Focal Elear and Utopia Impressions at Source AV

Cordoba rhymes with Utopia...

 

Unless it's leather made from Ricardo Montalban's own skin, it's not worth $400.

 

I have to ask, since I can't seem to to get a consistent consensus between the subreddit, here and the Discord: Did the Elears live up to the hype? Considering how much I like the Atticus (and how much I liked the Elear when I heard it at a meet briefly,) I was thinking of going for these as my next headphone. My only issue is that I've been told it has a fatal flaw, and some other things.

 

I think you need to be more specific. What is the "fatal flaw"? What are the other things? Are we suppose to read your mind?

 

Yep.

No, I wasn't specific because I wasn't told what it was until a few minutes ago, haha.

From what I've been told, it is grainy, the large upper-mid dip, and it is shouty at higher volumes. I didn't hear the grain though when I listened to it at the meet for a short time.

 

Consensus on those who've I talk with and my own impressions are same as what you have heard, mid dip is annoying, peak around 10k is fatiguing, And u would add that it has too much damn bass for critical listening. I can see the grain comment, but tis not what killed the can for me.

That said, there have been threads here about modding and alleviating or reducing those problems. Try and look up Hands and JK47's work on these, there is a modding thread out there somplace.

 

As an early Elear owner, I'd say it did not live up to the hype, but still has some things going for it. The pad swaps and/or felt disc helped mitigate what I considered basically a dealbreaker in that upper mid dip. Kinda heavy too. But a well built, bass heavy, openback that can sound good with minimal amping considerations still has a place in this hobby for a certain person or use case, especially at the current used prices.

I would suspect a "consensus" from what I've read, if there really is a sort of thing, would fall somewhere around the above, plus or minus personal taste considerations.

I will add that my first couple of weeks with the Elear was an absolute blast, and I could see why it does well at meets. But it just didn't have the long term staying power for me, with HD800 being my "main", mostly because of the upper mid dip and the peaky treble

 

Thank you, meant to get around to that thread. I think it's on the Elear measurements thread. I may just get a HD800 (or DT880 if my child forces me to cheap out) in the future for critical listening.

What pad swaps did you do? I have some Eikon pads and an extra set of Ori (basically lambskin oval pads) I can try in the future.

If I can alleviate the upper-mid dip and the 10k peak, but I could probably stick with the Elear for awhile.

 

Angled HM5 pads (not pleather or hybrid) seem to be the best fit, from what I've been advised and my personal experience. Filter paper also apparently helps a lot with the 10hz peak, though it never bothered me so I didn't try it.

 

I used angled HM5 as outlined in the Elear Measurements thread by Hands. I also played around with the open cell foam from that thread but preferred it without. I have an Eikon now but did not at the time of Elear ownership.

 

I FINALLY got to hear an HD 650, It was excellent. Though quite stock. I frankly, don't really like the Elear given it's price, yes it is PHENOMENALLY smooth and pleasant sounding, the dynamics are really impressive but it doesn't stand out to my ears... the highs are ok, the mid bass hump is... obvious an the mids while very beautiful, lack presence. It costs MORE than my HE 4 did [after mods] and feels really flimsy in my hands. Though, the last meet I attended it seemed to be REALLY popular as @PoochZag brought out, I appreciate it for what it is, but it's more of a quick fix... an easy recommendation that will impress you if you've never owned anything else in the price range. But compared to other options, I don't think it's worth while. Other options for me being my modded HE 4 and a Stock Eikon, I think since you own the Atticus, the Elear will be really just a more open version of that sound signature...

To that end, I'm going to do one final comparison tonight. The Elear vs the Atticus with Miles Davis So What

after listening with both Volume Matched AND out of the same amp... the Elear is a tad faster than the Atticus but the trade off is isolation and presence, if you need a closed back for isolation then then Atticus is the clear winner, if you don't you can move over to the Elear and get a tiny bit faster sound, though there's a lack of presence on the Elear, that I wasn't a huge fan of. Yes, dynamics are faster on the Elear, but there are times when the paino in the track is buried by that beautiful brass! Where's as the Atticus still gives you the full force and beauty of the Sax it also resolves the piano with some tactility, where as the Elear is... softer... smoother and lacking that tactility and presence tends to bury the paino

I think if you have the Atticus either trade it for an Elear, or look for another open back to compliment the closed back you have,

Overall, I've had the Elear for a little over a week, an it is pretty cool! Certainly one of the most resolved though relaxed sounding headphones I've had a chance to enjoy! It's not my personal preference, and I think there are better sounding options, but what I do REALLY like about the Elear, is unlike the Atticus, it sounds... quite similar out of both my NFb10ES2-> Project Ember, as it does straight out of my LG v20. Yes there's better resolve and definition within the sound stage out of my @home rig, but it was impressive right out of the phone too

I think for the people who just want a headphone, paired with a very basic dac/amp the Elear is appealing, it's a very solid entry point into Hi Fi, especially if you don't want to have to work to build the "perfect" synergy

 

hey, any friends have a fancy utopia cable I could borrow for a week? I'd really like to compare the stock cable and my custom cable to a really really expensive cable and see if I can hear any difference. I'd pay shipping both ways. I'd really like to hear a silver cable.

PM me if you are up for helping a friend. I'd also be happy to loan you my custom cable if you want to try it.

 

Wow...

@Torq

So I called TheCableCompany to ask about pricing... Because their lending is awesome and sounded really helpful.

So I call and talk to a "John" and say the leasing is really interesting but I was wondering about your pricing because a lot of other dealers can offer Utopia for around 3K or under.

His response, "Wow, that's awful interesting and have a nice day!" I also believe I heard laughing in the background and the line goes dead...

Even though I was still interested in paying like 200 dollars to try the Utopias out I didn't even get to finish my sentence... So I guess I'll have to take a chance and buy the whole thing because I get that it was near the end of their work day, but that was... wow.

 

No authorized dealer is going to respond positively to a request for discounted pricing over the phone to someone they don't know, at least not in cases where the manufacturer is actively enforcing dealer's to sell at MSRP.

If you have developed a relationship with the dealer, and work with them in person (or know them personally), that's when the useful discounts occur. Usually this isn't going to be on the first-purchase either - though obviously circumstances vary. Otherwise they're risking promising a discount to someone that could be from the manufacturer who is trying to find dealers that are breaking the terms of their agreements. And then suddenly they aren't dealers anymore.

I'm surprised they just hung-up on you rather than explaining the realities of dealer-pricing and MSRP enforcement, but at some point there's no mileage in a conversation with someone who's up-front needs you know you can't accommodate.

Beyond that, I don't think you're going to find an authorized dealer online that'll "offer" (or even agree to) a 25% discount for a new Utopia. In fact, if I was approaching a dealer I'd never bought from before, and looking at Focal's line-up, then I'd expect to pay MSRP (which is one reason why I didn't buy mine online).

--

From "The Cable Co" page on the Focal Utopia:

"Our pricing for this product is the "MAP Pricing." This means that the prices shown here are the "minimum advertised prices" permitted by the manufacturer. Because these are already the lowest prices possible, the additional incentives usually available under "Frequent Flyer" program do not apply to this item."
​

Which in this case you can take to mean that, even as a frequent buyer, the normal discount you would get (without asking) cannot be applied to that particular product.

 

Interesting, I've already received a 2.95k offer from a company which was why I asked. You're right though, I'm not very experienced at this. I bought most of my audio stuff from one place who was friendly and upfront from the get go.

I still wanted to lease the things though as it's still worth it to me.

I also don't know how it's acceptable to end a call like that but whatever. I don't hold grudges maybe I'll call again tomorrow and lead off with can I lease the Utopias.

No chance I'm buying from them this time around though lol. More money and they laugh at you... Funny indeed.

But I appreciate the advice I'll keep it in mind going forward.

 

Sounds reasonable, and there are two sides to every story.

 

Some companies will do such things; not everyone follows their agreements. And some companies don't have them in the first place ... if you're not buying from an authorized dealer they won't, and at which point Focal can't do anything about what price they want to sell at. Of course, you also won't have a warranty in that case (and I understand it, Focal won't repair, even at cost, items for secondary purchasers and/or from non-ADs).

One or two authorized dealers will offer "open box" or "store demo" models at lower-than-MSRP - where "open box" is literally them opening the box and "claiming" they're used when in reality it's just a means to work around MAP policies and they're really brand-new. How often this occurs, and with what brands, depends a lot on a) how seriously the manufacturer takes their MAP and b) how much the dealer cares about the potential to not be an authorized dealer for a given brand anymore.

 

The key here is minimum advertised pricing. These kinds of policies are permitted under antitrust law, if reasonable. What a manufacturer or distributor may not do is dictate the price at which a product must be sold by a retailer. That would likely be found by any competent court as an unreasonable restraint on trade. Getting a one-off quote from a dealer over the phone or via email likely does not qualify as advertising.

For when you're sick of counting sheep:

• https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/com...ws/dealings-supply-chain/manufacturer-imposed
  
• https://www.sba.gov/blogs/how-minim...our-retail-or-online-stores-marketing-efforts
  
• https://www.americanbar.org/publica...dmap_to_minimum_advertise_price_policies.html

Edit: Of course, assuming their contract with a retailer grants the manufacturer/distributor broad termination rights (likely given their bargaining power), if the M/D finds out about these discounts they may decide to terminate, leaving the retailer out of luck. This is why the wise keep their mouth shut about discount details (both price and retailer identity) and/or use nondisclosure agreements.