Product Description

Focal Elear

Hailing from France, the Focal Elear is an amazing high-definition pair of audiophile headphones. Focal first entered the market with car speakers and audio consoles. In 2012, Focal decided to try their luck with headphones. Since then, Focal has been one of the top names to go to in the world for audiophile cans.

The Focal Elear is the company’s version of its signature model. The company had received a lot of requests for a more affordable version of the Utopia, so they decided to cater to their base and release the Focal Elear, less expensive Spirit Professional, Spirit Classic.

The Focal Elear is an 80 headphone with a frequency response of 5 Hz – 23,000 Hz, which doesn’t sound impressive but sure is. There are several models of headphones that have better ranges, yet don’t have the clarity that the Focal Elear brings to the table. These cans don’t need an amp to function.

The building of Focal Elear

Structurally, these headphones are built pretty solidly. They are made from a lightweight aluminum-magnesium alloy and are very sturdy. The pads are made of soft memory foam and covered in microfiber material. The top of the headband is covered in leather with the underside of it utilizing the same microfiber fabric.

The Yolk, or the connector between the headband and the can of the ear cup, allows for a bit of shifting, approximately 10-15 degrees, which makes the headphones have a bit more give.

Vertically, the headphones can be adjusted to about 20 degrees. These aren’t big adjustments. In fact, it seems that focal included them to alleviate some of the more stressed joints of the headphones.

Included in the box is a 13-foot durable cable that has a 1/4-inch connector at one end and two 1/8-inch cables at the other. The ability to possibly use different cables with the headphones is limited.

The cans are dome-shaped and appear to be more like speakers with ear pads than headphones. The headphones have a bit of weight to them, but they are not extremely heavy. They actually feel heavier in your hand than they do on your head. The build and comfort are very noteworthy.

Headphone amplifier for Focal Elear

The Focal Elear can be driven to a respectable SPL from most headphone jacks, so a dedicated headphone amp isn’t required. At the same time, the headphones will likely scale in sound quality with a better amplifier and DAC pairing. The 80 Ohm impedance means that the Elear will do fine on headphone outputs with no more than 10 Ohm output impedance. Any higher will accentuate the 80 Hz region.

Neutral listening experience

Good for neutral listening. The Focal Elear has great audio reproduction with good bass performance, an even and flat mid-range, and decent but slightly veiled treble. Their open design helps to create a more open sound, and they are versatile for a variety of music genres.

They are very well-padded and comfortable headphones for long listening sessions, and their excellent build quality will last you for years. However, they lack sub-bass for bass fans.

Last Thoughts about Focal Elear

The Focal Elear has good performance. The overall response is relatively well-balanced and even, which is important for producing accurate vocals and lead instruments. The dip from around 4KHz to 6KHz will have a small negative effect on the brightness and detail of the vocals and instruments, while other S and T sounds might feel too sibilant. Definitely recommended.

Specifications

• Type:  Circum-aural open-back headphones
• Impedance: 80 Ohms
• Sensitivity: 104dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHz
• THD:  <0.3% @ 1kHz / 100dB SPL
• Frequency response: 5Hz – 23kHz
• Loudspeaker: 137⁄64“ (40mm) Aluminum-Magnesium “M” shape dome
• Weight: 0.99lb (450g)
• Cable length: 9.8ft (3m)
• Connectors: 1 x 01/4“ (6.35mm) stereo Jack connector
• 2 x 09⁄64“ (3.5mm) Jack