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jaydunndiddit
3262
Dec 5, 2018
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For me, that's easy: the Focal Elegia. They are arguably the best closed back reference headphone I have ever sampled. And while they may miss a few beats to purely at-home reference sets, the fact that they are portable and very easy to drive is a HUGE plus. The fact that I can take this quality of sound with me anywhere, and power them with anything, while offering good isolation puts the Elegia solidly at #1 for me. Not to mention, the build quality and accessories are great and when going balanced, the Elegia just kick it up another notch (they "scale" well).
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And since I am a huge IEM guy, I would have to give that nod to the Campfire Atlas. I have not enjoyed an IEM as much as I enjoy these and promptly reach for them more often than not. And while they're not perfect, they offer a unique, meaty sound that I don't get from anything else (nor did I know I craved). Also, dat bass.
Dec 5, 2018
Heefty
1387
Dec 6, 2018
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jaydunndidditSecond on Elegia! This would have been a hard question before I got my hands on them.
Dec 6, 2018
jaydunndiddit
3262
Dec 6, 2018
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HeeftyIt's wild. A totally random offering from Focal that went un-hyped and honestly under the radar turned out to be one of my best purchases of 2018. I'm glad they're getting so much acclaim now as it makes me wonder if Focal will continue to pursue this as the Elear and Utopia are getting old now and the Elex/Clear/Elegia truthfully feel more like the direction Focal is trying to move in (IMO).
Dec 6, 2018
Heefty
1387
Dec 6, 2018
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jaydunndidditIt certainly seems to be the case. I like the theory that they built the Elear and the Utopia with their respective differences to start capitalizing on their investments and while getting more data to work with on their drivers to implement on their actual target, the Clear. I think they were experimenting with the frameless voice coil (Utopia) and the copper clad aluminum voice coil (Elear) to see which was lighter/stiffer/more responsive, while trying to see if they really needed the added stiffness of the beryllium dome for a headphone driver. They seem to have gotten their answers because Clear and Elegia are fabulous cans and IMO perform better than either of their predecessors. I can't comment on Elex though. Still don't have those...
Dec 6, 2018
MaverickAH
748
Dec 8, 2018
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jaydunndidditUnder the radar? I don't know about that. Most European companies don't tend to over-hype & usually depend on reputation. Focal has been one of the best raw speaker manufacturers in the world for some time now. Their drivers go into a lot of different brands & kits. They might have had a bit of a learning curve when they decided to enter into the headphone market with the psychoacoustics & design of headphone listening but trust me, it was a short trip! Personally, I've got my fingers crossed for a blacked out Massdrop version of the Elegia in 2019! ;)
Dec 8, 2018
jaydunndiddit
3262
Dec 8, 2018
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MaverickAHWell, for the Elegia they didn't do any pressers ahead of time or anything like that despite them being in development for a while. They did a good job of keeping the secret close as they were announced right before RMAF. Campfire did something similar prior to revealing the Solaris during a show in Japan. I'm also quite the Focal fan as my local dealer sells A LOT of their speakers so I tend to pop into their showroom from time to time just to check out the new stuff. Not to mention, I have owned and sampled just about everything in their lineup except the Utopia. My dealer is still working on that setup but I am quite excited to get some ear time with them myself. To say the least, Focal has easily become one of my favorite headphone manufacturers right alongside Campfire Audio. Between the two, it's as if they were making gear tuned just for my ears, ha.
Dec 8, 2018
MaverickAH
748
Dec 13, 2018
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jaydunndidditI want the Elegia so bad I can taste it! I need a closed back to pair off with my Elex but I got sidetracked when I jumped in on the deal for the Quad ERA-1. Very glad I did though! I'm petty much finished with headphone purchases this year. I've done a lot...… Waaay too much! :(
Dec 13, 2018
SpeleoFool
675
Feb 20, 2019
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jaydunndidditHere it is! I owe you a beer for this post. :-) When the Elegia was announced I already owned the Utopia and Elex. I figured the last thing I needed was a third pair of expensive Focal headphones "hindered" by the limitations of a closed-back design. Air quotes on hindered because that was totally a bad assumption on my part. When I read that these were "one of [your] best purchases of 2018" it made me re-evaluate my assumptions. And when I decided I needed excellent closed-back cans for work, Elegias made the short list. More investigation revealed that quite a few people have been raving about them, and I finally gritted my teeth and hit the purchase button. I'm sitting here now in my office listening to Wish You Were Here on my Elegias and wondering how it's possible to get this kind of presentation out of closed-back headphones. Thank you for so firmly stating your affection for these headphones. They're one of my best purchases of 2019. :-)
Feb 20, 2019
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