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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

I got the Elear from HiDef through Amazon. Quick delivery and very well packaged (box inside box inside box). I am not an audiophile so I won't be describing the Focal Elear headphone in audiophile terms because I don't know really what they mean.

"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

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