At one point, they were selling elex pads on md for 70 which was reasonable, but that wouldn’t make an elear an elex
Since Oratory1990 has measured all the current Focal premium models with professional-level equipment and posted the results on Reddit, it’s easy to answer this question:
To translate into words: there is no meaningful difference up to 1 kHz. Then they diverge radically starting at 3 kHz. Much of the criticism the Elear received was centered directly at the steep dip in loudness from 4 to 6 kHz which just emphasized the spike at 6. But the recession from 1.5 to 3 kHz remains.
However the degree that there is a recession there is really a matter of taste. I’ve use the Harman 2013 target to compensate here, since it’s very close to the target Rtings uses that several forum members think highly of. But this Harman target has a 12 dB peak at 3 kHz, so if you prefer more relaxed upper mids, subtract a couple dB in that general area.
(Incidentally, the roll-off below 100 Hz is again entirely a function of the target compensation applied. Most FR graphs that people look at have some unknown compensation applied. Yet without know what that compensation looks like there’s no way to interpret the data.)
A fair amount of the focal headphones measure similarly, but do sound different
Yep, similar but different. Just untangle this plate of coloured spaghetti and it will all become clear:
One thing that jumps out is how the two close-backs are the ones with noticeable departures from the pack in the bass. Another thing is how the Clears seem to hold to the middle ground.
But of course frequency response is only part of their acoustic signature. Being quite possibly the only regular on the forum to have had a meaningful amount of head time with all six of these, you can describe how they compare and contrast when the situation calls for it. After all, that’s what we keep you around for.
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So I initially didn’t like the Elex, but I knew I needed to give them a few days to acclimate. My first 10-minute side by side impressions of the Elex were disappointing compared to a DT 1990 Pro, which I favored at that point. However, after using the Elex in my regular routine for several days, they won me over. 
Approved.
I do love me a good 97*76 series sound, which I still favor, but the Elex won me over. I would give them a J.D. Powers and Associates award if I could.
I will admit I didn’t give the Phantoms much a chance, I know I could have modded them to taste. It just came down to a choice of using them to fund new headphones or use more funds to mod the Phantom, I chose new headphones. I will say that my pair of Phantom’s made its rounds, so I’m happy I got them for different reasons.
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I was suprised when i got my elex, Zeos said that focal Elear where built like a french tank. And they seem solid enough but their really really open. i can see through the entire headphone looking at the grill. Their too open. I have this theory that semi open or closed headphones are the best. theres a mod i saw where someone put a round filter inside them and said they sounded better. although they really sound great on their own, I think this headphone is good for modding.
They have a lot of treble. so much they reminded me of the Sendy Aiva’s. I think they are on par with the Aiva’s and thats high praise. Mon believes they are better and im not sure i disagree. I posted a review of them vs the Sendy Aivas here:
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I mean if you prefer the sendy, it’s better to you lol, don’t take my opinion into account when you own them yourself and can decide what you like
i think i’ll keep them both lol
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The Elex’s dropped to $600.00 on Drop today.
Shane D
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What is the Focal Elex’s durability like? I ask because there’s someone in the local audiophile community here in the Philippines who’s on his fourth replacement Elear. I know it’s a different model, but it has me worried anyway.
So, off of what I have seen regarding the elex (you can ask gregrob lol) there could be some qc issues. Typically focal is very good about quality control and have very solidly built products, but it seems that the newer batches of elex have some issues. I personally still think you would be fine, but something to take note of
Mine is 6 months old with no problems.
N=1 of course.
Mine turned up today.
Spent less than 30 minutes listening so far, but damn.
I can’t wait until I get some time to actually listen tonight.
I just missed out on the Massdrop price drop, but I’m very happy with the purchase so far.
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Well that’s good that you like them 
Any comparisons to other headphones?
I need to listen more.
I don’t have anything else in the same price range to compare them to.
The thing that jumps out to me is how complete they sound, and how pleasant they are to listen to.
They are definitely laid back, and perhaps could be a bit faster in the bass frequencies, but with such limited listening it’s hard to be critical.
They sound considerably better as a package than anything else I own.
My K7xx do nothing better, my 598’s I’ve never really enjoyed, my t50rp’s are faster, have more bass, but the bass sounds artificial, on some recordings they sound like a set of speakers with a terrible bas/midrange crossover tuning.
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I think they get better once they burn in and you get more used to the signature in your mind too
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Yes that’s my expectation, I was just very pleasantly surprised out of the box.
Do you think it is as technical as others mention?
Give me a couple of days to listen to them and break them in a bit.
I’m always unsure if I understand what technical is in this context, my initial impression is there is a lot of detail, soundstage is very solid and quite wide.