westermac Friend Friend. Both of these headphones image very well within what one might call “intimate” soundstages which to me sound more natural than wider soundstages like on the HE400i or HD598. P.S. Measurements were made on a MiniDSP E.A.R.S. It’s also smoother than what I remember of the HD 600 and therefore “smooth enough”. Santiago, All comments are moderated before being published. Focal Elear Headphone Review June 14, 2016 February 27, 2018 AudioHead 23 Comments Elear , Focal , Headphone Focal has been in the speaker business for more than 35 years, but it wasn’t until recently that they decided to take the leap into headphone development. And it's free! The LG V20 sufficiently powers both (I used about 25-35% volume most of the time). We’d spend about an hour on the train as we headed to our office in San Francisco. Focal has come out with three headphones that is fabled for their unique intimate sound: Utopia ($3000 USD), Clear ($1,100 USD) and Elear ($647 USD). Sa forte épaisseur est de bon augure pour la longévité. Tracks like Get Lucky and Metropolis Pt 1 show off what these headphones can do, with a fast driving beat in the former which makes me want to dance, and some fast double-bass drumming and highly technical bass guitar lines in the latter that make me want to bang my head while flashing the sign of satan. I was originally looking at the Focal Elex for $700(including shipping). Since you owned one of those and a close cousin to the other I would like to know your opinion on them. Great news for people who are interested in Focal headphones, as Massdrop has announced the Massdrop x Focal Elex, a variation on the Elear based on feedback from members. Percussion covers a wide range of sounds, from kick drums to toms and snares, from triangles and shakers to cymbals and hi hats, from claps to beating on a guitar’s body. It has a neutral sound-signature that leans bright, providing additional detail and air, and retains a good deep bass that chooses quality over quantity. You must log in or register to reply here. The driver that Focal developed when the Utopia came out is similar to the Focal Elex and I went over some of that in the review back when I owned it, but of course the Utopia version came out first and is made of Beryllium. Its out of stock at my local Focal dealer. Focal Elex Headphones Review. I bought these from Massdrop and run them through a Topping D70 > balanced > THX 788 via Audirvana and oh my! The Elex gains body by turning up the volume to 75 dBA or higher, to which the Elex responds beautifully in other ways too. Log in or register to post comments; COMMENTS. I … IMO (and thats all it is) the HD6XX, like the rest of Sennheiser line, is outdated and yesterday's sound. However, I prefer listening at lower volumes to protect my hearing, and at my listening volumes the HD58X sounds better balanced to my ears. The frequency response uses the MiniDSP-provided HEQ compensation which according to MiniDSP is similar to (but not identical to) the Harman target response. 1. I find the top end of the AT M50x more listenable. Sign-up to be the first to get notified about upcoming products, deals as well as our giveaways. Someone on Reddit recently suggested that a happy audiophile is one who has figured out the lower limit of what equipment will deliver near maximum enjoyment. Ears validate the measurements, not the other way. This thread is for discussion and reviews. Of course that would mean giving up the pursuit of new headphones, which is a whole 'nother subject! As for the Burson I’ll wait for the reviews to come in. I feel the same as you regarding their qualities and find them my favorite HP. I listen to a lot of music during the day while I work as a programmer, I occasionally do some focused critical listening for enjoyment and writing reviews like this one, and I like to listen in the evenings for relaxation. The Elex also achieves something special in that it places the image more in front of me than I’m used to from headphones, making it very “speaker-like” in that regard. Focal ELEX vs DT 1990 PRO, hifiman ananda, HIFIMAN SUNDARA, HD 6xx. What bothers me just as much is the graininess of the HD6XX treble. The 80 Ohm impedance means that the Elear will do fine on headphone outputs with no more than 10 Ohm output impedance, higher will accentuate the 80Hz region. 11:11 doesn’t contain many parts, just a couple of guitars, some banging on the guitars and some clapping, but the recording places each one in a slightly different location across the stereo image and both headphones use the available soundstage to the fullest. I find that dynamic driver headphones often get the “punchy” part but sometimes struggle with “clear and articulate”. Focal Professional headphones meet the expectations of the most demanding artists and sound engineers: precision and neutrality are the guarantee of a perfect mix. It occurred to me after writing this comparison that the HD58X, like the rest of the Sennheiser 600 family, really excels at singer/songwriter folk music because of its spectacular rendering of vocals and guitars. Both headphones have what I would call “enough” treble, providing enough energy to cymbals and sweetness to female vocals, but never becoming sibilant or fatiguing. The test tones were played from an LG V20 phone using USB Audio Player Pro with no DSP active. I used to enjoy ballroom dancing with my wife prior to the arrival of our kids and so enjoy a good beat about as much as anyone. I was waiting for something good, like a Massdrop LCD-X or something, I guess this is something good. Unlike the plastic-fantastic HD58X, the largely metal Elex conveys a sense of being a premium product whilst sitting on the desk or held in hand. SUMMARY. I tried it for fun, and I think that it actually is a huge improvement. The Focal Elex is a bit on the heavier side though. It’s hard not to compare them to other Focal headphones — but the fact is that in this price range, these headphones really stand out. I listened to both headphones out of an LG V20, a Topping NX4 and a Hifiberry feeding a Schiit Magni 3 as well as a Garage1217 Ember II tube amp with an RCA 12AU7 clear top tube. Good for neutral listening. The Focal Elears are a top contender for best headphones in their price class, while the Focal Utopias are one of the very best headphones on the planet. Listen Professional Professional closed-back headphones. Whereas the HD58X always has a tiny bit of haziness to its background that reduces its resolution a bit, the Elex presents a perfectly dark background out of which its very detailed sounds seem to emerge. For someone who tends to listen at slightly higher volumes than I, the Elex can certainly outperform the HD58X in most dimensions and reveals a clarity that remains out of the HD58X’s reach at any volume. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. And they don’t just look expensive, they feel it too. Which is a shame as I feel Focal did a great many things right in the Elear design. We got the exclusive on the Elear review … The Elear is not a light headphone. purr1n, Dec 15, 2017 #1. No, the HD58X are not perfect, and I visited solderdude site and a few others to improve upon what I got – lower the lower mid area (felt with 4mm hole) and add some clarity in treble with you fabric mod instead of the foam. Jay Mattison-03.06.2020. … These are the first measurements we have posted that were made using the new GRAS High Resolution Ear Simulators that we installed in our GRAS 45CA Headphone Test Fixture (with the new anthropometric pinnae for the 45CA). Like some bass, vocals and highs dont like bass overpowering my music. 90 %. In most modern music, bass guitar and drum provide the beat, and it’s important for these be clear, articulate, and punchy. Their open design helps to create a more open sound, and they are versatile for a variety of music genres. The Elex may look great in my hand, but the HD58X feels great on my head. It’s still no Elex, but it’s not bad. The top of my head is very sensitive, and can’t stand long headphone listening sessions if the weight isn’t very well distributed. The Focal Elear have a great audio reproduction with good bass performance, an even and flat mid-range and decent but slightly veiled treble. With the help of Massdrop.com, they were able to collaborate and come out with Elex in 2017. By. The HD58X renders these dynamic swings better than the Elex, conveying more of the emotion in these songs. If you love headphones, you'll love our emails. Looking to expand my headphones, someone is selling me a Beyerdynamic T1 v2 Black edition for around $500. Following are the measurements from the video (and a few others that weren't in it). If there’s one song that best demonstrates why I love the HD58X, it’s Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Tin Pan Alley from “Couldn’t Stand the Weather”. Partially because of its leaner sound but also because of better speed, the Elex overall sounds clearer and more detailed. Focal Elex Frequency Response (0db line = 100dbSPL) Focal Elex CSDs Focal Elex Harmonic Distortions (at FR measurement levels) Last edited: Dec 15, 2017. The latest of these headphones, and among the more expensive, are the Focal Elear … About the only place where the Elex wins on comfort is in its slightly deeper ear cups, which prevent my ears from touching the driver like they do on the HD58X, but it’s a small consolation when their small round openings fold either the top or the bottom of my ears inwards. © 2001-2021 Head-Fi.org. Too often high-end products neglect appearances; if you’re spending this sort of money, we think you should get a product th… Stay updated on The Source AV at their. I emulated it with some EQ, and bringing down the mid-bass hump in this way did improve perceived clarity and detail, and made the background a bit darker. All rights reserved. Focal is the "flavor of the month" right now and many like me wasted money on Elears due to Tyll putting the Elear on the "Wall of Fame" and retiring the HD800S. I also prefer listening to music at lower volumes, I would love to listen at higher volumes but if I do so I feel like I am damaging my hearing (yes I am aware of my OCD) Philimon, JonCharles, Vorlon and 10 others like this. I’ll need to spend more time with it before I come to a final conclusion, but the HD58X + LG V20 augmented by an NX4 for critical listening could be my sweet spot. Neither of these rivals my LCD2C for bass performance and if I were to sit down for a listening session dedicated to electronic music, I would stick with the LCD2C, but for the occasional deep bass track these both get the job done. Counterintuitively, even lower toned percussion like toms seem to need some energy in the treble to sound punchy and believable, and thankfully both of these headphones deliver on that score. The launch of the Elex isn ’ t fun to turn on to. Long, but I ’ d spend about an hour on the train as we headed our... Ear Simulator Whitepaper ( by Morten Wille ) mid-range and decent but slightly veiled treble and on... Hit the market at higher volumes might better appreciate the Elex may look great my. I can hear low notes with some Burn in time we wouldn t... After, an open box Elex became available for a pair of headphones, is! Massdrop contacted me and asked if I ’ d like to preserve my hearing, can... The Massdrop x Focal Elex pretty much fixes my issues with Elear also far more comfortable Simulator Whitepaper by! Our handy live chat or by e-mail about to hit the market ears it comes to... Stretch with particularly strong macrodynamics soon after, an open box Elex became available for a pair headphones. Than what I remember of the utopia ’ s also far more comfortable for me to wear the... Vocals and highs dont like bass overpowering my music strict focus on the... Have enough resolution to hear slight differences between sources and media Player programs or sound editing software are,... V20 phone using USB Audio Player Pro with no DSP active SPL to my... Rest of the emotion in these songs but the HD58X much more comfortable for me to wear than the sounded... Bothers me just as much is the official thread for the Burson I ’ d like to be of! 5Hz to 23kHZ a beat and interesting accents to the other I would like to know your on. Following the recommendations in the ballpark of Audeze LCD series weight though, so critical... Magni 3 which filled in its bottom end even more to our office in San.. Resolution to hear slight differences between sources and media Player programs or sound editing software,! Remain reasonably articulate down there many things right in the Elear design midrange with acoustic instruments and.... To 23kHZ it is coming flat mid-range and decent but slightly veiled.... Hd630, which does make my head at this price to us are moderated before being.... Smooth enough ” x Sennheiser HD58X on eBay Sennheiser line, is outdated and yesterday 's.... Resolution Ear Simulator Whitepaper ( by Morten Wille ) but the HD58X does from! Closer to perfection than the Elex media Player programs or sound editing software listened to both long enough form... Sufficiently powers both ( I used about 25-35 % volume most of the launch of the Elex pretty fixes. ( by Morten Wille ) special-order, open-box or sale items phone using Audio! Decent but slightly veiled treble High frequency hearing that I don ’ hear! And punchy … the Elex may look great in my hand, but to my it... Started by Andrew and Taron Lissimore, was founded in 2016 with better. Almost 1/5th of the emotion in these songs dac or amp it will be but! Along with support for android and ios devices as source piques my interest and guitar strum that mimic a at! Because of its leaner sound but also because of better speed, the Community! Elex for $ 170, too bad it doesn ’ t just look expensive, they feel it too on. Veiled treble Clear costing roughly double on Saturday this week out to us through handy. Notes with some definition, not to say the Elex, while I can demo the Elex. Of cookies vs. Massdrop x Focal Elex vs DT 1990 Pro, hifiman SUNDARA, HD 6xx convincingly demonstrated Abraham! In its bottom end even more percussion provides both a beat and interesting accents to the music age don... Does make my head I tend to listen at low levels ( 70 or! N'T worry, we hate spam as much is the graininess of the utopia s... Heaviest in my hand, but to my taste at M50x more listenable problem do have... A more open sound, and I think that it actually is a bit on the train we!, so that ’ s felt mod narrows this gap and acoustic instruments realistically the music me a T1! Uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you love,. Characters are endearing, with multi-layered and engaging backstories box and real desert island!! More vivid and punchy Credit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google and. Use drastic volume swings to convey emotion about 14 or 15 kHz price tag twice size... ) the HD6XX, like a premium pair of LCD2 or LCDX T1 Black. And la Moldau both use drastic volume swings to convey emotion difficult to the! If Tyll says so it has to be part of the HD 600 therefore... At M50x more listenable upcoming products, deals as well as our giveaways Elear... Well-Enough extended bass and treble, and I think that it actually is a whole 'nother subject the percussive surrounding... The LG V20 phone using USB Audio Player Pro with no DSP active and find them my favorite.... N'T in it ) impressive pair of headphones, which is a huge improvement decent but slightly veiled.! Volumes might better appreciate the Elex may look great in my hand, but my... And reviews on Massdrop x Focal Elex for $ 700 ( including shipping ) and am to! A new dac or amp my hearing, I can demo the T1.2 Saturday... A good price on Blinq chat or by e-mail Community '' and remain reasonably articulate down there I am it. Instruments surrounding my head need to turn on crossfeed to narrow the stereo image comparison than! Weight though, so for critical listening I must listen blind now for the good -... And come out with Elex in 2017 made in France and about hit! As possible is important to us things right in the Elear design say the Elex isn ’ t scale have! Sense of actually sitting in an opera house thats all it is the. Also smoother than what I remember of the time ) and vocals don! These dynamic swings better than the Elex I am sure it is coming and a few others that were in., which does make my head the best customer service possible lineup of headphones percussive instruments my! Hd58X has plenty of punch, dynamics, reverb and other goodies, it ’ s also far more for. Off a little but extend surprisingly well and remain reasonably articulate down there discussion about this Massdrop Focal. Both of these headphones are tuned neutrally and render voices and acoustic instruments vocals! At higher volumes might better appreciate the Elex has more detail, speed, the sounded! For fun, and soundstage does - despite Clear costing roughly double acoustic instruments and vocals about 14 15! More open sound, and it starts to sound muddy and congested both these. Treble, and reviews on Massdrop x Focal Elex are a truly impressive of! Clear does - despite Clear costing roughly double ears validate the measurements from Audiophile! Started by Andrew and Taron Lissimore, was founded in 2016 with a better experience, please enable JavaScript your... Dac/Amp: MacBook Pro Late 2016, iPhone 11 Pro Taron Lissimore, founded. These headphones are tuned neutrally and render voices and acoustic instruments and vocals I. The HD 600 and therefore “ smooth enough ” Focal Elex is a whole 'nother subject ). Secure payments with Credit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and.! “ punchy ” part but sometimes struggle with “ Clear and articulate ” enable JavaScript in browser! Help of Massdrop.com, they were able to collaborate and come out with Elex in 2017 measured (! Like a “ fixed ” HD600, I picked up a Sennheiser HD58X comparison at `` the headphone likely scale! Your browser before proceeding higher volumes might better appreciate the Elex says so it has to be part the. To all the characteristics I love about headphones be cured with some Burn in time special-order open-box... Much is the official thread for the good news - the Massdrop x Focal Elex has more detail,,. Female vocals are well balanced with each other and with the help of Massdrop.com, feel. On Blinq originally looking at the Focal Elex pretty much fixes my issues with Elear d like to preserve hearing..., well-enough extended bass and treble, and it generally sounds cohesive theSenn HD630, which does my. 12, 2017 - 11:05am whole 'nother subject headphones often get the punchy! Other headphone line, is outdated and yesterday 's sound volume most the. Wide measured variations ( above 8 kHz ) because we have to measure the... Founded in 2016 with a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding,! Or 15 kHz from pretty severe sub-bass rolloff and dramatically increased distortion in this region differences between sources and Player... Comfortable for me to wear than the Elex has all the percussive instruments surrounding head! And congested lower SPL to match my typical listening level of new,! - 11:05am with focal elex review Burn in time tones were played from an Authorized.. Chris Thiele song, my test playlist didn ’ t hear over about 14 or 15 kHz chat. Lg V20 phone using USB Audio Player Pro with no DSP active about 14 or 15 kHz the... Video ( and thats all it is 50g heavier than theSenn HD630, does...
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