STAX L300 vs Focal Elex

[@aidantreap]

"Its a fly swatter" gave me a chuckle. Loved the review, sometimes electrostatics get this mystical treatment like they can't be compared to to other headphones so it was refreshing to see a direct head to head.

[@chuckolatte600]

Thanks man! Yeah, electrostats are great, but it's just another flavor to pick from in the end.

[@alexdai5967]

You can use the Hifiman cable with the elex, the 3.5 mmononolug only allows for signal and ground where the hifiman one has space for a right signal, left signal, and ground I believe. But hifiman only has signal and ground in each plug so they are essentially the same

[@jaakanshorter]

I have the L300 and the SR-30 ( yea from 1982, zero issues ) I'm not sure I could go back to dynamic drivers. This video was still a good comparison. What eq settings do you use on your L300s? If you still have them.

[@italiansurprise]

Love these vids! I think you picked up my Arya on Reddit. Hope to see some them in a comparison vid soon?

[@chuckolatte600]

;)

[@mikafoxx2717]

It's worth noting that while Stax seem cheap and easy to break, they're fairly time tested to last, in comparison to many modern models of headphones that you don't know if it'll die in a few years. (I'm looking at you, focal)

[@daniellustgarten5857]

i would like to hear a comparison between L700 and L700MK2 ..

[@rzezniqq]

Love your videos. Can you please listen to Richard Devine - Arc Acid on l300 and let me know your thoughts? I'm into this kind of music and want to get l300 in the future. Keep up the great work.

[@chuckolatte600]

I just listened to it. Full disclosure, I got rid of the l300 already, but I remember their sound. I think they would sound great with a track like this because of the imaging, mostly.

[@rzezniqq]

@@chuckolatte600 Legend. Thank you. I'm going to place my order now. Thank you for your videos.

[@SenorToucan]

got trolled by your phone notification sound so many times

[@heliopijpe]

I bet Focal's Elex is better. The L300's are a 400 to 500 pair of ESL's ... (similar to what Audeze did with their mini magnetostatic driver in the Audeze LCD-1, but Stax delivered better :-) ) ... (better to compare the L300 with Sundara 2020 or the new Hifiman XS ... The L500 MKII's are to be had around 700-900 and represent electrostatics better (Planars will always have better bass, but ESL's are closest thing to natural timbre when don right) ,, I haven't heard the L300's but I guess they compare to Koss's budget solution. Stax L500/L700's are very nice, but magnetostatic is really catching up (double sided drivers, thinner, faster, less demanding power specs, less sensitive to failure ) and delivering more bang for the buck. And Focal is showing that dynamic drivers can also deliver speed, detail and good tuning (new coatings, new internal construction methods). But these driver systems don't have electrostatic natural-ness. It's physics. Nothing can move as fast as a electrostatic driver I believe. I don't like the higher-end, top of the line range of Stax (circular drivers), I don't think you benefit from what you invest. But that point is valid for other audio systems in those extreme price tiers too. It's not that ESL's are over-rated,, it's that very few companies are making durable electrostatic drivers and tuning them well. Stax is a company doing it since the 50's (similar to QUAD) There is a reason why Hifiman is sticking to magnetostatic, the technology is very sensitive and limited, prone to atmospheric changes and requires specific electrical charges etc ... I love the image ESL speakers produce, but the maintenance cost would be astronomical over 35 years. In theory beautiful tech, but difficult to implement well.

[@dyrik]

This dude got the spider hands. Nice review

[@chuckolatte600]

Idk what that means but I'll take it lol

[@TiagrajI]

Dynamic v electrostatic. I will go for dynamic. The stax looks like defibrillators 😏

[@chuckolatte600]

Some people are into that..."distinctive" look lol

[@jamiesmith6838]

I like your channel. I don't think the compro was truly stock for stock, though? (Replacing cables and all) Those are my two favorite headphone companies. Honestly, the L-300 and the Elex are bottom performers of their respective companies. Stax electrostatic earspeakers get serious by their $1569 L-700mkll with detachable cables! Focals don't get serious until their $1490 Clear and up. For me, everything under the Clear drops off too much bass. Much like the HD-600s I own. I could never enjoy them for their missing bass presentation. I'm of the group, if the headphones aren't comfy and exciting they simply don't get playtime. The bass should "psychoacoustically" be felt. The cymbals should shimmer with space and decay. That just ain't happening here with these three. I'll add, Stax L-300s are well..lifeless compared to their L-700mkll. Truthfully, it's a rare breed in open-back headphones to get really impactful honest deep bass, from my experience. However, the Utopia manages the achieve that goal but for "pittance" of $4000!!!

[@Lamp_God]

Can you educate me why Elex running balance is superior to single ended? What amp used? Have you compared SS amps with single ended and balanced? Also with OTL/Hybrid tube amps? Just curious.

[@chuckolatte600]

I've listened to the Elex on the Aune X7s (SE and Bal), and the AAA 789 (SE and Bal). BAL isn't always a significant improvement or change, but it can be in some cases. The idea is that HPs receive power more efficiently through a BAL connection as opposed to SE. Check out my Focal Elex review for the details on it.

[@Lamp_God]

​@@chuckolatte600 I see. You have good amps right there but I think you have come to that conclusion is due to the amps you are using which have good balance implementation. But still it's depending on the amp implementation. There are still good amps out there that are only single ended but are comparable to a balanced amp.

[@RioLai_]

@@chuckolatte600 does meze 99 classic balance cable work with the elex?

[@worldwidebocchi]

Mr. Latte the Elex are so far the best set you've got, the only ones to top them off would be the Sennheiser HD 800. Buuuuuut 🍑 then again that's based off my preference in music. Anyhow awesome video keep it up. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@chuckolatte600]

Ah yes

[@rumbepack]

This guy must be loaded he didn't even care about throwing 1.5k l700 like they're nothing