Focal branded elex pads imo if you want to keep good sound quality. You can try the elite velour or fenestrated sheepskin, but imo they arnāt as good sounding as the actual focal created elex pads
Dekoni breaks down the differences pretty well on their website. Compared to stock Elear pads.
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Are the elex and dt 1990 comparable. Im probably not going to buy either anytime soon but if i was id like to know which one is better.
I mean, it depends. If you want a more information in your face with a more studio ready sound, also a wider soundstage, the 1990 is for you. If you want more dynamic range with a more natural sound thatās a bit closer with more detail, the elex is for you. Both are built really well with great comfort. It really depends on your preference
I was scared of the DT 1990 āice pickyā highs. Never heard them tho.
Not really that bad as people make it out to be imo. It is an issue if you know you are sensitive to treble, but if not itās no dt990 lol
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Thanks, i think the 1990 would suit me better then.
thanks giova, these should give me the info i need
Well, that was short-lived. Mine arrived today and the right driver is DOA. No sound whatsoever, yes I tried both cables, multiple sources, A/B with all my other known good headphones. The headband makes an awful scraping / clicking / popping noise intermittently when adjusting it as well. Overall Iām extremely disappointed in the build quality.
I bet Massdrop / Drop is not getting good QC due to shopping a price point, Focal is likely slapping these together and out the door with zero testing or QA / QC.
I doubt I will try another pair. Iāll send my money to a US builder such as Audeze. At this level build quality matters, and these donāt have it. Theyāre floppy loose, noisy (mechanically) and a dead driver straight out of the box. Focal fail.
Wow, Iām very surprised. I donāt think I have seen anyone else with a focal with severe as issues as these. That really sucks tbh. The elexās I have tried have felt and preformed as good as the rest of focalās high end lineup, so Iām surprised. Like you mentioned, they are probably trying to rush these out of the door, so their qc might have gone down. For now Iām going to assume you just got incredibly unlucky, but if more reports come out about similar issues I donāt know if I would recommend getting a newer batch of the elex
That sucks, mine arrived today as well. They are waiting for me, which I wonāt be able to get to until after work in about 3 hours. Will see what happens when I try mine out.
Go look at the negative / 1-3 star reviews. Several QC complaints about either the headphones themselves or the wires.
I was hoping my issue was just a wire, but no such luck.
The wire is known crap, so Iām not surprised about that, even the pricey focal wires are garbage. Iām just surprised about the driver dying
I donāt see any occurrences of driver failure on the reviews, so it seems you have a very fringe case
Yeah I didnāt say driver failure, just overall QC complaints. Not a ton but a few.
I asked for a refund. I may try these later on down the road but I didnāt really care for how the felt overall either. The scraping head band issue and their just general flimsiness doesnāt scream quality. Maybe I just got the runt of the litter.
Guess Iāll put these funds toward LCD2C or LCD X after all. Or LCD1 plus iBasso DX160.
Mine work just fine. Tho, I can see what you are saying gregrob, I wasnāt too impressed with the Elex build. H eadband kind of rattles and squeaks a bit when you open them up, not screaming $700 headphone.
I also got the the 1990 Pros today as well. Iām going to spend some time with them tonight.
Verdict is still out, but initial impression, the 1990 is more favorable. Holy crap the imaging. Basically, I put on the Elex, listened to a few parts from a couple of songs, put on the 1990 havenāt taken it off yet. Iāll break them in a bit.
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Unfortunately the Focal Elex are only available in North America. The Focal Elex is what the Focal Elear should have been. I feel bad for those who purchased the Elear for 1000$.
theoretically, couldnāt you just get clear pads and stick them on the elear and turn them into the Elex?
Even for 500 USD I still donāt think itās the best buy you could make