Here’s the question then: I was about to buy the Sundara with the stealth revisions for $350. Now that the Elegia is being sold close to $399, should I buy it instead?
I already own LCD-Xs and love them, but I’m looking for lighter headphones with great dynamics and solid bass as I am a DJ and spend hours sifting through EDM music. Detail is important, but I can’t stand sibilance. When I’m not listening to EDM I stream Hi-Res Jazz music on Qobuz, so having excellent imaging would be a plus too. Maybe I’m asking for too much for ~$400?
both are very resolving solutions and for me it will be the Elegia first. Simply because it´s a very good deal, which may end soon. The Sundara will be sold for 349 in the next months, if you should find the Elegia not matching your preferences. And the Focal is the better allrounder to have, as a closed back.
What DAC and Amp do you use to feed the headphone? I ask because the LCD-X is quite easy to drive.
The Sundara will need a bit more power. The Elegia is super easy to drive(which might help you out in the field while DJing? with a mediocre hf out), though also scales with “better” equipment.
Do you wear glasses? I ask because a good seal is key with the closed back Focal. If you use glasses with thick arms, you might do better with the Sundara.
Does anyone know if Focal is going to keep making the pads for the Elegia for the foreseeable future since they’re being discontinued?
Edit: I just got response from Focal on how they handle discontinued items. It looks like pads shouldn’t be a huge issue because they stock up on enough parts to service headphones for the next ~10 years.
Ray, you might like to take a look at my post in another thread last night. Someone else got the Elegia with the $399 deal. I was curious about the resale value of the Elegia. It’s holding up pretty well at the moment (see the screenshot image). I’ll let you decide about the amount of risk you’re comfortable taking, but if you got this good deal and didn’t end up liking the Elegia, you might not lose out too much.
Having said that, it might be too early to tell if second-hand prices will be affected by the Adorama sales.
Thank you for the response. Wow, I can tell this is a great forum by the willingness to help. I currently use the Monolith THX Portable DAC/AMP as I enjoy being able to move around the house and not be tied to one desk/location. From what I have been told, even though the power output is lower, the sound quality is supposed to be very similar to the THX 789. I don’t wear glasses, but I am concerned with an issue about the Elegia and EQ settings. As a DJ, I use MacBook Pro exclusively, which really sucks because I only have access to Equalizer APO and Peace when I’m on my work computer.
For this reason, I am limited to using the built-in EQ settings in the Monolith THX portable. This means for Shelf EQ I can only use one Low Gain Filter, one High Gain Filter, and I have 3 Parametric EQ settings.
I see that Andrew Park uses 5 Parametric EQs, an LF Gain and an HF Gain. If 5 PEQ adjustments are needed, it might be a deal breaker for me. So I’m wondering if I can make the Elegia’s sound good with only 3 parametric EQ settings? Would not using the -1.5db drop at 333Hz and 577Hz ruin the slope leading up to the 1800KHz frequency?
I think I got really lucky and somehow managed to get away with only using 3 Parametric EQ settings and one LF Gain to address the upper mid-range issues and bass response on my LCD-X (thanks to Andrew’s excellent LCD-X settings) as it seems that I like a bit more air in the treble than he does.
BTW, I’m not actually going to DJ with the Elegia’s as my DJ gear takes an incredible beating, and audiophile quality is not as essential in a loud venue. I’m looking for headphones that are lightweight and comfortable for hours of EDM music listening as I dig around for new music (AIFF files) on Beatport and Traxsource.
both headphones don´t need any eq at all, like many others(most Audeze) do
not that they wouldn´t benefit from eq … just give it a try and adjust after what you hear and not others are recommending - this is my personal take on eq
As the name may suggest and the replies I’ve given, I hardly know anything about headphones. So cables are way out of the park.
Why do I need new cables? I don’t know. After watching many reviews on the headphones I’ve seen 2 for certain 3 people suggest upgrading those cables. Guessing for a better experience? They are not to par with the headphones? You tell me???
Just wanted to get your opinion, or from someone who owns them and is knowledgeable.
If you’re wondering, and it will make you wonder more, I don’t have an amp or dac. Just seeking the unbalanced cables
I believe these headphones are capable of both, don’t quote me.
The quality of sound reproduction is great. Its just the stiffness and ergonomics of them people don’t like. I get on with mine fine. I wouldn’t worry. Lots of folk are fine with them. But as you already probably know Audiophiles are a pretty discerning breed.
So in conclusion if they’re working fine for you, you’re good. Enjoy.
I agree entirely with @prfallon69, don’t worry about the cables, just enjoy the music and your lovely new headphones!
I find the cables for my Clear to be too stiff but not to the point at which I’d be prepared to spend money on a replacement - that investment wouldn’t do much for improving the sound quality on my system and there are other, more immediate and significant benefits to be had from other purchases.
If you feel like spending a bit of money, and you’d like a boost to your audio quality, an affordable little all-in-one DAC/amp unit might serve you well - something like a Schiit Audio Fulla 3, iFi Hip-dac, or others. You don’t need much power for your Elegia, and these little guys are transportable, too (you don’t need to plug them into a wall outlet). But they’ll make a difference to the music coming out of a computer or smartphone.
I agree with @prfallon69 and @Tchoupitoulas, if you like the stock cable, there’s no reason to replace it. I was one of the posters above who had decided to buy new cables for my Stellia (which I’m assuming has the same cable as the Elegia but in a different color) but that was more about logistics, not the sound.
The 4 foot Focal cable is not long enough for my desk setup, and I also find it very stiff and microphonic. In addition to that, I will shortly have 2 headphones that have different connectors, so I’ve ordered a custom set from Arctic Cables that can connect to both a Stellia and a Verite. And it’s longer, more flexible and frankly it looks nicer than the stock cable. If it happens to sound better, that’s a bonus, but better sound quality was not the primary reason for getting it.
Got it, I thought it was more for performance. Maybe more critical if I wasn’t going to use a desktop setup.
Yea this one will be a pause, unfortunately will only get to preview my headphones soon. Going to Schitt and source AV. Most likely source AV to get a better understanding what to listen too.
I was pretty set on the magnius, and pro-ject was in limbo. But I see topping now and it’s really pushing me in that direction. I’m looking at the 50’s and 50S. But as I plan to be patient I’m thinking the 90s may drop to 500 or 600 for the pair. 700 at the moment.
Again, I’m simply trying to make a one time purchase to hold me over with combination outputs. I already dumped a value dac/amp with my headphones. But I believe variety is good, with dynamic and planar for experience that’s why I pulled the trigger.
Honestly will go with Arya if it drops significantly during Black Friday. Ananda looks good but not sure if it leaps so much ahead of the Sundara. I’m certain the Arya does. Very difficult that’s why I communicate what I’m thinking cause I have no understanding.
It’s from Germany and a full customized build by Audioverse. You can sink tons of money in these things. Mine is:
Cable EP1C+ Series Y-Split
Lenght 1.5m OCC, Black &, Silvergrey, (you can choose up to four different colours per cable, I prefer it simple and straight)
Weave style: Type B,
Headphone connector: 2x 3.5mm Neutrik Rean NYS 226 BG
Splitter: VIABLUE NF-A7
Amplifier connector: VIABLUE T6s 3.5mm
I made the mistake to get a 3.5mm amplifier connector. Chosing a 4.4mm Pentaconn amplifier connector and a adapter Pentaconn socket to whatever you need will save you money in the long term.
Did you hear any difference from the stock cable? I want the same sound.
I did order a cable from a different shop, and immediately noticed a difference (a bad one) so returned to the annoyingly long and stiff stock
With all the talk about the Elegia and the cables I’m just going to leave this comment here with a solid rec from a very happy Hart Audio customer. James has a great product at an extremely competitive price and he takes a lot of pride in his work. He has been making some improvements to his designs recently as well which shows he listens to feedback from the community and has a desire to continue improving his product.
Here are some pics of my custom dual 3.5mm cable from Hart. Love it. Will be ordering more in the future for my other headphones.
Got the Elegia recently and really liking them. Is the Clear in your opinion that much better (technically speaking) to justify owning both? I’m already looking for a pair but I’m afraid it would be too redundant sound espeically since I’m EQing the Elegia.
The Clear reaches the point of “wow” and distinguishes between the audio and room or background noise. Open back headphones such as the Clear offer a different user experience than closed headphones, and generally result in less fatigue over long sessions. I demoed but didn’t buy the Elegia because I’m not wild about closed-back dynamic headphones.
Attatched a cabel that every Focal should have.
