Well, perhaps I should have written, “I came accross the legend, Oratory 1990” . . . 
The settings for the Elegia are included in a long list of headphones that he has measured.
I generally prefer using EQ over pad swapping to get the sound I want. But with the ZMF Verite I find that with the Universal velour pads I get pretty close to what I like without using EQ.
Hah, yes. I think he’s a legend for creating so many EQ profiles and for the rigorous approach he takes.
I prefer EQ as well because it seems to be a more predictable and consistent approach. Who knows what you will get when you try new pads? That said, the Dekoni pads help me get a more consistent seal which helps with the bass and noise isolation/leakage. EQ, obviously, helps with the former but not the later.
I’ll have to check out the Dekoni pads. Out of curiosity do you know why Oratory1990 hates the Elegia? I can’t find anything about that.
It was a comment on Reddit. I remember seeing it when I was evaluating whether or not to buy the Elegia.
‘You can add my personal (very subjective) commentary to that:
“the Elegia sucks”.
Yes, you can quote me on that.’
Sorry for the late reply. Had to do a lot of overtime the last days. At the moment I use a Fiio K5pro and a Fiio BTR5. Both fairly entry level. I am long time in the Hifi (audiophile) hobby. In my experience you get far less value of a better (which is mostly considered a more expensive) amplifire than from a better or more to your liking tuned loudspeaker or headphone. My personal favorite at the moment is the RME ADI 2 DAC FS. I am curious what improvement sound quality it can deliver. But first and foremost, I am interested in the other features that the ADI 2 offers.
Just got a pair of elegias and primarily wanting to use them on the go out of the house. I have got a variety of amps at home (hersey, thx 887, DV 336se and fiio q5s) and the only one I liked to pair the elegias with is the hersey. I thought the q5s was supposed to be good with them but even running balanced i find the combo a bit cold and hollow sounding, the bass boast did help but felt a lol unnatural or boomy on some tracks. What other portable dac amp would you guys recommend for to give a warmer presentation? The only two I have come across are the xd05 plus and the hip dac in that sort of px point
hey Lalawil,
first welcome to the forum and congrats on the Elegia!
the ifi hip dac and the xd05 plus are both a warmer pairing - yes.
My Fiio BTR3 is also quite warmish compared to the Earstudio ES100.
Another older portable DAC/AMP which is not on modern levels, but is a bit warmer - the Fiio Q1 II - would not recommend it. Have it as backup and it gets no use.
if you are willing to pay a bit more, you could also have a look at the ifi xDSD or go for a DAP, like the new Cayin N3 Pro wich is equipped with a tube and can be run in solid state mode as well.
Thanks @MartinTransporter
I do have a Dx160 dap which runs decent with the elegias balanced but sometimes I like the ease of using the phones interface as audio source, smoother and quicker.
Xdsd is definitely a good shout, need to find somewhere I can demo them all tgt before pulling the trigger.
I have a FiiO BTR5 and I’m running it on the 2,5mm balanced port. Works well with Elegia and Clear. It is a bit warm compared to an FiiO K5pro or a RME ADI-2 DAC. For my purposes ideal for a relaxed listening on the sofa in the evening.
Yes the BTR3 and the xDSD are a bit warmer compared to my RME adi-2 dac fs.
I use the my Elegias with the Q5S quite often. I really like the pairing, but I also have the Dekoni solid sheepskin pads which makes the Elegias slightly warmer.
To be honest though, the Elegias also run great just off of my Apple dongle. It really just depends on if I want to have the cable attached to my phone or not. If I’m using my phone a bunch, I use the Q5S with Bluetooth and if I don’t, I just go with the Apple dongle.
Just out of int @QuasiSpecies, how do you find the bass boost on the q5s? It’s the only amp I have listened to with bass boast function. Sounds really good on edm n pop (almost essential I’ll go as far as saying) but stuff like jazz and classical I prefer to leave it off.
The dekoni sheepskin pads I’m eyeing on for some time. Shame they don’t ship to my country, so I may have to wait for drop to have them and get them over. The newly released fiio q3 looks pretty interesting with thx aaa and same px ish as the hip dac.
Welcome @Lalawil. I still have not got past the burning time on my Elegia but already love them.
I don’t really use it, sorry. I EQ using neutron player.
I prefer being able to turn the knobs myself, so to speak.
I’ll take a listen during my session tonight and report back tomorrow.
I highly recommend them for two main reasons:
Seal. These seal better than the stock pads with better consistency. Before I got the Dekoni pads I found the bass to be somewhat inconsistent in its slam. After switching I get a much more consistent sound from the Elegias.
Reduction in noise leakage (mostly a result of point one). The Elegias leak so much sound with the stock pads that I can’t wear them around my wife without it being annoying to her. The Dekoni solid sheepskin pads significantly reduce this leakage.
Wow, your wive must be very sensible to “noise”. I got the Elegias for the same reason as you did. But with the stock pads there is no reason to argue anymore. And I seem to habe a headshape which is good for sealing the Elegia. So far I have no issuue with sealing. Even wearing my glases with a thick frame lowers the bass response in a tolerable way.
Would you wear your Elegias on a bus with someone sitting next to you?
Or perhaps more informative, if someone else on the bus sitting next to you was wearing them, would you be annoyed?
Have you ever put your Elegias over your thigh (to approximate your head) and heard what comes out at your normal listening volume?
Loud is relative and so is annoyance, for that matter, so your mileage may vary.
I have the same issue with my Elegia, they leak a lot of sound out. I listen loud, which is a huge factor. But with the stock pads everyone around me definitely is hearing what i’m listening to.
I have to say i don’t really experience much sound leak. so yea YMMV