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Swan86
44
Jul 9, 2018
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Hi current owners, Elex vs hd6xx vs hd800, thoughts on how elex ranks? How much better in terms of sound quality it is vs 6xx? I'm trying to convince myself that I need elex and it's a good value for the amount of upgrade lol. I own audio technica ath-m50x, hd6xx, oppo ha2se and a mCTH as my primary equipment.
Jul 9, 2018
jaydunndiddit
3262
Jul 9, 2018
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Swan86I enjoy the Elex substantially more then the 6XX. While the 6XX is laid back and smooth, the Elex is faster, more dynamic, clear, and coherent. They're markedly different to be honest. The HD 800 I have only sampled in small doses but I still prefer the Elex due to some quirks I don't enjoy with the 800. It's too bright for my taste despite all of it's other amazing qualities (super revealing and resolving, huge soundstage, great extension across the board, etc). If one wants something super analytical, the 800 is it. But if you want something more fun and musical while still having great clarity and resolution, then the Elex is a solid bet. I also pair mine out of the MCTH and enjoy the combo very much. I listen to a lot of old blues, jazz, RnB, soul, funk, etc. and they do all of the genres justice.
Jul 9, 2018
Showtime
37
Jul 9, 2018
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jaydunndidditI haven't heard these Focal's, but I remember focal tweeters being pretty bright. These are not as detailed? Smaller drivers?
Jul 9, 2018
jaydunndiddit
3262
Jul 9, 2018
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ShowtimeI haven't heard Focal loudspeakers so I can't really compare then. However, the Elex has great micro/macro details and doesn't come over as bright either. I'm shocked some folks would report these as bright as compared to the likes of the HD800 these are quite tame. There is a dip from 1.5k to 5k so that's possibly why some are perceiving them as such.
And yes, these are essentially a "mini" version of their typical loudspeaker driver. This is also why some may note the metallic tone of the treble as they're not used to listening to loudspeakers with this sort of driver.
Jul 9, 2018
SmithyNZ
225
Jul 9, 2018
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ShowtimeI almost bought some Focal floorstanding speakers recently, but the thing that stopped me was their treble which was so brightit was hard for me to listen to for the duration of the demo at the shop. But my goodness they are beautiful to look at ha ha! I ended up buying some Q Acoustic speakers. However, I don't think any of this necessarily translates to Focal's headphones...
Jul 9, 2018
Jackula
1743
Jul 9, 2018
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Swan86You can make the HD800 sound easily better than both the Focal and HD6XX, but the problem is it takes thousands of $ sinked into gear to make them sound good, and it's different from person to person. I've never heard the Elex, but there is definitely a similarity between the HD6XX and Focal Utopia (their top of the range headphone), on a great amp the performance between these two headphones is so close that I can't justify the price difference. On a CTH though, the Focal will probably easily be better than the HD6XX, and Elex would probably be a good middle ground between price and performance. I've been tempted for awhile but I just purchased a new Galaxy S9+ and a new soldering iron, so I can't afford this right now.
@SmithyNZ The Focal beryllium tweeters are hard to control and can sound harshly bright with inadequate gear. With proper gear - IMO they work best with high-end McIntosh, I consider them to be neutral bright, very airy and sweet sounding.
Jul 9, 2018
hank5150
0
Jul 9, 2018
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JackulaAre you speaking from experience or from others, especially regarding the hd800?
Jul 9, 2018
Jackula
1743
Jul 9, 2018
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hank5150Experience. I've owned the HD800 for 2 years before I'd sold it and got the HD600, and now I've got the HD6XX. I had really good gear for the HD800, but it kind of locked down what I wanted to have, and when my favorite tube for the HD800 blew, I thought it was time for a new set of cans.
Jul 9, 2018
hank5150
0
Jul 9, 2018
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JackulaT hat is refreshing to hear. Most of the time I feel it is an echo chamber regarding headphone reviews. For the HD800, what would be your best take for a $1K amp & dac setup, used market.
Jul 9, 2018
Swan86
44
Jul 9, 2018
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jaydunndidditPersonally I'm a lover of super musical headphones (hence why i love my hd6xx), and I also love micro detail, crisp sound and love a good separation. I never experienced amazing soundstage but I'd imagine I would love it too unless it sounds super air-y. But considering all my gear combined is only a meager $850 investment, it makes me pause to think if elex will be worth another $700 😜
Jul 9, 2018
Swan86
44
Jul 9, 2018
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JackulaYou are making it sound tempting for me to bump my total headphones investment from $850 to $1550 lol. But darn I'm so afraid that I'll end up feeling like I should have saved this $700 toward another higher priced headphone because I won't be impressed enough by the additional micro detail and separation/soundstage on elex vs hd6xx.
Jul 9, 2018
Jackula
1743
Jul 9, 2018
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hank5150My take is it would cost a lot more than that to make them sing. However if you've only got $1k to work with and considering the used market have great bargains some time, I would get the Metrum Musette DAC and La Figaro 339 amp. With a $1k used budget for gear, I think the Elex would still be a better option.
Jul 9, 2018
jaydunndiddit
3262
Jul 9, 2018
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Swan86Yeah, I agree with Jackula. For the cost, the Elex is a safe bet as it isn't amp picky and doesn't need gobs of voltage or current to sound good. And while not ideal, it even sounds good out of a phone with a portable DAC/amp (I use an iFi nano BL). Honestly, as long as you're not wanting something analytical, then the Elex is a great fun, musical headphone. Even if you hate them, they hold up well on the used market so you could sell them for purchase price and not be out a dime. Kind of a win-win if it ever came to that.
I'm actually about to purchase the iFi Pro iCAN so I'm hoping that will be enough to bring everything out of the 6XX. If not, she's going up for sale. I also really like the iFi Pro iDSD but it's a bit over my budget at $2,500 despite it having basically every feature I want.
Jul 9, 2018
hank5150
0
Jul 9, 2018
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Swan86I was originally on the 6xx massdrop, I a/b tested the 6xx and hd800s side by side. I immediately went home and cancelled the 6xx lol. The soundstage and instrumental is like no other. I say spring for your prized headphone and upgrade the components along the way. I had the hd800s running straight from my com for a week for shits and giggles, it still did pretty well
Jul 9, 2018
Jackula
1743
Jul 9, 2018
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jaydunndidditWhen I listened to my HD6XX on the iFi Pro iCan, I felt both the treble and bass were rolled off, but other than that they sounded fantastic on the Pro. I really love the slow midrange decay on the Pro, it's not super accurate but I think it really highlights the HD6XX's ability to render voices. And it hits hard and fast which really complements the slower Senn.
I always felt the Pro iDSD is poor value, as a DAC it doesn't make use of the tube stage, and the Amp has less features and power as the Pro iCan.
Jul 9, 2018
ko403ok
26
Jul 9, 2018
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jaydunndidditProbably too many features, and that's why it costs what it does. Think about it - will you really use all of those features or simply settle on the one or two you like best thus throwing your money away? Wishing IFi would bring out a model with one 1/4-inch jack and tube x (which Herb Reichart of Stereophile found most to his liking.) That could be done for $1k or less and iFi would still make a profit.
Jul 9, 2018
jaydunndiddit
3262
Jul 9, 2018
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JackulaTrue. From what I've read, it's really an expensive DAC companion to the Pro iCan. I also thought it's wireless features would be nice.
When you had the 6XX and iCAN, did you use it balanced or SE out of curiosity?
Jul 9, 2018
jaydunndiddit
3262
Jul 9, 2018
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ko403okTrue. All those features I enjoyed out of the iCAN. It was nice swapping any headphone you want and catering the sound to your desire and the track you were listening to. It was a blast. And the iCAN makes it easy to do so and works well with my incredibly sensitive IEMs. For music taste and current t equipment, it's a great piece of kit I can't wait to pick up. My buddy has one and I got to hear the Campfire Vega balanced out of that thing and it was just pure bliss. I also enjoyed the HD 800 out of it and normally that's a can I don't enjoy at all. With the iCAN I could tailor it more to my taste and make it a bit more fun while maintaining it's other great qualities.
Jul 9, 2018
Jackula
1743
Jul 9, 2018
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jaydunndidditI had it output balanced 99% of the time, I tried the single-ended for like a minute before I moved on but the difference wasn't immediately obvious. For wireless streaming, you could get an Auralic Aries or Aries Mini, I think it would be better than the one built-in to the Pro iDSD.
Jul 9, 2018
ko403ok
26
Jul 10, 2018
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jaydunndidditWhat iCAN are you referring to? Thx
Jul 10, 2018
jaydunndiddit
3262
Jul 10, 2018
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JackulaThanks for the tip. I'll check these out.
Jul 10, 2018
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