Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Bazirker
107
Oct 7, 2018
I listened to these bad boys at CanJam/RMAF earlier today.
They're pretty damn good. I listened to several phones in MrSpeakers' lineup and I don't personally care for their sound signature, but these were technically excellent, especially for closed-back phones. To be frank, I actually preferred their overall presentation to that of the Ether 2, although I will say that I didn't have the time to listen to the open-back Ether 2's in a quiet setting, and the Ether 2's were technically superior in terms of details and soundstage.
If I had a spare $900 around, I would strongly consider biting on these, but alas I'll continue enjoying my $200 HD 6XX for the time being (and enjoy them I most certainly do!)
Senpai-sama
93
Oct 7, 2018
BazirkerDid you get a chance to listen to the Focal Elegia?
Bazirker
107
Oct 7, 2018
Senpai-samaI did! Of all the various headphones brands I tried yesterday, Focal was my favorite and I A/B'd their various models for around 45 minutes. The Elegia is built and feels like the rest of their headphones line, just closed back, obviously. Sonically, it definitely maintains the Focal house sound well and is technically similar to the Clears. I think the Clears sound more open and have a wider soundstage, which is unsurprising.
On head-fi, I wrote: "having listened to the Eligia quite a bit earlier and A/B'd for a few minutes with the Clears, I think "congested" may be the perfect word to describe them. I mean they sounded great, but less so when they're sitting right next to the Clears; a quick A/B with the Clears or Elears rapidly betrays that something is lost in closing up those earcups. The soundstage narrows quite considerably, although they otherwise are quite technically sound and maintain Focal's sound signature nicely. If you're stuck on getting closed back phones, I certainly wouldn't rule them out, but they basically sound exactly like what you'd think would happen if you took Focal's and closed em' up. Unlike @Allanmarcus, I find them (and all of Focal's line-up) quite comfortable, which is perhaps aided by the fact that I have a tiny head?"
I unfortunately don't think I can give a good descriptive comparison between the Elegia and the Ether CX, other than to say I think the Elegia is more to my tastes but I would happily own either. If you have heard either a MrSpeakers or Focal headphone, I think it doesn't take much imagination to figure out what these respective closed back phones will sound like, as they both are true to their manufacturer's house sound and I didn't hear any red flag problems with either.
ludachris
314
Oct 8, 2018
BazirkerI think the elegia ($899) is a better deal than the ether cx ($976 after tax). Elegia comes with headphone case with newer driver and voicecoil. Ether cx doesnt come with case and its a updated old tech. It just didnt make sense to go backwards when there is a ether flow 2 already out. If mr speakers set the price back $700 including the headphone case then I would of considered it. Focal actually set their prices back where elears are $700, clears $1100, uptopia $3000 at dealer sites. Both headphones look great but I rather choose the one with the newest updated tech. Elegia wins me over this based on value. I really wanted to get the ether cx but was a tad more expensive.
BazirkerThanks for your insight. Shot in the dark, but do you own or have heard the Elex for comparison to the Elegia?
ludachris
314
Oct 8, 2018
jaydunndidditI own the elex on another massdrop account. I never heard the Elegia but did some research and saw on headfi Jude 's posted pics of the new drivers for the elegia along with the graphs between the clear and elegia. Still rolling the dice until my elegia gets shipped to me. From what I heard the elegia sounds nothing like the elear but more like clears with higher bass in cups with less soundstage compared to clear.
ludachrisDid you order a pair too? If so, congrats. I just talked to my vendor and mine will be shipping today or tomorrow. Pretty stoked that I'll get to hear these things before making my mind up on the Ether CX drop (I really need/want a TOTL closed planar).
ludachris
314
Oct 8, 2018
jaydunndidditYour elegia post actually got me interested and I ordered mine yesterday. I would have to blame you for that. lol. Mine will probably ship later this week. I would like my first TOTL closed back planars to be mr speakers in the future one day as well. My elex needs a focal case and thats where the elegia comes in. =)
Bazirker
107
Oct 9, 2018
jaydunndidditNope, I asked Focal if they had one for audition and they didn't. I would've loved to have heard one, because if it sounded anything like the Clears, I'd probably buy one.
ZachL
218
Oct 9, 2018
BazirkerI'm wondering how the Focal Elex compare,
ZachLMy Elegia are in transit and I should have them by the weekend. I'll be sure to post my thoughts and impressions here once I get some ear time with them. The Elex is currently my favorite headphone so they'll have to wow me pretty hard to not get sent back for some Clear's. I do have high hopes for them considering others impressions from RMAF.
shimage
228
Oct 11, 2018
Senpai-samaI just auditioned the Elegia at TSAV today and bought a pair. The demo unit sounded surprisingly close to the Clears (my favorite headphone by far), much closer than anything else I've heard (Eikon, Z1R, HD820, T5p.2, Aeon, Ether C/C flow, LCD2C closed, etc). The unit I took home, though, seems to be broken. There is no bass in the left driver, and not enough bass in the right driver. Jude's measurements suggest these have noticeably more bass than the Clears, but I've seen some impressions reporting these have no bass at all. I wonder how much of this is sample variance. In any case, I'm hoping I can get my pair replaced without having to wait forever for warranty service ...
In other news, of the other headphones on that list I wrote above, I would take the LCD2C closed by a significant margin, assuming it's a fixed one. The first demo unit at TSAV was pretty terrible. That said, my Aeon closed doesn't sound anything like Dan's measurements. It is very mid-centric, lacking quite a bit in both treble and bass (although bass is extended well). I took out the foam in the ports, which fixed the bass, but the treble is still too polite for my tastes. Another casualty of sample variance?
Update: so, was able to exchange my pair of Elegias for another one that we verified was working correctly. Tonally, it is very close the Clears, I hear it like Jude's measurements. Mids are excellent, nothing to complain about. Bass is tight, well-extended, and has that Focal kick to it, but doesn't have the warmth and fullness you get from good planars (Audeze, MrSpeakers, etc). Treble, while good, is not as clean as the Clears or as smooth as LCD2Cs. I prefer the extra energy over the LCDs, but some don't. I wasn't at RMAF, so I can't compare to Ether CX, unfortunately. In the end, I guess it comes down to whether one prefers dynamic or planar presentation. I'm a sucker for Focal's hyper-dynamic sound, so ...
jaydunndiddit
3262
Mar 27, 2019
Have you checked out the Elegia? They are arguably my favorite closed back next to the Campfire Cascade's. They're both opposites sonically but work well together depending on the genre of music. I'd highly recommend either depending on what you normally listen to.
PRODUCTS YOU MAY LIKE
Trending Posts in Audiophile