SENNHEISER HD600 VS FOCAL ELEX COMPARISON

On this episode of, "How do Headphones compare against my #1's," we compare the legendary Sennheiser HD600 (OG edition) vs the Focal Elex, a widely-revered option from Focal and Drop! I must say, I was pleasantly surprised! Tested through the SMSL SU-8 Balanced DAC to my THX AAA 789 Balanced Amplifier. Used both BAL and SE options for testing. Hope this helps!
--- Featured: ---
** Sennheiser HD600 **
-Amazon: amzn.to/2W8K2WH
** Focal Elex **
-Drop: drop.com/?origin=%2Fbuy%2Fmas...
** I am an Amazon Associate. Clicking on these links and buying from them helps the channel out. Thanks! **
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[@Tesseract9630]

Your reviews are very nice. You deserve waay more subscribers.

[@chuckolatte600]

Thanks man

[@jasoncreasey]

Thanks @chuckolatte - another nice comparison! @6'56": Totally agree with you re' HD600 headband-pad causing a hot-spot & your suggested solution; I swapped mine out for the HD650-pad a while ago & confirm it fixes the problem perfectly.

[@aqwandrew6330]

how to change, is it easy?

[@sriloy]

So what is your daily driver headphone now? Nice reviews BDW. I recently found your channel.

[@Pyregazer]

For a bit more comfort on the elex, I put a pair of dekoni nuggets right on the far edges of the headband and it helps a lot. To be more clear, one on each of the spots where "massdrop" is printed.

[@IPforster]

Thank you so much for another reasonable subjective review!

[@Tlanesi]

The anime reference you did made me think about upgrading from the HD600 to the Elex

[@nazuna_simp]

yea idk why alot of people tend to say the 600 line cables are bad, literally my favorite stock cable

[@Pyregazer]

too long for my taste which is very subjective, that and I love periapt custom cables for all my headphones

[@gbrm6077]

Just sent my Elex back. The right side stopped working after about 5 months. They were never played above 72db and were handled with kid gloves. There have been quite a number of complaints about the failure rate.

[@Tlanesi]

I like ani music a lot, and i usually hear it on HD600, and would like to get an upgrade, do you believe there's any better choice than the elex for an upgrade?

[@nl_2652]

1:03 Focal makes several other high end headphones, including the Utopia which costs ~4K... lol. Also, why such a big deal over the box? 😂

[@pyregazer9210]

ymmv on the comfort. I have had elex for a year and a half and have almost zero problems with the comfort. They are heavier than the 6xx line, but I have no problem wearing them for hours.

[@addi.1813]

So Josh Valour said in his vids that the Focal Clear was better than the elex. If there's a chance you could get your hands on one and make a comparison with the elex I think it would clear up whether it's worth the extra cost.

[@chuckolatte600]

Perhaps...

[@martelbaek6660]

Great job! How do you record audio? It sounds really good!

[@chuckolatte600]

Thx! Back in this video, I just positioned my phone (camera and mic) within a jazz hand's distance from my mouth using a goose neck to hold my phone in front of me. (Galaxy S9+ back then)

[@martelbaek6660]

@@chuckolatte600 I see. Then it's your vocal cord. Thank you!

[@Grimior00]

Wow Gain 3 on your AAA 789 amp! I use my 6XX on the first gain stage on my AAA 789. I'm curious if you find the gain turned up a better sound, or just what you need for your set up. Great review, Cheers!

[@chuckolatte600]

Generally I've found that playing your HPs at a higher gain level results in a more intense sound. So it depends on whether you want to mellow out your HPs, or hype them up

[@Grimior00]

@@chuckolatte600 I tried the gain turned up to III for my 6XX and I did also find that the sound is more intense also and I like it better. I have a older pair of HD 598's Head phones and find the gain at III a little fatiguing after a while, so I set the gain to I for those Head Phones and it works better for them. The 598's are much easier to drive so it makes sense. Thanks for your reply.

[@MRFUTURETECHNOLOGYGAMING]

Are you going to review the new remade hd600 with the with the new build quality I can't wait for you to review than monoprice THX 887 and THX 788 amps

[@chuckolatte600]

Frankly, I don't think I will anytime soon. Other reviewers have mentioned that they're not really different sound-wise, so I'm not in any rush to throw my two cents in...

[@rhodey2952]

Yeah buddy!

[@addi.1813]

Could you do a comparison on amps/dacs someday? I have a o2+sdac but I don't know if its worth getting the 789 when its 300 dollars more? Is it even possible an amp or a dac can change the sound by that much?

[@chuckolatte600]

It can, actually. Plus, using your HPs through a balanced connection instead of SE can change the HP into an entirely new product. Just saying

[@JDS_im]

@@chuckolatte600 Let me guess, you're using a balanced DAC for both SE and balanced headphone outputs? Yeah then it'll sound different, because you're clipping the amp through SE. The 789 clips at 3.5V DAC input via SE out, 7V for BAL out. So there ya go.

[@letsbefrank3]

Just came across your reviews. really nice work! I'm considering 'upgrading' or 'side grading' my HD6xx and based on this review and your HD600 vs Sundara, I'm considering the Sundara or maybe even the Sivga P-II. I miss the soundstage and extended bass and I do love the 'speed' of planars. Also I reckon they'd drive more easily than my HD6xx on my Earstudio ES100 when I'm not using the Fostex desktop amp. Subscribed!

[@chuckolatte600]

Unless you'd be willing to sell your 6XX to get the other HP, I'd say just go with the Sudara. That way, you've got a more distinct sound to swap back and forth with.

[@SugaFree2387]

Damn as always I can kind of relate to your review the most out of all the you tubers, I just got the elex yesterday and even though I haven’t burned them in yet, they might be the headphone I will have as my endgame for the next few years, unless I get my hands on the clears. My beloved 600s kind of sound like meh after listening to elex for a day. Honestly I have always ignored the focal hype and always stuck with either sennheisers or beyers because they are the only companies that kind of have my trust, but I might be jumping onto the Focal band wagon lol.

[@chuckolatte600]

In that case, you may want to stay tuned throughout the next few videos lol. Got something coming that may interest you

[@SugaFree2387]

chuckolatte for sure

[@worldrecordegg3327]

I have a friend that is selling his elex in 350 should I buy that or go for the hd6xx instead. Im searching for clarity and good mids, neutral sound

[@chuckolatte600]

Dude....WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? Grab those Elex before your friend changes his mind lol

[@towsifshahriarshovo]

Any plan to review Audeze lcd-2c??

[@chuckolatte600]

I already have, check out my channel :)

[@gonzolak83]

2/10 on video quality, 8/10 on audio. When I watched your elex review I was thinking how would you compare it to hd600 and here it is:) Thank you!! I love your review just make your video quality on par with your audio :P

[@chuckolatte600]

Quite the judge lol. Yeah, I don't really do a lot of editing, so I'm experimenting. Glad to hear it helped you though!

[@rhodey2952]

I hadn't heard the new HD600 was any different in sound. Interesting...

[@truthseekingtroll3575]

Would you please recommend any ear pads for my HD600 I think they are worn out thanks.

[@chuckolatte600]

Honestly, stock pad replacements. People say that ohter pads either ruin the detail or the sound signature.

[@justind4175]

To anyone with experience: Would the Elex be a good upgrade to my HD600 for Rock Music? I listen almost exclusive to varying Rock type genres 90%+ of the time. Or would something like and LCD2 or 2C or X be better? Budget around $1k please help I am confused where to go for ROCK GENRES (Punk rock, post hardcore, metalcore, etc..)!

[@chuckolatte600]

I think the LCD-X would be the best out of these because of their more visceral impact, though the Elex are also great at pretty much every genre you throw at it

[@703elee]

who displays their headphones in boxes?

[@verllar3572]

Hi. Do you remember if there is difference in resolution between hd800s and elex? :)

[@chuckolatte600]

I don't have to remember, I've got both in my possession (hint: stay tuned ;) )

[@verllar3572]

@@chuckolatte600 That would be great of you!

[@larrydunn4626]

nice review. I have the same comment to you as I did in Resolve's review last week of the 6 series... 70Hz is not subbass. 60 Hz is not subbass. 50Hz is not subbass. get where I'm going here?? the 600 drops below the bottom of the bass preference curve at 80 Hz. The 600 doesn't lack subbass... it lacks bass, period.

[@MacTX]

A youtuber by the name of Joshua Valour reviewed the "new" HD600 last week. Nothing really extensive as far as sound review from him on it. They're apparently made in Romania now instead of Ireland. Meaning they're probably cheaper to make (or cheaply made).

[@chuckolatte600]

Saw it, yeah. The new HD600 aren't exactly a priority for me to check out. Especially now.

[@jeofthevirtuoussand]

I want to get the elegia

[@matheusmazzei4077]

Fidelio x2hr or Hifiman HE4xx? Focus on Epic songs/soundtracks, with a lot of orchestral, at least good on female vocal, Eletronic, rock, old rock and pop... For gaming and movies too, focus on being more immersive than analythical. I dont have an Amp/dac. Maybe could buy one combo on the future . Note: The X2hr costs 40% than the He4xx here.

[@chuckolatte600]

In that case, maybe the x2hr. Although I personally prefer the 4XX anyways

[@matheusmazzei4077]

@@chuckolatte600 I ended buying an 6 months used ThieAudio Phantoms for almost the same price from X2hr. I hope that i enjoy it =D

[@donvittoriosierra]

This comparison here is spot on. I totally agree with the pros and cons here since I have compared them as well including the 6xx. You missed one thing with the Elex though... They get destroyed easily when played loud.

[@plebmike8997]

Destroyed?

[@donvittoriosierra]

@@plebmike8997 I am talking about drivers getting literally damaged when played a little over its limits. I am not sure if this is a problem any longer with the latest units though because I had one recently that was fine.

[@soulfulfool]

I would choose my Focal Clear over HD600 anytime, they have more sparkle in highs overall more clarity and punch, dont know about Elex

[@pimpthyride]

Can someone give a summary?. I could not get anything clear with all the babble. Is it worth the extra cash for the Elex if you have the HD 600?.

[@Tesseract9630]

I got the hd 6xx made in Romania and they don't sound right. There is no dynamics or treble . I am really disappointed.Maybe i am not amping them properly. Any case i dont like the totality.

[@chuckolatte600]

Just out of curiosity, have you had a chance to listen to the original as well?

[@Tesseract9630]

@@chuckolatte600 No. But i have been using hd 598 for 2 years now so i am missing the soundstage and some upper mids of 598s.

[@kbeau937]

@@Tesseract9630 what are you using to amp?

[@Tesseract9630]

@@kbeau937 topping nx4 as of now. I was using radsone es100 at the time of writing. Anyway, with topping nx4 is there is definitely more treble. But sharp ,not smooth at all.

[@JohnWell4131]

HD600 all day

[@chuckolatte600]

This is the way

[@RabbitConfirmed]

Focal look better

[@eleckson]

Lmao I hate Ween wtf they gotta do with anime?