So first of all, thank you for your review. They are hard to come by for the new Dekoni x Hifiman collab. I’m about to make a purchase and have narrowed it down to 2 headphones you have in your possession. The Cobalt and the Elegia. You mentioned that your listening preferences tend to be more toward warm and musical/emotional vs cool and analytical. That is about where I am at.
If you had to choose just one (at least for the immediate future), which of these would you hang on to?
Despite my handle, I’m not a total bass head. I just like it to be present when it’s supposed to be there. Tough choice, I know, but any nudge would be appreciated.
Peace,
Chris

It comes down to personal preference and use case.

Here are some items to consider:

• Both the Cobalt (16 ohms) and Elegia (35 ohms) are easy to drive, but the Cobalt is even more so.
• The Cobalt is roughly 30% lighter, has a wider soundstage and more separation.
• The Elegia is more resolving, has a greater sense of both impact and isolation.
• The tuning of both headphones is fairly neutral, but the Elegia is more neutral (and thereby more "reference") than the Cobalt.
• The Elegia has a greater bass presence (though not exagerated or over emphasized by any means) than the Cobalt, and is fairly flat through the mids with an ever so subtle bump.
• Both the Elegia and the Cobalt have good treble extension, but the Cobalt is the brighter sounding of the two.
• Both headphones can benefit from the use of EQ and can also be tuned through ear pad rolling (thanks Dekoni!).

Hope this helps!