I'm a lucky guy; I've heard almost all of the best headphones currently on the market, but I wasn't expecting something in that league from Focal. I've enjoyed their Spirit headphones for years, but Elear is radically different from what came before.

Hand-crafted in France; Remarkable resolution; Super-easy to drive

13-foot-long cable is unwieldy

"These cost how much" Raina asked. "Just listen to them," I urged. Raina put on the headphones and played some of her favorite tunes." It didn't take long for her to become a fan of Focal's Elear Open-Back Headphones . But at $1000 a pair, she's not sure they would be a wise purchase.

Amazing build; Comfortable; Fantastic sound

Really need to be paired with an amp; No protective bag or case; Intended for home use only; Pricey

In my review of the new Focal Listen headphone , I mentioned that it was at the bottom rung (so to speak) of three new headphones from the French company Focal. Further up the ladder were the Elear and Utopia headphones-both very different headphones and both much, much more expensive.

Extremely well made; Open back design; Great sounding-gets better with time; Comfortable; Accurate sound

Expensive; Soundstage could be wider; Not for smartphones

At the end of the month, French speaker manufacturer Focal will launch an impressive new line of headphones, and according to the company, the three new models – Utopia, Elear and Listen – will carry the full weight of its 35-years of experience in high-end audio.

My passion for listening to music through headphones is fueled by the enhanced sense of intimacy and extra feeling of connectedness I experience in rediscovering recordings I already love. You know the old audiophile cliché: It's like hearing my record collection for the first time.

All-in-all, the Elear is exactly what I would expect to see in a $1000 headphone...it's just shockingly satisfying to actually see it. This is an absolutely gorgeous headphone, extremely well designed and built. If the sound is as good as its build, this thing is a knock-out.

The Focal Utopia and Elear headphones are considered among the best headphones in the world. And right now as the limited-time promotional prices for both headphones are at their lowest ever, audiophiles are asking themselves if they should "bite the bullet" and fork over the big bucks for one of...

A review of the Elear open-back full-size headphones from legendary speaker manufacturer Focal

I own an embarrassing number of headphones. Some of my favorites are Audeze LCD 2's, Beyerdynamic T90's, Grado RS1i's, Hifiman HE 560,400i's, Philips X2's, Sennheiser HD 700,650, 600's . But the Elear's take your breath away. They are that good. Nothing I own has a sound that has this kind of punch.

Dynamic; excellent sound

Recessed upper mid's and lower treble; Somewhat closed sound stage for open back; This is nit picking

Their greatest attribute is the dynamic rendering of instruments; capturing their natural qualities, that add to the sense of musical realism. That is a very important ingredient to me personally in music listening, that keeps be from becoming bored, or fatigued by the job the headphones are doing,...

A paltry $699 new right now (Sep 2017

- could stand just a little more top end sparkle and air; but then they'd be exactly like the Utopia's I guess