HI, just wanna ask you something, bescause i think that you have or had the Elex and the Clears. I have ZMF Aeolus and i love it, but iĀ“m looking for a HP to complement, something more neutral. IĀ“m thinking Elex or Clear Pro, i have the Elex for 600 and the Clears Pro for 950 (new). also i want something with good and forward (intimate like 650) vocals. In your opinion what would the best choice for whar iĀ“m lookinf for? Oh and detail retrieval ( if its better than Aeolus).
So I think if you go with the elex or clear depends on what amp you are going to pair it with imo, what do you have currently?
I have the chord mojo and RME ADI-2
Hmmm, I think the clears might be what you are looking for imo. I donāt think vocals are overly forward, but I do think they are represented accurately by the clears. They are very detailed and I think they would outresolve the zmf. Perhaps in the future you could get an amp like the Rupert Neve rnhp to further improve them imo
Thanks. Funny i was considering the Rupert for same time, and also the Feliks Echo for the ZMF. My question with the vocals was with female vocals, because i have auditioned the Elears once and the female vocals were to recessed for my taste. Thanks for the info. 
Ah, the elears are a bit different, not really that great to my ears imo, but I canāt recall if they present similarly or not
Neither to mine. Between Clears and the ZMF Auteur, what do you think it was a better choice? I donĀ“t know if you ever listen to them, but despite the price ZMF is a masterpiece, and i have heard that the vocals on that ZMF are very good, just donĀ“t know if detail retrieval is on pair with the Clears.
Unfortunately I have never heard the auteur so I canāt really help you there (I havenāt heard the zmf lineup besides owning a verite)
Thanks anyway!!
Iām getting a Auteur soon. but i only have the Elex. I may get a Clear in the future but my next headphone is a Arya after the Auteur so that will be a while
I own the Elex and the Aeolus. The difference between the Elex and the Clear are minimal. The difference between the Focals and the Aeolus is huge.
The Aeolus is very relaxed and smooth. Itās very easy to listen to for long periods of time. It is tuned to be mid focused, but it still is defined and to me, it removes frequencies that you donāt miss. It gives you whatās important and nothing more. I would not call the Aeolus a neutral targeted headphone.
The Elex and Clear are much more neutral headphones with better extension both in the highs and lows with no specific frequency being focused. When going back and forth between the Elex and Aeolus, Iām usually pretty shocked at how much more extension the Elex has or in contrast, how much is removed from the Aeolus.
I really love both of them for different reasons.
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As a Clear ownerā¦ been eyeing the Aeolus and that is a nice description of the differences. Thank you
It really depends on the amp, the clear can āclearlyā pull ahead if you use a nice amp. On something like a thx they so sound similar though, I would only invest in the clear if you have or plan to get a higher end amp, otherwise the elex is just a better deal. Also the elex has a more w shaped sound that still sounds somewhat neutral, and the clear is more towards neutral
Not trying to diminish the differences between the Clear and the Elex. If someone offered me a Clear or the Elex, Iād take the Clear. I feel the Clear has a better tonal balance and stronger bass which is my thing, but for the average user wanting to get the most bang for their buck, the Elex is the obvious choice. I donāt feel the Clearās price tag over the elex is equivalent to the audible improvement. Just my 2 cents.
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So in your opinion the Elex (600ā¬9 is a better deal than the Clear Pro for 950ā¬? i mean is the difference be the two regarding detail retrieving and more intimate vocals not that much, when considering the 400ā¬ gap between the two?
Any time! I know when Iām planning a headphone purchase, user comparisons are very useful to me.
Yes the elex is a better deal if you donāt plan or want to upgrade your amp to get the noticable benefits of the clear imo
This is exactly my point. I would recommend the Elex if youāre trying to get the most bang for your buck. To me, there is very minimal difference between the Elex and Clear. Certainly not enough difference for almost double the price. I am a big THX guy though. If money is no issue, go for the Clear. Just remember though, all the Focals suffer from the dreaded metallic timber though. This is why I prefer a bio-cellulose driver in general for listening enjoyment.
If you use the suede pads on the Aeolus it sounds a lot like a improved Elex. W-shaped
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And itās the only pad I donāt have. I had serious gas for a pair when I saw Zās VC review. Iāll have to look into a pair. Thanks.
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