been spending an increasing amount of time with the Elegia running from my Pendant amp on low Z, and i am really liking this pairing. it’s a slightly smoother delivery than the Phonitor, with slightly rounded edges/attack, and a slightly thicker and slower bass response. i find it a bit less fatiguing, and more musical and engaging. the low Z output is 8ohm on the pendant, which violates the 1/8 or 1/10 rule on impedance matching. but despite this, it sounds good. i don’t get the feeling it’s under dampened. it’s still relatively tight and controlled, not bloated or slow. the Clear also sound good on the Pendant too, but i feel the Elegia/Pendant pairing more synergistic.
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I took my elegias and went to demo the hip dac. Was amazing. Love the pairing. Bot one on the spot
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My Elegia’s are dead silent at 12". So not sure what others are talking about “sound leak”.
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I hope it’s not too late to post my impressions after living with them for almost 4 months as my daily driver.
I shall start at the beginning!
Design (Intent):
To start this whole thing off, I would like to explain what I think Focal was shooting for when designing the Elegia. I could be very far off considering I wasn’t involved in the development process, but I’ll give it a shot.
From the first time I unboxed the Elegia up until the present, it has been the most luxurious headphone I’ve ever owned. They have a heft and materials that make me want to care for them more than something like my HD6XX. In terms of watches, the Elegia is closer to the stereotypical fine swiss Rolex than the workhorse Japanese Casio G Shock. Neither is better than the other in general but more a matter of preference.
This design is a highlight of the ownership experience as they do indeed look and feel special. However, this comes at the expense of perceived durability. I don’t know, nor will I test the actual durability of the Elegia versus something like the HD6XX, but I’d feel more comfortable using the Sennheiser as an everyday workhorse in less-than-ideal environments. The Elegia feels like a headphone that you listen to at home, in a comfy chair, with expensive alcohol at the end of a long day.
Design (Execution):
As far as the fit and finish is concerned, I am happy with the execution of the design. Materials feel premium, from the leather (pleather?) on the top of the headband to the metal yokes to the suede/cloth materials of the earpads. I see no issues with what Focal has done here.
Comfort:
The earcups are deep enough for the drivers to not touch my ears and the pads are nice and soft. However, the weight at 430 g and the size (girth?) of the headphones leaves the comfort level just short of the “forget you’re wearing it” mark. They won’t fall off if you glance downward, but I wouldn’t head-bang too hard unless you want them somewhere other than on your head.
Accessories:
The Elegia comes with a very nice, very French, fanciest of the pants carrying case. In stark contrast to the hard plastic pelican case that a lot of Audeze headphones spend their time in, the cloth Focal case is tastefully flashy, if not a bit purse like. It can hold the headphones along with a few accessories including the cable, which I guess we need to cover now…
I’m not sure what I can say about the original cable that hasn’t already been said. It’s worse than a disappointment. It would be one thing if it was just a piece of garbage that you threw away with the packing materials, but it’s not. It’s beautiful, which makes the fact that it’s awful even worse. If it weren’t for the wire itself being stiff and heavy, I would LOVE to use it. It’s 4’ long and terminated in 3.5mm at both ends (or should I say all three ends?). The hardware is aluminum with the focal label printed on the side. Like I said, it’s a shame that they chose the wire that they did. Luckily, a new-fantasia cable off amazon is peanuts.
Sound:
Overall : I think it’s safe to say that these are my favorite sounding closed back headphones. Granted, my experience is mainly with things like the Sony WH-1000XM3 and the V Moda Crossfade series, but with the current pricing (don’t worry, we’ll talk about this later) These actually aren’t crazy comparisons to make.
Now I know “favorite” doesn’t mean jack squat, so I’ll try to flesh out and justify my opinion.
Lows : I believe it was Resolve who I first heard describe the lows in a way that I completely agreed with. These aren’t a “bassy” headphone, but that doesn’t mean they lack punch. Actually, I think tightness and punch are two of its best characteristics and while the quantity of low end may not wow most at first, the execution and control is spot on with what I look for in a headphone, especially a closed back.
Mids : I don’t have too much to say here, other than I have no complaints. The mids do what they need to do, and they do it well. I think the timbre is notable, but I’ll cover that later.
Highs : I’m impressed by the way that the Elegia can provide an airiness and sparkle in the highs without crossing over into the harsh/bright territory. I’m personally very sensitive to sibilance, harshness, brightness or whatever you want to call it. This means things like the Beyerdynamic DT1990 or the Fostex T50RP are a no-go for me because the fatigue will start get to me after only a few minutes. The Elegia suffers from none of this. The top end gives a ton of detail, while being smooth enough to listen to and enjoy that detail for hours on end.
Timbre : This is something that I’ve just recently been paying attention to and will try to describe as best as I can. Where all my other headphones have a more plasticky sounding timbre, the Elegia could be best described as a little metallic. BUT, and this is a big but, I feel like that metallic nature is a quality that enhances the overall experience. I’m not sure if it’s a good analogy, and I don’t know if I’ve ever actually heard one, but it reminds me of how I think a full titanium car exhaust should sound. No, it’s probably not doing any favors for realism and is probably coloring the sound a bit, but I have come to really enjoy its smooth, strong character. It’s different from all my other headphones and actually brings to mind the Focal Utopia, that I’ve spent all too little time with. Fun fact, listening to the Utopia at Paragon Sight and Sound in Michigan is what caused me to look into Focal headphones, and end up buying the Elegia when it went on sale.
Scaling : Again, not much to say here, other than I’ve been running them off a Grace SDAC > Schiit Magni 3+, but ended up selling the Magni because my FiiO A3 did just as good a job, and also has a bass boost switch for when I need to feel more wub wubs.
I did notice a difference between the SDAC > A3 setup and something like my phone and the Hidizs Sonata HD. The phone/Sonata seemed to drive them OK, but was lacking in detail. I have not tried them with anything higher end than the Magni 3+, but I’d like to in the future.
Value :
So as mentioned a couple times before, I bought these on sale from Adorama when they were discontinued. I believe original MSRP was around $900, but ever since their discontinuation you can easily find them used in the $400-$500 range. I personally think that at that price, for an excellent sounding, well built closed back, even if you pretty much need to buy an aftermarket cable, these are an excellent option, if not the best. I highly recommend them!
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Thought I’d link to soon to be announced closed backs from Focal, seems to be the Elegia’s replacement
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I think, I read and viewed ALL reviews of the Elegia in the past couple of weeks and finally bought the B-stock (so-called because they are discontinued) from a German retailer.
Not another unboxing story but a few quick shots:
Curt and Roland and our Vietnamese puppets approve!
First listend to some vinyl (T4F, JM Jarre, Arcadia) and now listening at my desk (via my ifi ZEN DAC) and yes, it was the right decision. Comfort is great (as everybody said), and I have no trouble with bass (even with glasses). Seal is also good: already missed one Teams call - ops!
Some wow-tracks:
- Supertramp - School
- Saga - A brief case
- Beatles - Get Back
- Sting - Tea in the Sahara
- Shy’m - Mes fantasies
- Tears for Fears - Woman in Chains
- … and anything Marcus Miller
Now, this will be a lovely long Easter weekend with lots of music …
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Nice! Congrats on getting a pair. It’s good to see some love for the Elegia. I liked them very much when I auditioned them last year (if it weren’t for already having a pair of closed-back headphones and saving up for some other things, I’d have leapt on a pair).
Looking forward to reading more of your impressions!
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I was looking for leather ear pads for my Focal Elegia. The original ear pads are expensive on the one hand, and on the other hand the material is not very resistant to impurities, especially in summer when you sweat. On my AKG K701, leather ear pads have proven to be the way to go in summer.
Recently I came across an interesting article on a German website https://www.miniklangwunder.de/kopfhoerer/dynamisch/focal-pad-wechsel-2021-elegia-celestee-und-clear-pro-interessante-ebeispiele/. Since I own both Focal Elegia and Focal Clear, I found the tester’s experiances interesting. Another plus was that I could buy the ear pads directly in Germany.
Before I describe my impressions with the DEKONI Limited Edition Focal Stellia Ear Pads, I would like to describe how I feel about the Elegia in its original configuration.
The Elegia shines more through its technical performances than through its overall tonality. I personally find the tonality to be average, with the tendency to reproduce voices nasally. The tonality can easily be described as slightly potty with reduced bass intensity. Nothing really bad but nothing to write home about. On the technical side, there are a lot more positive things to tell. For a closed headphone, the Elegia has a beautiful open sound. The stage is not very wide, but the instruments are easy to locate. The bass has a lot of attack. The overall macro dynamics are very good. Detail reproduction is good to very good in all areas. Last but not least, the Elegia can be easily adjusted in terms of tonality with a little use of an equalizer and is then presents itself a similar way to a Focal Clear. Below is my current EQ profile, which I also use in my RME ADI-2 DAC. Unlike in my older profiles, I am now of the opinion that fewer filters is more.
(EQ APO version)
Preamp: -6 dB
Filter 2: ON LSC Fc 75 Hz Gain 5 dB Q 0.5
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 350 Hz Gain -2.2 dB Q 0.8
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 1800 Hz Gain -2 dB Q 3
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 2161 Hz Gain 3.8 dB Q 3.8
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 4170 Hz Gain 6 dB Q 2.82
Now to the DEKONI Limited Edition Focal Stellia Ear Pads. The ear pads come in a sturdy cardboard box that is closed with magnets. As far as I can tell, they are superbly processed. And, very important, they only smell like new leather. I’ve experianced that differently, with other brands. Some leather pads really stank and had to spend two weeks in the fresh air before using them. Here it is unpack, assemble, listen.
The inner dimensions of the pads are a bit smaller than the original pads. I measure 55mm in height and 48mm in width. The original Focal pads are 65mm high and 50mm wide. Anyone who has problems with the original pads will not be happy here. What I also noticed is that the pads are not made entirely of leather. They have a fabric zone at the inner side facing the transducers. This strip of fabric takes up about 40% of the height of the pad. The assembly of the pads is easy. Remove the original pads, attach new pads and off you go.
The first impression is. WOW that’s bass and hey, the problems with the nasal, slightly potty tonality is also largely disappeared. The Elegia immediately gets a darker, bass-heavy sound. For my personal taste it is at times too much of bass. Voices also sound better than they do with the original pads. Still, I’m missing something. More on that later. Nevertheless. For the first time I would recommend the Elegia without EQ. It’s really fun to listen to music like that.
But now in detail:
Comfort:
As mentioned earlier, larger ears can cause problems as the space inside has shrunk. The pads are a little thicker and a little stiffer. This means that the headphones apply a little more clamping force overall. I don’t like it that much because I have become very sensitive on the left side of my head after a surgery. But I can still take it. I think most people don’t have a problem with that. One advantage of the pads is a perfect seal. Noise from outside is keped out far more than with the original pads.
Bass:
As already mentioned, the pads give the Elegia a significantly higher bass presence. The precision and the slam are retained. Unfortunately, the bass bleeds a little in the middle tones. Here the Elegia remains true to itself. This is nothing dramatic, but I would set an EQ in the 350Hz range, as with the original pads, in order to achieve a better separation of bass and mids.
Midrange:
The mids are good and there is little to complain about compared to the original pads. The nasal is largely gone and gives way to a velvety voice presentation. In the range above 2kHz, the Elegia with the DEKONI pads behaves similarly to the original ones. It’s taken back, but benefits from the fact that it has a little more energy in the upper mids than with the originals.
Trebble:
There is little to report here. With the DEKONI pads, the Elegia has sufficient energy in the high frequency range. It doesn’t sound overemphasized, but neither does it sound withdrawn. It is nice that there is no tendency to simbilants. The “focal glare” is also not noticable to me.
Technical performance:
Here comes the only downside that I can attest to the pads. Where is my stage? If the Elegia sounded more like open headphones with the original pads, the stage is noticeably limited with the DEKONI pads. Too bad if he kept his stage I would say that the pads are perfect. Don’t get me wrong there is stage, but is is not as wide as it was bevore. The rest of the technical performance of the Elegia is still there. Macro dynamics, position and locatability of the instruments on the stage, everything available in the usual measure or a little better than with the original pads. The position on the shrunken stage is very precisely and I think I hear a little more details. The depth of the stage is definitely better than with the original pads.
Conclusion:
The DEKONI Limited Edition Focal Stellia Ear Pads are a great alternative to the original pads. Anyone looking for a Celestee or a Radiance should consider these pads. Likewise, if you want to play around with the tonality of the Elegia consider this too.
I am seriously considering getting a second pair in order to have a replacement in the future.
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I think I saw & read the same review as @Retiarius mentioned above, and got the Dekoni pads as well. But after about two weeks, I came to a different conclusion.
Bass was there right away; so much, that I didn’t have to use the XBass on my ifi DACs. But that only worked for me without wearing glasses. Wearing / not wearing glasses made a big difference on the leather pads. A difference that I did not encounter with the stock pads.
Another draw-back: some (female) voices became shrill, kind of piercing in some passages (e.g. London Grammar’s How does it feel, around the 2minute mark). Hard to describe, hope this makes sense?
And I do like the feel of the Focal pads better than the aftermarket leather.
tl;dr I went back to the original pads with my Elegia.
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I am looking at replacement pad options for elegia - what are some options that doesn’t change the sound much from stock pads? I don’t wanna redo EQ for each pad.
Hi guys,
I’m quite new in this hobby and a little bit lost yet…
I’m super happy with my Focal Elegia paired with a Dragonfly Cobalt.
I use the cans about 8h a day and I use glasses.
I’d love to add a bit of base and limit the mids just because I find it a bit fatiguing, just as Resolve mentions in his brilliant videos… (Yes, I discovered this amazing world because of him in Youtube)
I’m open minded about EQ but I’m scared about damaging the headphones, are there any danger of ruining the headphones?
Should I use EQ APO + Peace EQ or only the 1st?
Should I copy this
profile added from Resolve?
Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you very much,
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I purchased a pair of these about a week ago. While they sounded good, it felt like something was missing, namely bass. After reading through many of the posts on this forum, I was curious about the seal of the headphones around my ears. I hadn’t paid any attention prior to this, I simply had the headphones in a comfortable position on the top of my head. After making a simple adjustment in the way the headphones fit around my ears, the sound signature completely changed, across the board and mostly in the bass department. The bass has plenty of punch now, but isn’t overwhelming. Now these babies sound almost as good as my favorite pair of open backs.
Makes me wonder how many other people, complaining about lack of bass, simply need to make a minor adjustment in the position of the headphones?
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Hi, you are absolutely right, I’m well aware of what you say.
In fact, if I take my glasses off and I press the headphones towards my ears with my hands I experience a more pleasant sound and a bit more base, maybe my head is the wrong size…
That’s why I’d love to listen to some opinions.
I’d like to have a bit more base and a slightly wormer sound. Should I EQ? Perhaps should I try other pads?
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In my experience Focals are picky about pads. Not sure how much better the elegia will get with a pad swap. Could always try dekoni pads. If you’re into EQ maybe try that?
Oh, yeah. My same experience. The Elegia are the most seal-dependent headphones I’ve owned.
I pulled the cups back on my head so the leading edge almost touched the leading edge of my ear, and the sound changed pretty dramatically, for the better.
Many Elegia owners say the bass quantity increases with the Dekoni sheepskin pads. Others report a nice improvement across the tonal spectrum with the Dekoni Stellia Limited Edition pads, but I believe those are discontinued and very hard to find.
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Guess it’s worth a shot then.
I haven’t had much luck with dekoni pads. I tried them on the hd800S couple years ago and wasn’t impressed. Some like them, tho I didn’t care for the tradeoffs.
I swapped focal pads around when I had the clear, Stellia, elegia and a set of Utopia pads. Always felt the stock pads paired the best. To each their own, we all hear different 
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Those are extreme retuning pads. They are much thicker than factory. They would either be meant for studio use or intended to be coupled with EQ. Dekoni offers other extreme models for niche purposes – such as my thick DT 880 sheepskin pads which kill the treble and boost the bass.
Other Dekoni products sound no more than 5% different than stock. Case by case, model by model. Check out the FR charts on their website.
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I bought a pair of Elegia recently as well. They are my first Focal headphone, I think they are quite comfortable. I actually thought focal headphones looked like they clamp too much but even my big head doesn’t cause too much clamping force. This probably gives me a better seal.
They are getting less head time because I also purchased an LCD-X which out classes the elegia a bit. However I do tend to prefer dynamic drivers, and I enjoy this can enough to become curios about the higher end focal offerings.
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