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Focal Pads for Elex Headphones
01 / 08
Focal Pads for Elex Headphones
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Product Description
Need a replacement for the pads on your Massdrop x Focal Elex headphones? Pick up a pair of these Read More
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Customer Reviews
4.6
(60 reviews)
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keyboard_arrow_downkiwifocus40
74
Apr 7, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
If you have Focal 'phones these are some nice backup pads for a good price
OK so let's get the elephant out of the room: I received both pads, they came looking brand new, as thick/firm as they should be and from all appearances appear to be legitimate. YMMV and I can only speak for the items I received. I have gotten into pad rolling recently and wanted to see what these could do for my OG Clear.
Looks: Yes I know the most unimportant part to some, but personally looks is at least half the reason I bought these pads. I personally feel they look amazing with the OG Clear, the Focal logo on the grill lines up so well! They appear nice and thick, premium and plush. Obviously they will also not have the same problems the OG Clear gray pads do with discoloration. No complaints in the looks department.
Build: Premium feel, plenty of perforation. Zero issues snapping them into place and I really like the feel of the memory foam they are made from. As you can see from my picture, they love the fuzzies so try to keep them away from cloth that sheds.
Comfort: Dense foam but soft. So far, it feels like the thicker foam keeps the headphone a smidge more snug on my head. They are also a bit warmer than the OG pads after a half-hour, 45 minutes so be aware of that if you are prone to heating up during headphone sessions.
Sound: These definitely change the sound. The most noticeable change is the pads seem to, 'blunt,' the punch of the midbass somewhat BUT in exchange they also seem to extend the subbass. The treble also seems to be reduced *a bit* after swapping back and forth. The Clear are still Clear, I'm not saying these make them dark. Mids are still smooth, separation still effortless, they did not lose their sense of dynamism as some reviews claim, imaging is still great, again i just feel like a bit of air was lost at the top end but I'm still really digging.
I personally have been rocking the ZMF Eikon as well as the Clear so this exchange in sound is pleasing to me but again; YMMV.
Conclusion: For $60, these seem like a heck of a buy if you have a pair of Focal 'phones and want to avoid paying $200 for spare pads or if you're like me and just have fun pad rolling.
Recommends this product? Yes
jaybattle
76
Apr 24, 2021
kiwifocus40Great looking headband cover/pad. Where did you order it from? Thanks
Tobes
9
Aug 30, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Utopia owners should try these!
I've owned the Focal Utopia for nearly 5 years. Back then it replaced my HE6 as a much more balanced and complete sounding headphone. I've used the Utopia with a few different solid state HP amps and presently use the Benchmark HPA4 - a super low distortion THX-888 equiped design.
The HPA4 hides nothing, you get what your source provides for better or worse. While I would not describe the Utopia as bright, some recordings could present with some 'sting' between the mids and highs - limiting the musicality of the headphones.
The Elex pad color matches the Utopia well and while the pads initially feel a little rough they soften up with use.
These pads do something special in my setup. The mids and mid-high transition sound more balanced, smoother and addictively musical. I find the whole presentation more coherent and with a bit more sub-bass kick too (though this may be due to the subtle change in balance above).
It's weird that some posted measurements of the Utopia vs Elex pads on the Utopia fall almost on top of each other with only minor deviations - yet I find the Elex pads so much more engaging/musical.
Utopia owners without added euphony in their source/amp chain should try these.
Recommends this product? Yes
mrcrunch08
158
Jun 2, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
For starters I have to start by saying there is at least one benefit to living in NJ and that is Drop items arrive quick. I was shocked how quick they got to me. I was almost equally surprised at the size of the box for two small pads. I understand it is probably cost prohibitive to carry a larger selection of box sizes to ship items in but it isn't visually appealing to see the trash pile end up being much larger and probably heavier than what was in the box. It's not really a big deal but it just surprised me this time.
The pads also surprised me. I have an Elear and owned an Elex from one of the first couple runs and I thought I remembered what the Elex pads felt like but idk anymore. I sold the Elex quickly after swapping pads between it and the Elear and learning it was the pads so memory is all I have. For some reason I am convinced I remember those Elex pads feeling really soft and light just like my Elear pads except perforated. What I got from Drop today does not feel like my Elear pads or like I remember the Elex Pads feeling like. What I got seems to be a denser foam and thicker fabric that is less soft. It's almost like the fabric has thicker "skin" and less "hair" than the Elear and Elex that I remember.
What makes my suspicions worse is I am fortunate enough to have a friend who has an Elex from about a year ago and a Clear. His pair of Elex has pads very much like what I now have which feels noticeably different than his Clear pads. His Clear Pads feel like a midway point between my Elear pads and the Drop Elex pads I got. The foam was soft and light while the fabric seemed thicker like the Drop pads except remained softer with more "hairs". I don't know if any of that means Focal has pad variation and it's normal or it's only the pads made for drop that have variation. I am convinced I am not remembering my old Elex pads wrong. The initial comfort difference was jarring and something I would have remembered at the time. The clamp was increased a lot with the new Drop Elex pads.
Even though I am saying all of that I still am not convinced they are completely different yet. Just in five hours of use and giving the pads a good squeeze every now and then has greatly improved comfort and has started making things seem closer to normal. The foam has already begun to soften and is beginning to resemble the lightness of my Elear pads though it still has a way to go. The fabric has started to work the stiffness out and just like the foam it has started to begin feeling like the Clear pads. Given the change in just a few hours with some manual squeezing mixed in I am starting to gain confidence that they will eventually become much more like what I expected. I don't think it will ever get perfect but maybe I will be wrong.
Truthfully I don't know if I want them to become like I remember them anyway. I actually preferred the experience of the Elear over the Elex because of the mids and lows but the Elex seemed to have better extension and lacked this peak somewhere in the upper mids maybe lower treble that the Elear has. Hearing some reviews claiming the Elex was a super HD650 always confused me because I didn't experience that with mine. Even when I put those original Elex pads on my Elear it performed the same as the Elex. With these pads I now understand the super HD650 reviews. With this batch of the Drop Elex pads I get a smooth warm punchy experience. Even the openness is similar to the Sennheisers now. Despite losing that airy feel the soundstage has remained the same except seems a touch more defined. The soundstage is rather impressive and seems to be more defined than previously. I always thought the Elear did it very good to begin with but sounds seem to have more places of origin now. Sounds from behind and to the right, in front and to the left, and even above and below are much more common and obvious. There is almost no question to the place a sound occupies. It's seems to have been worth the trade of airiness.
With that airiness gone the background is much blacker and it makes the dynamics seem even more impressive. It's like every sound explodes out of nothingness and leaves just as quick as it came. For Elear owners all the rough edges from the midrange on up has been smoothed over. Any hint of something fatiguing is gone and they become these warm almost fun cans. Unlike my previous experience with the Elex and Elex pads this pairing has made the bass even better. The bass is what I remember from the Elear except better extended and feels more visceral. I'm really enjoying the current sound from these pads. Normally when something gets this warm it starts to feel loose but this almost feels like a warm planar now. It's a joy experiencing something so warm and fun sounding that remains super tight and fast. It sounds like I imagen a HD6xx series planar would sound.
This is an incredibly long review for some pads but considering the previous attempt at replacements from Drop I figured it was worth it to try to be as thorough as possible. I really think if the quality remains like what I got everyone should be happy after the pads start breaking in. They definitely start feeling closer to what you expect after some stretching and using. Deep down I am still a cheapskate though and find it hard seeing $60+ in these pads. By saying that I do not mean they are not worth it. I find it very hard to see $60+ in most pads. Despite that I would still rather pay the $60+ for these then $150+ or buy Dekoni ones again. Even without breaking in these sound better. They may lose in comfort fresh from the mailbox but will equal out. The sound from the Dekoni's never match these or the stock Elear pads. I think break in is key with these and if you have an Elear or Elex it's your only real option. It's hard to justify pads that cost $200 a pair for those models. 
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
Paullieb213
145
May 7, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Sound is great when tweaked to soften them up
Initial impressions..
Ok these are more dense than my 2 year old originals. My original pads are noticeably more plush and noticeably softer. The fit on the new pads are tighter and you are slightly further from the drivers. The sound seems to have more air, imaging and soundstage but lacks some of the smoothness of my old pads. The sound on the new pads are a bit brighter with some roughness. Using THX 887.
Im glad i bought the replacement because I found some sticky glue on the inner plastic ring on one of the old pads.
As an added benefit (due to a tighter fit) the phones are not sliding off my head when im reclining.
Im satisfied with this product.
However if i had to live with one sound signiture it would be the old pads.
Update june 4th..
Increased rating to 5 stars.
I put these pads under a few heavy books for a few days to soften them up by basically squashing them. They returned to their original shape sfter I removed them but were a bit softer. The phones are a bit closer to my ears now and sound very smooth.
They now sound at least as good as the originals and that slight brightness and roughness are gone. Extremely clean sound now.
Very satisfied.
Update June 21...
Put back original pads just to get a better idea of the difference in sound after living with the new pads for a few weeks.
It didn't take me more than 15 minutes to determine that the new pads are noticeably cleaner and smoother especially in the highs. The bass is also a bit tighter.
I was very suprised how edgy/scratchy my original pads were in comparison.
Original pads are now in retirement.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
Rectifier
30
Aug 8, 2021
Paullieb213But, please clarify which headphones you are referring to. Which original pads? Are you using the Focal Elex, Focal Clear or other?? They are not the same.
Paullieb213
145
Aug 9, 2021
RectifierIm using the focal elex headphones. Im talking about the "true" focal pad replacements sold by drop specifically for the elex. Not Dekoni's product.
(Edited)
tz0531
51
Apr 28, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Up to the standards of 2018 batches? Not so much.
Background: I bought a pair of Focal OEM Elex pads from the very first drop back in August 2018 and used them sparingly since then. The main reason I was willing to buy two more pairs in April 2021 was the stickied post in the discussion thread that claimed this new batch of pads had been "tested and compared ...against those from a 2018 sample ...giving us confidence this batch had been made to the correct standards."
Given that I also have a 2018 sample pair to compare with this most recent batch of pads, I can verify whether or not the claims in the stickied post are true.
1) Drop claims, "We compared materials and construction to ensure they were identical."
Upon taking the new pairs of pads out of their plastic bags, I immediately knew something was off. The foam in the newer pairs is significantly denser and not as plush, resulting in a thinner pad, while the fabric covering the pads feels somewhat like craft store felt. The construction of the pads is different as well; the seams joining the fabric are not as well done, and the inner ring of material that is more mesh-like in texture is also thinner.
In contrast, my 2018 pair was noticeably thicker and had less dense, plusher foam, with fabric that feels closer to alcantara or microfiber instead of felt. The seams are visibly more... seamless, for lack of a better word.
Left: Pad from April 2021
Right: Pad from 2018
Recommends this product? No
Ortho_Sympa
144
May 22, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Quality is good this time
I bought 2 pairs and all pads were fine this time.
PS: Elex and Clear pads are different even if they look similar. The clear pads are stiffer and the outer material is slightly thicker too.
Recommends this product? Yes
entreprenerd
92
Jul 14, 2022
checkVerified Buyer
Excellent but pricey
Well built ear pads at a better than market price. I wish all ear pads were a bit cheaper though. Audiophile replacement ear pads are the iPhone cases of the Audio world. Too expensive for what they are, but we all grin and pay the premium :-)
Recommends this product? Yes
Cole_The_Soul
33
Oct 19, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Same as Original Elex Pads
Seem to be the same as the original pads and on sale for not too bad of a price.
Recommends this product? Yes
michaels1963
42
Aug 30, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
They're black their focal pads they're soft they're squishy
Recommends this product? Yes
D3niPhantom
1
Aug 25, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Great pads for Clear too!
I bought these to keep my OG Clear pads tucked away during the summer (plan to pull them out when it's winter) but I've noticed no big sonic differences between these and the clear pads. The material definitely feels different but otherwise they are a good buy!
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