Focal Elear and Utopia

Utopia and Elear in the house on demo.

Not gonna say much except the Utopia is probably the TOTL headphone not tuned anemically. I can definitively say it is a genre master.

I don't even want to talk about the Elear.

I am sitting here pissed because I bought the Elear but can't afford the Utopia. Stupid freakin hobby. Comparison is the death of Joy.

 

So true @gbeast. Know the feeling! But I also know I still enjoy my cans after comparing to multi k$ models. If you dont enjoy the Elear I will gladly look after it

 

You need to listen to an HD650 from a Mjolnir 2 and then tell me that it sounds veiled and not so alive

Seriously this is worth a try.

 

problems with 10k? Time for toilet paper!

 

Since you haven't really received your Elear yet perhaps you can change your order to a Utopia and top up the difference?

 

"...can't afford the Utopia."

 

"Cocaine is a hell of a drug"

 

So I think it would be rude for me not to publicly thank http://thesourceav.com/ and Jason Lord from that shop for sending me the loaners in time for our meet. He has turned my frown upside down after my broken pair and I didn't expect such courtesy.

BIG PREFACE:
The below is a copy and paste from a PM I responded to. I kept expounding because I wanted to share it here and figured I would kill two birds with one stone. Also this is very RAW, unedited and is to be read as if I was talking to someone in person before trying to correct and fix any possible misconceptions I had about the headphones before making it public. SALT


ELEAR

The Elear vs Omni:

Detail: I would say they are about a tie, the Omni is a lot less dynamic so what details are there are more laid back but the resolution is on a very similar level. I didn't directly compare so this is only from memory.

Midrange: Again Very similarly tuned actually. I would give the edge to the Elear for midrange balance and forwardness. There is more immediacy with the Elear since its dynamics and open sound make the midrange more vibrant but when looking at it from a perspective of balance alone they are actually very similar. I tend to prefer dynamic drivers for the midrange and this is no exception.

Treble: The elears noted peak in the treble is not fatiguing and The Omni has one as well but it is slightly less prominent. The Elear sounds like it has more extension

Bass: The Omni will win here for solidity and texture while some kick drums will punch through the recording with more energy on the Elear. I would still give this dept to the Omni since I like its solidity but punchiness goes to the Elear. The Omni probably has more bass as well if so not a whole lot more though

Transparency: The Elear is more transparent

Soundstage: The Omni IMO has wonderful soundstage But the win would go to the the Elear it flows more effortlessly and sounds more open and spacious.

Comfort: Elear

VS HEK:

Honestly I would take the Elear over the HEK given the choice even if priced the same but this is totally subjective. After the meet I learned we all have different priorities. A gentleman came by and listed to his LCD XC on my right and actually found it too dynamic for him compared to the questyle dual mono stack which is something I aim for.

The bass is more present, the midrange is more natural, the soundstage is more natural even if the hek is a bit bigger it lacks the proper depth. I didn't directly compare but like the Elears soundstage more. The Elear soundstage is has a seemless flow to it that everyone at the meet kept pointing out. They didnt say it was huge but that it was effortless and natural. The HEK misses the mark there.

The HEK is more detailed but can handle less genres and is a little more peaky sounding in the treble. I personally am put off by the HEK because it hampers my treasured dynamics even though the resolution is great. With a lot of power the HEK picks up but still doesn't bring the emotion the Elear does. I wouldn't disagree with anyone that says say the HEK is the better phone though y when going merit by merit It is just that the Elear packs the package of sound more completely.



VS Kennerton Vali:

Separation: tie

Soundstage: Very easily goes to the Elear. The Kennerton has a good space and separation with very good layering but the Elear, despite being less dense tonally, is very much less congested sounding and natural. The soundstage is wider and deeper on the Elear and also more open and airy

Bass: quality and presence goes to the Vali very easily in my opinion while extension goes to the Elear slightly it seems by measurements

Comfort: Elear

Midrange: This is wierd, I am addicted to the Vali midrange, it is no doubt too thick for some with extra decay that makes things sound less tactful but I would argue that it occasionally sounds more clear(edit: vibrant) on simple songs or more rich and wholesome. The Elear handles complex passages better because it has better upper midrange presence and flow. The Valis midrange can get left behind on rock or heavily instrumented music and after listening to some songs would be considered recessed buy some. So the win would be for the Elear with the Vali taking the personal and very subjective win on a rare few songs.

Transparency: Elear for sure overall and its decay is cleaner and faster. The transients are snappier as well.

Dynamics: Honestly believe it or not the Vali is very close. It was, up until the Elear, the most dynamic open back I have heard. The stronger tones of the Vali can be more addicting at times coupled with its dynamics. Drum smacks have more slam even in the midrange but the Elear swells in loudness faster with more immediacy.

Overall the Elear is the easier to recommend and I realize my affair with the Vali is more polarizing.

UTOPIA

NOW I REALLY DO NOT CARE WHAT REVIEWS SAY OR ANYONE ELSE BECAUSE THIS IS SIMPLY MY OPINION

I also was not expecting to like the Utopia because I love my basss!!!

THIS HEADPHONE IS THE FREAKIN BUSINESS!!!!!!

First let me preface this by saying that despite me being such a notarized basshead, the Utopia is the best piece of gear I have ever put on my head. There were a couple of folks that said that they would take the Elear over the Utopia regardless of price. Some that say they preferred its balance and I am going to buck that trend, well correction, I kind of prefer the Elear balance but the Utopia is not far from the mark and is clearly the better phone IMO.

The Utopia has a peak in the treble that can get a little fatiguing but it is nowhere near on the level of being as trouble some as the previous generation of high end headphones. It would only take probably some TP to fix. On my rig it is a little too dynamic and I never really get to sit down and relax. I am always captivated by the song no matter how chill it is.

The bass is hit or miss on some songs. Compared to the HD800S I am able to play double the amount of my music though because on some tracks it responds amazingly to what is in the recording where the HD800S was very stubborn. EQ seems to be tougher to lock in on the fly compared to the 800S however. But on the right recording, yes reggae and some of my hip hop, it is very much capable. Other songs I feel like it has texture and detail with a good tightness and control but it sounds like it wants to give out compared to the Elear. The Elear has a warmish hue under and around the bass that the Utopia doesn't and is very much more consistent.


I can play more of my music with the Elear and get less fatigued but darn if the Utopia doesn't freaking blow the Elear away with the ability to carve the realist image of every note I have ever heard out of the recording. The midrange is not thin, the dynamics are wonderfully expressive, the resolution beats the HD800, HEK and lower tierd stacks I heard. I love how it responds to my tube amp!!!! I will be honest.... I loved the HD800S when I had it as being the best I had ever heard but the Utopia actually wows me. I am in pain that I cannot afford it....Agony actually.


VS the HEK

On the reggae song I played the Utopia actually sounded tighter in the bass but on another the HEK provided more foundation. However the HEK didn't respond as satisfactorily throughout my playlist. Could be the synergy of my sytem with the Utopia.

The Midrange is Vastly more clear. A few of us swapped between the Utopia and the HEK throughout a few songs and the facial expressions were wonderful. OT: Because the Elear is very transparent its much less of a wow moment. I didn't directly compare but I would give transparency to the Elear over the HEK as well. For some reason, even on other rigs at the meet the HEK didnt sound as clear as the modded 800 or Utopia

Balance and Realism: The Utopia is a more coherent package and sounds more natural even though it is still a little spritely up top. Again the way some instruments and vocals just make them selves very much distinct and clear is awesome.

Soundstage: So here was my skepticism: if it is not talked about as better than the HEK or almost as on par with the 800 I dont even want to think about it. I love soundstage even though I love other aspects more, soundstage is a very high ranking aspect for me... because I don't have speakers and I believe 4K should gain grounds across all aspects.

Well I actually find the soundstage to be very acceptable. It is spacious, very separated, it images amazingly, is not congested and actually sounds more natural than the 800 even to me which is better than the HEK by a large margin. To me this is because it images more realistically than the HEK and totally decimates it. I could be misusing the word imaging here but when a sound image appears in its location it is more in the flesh, more bold, better separated, more immediate, and better focused and better placed than the HEK (some of the adjectives are only slight differences while others are big)

VS modded 800

So this is going to be very short though. I have never heard an 800 modded this well before and the gentleman said he tried all the common mods but started tweeking his own way. The headphones were the most well worn and grungy pair I have heard and it was a brief listen but I was very impressed not only by the headphones but the gentleman's knowledge and kindness.

His pair had good bass and made me think the difference in price between the two were silly. I would still give the nod the to the Utopia because it still had more clarity, even better separation and midrange presence. The better clarity could have just been an effect of me hearing the midrange balance more forward.

I just was really expecting not to like the Utopia

 

I don't recall my asking or anybody else's asking about it in this or the other thread, but how does the bass extension of the Elear fare against the HD800/S specifically? I've never liked the 600/650 too much because they didn't extend well. HD800 is my minimum for satisfiable extension, but I would like some more strength down below 50hz. How does the Elear do in this regard? Considering its driver's primary resonance is at 50hz, I imagine it does really well-- almost like an open planar extension.

 

They don't reach as deep as most planars do but the sub bass presence is definitely more than on the 800. You get a solid 35-50 hz though I should really test to confirm, I am not in want.

 

Is that also the case for the Utopia?

 

The utopia has less qty than the Elear. It is tighter and reaches as deep audibly but gives out (quits) more on some songs.

 

Good, solid energy down to 35hz is all I could ask for really. Almost all planars I've tested start tapering off at 35hz anyways, and so does my hearing. HE-560 and LCD-X were perhaps the only ones that reached down to 30hz fairly confidently.

 

Tyll's review plus the feedback has me thinking about flipping the home rig.

 

Hi everyone - I'm a basshead!

The Utopia blows everything out of the water and is a genre master!

But it's fatiguing!

And doesn't have enough bass!

I'm a basshead!

The Utopia does everything better than the Elear in every single way!

But the Elear isn't fatiguing!

And I prefer the Elear balance!

I'm a basshead!

Shout out to Stillhart and SourceAV!

 

That doesn't seem deserved or necessary...

 

Neither are the amount of contradictions I've seen on here and on headfi.

Impressions for new headphones are great.. But what can we gain from so many bi-polar posts like this (?)

 

Hahaha, oh Zonto...

 

Like anything else that is reviewed (movies, restaurants), find a person that shares similar tastes to your own, then see if that person has reviewed it. See who that person follows, and follow the same folks. No two people will hear the same, so reviews are always going to be varied. At some point a general consensus will emerge (Grado's are bright, HD650 is warm, Bose QC have a great combination of comfort and ANC, but are just so-so for sound) at which point that might help you to decide if you want to listen. The Focal headphones haven't been out long enough for a consensus, so you need to reply on a review from a trusted source (trusted by you), or hear for yourself.