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FlutteringRobot
31
Keyboard Club Member
Oct 1, 2021
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As an ignoramus, how do these stack up against the Focal Elex? I am tempted to try out an upgrade, maybe to either these or something Planar magnetic. However I am on the fence and paralysed trying to consider all my options.
I also had a look at the 8xx though seeing reviews about the 800s that it is based upon I am not convinced it would suit me.
SexPandaByOdeon
71
Nov 22, 2021
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FlutteringRobotOther than the Elex being open back and the headphone tech being based of of a loud speaker I have no idea. Was wondering the same thing about the diff between these and the open back 800s.
Evshrug
4131
Keyboard Club Member
Nov 27, 2021
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FlutteringRobotI have an HD 820, HD 800, and HD 8xx. Seems crazy even to me, but it’s great to feel like I’ve got a flagship with great imaging and soundstage for any situation.
The HD 800 has such a large driver (it’s unique, a ring driver instead of a cone, with excellent stiffness) that it presents a flat “plane” of air to your ear and ear canal, so you feel the sound along with hearing it, and some of the sound waves reflect around in your outer ear in a way similar to speakers, in part because they are angled to match the angle of most ears. Another benefit of this design is that the cavernous earcups don’t let anything touch my ears at all 😉 Physically, the divot at the peak of the headband, light clamp, and surprising light weight make the HD 800 and all it’s successive variants very comfortable for me, sometimes letting me forget I’m wearing headphones.
The HD 800 is fairly “reference” tuned; the frequencies are pretty balanced with eachother once you take into account our ears’ sensitivity to midrange and vocals. However, that means the sound doesn’t have the extra bass found in most home theater/HiFi setups where the bass emitting out the back of speakers is reflected off walls and back to the listener… the HD 800 has good bass extension, but it feels “airy” and lighter in bass than many people are used to, especially today with bass heavy pop like Rihanna or hip hop music. I wish “Angel” by Massive Attack had a bit more grunt and threat to it, but the rest of the album (and other Massive Attack albums) sound great! I like to use my HD 800 with rock and roll, movie and classical orchestral work, singer-songwriter pieces, alt-rock, and jazz. I recently discovered using vinyl and removing a DAC from the equation really seems to clear any sense of glare, but I also don’t have glare issues when I use my Cavalli amps or the HDV 820 amp. I also enjoy using the HD 800 while playing videogames… it’s so transparent and immersive that it’s like virtual reality in audio, and it’s super revealing for competitive play, but it can get a little fatiguing if I have the opportunity to play for two hours or more.
I though I have lots of thoughts on gaming audio, see my video: https://youtu.be/42SRsSlIj-c
The HD 8XX shares many of the traits of the HD 800 like great sense of direction and distance, clarity, however it was changed specifically to make the upper mids more laid back and add just a drop more weight to the bass. This makes female vocals less shouty (so something like Doja Cat’s latest is a bit smoother and IMO more pleasant here), and personally I find it easier to enjoy the lows and highs with this variant, though arguably it has a less “studio accurate” sound, and it’s still not a bass cannon. For a WFH headphone, this has basically taken over as a high-end headphone I can listen to all day with my library on shuffle.
The HD 820 is closed-back, and has the deepest pads. It also has the most bass perceived among these three headphones, and that can be very entertaining. I use this when I want to block the sound of air conditioning, house creaks, street noise… and just focus on my music. It’s also great when I don’t want sound to leak or bother other people. For a closed-back headphone, the sound still manages to seem like it extends out beyond the limits of the earcups, and there’s a dip in the midbass (combined with the unique concave earcup design) that manages to almost eliminate the typical honky reverb and bass bleed that masks detail and defines most closed headphones. One thing that surprised me about this headphone was the fit… I still find it comfortable, but there’s a “sweet spot” for audio quality that you have to experiment to find, but then everything is heavy, particularly once you break in the pads a bit and they mold to the shape of your face. I don’t find this to be picky with song choice either… but I often gravitate to songs that show off its strengths in soundstage.
The Elex is kinda like Drop’s version of the Elear, with a few changes like pads. The Elex has a warmer, thicker sound. I don’t own one, but the Elex is probably more of a crowd pleaser sound.
Evshrug
4131
Keyboard Club Member
Nov 8, 2024
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OfframpI should probably add a disclaimer that many amps clip when trying to power deep bass notes, more current is needed at low frequencies, so it’s nicer to have a more powerful amp.
Offramp
79
Nov 9, 2024
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EvshrugWell amps,
I’m about to build my last headphone system. The source is Cayin N8ii going into a Denefrips Dac. I’m looking for a cheaper alternative but it’s the ladder logic I’m after here and the I2S connection.
This is also my electrostatic build and that amp will be Woo Audio or Headamp. That amp will be a tube. I actually have the headphones already Stax limited edition. The other side will be a tube amp of which I’m still undecided. The third amp which will be solid state. Leaning towards Headamp again. So that system will have three amps connected like my current system.
I have quite a few power hungry planers about so power shouldn’t be a problem. Let me rephrase quality power shouldn’t be a problem.
I certainly appreciate advice and you have let me know I’m headed in a good direction.
Evshrug
4131
Keyboard Club Member
Nov 11, 2024
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OfframpI haven’t auditioned a Denafrips DAC myself, but my friends who have or even own them feel they are great value for the dollar (as ladder DACs).
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