop much as it would in … They also don’t sound as sharp as the Beyerdynamic. 14 comments. Dueling drummers Billy Martin and G. Calvin Weston’s ferocious “Percussion Duets” were so inventive, I didn’t mind that there were no other instruments on their album. Updates 12/4/19. I’m a lucky guy; I’ve heard almost all of the best headphones currently on the market, but I wasn’t expecting something in that league from Focal. For slightly more bass with an open design, take a look at the semi-open Beyerdynamic T1 2nd Generation, although the Elear might still offer better overall value. The downside to this, as with all openback headphones, is that they don’t block external sound, and people around you can hear the Elear’s sound. However, there is not a 10KHz notch present. The Sennheiser HD 800 S are better headphones than the Focal Elear, but are also way more expensive. Elear did a better job communicating the improvised rhythms; the LCD 2 Fazor sounded less immediate, less exciting. As mentioned, Elear is an open-back design, but not all open headphones sound as open and image as wide as the Elear. Those advantages were apparent with CDs, but even more so with some of the better-sounding 192-kHz/24-bit hi-res files I had on hand, including soul singer Macy Gray’s new Stripped album. For example, put on a pair of Oppo PM-1 open-back headphones, and you’ll feel a little cut off from your surroundings. The treble delivery is also very consistent across multiple re-seat, especially under 10KHz. I found that cable to be rather thick and unwieldy for everyday use. Elear comes with a 13-foot-long Y cable with 3.5mm plugs that connect to the left and right earcups, plus a 6.3mm plug for your amplifier. On the other hand, the very large cups of the Sennheiser might be too big for some and could create gaps. This tool will clearly show you the differences, Use our data and table to find the best headphones for your needs, Want to see us review a specific headphones? They are practically all-black, expect for the metallic silver finish on the cup hinges and logo. The Focal Elear are good open-back critical listening headphones. They are too bulky and not stable enough for sports and don’t have a microphone for online gaming. Weighted group delay is at 0.17, which is excellent. Also, the Focal are slightly better-built headphones and feel sturdier. Their sound signature is well-balanced and is versatile for a variety of music genres, especially classical and vocal-centric music. 91% Upvoted. My constellation: Sony HAP S-1, Rupert Nerve Headphone Amplifier, Focal … Their open design helps to create a more open sound, and they are versatile for a variety of music genres. The maximum amount of deviation across our five human subjects is under 3dB at 20Hz, and the rest of the bass range is consistent. They have decent clamping force to help the headphones to stay in place, but they will come off fairly easily during physical activity. THE VERDICT Super-easy to drive I’m getting Focal Elears extremely soon (will be delivered in a few short days! Low-bass is under our target curve by 4dB, and could lack thump and rumble, which is common to bass-heavy music like EDM, hip-hop and film scores. Focal … Early next month I’ll have 2x NuForce HA-200’s amps running as fully differential balanced … Both are great headphones, but the Sennheiser  might be a better choice if you’re looking for your first pair of audiophile headphones. The Focal Elear don’t offer any isolation up to 2KHz and achieved only 8.5dB of isolation in the treble range, which is sub-par. Like most over-ear headphones, the Elear are not very portable. The imaging performance is great. No doubt – this was the missing item for the perfect sound experience. The Focal Elear have good bass. If you’re looking for headphones to watch TV without disturbing your household, they leak too much for that usage too. On the other hand, the closed design of the Elegia will isolate more and leak less, making them more versatile for outside use cases. Elear is an open back pair of headphones featuring numerous innovations from Focal, which are key to their outstanding acoustics performance. the day when wireless equals wired in true objective fashion will never come, and they will be as a sad sight like a dog that tied to a post indefinitely . On the contrary, the Elear almost seems rather politely mid-centric. 2.5mm TRRS BALANCED Cable for Focal ELEAR/CLEAR/ELEX Silver Plated & Copper +OPT. They are very well-padded and comfortable headphones for long listening sessions, and their excellent build quality will last you for years. Both headphones have very similar frequency responses and should sound practically the same way, but the soundstage of the Audeze is better. They’re beautifully crafted and a pleasure to use. The Focal Elear are better critical listening headphones than the Sennheiser HD 650, but they are also more expensive. I'm not able to use the balanced cable as the M-DAC only has a 1/4-inch socket. New … The Focal Elear do not have a dock. The Focal Elear are kind of the “entry-level” models (yes, the others are even more expensive than around $1,600.) 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Most of the build is metal, and the cups are large and well-made. The Focal Elear are very well-built headphones that have a solid, high-end design. The Focal Elear is a world-class design, right up with the best of Audeze, Beyerdynamic, Grado, Hifiman, and Sennheiser’s ’phones. Elear Circum-aural open-back audiophile headphones. Enter Focal's universe. share. Focal headphones are high end dynamic units providing an accurate and full sound.They are fully balanced units, capable of outstanding performance when run with a balanced headphone amplifier and balanced … Poor isolation and leakage performance, by design. This thread is archived. These over-ears are bulky, heavy, and not stable enough for physical activity. Buy NewFantasia HiFi Cable with 4-pin XLR Balanced Male Compatible with Denon AH-D600, AH-D7200, AH-D7100, Meze 99 Classics, Focal Elear Headphones … Not only that, the headphone driver’s back-and-forth movement (excursion) is far greater than a tweeter’s, so its suspension and magnet structure have to accommodate a much larger range of movement than a dedicated tweeter. © 2021 9298-5266 Quebec Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Focal Elear are great looking headphones that have a high-end and premium feel. The Elear is an open-back, over-the-ear design using a 40mm aluminummagnesium dome driver. These headphones are very comfortable. read Aloha friend and Welcome aboard!! Looks like I'll soon be shopping for a new headphone amp! Elear is tonally richer and sweeter than the Utopia. The Focal Elear are great critical listening headphones that have good audio reproduction and are one of the better-built headphones we’ve tested so far. Heck, there are several headphones costing more than two grand where build quality isn’t close to the handcrafted feel of the new Focal … These headphones are not the most stable and won’t be suitable for sports. However, if you’re gaming alone in a quiet room and have a stand-alone microphone, these could be great headphones to game with thanks to their wired connection, great comfort, and great sound. Elear are audiophile open-backed headphones manufactured in France by Focal. I also spent some time comparing Elear with Focal’s reference model, the Utopia. The Sennheiser have more accurate reproduction of the treble range than the Elear and also have a better speaker-like soundstage. The Focal Elear open-back dynamic headphone was officially released in late 2016 and remains in high demand and limited availability as they slowly trickle out of Focal… This suggests a decently large soundstage that may be perceived to be located inside the listener's head as opposed to in-front. Focal Elear open-back wired headphones reviewExcellent sound qualityBeautiful designA little heavy9Overall ScoreSound9Design9.5Comfort8.5Value9We review a ton of consumer-focused headphones here at Headphone Review, but every now and then we get access to something truly special. Mid-bass, responsible for the body of the bass guitars and punch of the kick drums, is almost on our neutral target. The significant portion of their leakage is spread between 300Hz and 20KHz, which is very broad. Its 'Made in France' know-how has been recognised for more than 40 years. Although the Elear provide better value for use in a quiet listening room, the Stellia have deeper bass and also isolate more noise, which is better for use in environments with more ambient noise. This performance is expected by open-back headphones. 13-foot-long cable is unwieldy. These headphones are designed for critical listening, and their open-back design doesn’t isolate any noise for commuting or the office. 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