I wouldn’t say I DISlike them, but–they’re not the jump up in quality I was expecting. This may be the best <$500 combo on the market. $3,100.00 Used. Focal utopia will simply be too bright for my taste. So what’s the deal than, why not keep them? Elex are an insane value, but aside from their price point they’re just legitimately good. Layering and separation was significantly better than I expected, given this is an area where its close sibling, Clear, struggles, sounding rather congested and closed in. Now, for the Utopia vs. HD800S and HE1000 comparison: HD800S sounds a bit bright compared to the Utopia. 2.5mm 4.4mm XLR 3.5mm 99% Pure PCOCC Ear... 2.5mm 4.4mm XLR 3.5mm 99% Pure PCOCC Earphone Cable For Focal Clear Elear Elex Elegia Stellia LN006997 $40.05 Get the deal I think a lot of it doesn’t have to do with even the 'phones themselves as it does my preferences, but I’ll get to that later. Having said all that, I would recommend them for someone looking for a no holds barred aggressive sound signature with great technicalities and a tone that truthfully conforms to the rough geography of the soundscape without being artificially smooth, as compared to say the standard planar sound (man I can’t help but feel pretentious writing that! Here are the measurements from the GRAS43AG for those who are interested. Founded in 1979, Focal has carved an enviable reputation for designing and manufacturing audio products of extremely high quality and high performance. Also, the Clear is far from boring and excels at plenty IMO. The Focal Stellia has finally landed on my review desk, its chocolaty goodness now oozing into my ears and brain. The advantages of AKG K702 over Elex are: 1) better, wider and more accurate sound stage, 2) reverse U shaped sound signature, 3) lighter weight, 4) less clamping force, and most importantly 5) more comfortable for long gaming sessions. Nice impressions by the way. First-up for today’s listening tests, was the Focal Elear; an extremely handsome and good-looking headphone, the build quality and engineering is immediately obvious the moment one places the Focal Elear upon one’s head. Forum Donor. GREAT imaging with a very well-defined if not smallish soundstage. Coming this week!! This set has been ok, thank God. I am very sad I am going to be returning my Focal Clears and Eliga’s to get the Stellia. For some it might even be a little bass light, as the overall tuning is close to neutral. The Focal Elegia and Focal Elear are two similarly-designed headphones that have the same great comfort and build quality. Clear OPEN BACK CIRCUMAURAL HEADPHONES. Focal Clear vs Focal Utopia. Lmao didn’t see there was an Elex thread and posted this in headphones you own, but here ya go, my elex impressions. The two Focal headphones look and feel similar; the difference in the sound is credited to the Utopia’s pure beryllium driver. For the Elex, Massdrop have done something similar to my thinking, and made the whole headphone a Sony-esque matte black, including using a darker version of the cable from the Clear. Focal Utopia. This one on the other hand is very similar to the Clear. Really fun out it changes depending on OI. I was settling in on the Focal Elex through Drop, but was reading through the discussion and discovered that Headphones.com was offering the Focal Elear w/ Utopia or Clear pads for the same price. I keep hearing that the Clears are a definite upgrade since they scale better. Here are the frequency response plots for the Focal Stellia equipped with their stock pads, as well as those of the Elex, Elear, Elegia, Clear and Utopia: The first set, above, is calibrated for 84dB @ 300Hz, raw plots, … Well, keep in mind there is some unit variation with these. Massdrop x Focal Elex. Reproduction of Pavarotti’s voice is remarkable, with enough detail to be able to hear the wetness of his lips and palette. The emotion of infinite space... $1490. Every time I put them on, they get stuck there for days. The Elear is the entry-level headphone of this upper-tier series. If Focal ever refresh, supersede, or do a special edition of the Utopia I am now wanting them to do it as a partnership with Hermès, finished in their unique orange leather. My Elex had too much glare or intensity until I switched to a balanced setup (and then I went balanced-bonkers). So, I seem to be more sensitive than you in the top 1/3rd of the frequency range. I bought these from Massdrop and run them through a Topping D70 > balanced > THX 788 via Audirvana and oh my! At $2999, this closed-back, ultra-premium headphone has already gotten the astonished run-around from plebeian publications like Forbes and the Verge – where apparently one need only own an iPhone to review a headphone. Anyways, I couldn’t have been happier when the Elear’s first arrived. From least to most expensive, we cast our verdict. Here’s an EQ I’ve been working on for the Focal Elex. And partly to see if I like Elex w/o any adjustments vs. Elear w/ True-Fi (I don't like the Elear without either True-Fi or some kind of EQ). They do lose the detail and imaging of Utopia, but they’re not bad by any means in those departments, easily beating HD650 and coming in slightly behind HD800. Resolution / microdetail / plankton / microdynamics are better than the Elear / Elex but does fall short of the Utopia. Propaganda’s 1980s masterpiece, A Dream Within A Dream is loaded up and once again, demonstrates the deep bass, smooth treble and exciting rhythmic delivery the Elear deliver in spades. If the Elex is 90% of the Clear, I’m going to be very happy with my purchase when it arrives. Using Audio Affair’s superb headphone demonstration facilities, your reviewer employed the excellent Sennheiser HDV820 headphone amplifier, connected to a MacBook streaming Tidal over USB. Two, tonal preference. Focal Stellia - Pad Rolling Results. Pretty nuts. or Best Offer. Two cables are included, one with a 6.5mm plug and one with 4-pin XLR, allowing an easy match-up with the variety of desktop amps Massdrop and others make. Give em a try if you haven’t, you might end up falling in love like I have. Focal Clear vs Utopia. They’re even better through a hybrid amp. It’s really meant to be used with the Monolith THX-AAA Balanced Amp since it uses a combination of shelf EQ for the low frequencies and parametric for the treble. I wouldn’t say this is a straight progression from the HD6xx. I used to think in my naivete that the sheer awsomeness of this or that mega-headphone would trump my sonic tastes into loving them, but I don’t think I believe that anymore. All rights reserved. As a Focal Clear owner, I’m very curious how the clear measure with Elex and Elear pads. These subtle differences can make a world of difference in the sound, comfort and overall performance … The Focal Elear has an aluminum yoke in the headband while the Focal Utopia uses a carbon fiber yoke. Non the less, the Focal Utopia displays it in the best possible light. Waiting for your EQ profile for the Elex! To my ears the Elex has too much glare, exaggerated dynamics, and not enough air. There’s a significant sonic wall effect so you can expect an intimate presentation. If not, you should really audition it. I’ve not heard the HE4XX’s but I do know they get a lot of love. The first tune to be cued up was Daft Punk’s Lose Yourself to Dance. Next will come the Elex, sounds like a logical path (HD6xx -> HE-560 -> Elex) with optimal cost/performance steps…. Focal Elear and Utopia headphones book-end the two extremes of the Focal Hi-Fi headphone range. This has the effect of making the mids more even. First of all, the build is great. These are headphones which always want to party, and if you’re down with that, then you won’t be disappointed! Are the Focal Elear the last word in transparency and detail? Focal Elear with Clear pads. Once again, that fabulous performance of Nessun Dorma is cued up; where the Elear was entertaining, the Utopia is jaw-dropping. Diminishing returns probably have something to do with it as well. When compared to the HE1000, the Utopia sounds a bit brighter, though it is not a very big difference. The presentation is immediately much more balanced than that of the Elear; the high end is noticeably more extended and detailed but is never cutting. A riot of carbon fibre and leather, even before the first note has played, the Focal Utopia are an event in themselves. Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by purr1n, Dec 15, 2017. Good midbass impact, solid sub-bass, dry forward mids, inoffensive well-extended treble. These are headphones which really crank and are very enjoyable to listen to. The Utopia is still the best headphone offered by Focal. Like some bass, vocals and highs dont like bass overpowering my music. If the build and finish of the Focal Elear were superb the Focal Utopia are positively fetishistic in their rampant use of high-end materials and quality of finish. The warm, larger than life character of the Focal Elear amplified the emotion of Pavarotti’s voice whilst the strings were beautifully smooth and silky. I got these a few months ago and they have become my favourite headphones. I’d rate the Elex as about 80% of the Clear. In short, this is a fantastic headphone that’s like 99% of the Clear (I hate reducing it to a number like that but in this case it may be appropriate) - potentially better in some areas of its FR. The Focal Stellia shares the same dome material and shape (1.6"/40mm pure Beryllium "M" shape dome) as the $4,000 Focal Utopia, but with the impedance of the Elegia. 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. I'd say it sits a bit closer to the Elear, say at the 40% point between Elear and Utopia. The biggest step up is build quality: HiFiMan cut every corner except the drivers while Focal spared no expense on the frame, hardware, and pads. elear utopia pad 1800x1023.jpg 1800×1013 466 KB. Cheers! © 2021 Audio Affair Blog. As far as sound–they are very well-balanced overall. Clearly the appearance is different but there are even physical build differences that really set these two headphones apart. Well hey, thx for the advice. The vast majority of Focal’s range is produced on-site in their hometown of St Etienne in France. $3,990.00 New. 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