Not quite as good as the previous low end in this deal, but the best price since March this year.
N.B: These are B-Stock, which means that the box has been opened - a two-year warranty still applies.
Focal Elear Open Back Headphones (B-Stock) - $599 Delivered (RRP $1599, Previous Low $499) @ Addicted to Audio
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Justice Edelman on 24/12/2020 - 19:37 addictedtoaudio.com.au (556 clicks)
Last edited 26/12/2020 - 13:13 by 1 other user
Last edited 26/12/2020 - 13:13 by 1 other user
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I was lucky enough to get in at the $499 point, and having owned some more mid-range sets, such as the HD6xx, these truly prosper re: clarity, precision, and timing. I use them with a modi/magni 3 Schitt stack, and it drives them very well.
My left driver failed yesterday. Bought 3 months ago from them
This is what worries me about Focal equipment. Im always reading of failures and build quality issues with their stuff.
I've worried about this before but their staff told me that these weren't really 'b-stock' just clearance…he said he had one for a year which still works fine. Glad that it is in warranty though
Sorry I meant Focal, not ATA. I grabbed the 6xx in Jan and are very happy but im considering trying something different. Had my eye on some drop headphones and I had ordered the 4xx but the delivery date keeps slipping so I cancelled. Considering these but price is a touch too high.
@PlagueistheCheap: Drop is having issues delivering outside north America. I ordered one focal elex and it stucked in New york for 2 months..
@PlagueistheCheap: Imo don't keep buying headphones in the low end. The 4XX is a noticeable step down from the 6XX in detail, and doesn't make up much for that in other departments, besides better bass extension and better soundstage (though that's not hard to do vs the 6XX).
I'd save up and buy the Hifiman Sundaras, or save a little more and get a high end midfi headphone on sale (remember, if you walk into a store like Addicted to Audio a lot, be nice, and eventually it'll become very easy to ask for 10 or 20% off products in store, depending on the product).Also, my Focal Elexs arrived defective (dead driver). I'm about to return them for a refund, got the Focal Clears for $1200 (also that's the current price) from Addicted to Audio and love them. It was a peace of mind that if the Clears arrived defective, I could just walk into the ATA in my state and get a replacement on spot, instead of sending them back to the US and having to wait 2 months for a replacement like I would have had to do with the Elex if I opted for a replacement instead of a refund.
@Salada: Thankyou
With what you have said, are the elear low end? Re the clear, I think the $1200 is just too far out of my price range. I see the sundara is also $600, I have not heard the planars directly - sundara va elear? I just see the price tags things become and wonder if the benefit is there however I really enjoy my audio and its one of the things I am happy to spend a little more on.
@PlagueistheCheap: No, the Elears are NOT considered low end, but do note that no one buys them at the $1600 price, in fact I don't really remember them being that price very much when they were actually in stock. They're discontinued as they were replaced by the Drop exclusive Focal Elex (RRP $950 AUD ish, $700 USD). The Focal Elex share the same driver, same accessories, same box, same everything but the pads. They use pads that are almost identical to the Focal Clears. Pads play a big part in sound as it changes how the frequencies react to your ear (due to distance from ear, size of pad opening, etc), how certain frequencies are dampened (depends on material type, perforations, etc), etc. The Elex with these pads aims to solve the problems most of the audiophile community had with the Elear, its 'awkward' recession in the very upper bounds of the midrange, lower treble region, and its treble spike that was harsh to some ears. This results in a more balanced sound, in most subjective opinions. Preference is a thing of course, but I think the Elex is better just going off what I know my taste is (love the Clears, but I did not ever get proper impressions of the Elex due to the dead driver)
Basically, the Elex has a very similar sound to the Clears, but as there is huge pad variation, as well as lots of variation in the Elex units due to lower QC standards for them, it's luck as to whether or not you get one that sounds similar to the Focal Clear. This review is a good example of someone who first got a unit that didn't sound as good, but his 2nd unit sounded almost identical to his Focal Clears:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGGtgRW9-PA
(also note that this is a very good review channel, Andrew and others on the channel are very grounded, don't give into hype, and have a very good mix of objective and subjective methodology in reviewing, very much so like the now retired Tyll from the defunct InnerFidelity)
Regardless, many people still like the Elex no matter whether they get one that sounds close to the Clear or deviates a bit from it.Note that all of Focal's audiophile targeted headphones share the same driver (besides the Focal Utopia I believe), the difference is that they have different voice coils and dampening materials, from construction to pad type. The exception is the Focal Elex and Elear, which, as I mentioned, have the exact same driver. The theory is, the more padded your Focal Elex pads are, the closer they sound to the Clears. My Focal Clear pads are noticeably more padded than my Elex's. While you'd think the different voice coil in the Clears would play a big part, it's not so much of a difference as pads can make.
About the Sundaras, they're value kings. I'd place the Focal Clears somewhere around 5% to 10% better than the Sundaras, whether it's worth the price increase to you depends how much you want to chase a better experience. I purchased my Sundaras at $550, and they're just so amazingly detailed at that price, almost the same as my Clears, and have a fantastic stock tuning, that would complement your 6XX tuning very well. The only downside to them is that if you have larger ears they will not be as comfortable as the 6XX by a fair margin, but if your ears are on the smaller side or just under average size, they'll be comfortable enough. Hard to beat the 6XX or any Sennheiser headphone in comfort. Also note that the Sundara is a step up in detail over the 6XX, but the 6XX already is a value king in the detail department. Sundara beats it in other categories easily though, such as soundstage, imaging, bass extension and treble extension.
For more of my opinions vs the Sundaras I wrote a little more in this comment: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/593426#comment-9861777@PlagueistheCheap: Np, happy to help.
Always best if you can try them first, but if not be sure to get a variety of opinions from reviews. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you purchase them though :)
@PlagueistheCheap: Audio Technica ATH-R70X would be worth a look then. HD 6XX upgraded, particularly for modern audio.
Should be $370-$400 during the sales.
They're very good with warranty. It's why I purchase from them, as well as the fact that they're local and only ones left. Take it back.
Wish this was $499, I would have bought it.
Mine died last week as well. Right driver though. Just mailed back yesterday.
How do these compare to DT 1990 Pros which are around the same price brand new?
For sound only i prefer elear. A balanced cable is preferred. Elear, clear, elex, elegia and radiance share the same driver unit so their sound quality are pretty much close to the same level. I've also had a dt1770 And once had 880 and 990. I tried dt1990 at store dj. I thought the treble was so harsh and i finally bought 1770
How are the 880 or 990 600ohm? Are these headphones very 'bright' as they say? im not a fan of high treble.
I've only owned the 250ohm version. They are bright but 1990 could be the brightest one. Also 1770 sounds smothering without modding which is like the opposite of 1990
Might be the same driver design, but I doubt it's the same binning so transporting the Elear drivers into the Clear won't magically make it that headphone, though it would go close.
These pair is amazing. Bought for 550$ and never seen anything better.
I bought mine at $499, been sounding great since march. Good value for money.
Focal Clear Professional is also on sale for $1200 at ATA here: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/593426
This is all part of their Christmas sale, mostly the same deals from Black Friday from what I can tell.
I bought these for the exact same price for B-Stock back in August last year, the thing was brand new for sure. You simply won't get anything remotely better for this price and while a DAC/AMP is recommended, they still sound great without one