Focal Elear

“The Focal Elear Headphones are modeled after their flagship series, Utopia.”

The Elear was Focal's attempt at a more affordable (though still pricy) Utopia. It offers a pleasantly bass-forward tuning and while it lacks the flagship’s technical precision, its still a very fun, engaging sound.

“With memory foam ear cushions, leather headband, and a solid aluminum yoke design, the Elear series are a perfect fit for long lasting mixing, or listening sessions.”

The comfort is excellent considering the weight, with plush cushions and a good weight distribution. They’re great for long listening or gaming sessions, I don't know if I'd use these for mixing though.

“Elear includes exclusive speaker drivers that are made of aluminum/magnesium ‘M’-shaped domes, which enables Elear to provide a very realistic sound, and allows a frequency response from 5 Hz to 23 kHz.”

The drivers deliver impressive dynamics and clarity, though the low-end roll-off leaves limited sub-bass and not much slam. 

“Elear are the first totally open-backed full-range speaker drivers inspired by the Utopia headphones, providing wide-range dynamics and exceptionally precise audio.”

The soundstage and imaging are strong, offering an immersive experience, though they fall short of flagship-level precision.

“A pure, sophisticated design thanks to their solid aluminum yoke and the Leather headband.”

The design is gorgeous and well-built, with materials that feel premium and durable. However, keep in mind the old Focal headbands have a design flaw that can lead to creaking and cracking.

The Focal Elear is a fun and balanced headphone that’s easy to enjoy straight out of the box. The comfort is solid, with well-padded ear cups and a good weight that feels pretty well-distributed and manageable during extended sessions but I did occasionally have a hotspot develop on the top of my head. If you're coming from a cheaper or similarly priced headphone, the dynamic range of the Elear will feel like a major step up. While they don’t quite match the technical refinement of the Focal Clear, the Elear shines in its dynamics—effortlessly reproducing both loud and quiet sounds simultaneously. This quality makes it a joy for both music and gaming.

Sonically, the bass is one of the highlights—it’s impactful, fast, and clear. While the sub-bass rolls off without delivering much rumble, the mid-bass is satisfying, and a slight EQ boost makes it even more punchy and engaging. The mids are excellent, well-balanced, and natural, giving vocals and instruments a lifelike presence. The treble, while generally good, has some odd dips that slightly reduce detail in certain instruments. A minor EQ adjustment helps bring out those details, but even without it, the Elear sounds great at its stock tuning.

The soundstage is fairly wide with good verticality, creating an immersive listening experience similar to the Beyerdynamic DT 1990. Imaging is solid, making it easy to pinpoint the position of instruments and sounds. For gaming, the Elear performs well in open-world and atmospheric games, thanks to its spacious soundstage and excellent dynamic range. While its directional audio isn’t quite at the level of the DT 1990 for competitive shooters, it’s good enough for casual games and provides a fun, engaging experience.

Compared to the Focal Clear, the Elear isn’t as technically capable but offers a bassier, slightly warmer sound signature. It’s on par with the Focal Elex in performance, though the Elex leans more neutral, likely due to its use of Clear pads.

Overall, the Focal Elear is a versatile headphone that’s easy to enjoy with a wide range of music genres and casual gaming. While it may not match the technical precision of higher-end models, it gets darn close and delivers an engaging, dynamic sound that makes it a joy to listen to.

Yes.

The Elear is a great choice for anyone looking for a balanced, bass-friendly headphone with excellent mids and good comfort. It’s a fairly technical headphone even by today's standards and, for the price, it’s a solid performer that’s easy to recommend.