[jonathan c]

Balanced output is always a better option but not sure it will give an audible difference as the Clear have a low impedance and won't benefit much from a balanced setup

The Clear have a stated impedance of 55 ohms. Impedance also varies with frequency. As for balanced operation, I definitely hear benefits using the XLR out and balanced XLR hp cable from the Violectric V280 and the GSX-mini to the Clear (OG). This is even more evident with the cap-mod Mjolnir II to the Clear (OG). Benefits derived from balanced operation are not linked to impedance per se. SE circuit quality vs BAL circuit quality in a h/p/a is a critical factor.

 

[robm321]

^ well said.

 

[HTSkywalker]

T

The Clear have a stated impedance of 55 ohms. Impedance also varies with frequency. As for balanced operation, I definitely hear benefits using the XLR out and balanced XLR hp cable from the Violectric V280 and the GSX-mini to the Clear (OG). This is even more evident with the cap-mod Mjolnir II to the Clear (OG). Benefits derived from balanced operation are not linked to impedance per se. SE circuit quality vs BAL circuit quality in a h/p/a is a critical factor.

To benefit from this setup you will need to have a balanced DAC output going to a balanced amp input to a balanced headphone cable.

 

[jonathan c]

T

To benefit from this setup you will need to have a balanced DAC output going to a balanced amp input to a balanced headphone cable.

 

[G3ck0]

What is the most you would pay for the Clear over the Elex? There's a couple of Elex available in Australia for 800AUD, cheapest Clear is currently $1500, though apparently they hit $1100 on sale occasionally.

And then is an Elex a good option compared to an Ananda, which costs $200 more?

 

[HTSkywalker]

What is the most you would pay for the Clear over the Elex? There's a couple of Elex available in Australia for 800AUD, cheapest Clear is currently $1500, though apparently they hit $1100 on sale occasionally.

And then is an Elex a good option compared to an Ananda, which costs $200 more?

I have both the Elear and the Ananda and the Ananda is way more superior unless you plan to use an OTL

 

[phthora]

What is the most you would pay for the Clear over the Elex? There's a couple of Elex available in Australia for 800AUD, cheapest Clear is currently $1500, though apparently they hit $1100 on sale occasionally.

And then is an Elex a good option compared to an Ananda, which costs $200 more?

I had two long auditions of the Clear and the Elex together, once before buying my Clear and once after. Ultimately, I found that the Clear and the Elex are surprisingly close both in terms of quality and in sound signature. The Clear has better resolution and imaging and presents overall a more refined sound with less noticeable peaks and dips, but that's about it. On paper, it's not much. But for me, the difference is that the Clear is a perfect version of that sound signature and the Elex is a slightly flawed one. So, I spent about $500 more and went with the Clear. Then I went two years without buying another headphone. Spending a bit more was, in my case, the right choice, but the Elex remains an outstanding headphone at its pricepoint. If you haven't endgamed your DAC and amp, I'd suggest buying the Elex.

Compared to the Ananda, you'll get a bit less overall resolution and bass extension, in exchange for a significantly more impactful, dynamic, and natural sound. I always found the Ananda to be too ethereal and delicate sounding to really engage me, but that's a matter of taste.

 

[Quartzwald]

I would probably grab the Clear for reliability alone. The Elex has a notoriously fragile voice coil that can break down suddenly. This is one of the things they fixed with the Clear (aside from other improvements).

 

[Ichos]

In my opinion the Elex resolves better and the bass extends deeper.

 

[robm321]

.

 

[robm321]

What is the most you would pay for the Clear over the Elex? There's a couple of Elex available in Australia for 800AUD, cheapest Clear is currently $1500, though apparently they hit $1100 on sale occasionally.

And then is an Elex a good option compared to an Ananda, which costs $200 more?

Headphones.com had the Clears for $900-ish. Did they run out of stock? NVM I'm in the US.

 

[mikewr]

Would be interesting to see a comparison with the 600 and 800S. Seems like everyone has different takes on where the Clear sits with the two.

Here's a comparison from AB'ing the clear and hd600. Just wanna be transparent about my setup: my amp is an acro l1000, via its 4 pin balanced out for both headphones. It is a fairly neutral/clean dac and amp combo by my tastes (only direct "A/B" was with the questyle cma 400i; it made the questyle sound muddy in comparison. I also wanna add that the amp definitely does not have any "sabre glare" from experience with this occurrence). As far as I know it is fully balanced, with 2 internal AK dacs and all.

I think the clear is overall a warmer headphone, but there is definitely more treble peaks or sparkle - whichever way you wanna spin it. The two most contrasting aspects to the sound is the sub-bass and the upper mids and treble, but I think I can hear the metallic quality talked about on the clear.

Difference is sub-bass quantity and impact is tremendous. In perfect honesty, I would liken the difference between the two to adding a subwoofer to your speaker setup; it is that substantial. Bass guitars, acoustic guitars, and kick drums sound have more impact and much more body or reverberation, particularly kick drums. If your a fan of an analytical sound, or really used to the hd600, I wanna say the clear can sound a bit too aggressive, maybe even "boomy" or muddy (mostly referring to kick drums; acoustic guitars are just plain better to me on the clears). It does bring in the question of realism though; I don't have much experience attending live performances, so I wonder if the clears presentation is more realistic here. Maybe someone can comment? I also wanna add that I think listening to the clear balanced vs single ended made the bass more impactful, or maybe just extended the bass more (?), but take this with a HEAVY grain of salt.

I don't think the upper mids are much more recessed than on the hd600. I love the hd600's very forward upper mids, and I'm pretty reliable when it comes to complaining about faults in this area. Female voices do sound a bit more distant (very slightly). I think its the soundstage/imaging difference? Female voices are noticeably smoother on the hd600, but funny enough male vocals sound slightly harsher on the hd600 than they do on the clear. The clear is definitely more prone to whistling/raspyness/edginess in female high notes, and these voices in general are "colder" sounding (not a slight change, it is very noticeable). I wanna say I can hear the metallic quality of the clear here. Again though, I think there is a difference between using the clears balanced vs single ended, with the edge being taken off a noticeable bit via single ended. I feel more confident with this than the note on the bass earlier. For what it is worth, in the past I gathered from some impressions of my amp that the single ended out was slightly warmer than the balanced out, and I have generally come to agree with this over the years.

High notes on instruments like electric guitars and cymbals have more edge/spark on the clear.

Soundstage is slightly wider on the clears - key word slightly. Not too sure about depth and/or height. Imaging and/or separation is better on the clears. Very 3d or open is the impression I get compared to the hd600, but I'm struggling to find the right words here. Again, I think there is a difference between balanced and single ended, with the separation or imaging sound a bit better via single ended on the clear, which is something I never experienced before. Maybe because things are not as wide sounding (generally the main difference I hear with balanced)? Again, take with a grain of salt, but I feel pretty confident with this.

I think the clears sound better, for my tastes, from the bass to the lower mids, and the hd600 still sound better to me higher than that (they are my favorite headphone ever). The clears do get closer to the hd600's past the low mids unbalanced though, I'll need to confirm the differences described however. I really like that the clears do not screw up the upper mids, despite the metallic tone/quality I think I'm hearing up there. I think this will be more of a problem for people who listen at really high volumes or are very treble sensitive. On that note, I think the clears are a really great headphone for listening at low volumes! Plenty of bass impact, sub-bass extension, and mids are not recessed.

I would label the clear as pretty aggressive sounding compared to the hd600 just going off the bass impact. This, with the difference in tone in the upper mids, make me hesitate to say its the best upgrade from the 600, which seems to be a thing online. I can see why people say this however. As a 600 lover, the clears do sound pretty great to me, definitely more than the hd800S and the audeze lcd-gx (I know my comparison didn't seem like this was the case, but I focused on describing the differences). YMMV based on how sensitive you are to the metallic tone thing if you also love the 600's, which will be the biggest hurdle in my opinion.

Hope this was informative! I really rely on comparisons myself when shopping around so tried to be really detailed without too much audiophile lingo. I'll compare against with the hd800S eventually.

Pics so you know I'm not full of it

 

[mikewr]

Sorry its been a while, been busy with life. Anyways, I'll be a little less thorough with the comparison to the 800S, as the differences between them are a lot more striking.

Edit: oh, forgot to add that, since I don't have a compatible balanced connector on my amp for the balanced cable my 800S came with (4.4mm), these impressions were via single ended on both headphones.

In regards to treble, the hd800S is significantly colder or more shrill sounding. This is especially noticeable in cymbal heavy tracks. In quieter/calmer tracks this is noticeable in voices from either sex. While the clear (compared to the smoother hd600) can make certain voices sound sharper/less smooth up top, the 800S adds this underlining strident quality to them across their spectrum (best word I can think of). Despite this, I don't think the treble is very "peaky" or prone to sibilance, its more so the overall tone of it. The 800S's treble MIGHT even be a little less peaky in certain areas compared to the clear, but it is still more fatiguing to me because of the overall shrill quality of its tone. Do note that I believe someone who only listens to the 800S for a long time could likely get used to this quality and not let it bother them, mainly because of the aforementioned lack of peaks. Also, remember my amp is very neutral and exacting (imo), so a warmer amp impression doesn't apply here.

Clear is MUCH more dynamic. I think the main issue I have with the 800S is that combination between its large soundstage and its bland/gentle/non-impactful sound signature make it sound a bit too boring, even for someone who's favorite headphone is the hd600. The clear's (and hd600's) much more intimate soundstage and its obviously more impactful bass make it more engaging by a mile. However, this comes with a flip side. I think the 800S is a more relaxing listen compared to the clear, at least in some genres, and I think a big part of this effect is the size of the soundstage. Music isn't in your face, but still present and clear all around you thanks to its (imo) better imaging. This, combined with its frequency response, makes music sound more clean and precise without being so in your face with details, and it can really let you kind of kick back and relax if you forget about how much colder it sounds compared to the clear. I think the bass response can also split people's impressions. Its bass extension surprised me when I first heard it; I'd say it extends better than the 600's bass. I said it lacks impact, but someone can say its bass is much more precise/clean sounding compared to the clear, especially if you consider how the clear can come off as almost muddy sounding in my 600 comparison above. Again, the large soundstage no doubt plays a role in this.

Speaking of soundstage, I think it will be helpful to really describe the 800S's soundstage, as I think a lot of impressions I've read kind of over-hype it, as impressive as it is (it still sounds like a pair of headphones at the end of the day). This is from a lot of A/Bing between the clear and the 800S mind you: If both headphone's soundstages were to be described as a sphere I can visualize, with the center point being the center of my head, the clear's sphere has a diameter from just under my nose to my temples. The 800S's sphere has a diameter that stretches from behind my mouth to just under the crown of my head. It should come without saying that instrument/sound separation on the 800S is much better, but I feel the sphere analogy doesn't do this justice. Clear sounds compact and wooly in comparison, even with its good imaging, while with the 800S you can really visualize that sphere because of the sheer space between sounds within it. I'd say it gives the impression that the sphere is hollow because of how much space there is between sounds. This is why I have the impression that imaging is better on the 800S. Hope this makes sense.

And that is mainly the gist of it. I definitely like the clear more; a much better all rounder. Hope this helps.

 

[HTSkywalker]

Sorry its been a while, been busy with life. Anyways, I'll be a little less thorough with the comparison to the 800S, as the differences between them are a lot more striking.

Edit: oh, forgot to add that, since I don't have a compatible balanced connector on my amp for the balanced cable my 800S came with (4.4mm), these impressions were via single ended on both headphones.

In regards to treble, the hd800S is significantly colder or more shrill sounding. This is especially noticeable in cymbal heavy tracks. In quieter/calmer tracks this is noticeable in voices from either sex. While the clear (compared to the smoother hd600) can make certain voices sound sharper/less smooth up top, the 800S adds this underlining strident quality to them across their spectrum (best word I can think of). Despite this, I don't think the treble is very "peaky" or prone to sibilance, its more so the overall tone of it. The 800S's treble MIGHT even be a little less peaky in certain areas compared to the clear, but it is still more fatiguing to me because of the overall shrill quality of its tone. Do note that I believe someone who only listens to the 800S for a long time could likely get used to this quality and not let it bother them, mainly because of the aforementioned lack of peaks. Also, remember my amp is very neutral and exacting (imo), so a warmer amp impression doesn't apply here.

Clear is MUCH more dynamic. I think the main issue I have with the 800S is that combination between its large soundstage and its bland/gentle/non-impactful sound signature make it sound a bit too boring, even for someone who's favorite headphone is the hd600. The clear's (and hd600's) much more intimate soundstage and its obviously more impactful bass make it more engaging by a mile. However, this comes with a flip side. I think the 800S is a more relaxing listen compared to the clear, at least in some genres, and I think a big part of this effect is the size of the soundstage. Music isn't in your face, but still present and clear all around you thanks to its (imo) better imaging. This, combined with its frequency response, makes music sound more clean and precise without being so in your face with details, and it can really let you kind of kick back and relax if you forget about how much colder it sounds compared to the clear. I think the bass response can also split people's impressions. Its bass extension surprised me when I first heard it; I'd say it extends better than the 600's bass. I said it lacks impact, but someone can say its bass is much more precise/clean sounding compared to the clear, especially if you consider how the clear can come off as almost muddy sounding in my 600 comparison above. Again, the large soundstage no doubt plays a role in this.

Speaking of soundstage, I think it will be helpful to really describe the 800S's soundstage, as I think a lot of impressions I've read kind of over-hype it, as impressive as it is (it still sounds like a pair of headphones at the end of the day). This is from a lot of A/Bing between the clear and the 800S mind you: If both headphone's soundstages were to be described as a sphere I can visualize, with the center point being the center of my head, the clear's sphere has a diameter from just under my nose to my temples. The 800S's sphere has a diameter that stretches from behind my mouth to just under the crown of my head. It should come without saying that instrument/sound separation on the 800S is much better, but I feel the sphere analogy doesn't do this justice. Clear sounds compact and wooly in comparison, even with its good imaging, while with the 800S you can really visualize that sphere because of the sheer space between sounds within it. I'd say it gives the impression that the sphere is hollow because of how much space there is between sounds. This is why I have the impression that imaging is better on the 800S. Hope this makes sense.

And that is mainly the gist of it. I definitely like the clear more; a much better all rounder. Hope this helps.

Your description of the 800S is just right on the spot but if you want to hear a wall of sound, give a try to the Ananda or Arya.

 

[Nabooh]

In my opinion the Elex resolves better and the bass extends deeper.

The Elex ( which is just an Elear with clear pads BTW ), is more fun and punchy, but it lacks the detail and clarity of the Clear.
And with a lot of QC issue on both the Elear and the Elex, I won't buy any of this two. so Clear also have some issues ( mainly driver clipping ), but if far less than the Elex and Elear.