Are you by any chance planning to do an A/B review-comparison like this one with the SP200 vs Lyr3 using Bifrost as a common dac ?? 
That will be like made in heaven for me !!
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Hmmmmmm maybe!! I had the realization today that I can more easily move my SMSL THX amp to my Lyr/Bifrost listening station next to my Stressless vs. moving my Bifrost to the thx amp, so that is entirely possible! I could run the THX amp connected to Bifrost via balanced connections and the LYR via single ended connects.
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That’s true, you won’t need to be switching connectors . I have a Schiit’s SYS from when I was using the small Schiit products, was very useful between Magni and Vali.
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Great comparison @MRHifiReviews. Thank you for what was obviously a lot of your time and energy. As I was reading your comments it gradually ocurred to me that if you substituted the 6xx for the A2C and the Elex for the Elegia, it is uncannily close to how I would describe, although much less eloquently, the relationship between the sound of those two headphones. And I definitely agree with you regarding the benefits of owning multiple headphones.
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Thank you @senorx12562 
All of those headphones are very enjoyable! I still have my 6XX and love them!
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first I am not a professional reviewer
Then you should be one 
I was nothing less than fascinated reading your unusually well-written review, for two reasons: first, it reads like a Stereophile review but one for the common man, without the techie fluff that even advanced audiophiles sometimes have a hard time relating to. Secondly I have been an eager headphone collector for more than 30 years and as such am an avid reader of material related to headphones in general but mostly I like reading about items that I own or am seriously considering acquiring either for listening or integrating in my collection for various reasons. Yes I’m one of those weirdo phoneheads who pay good money for so-so sounding cans, provided they have other qualities to counterbalance poor SQ.
It just so happens that I purchased the Elegia last week and was considering contributing a brief comparison write-up. It also just so happens that I wanted to pit the closed-back Focal against a planar from my collection. First contender I had considered was the Hifiman Sundara which, despite its modest price, is otherwise fit for comparison against any planar under $1,000. As owner of a Hifiman item yourself you know for those models up to $2,000 you usually get a lot of phone for the money. I find it an amazing coincidence that you posted a review that does almost exactly that but in a much more thorough fashion than I would have myself.
As I was saying I considered using the Sundara for the purpose because I don’t have any other planars in a price range that would be fair to the AEON2C, which I don’t have… yet Also, the Sundara is an open-back and I often dream about a enchanted forest where trees would grow open-backs, and that makes me prejudiced against a closed-back in such an exercise. I only happen to have two closed-back planars: the Monoprice M560 and the Audeze LCD-XC, none of which qualifies because one is BOTL cheap and the other costs twice as much as the AEON2C, making it “overqualified” so to speak. But better SQ (or so I read) is probably the only aspect of the LCD-XC that would spare it defeat considering its deal-breaker flaws. It’s heavy, uncomfortable, hot (literally), won’t sit steady despite its nice looking leather ear pads, which are sticky when dry, slimy when wet, and wet they quickly become since they have no way to “breathe” like Focal and many other phones. But that doesn’t keep Audeze from calling them a jewel in every headphone fancier’s collection. Unfortunately that’s pretty much all they are good for: look but don’t touch. Just IMHO of course, I have a friend who swears by them. To each his own, right?
I bought the Elegia to collect, not really listen to. But of course I tried them on for fit and they turned out sounding quite better than expected, pretty much as you describe so well. But they’re not really fit for fusion which is the genre I listen to the most, along with jazz, classic rock and prog. I found they do well with vocal-oriented pieces with a quasi-planar like rendition of mids which are rendered with good accuracy. Also they aren’t bassy like most closed-backs. Instead they sport the typical Focal bass signature that is most apparent in the Elear. Next on my list is the Stellia, can’t wait to give those a run when tax returns fall into my bank account in April.
Congrats on a job so well done sir!
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Thank you @MuseMuff for the kind words!!! I appreciate it truly. It was very fun putting this together. It was also very time consuming, especially the writing part. It gave me even more respect for people who do this for a living. I am editing the photos now!!! I just updated the playlists too. I would love to hear the Stellia as well!! Definitely on my list of headphones to listen to! Thank you again sir!!
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Amazon, Spotify, and Qobuz playlists have been updated to the original review if you want to have a fun listen, Apologies to Tidal folks I don’t use Tidal.
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They are very expensive so expectations are high for the Stellia, the buzz is that they sound nothing less than stellar, even when compared with open-backs of the same class (read Clear I suppose). If they sound as spectacular as they look it should be quite the treat. From Focal I have the Elegia, Elear, Clear and Utopia but guess which is my favourite? It’s the Elear played with True-Fi turned on. I call them Trulear and they are living proof that the Elear’s enormous potential was looked over on purpose by Focal in their rush to put a lesser-priced sidekick to the Utopia which had so impressed reviewers on the audiophile-class market. When he reviewed it Tyl Hertsens had made subtle allusions that the Elear could perhaps be the best headphone in the world but he didn’t finish the sentence which could have read “if only Focal would tune it properly godammit”
Well the folks at Sonarworks did tune it properly and the result is one of the best sounding cans I have ever heard, imho they are almost as near to flawless as a headphone can be: fast, tight, accurate and… clear lol. Bass response drops to abysmal pits and climbs back smoothly, never bleeding into low mids, in fact transitions are practically seamless over the whole spectrum in the “presence” region regardless of source material, phase coherence and latency imho are better than the Clears’ and instrument separation despite the typically narrow sound stage is to die for. As for comfort well, it’s Focal so it’s easy to forget you have a one-pound phone on your head. With regards to looks it’s subjective obviously, but I always found the Elear’s sober, stately “Black Beauty” treatment the most alluring of all audiophile-class Focal models. It’s pretty obvious to tell where the designers of the Elegia found their inspiration, it’s an inside job
But like all “augmentations” there is a price to pay to fully enjoy the Trulear: it requires pretty serious power to drive them so the options are few: you can use an upper-tier lamp job, or a USB-powered DAC connecting a desktop with a powerful PSU to a properly maintained mid to late 70’s receiver that can really swing the volts. YMMV with this but there are voltage swing charts for the most popular models available on the web. Hunting tech spec paper is inevitable in this hobby. 
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I love these kind of ‘behind the scenes’ shots. Very cool.
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Thanks @ValentineLuke I will finish up the actual photos tonight after my little one goes to bed! Already finished a few during her nap. I hope everybody likes them. 
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Right on.
I was so impressed with your review that I started following your IG (It was included in the review) .
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Thanks buddy!!!
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Just wanted to add that I meant “open-backed” not “closed-back” when referring to the Clear in my post above. Sorry about the confusion.
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Ok, review updated with photos! Thanks for your patience everyone, I had to wait until the little one was asleep. I hope you enjoy the images and the music playlist!
MR
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Your first track, I’ve been listening to this cover of it for a bit now!
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Great photos!
I really like those headphone stands… 
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Thank you @ValentineLuke !! Those stands are cool, great for photos glad you introduced them to me!
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My pleasure. I’m glad you’re enjoying them as much as I am.
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Awesome!! I will check it out!!
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