Sennheiser HD800 vs Focal Elex Comparison

[@moskva-kassiopeya]

8:29 Sound

[@attilio7]

Doesn't matter how good a headphone sounds,if it's not comfortable you are not going to have a enjoyable long listening session.

[@RyanToolbox]

I am listening to this on my Focal Elex. Dude your voice through these sounds amazing. You could do voice acting. Good pipes sir.

[@chuckolatte600]

Thanks lol, I've actually been on a VG trailer before. Very indie thing, but yeah.

[@johncreech6012]

Thank you for the review. This was my first experience with your channel. I appreciate that you actually laid out your pro's and con's list... not so I could agree or disagree, but that we could see what was important to you. I suspect many reviewers (as humans) have these same sorts of thoughts but then just let that sway their opinion on the acoustic performance of the unit. I actually think I'd come to the opposite choice in the end because I would have different opinions (prefer the look of the Elex, have a smaller head, love rich mid-bass, have no care for the case/shipping materials, make my own cables, etc). But having your detailed assessment of all potential aspects of ownership was greatly appreciated. So yeah, great and super-helpful review. Will be subscribing!

[@Pyregazer]

I have a similar experience with these and the 650s that I have loved for years. The elex simply blows the 650 out of the water in soundstage, imaging, and bass but I still daily drive my 650 for comfort. I do love both of these on tubes and if I am listening to music, the elex is my goto hands down.

[@eleckson]

You've got the voice, you've got great breakdowns, I think the bottleneck is the "Headphones on carboard box" thumbnails. They don't make you wanna click.

[@chuckolatte600]

thank you God

[@yttean98]

You review these two Headphones without equalization and for the amount of money the owners pay for them then it is fair to say that both would sound different and should be used without equalization. So one question please: If you take the pain/trouble of equalizing either one or both of these headphones, would you be able to get the sound of one headphone "CLOSER" to the other? If not why not? YOur opinion please.

[@chuckolatte600]

I think that even though some headphones can handle EQ pretty well (ex: HD800), it can introduce distortion, so I don't like using EQ unless absolutely necessary. Might as well just pick your favorite of the two

[@yttean98]

@@chuckolatte600 Most of the headphones you can equalize within a reasonable level my educated guess would be within +/- 3- 5db is fine. Even with equalization, the character of the h/p will still be there, eg dynamics, clarity is still there.

[@chuckolatte600]

@@yttean98 Maybe, but I just don't like doing it. If you can't at least tolerate the headphone at stock, you should probably look for something else. Just my opinion...

[@IPforster]

What do you think, will you try focal clear some day?

[@chuckolatte600]

;)

[@addi.1813]

@@chuckolatte600 go for it

[@starg47]

You also have to remember that Massdrop wants a lower price. So to get the elex to $700 they had to cut down the cost for the box, excesssaries, and such.

[@pk.002]

I have the HD 800 S and Elex and enjoy them both. Both excel in different areas. Honestly, 95% of people would be content with the Elex. It has a soundstage that's wider than the HD 650 and is up there when compared to the HD 800 S. I did not find it narrow at all and thought it to be spacious. It also performs better as an all rounder for music, is easier to drive, and is fantastic for games. The HD 800 S is more of a specialist headphone. It sounds natural and has incredible soundstage, but I feel like it is anemic in bass and overall less full sounding. They are also very picky with equipment. They sound phenomenal in games, too, but in my opinion it's not worth $1700 for that purpose alone. Also, the build quality is crap for a premium headphone. I had the right side clip and ball bearing on the headband break within a month and a half of use, and Sennheiser never responded to my repair requests I filed on their website it even though I reached out several times by phone and email. I had to get them exchanged through the retailer warranty instead, so keep that in mind.

[@musicxxa6678]

You should do Ananda review and compare against these.

[@chuckolatte600]

Looking into doing a Hifiman lineup project within the next few months, so that's definitely a possibility ;)

[@johnsoriano3812]

Hi! Is there by any chance you're still into unboxings and product reviews of hi-end audio products? I can help you connect with a store that's looking for social media influencers like you for affiliation and partnership. Kindly provice an email address so we can shoot you an email.

[@LithiumGI]

The moment he talks about burn in SUDDENLY making the headphones sound good i knew this guy was a audiofool... what a joke

[@robovirtuoso1354]

To be fair "brain burn-in" does exist. Your brain gets used to the sound and it suddenly sounds better.

[@RyanToolbox]

Dude I own these myself. I can 100% confirm that I was disappointed in their sound out of box and after about 20 hours of burn in they sounded incredible. No question - you need to burn these in. Drivers are stiff out of they box.... they benefit from loosening up.

[@Mr1stcat]

@@robovirtuoso1354 😄 H A ! no

[@MRFUTURETECHNOLOGYGAMING]

I declare weiner