Focal Elegia

General Information

FIRST HIGH-END CLOSED-BACK HEADPHONES BY FOCAL

To enjoy an incredible listening experience in total privacy, without worrying about a noisy environment disturbing this moment of pleasure: this is the promise made and kept by Elegia. In these high-end circum-aural closed-back headphones, we have combined the best of our skilfully created technologies, developed and assembled in our workshops in France. Elegia incorporates a new generation of exclusive full-range speaker drivers capable of operating in a small inner environment whilst ensuring exceptional dynamics and the most precise sound reproduction. Whether it’s the motor, the frameless copper voice coil, the dedicated 110 micron surround or the “M”-shape inverted dome, Elegia's speaker drivers are a mass of innovation dedicated to sound purity. And when connected to portable audio players, these headphones are incredibly high-performing. Zero resonance, excellent soundproofing: the naturalness and realism of the sound is striking from the first few seconds of listening.

Latest reviews

Enther

Head-Fier
Pros: Spectacular for relax sessions, some classicals musics, vocals genres....
Good resolution.
Very good dynamics.
It has good spatial technicalities (although there are few ones already here for similar prices equal or better)
The midrange seems to be the best I have heard on a closed back.
I think it's very pretty.
Cons: It does not have a pure or natural tone.
It is not the most versatile headset on the market. I wouldn't consider it an "all-rounder."
It needs a little more dB to be more complete on bass department.
In 2024 there are MANY options, like the Hifiman R9 (better tonality, scene and bass impact).
INTRO
Welcome to the written review of the Focal Elegia.
In previous reviews we have analyzed in-ears. Today it's time to talk about an over-ear headphone, from the Focal brand. The Elegia.
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Focal is a high-end French brand that, in addition to headphones, also makes speakers for the home and cars, the so-called car audio.
This brand has headphones considered to be the best in different price ranges. The Focal utopia, considered the best headphones in the world (leaving electrostatic aside) and the Focal clear considered one of the best for less than €1,500. We will see the latter on the channel later.
This time we are going to talk about the Focal Elegia. A closed over-ear headphone with a spectacular design, at least it reminds me of a Buggati...
This headset is officially discontinued, but can be purchased in different stores at a price of about €500. It must be noted that, when it came out at the end of 2018, its official price was €899, even selling more expensively in certain stores.

UNBOXING
The packaging of the headset is relatively basic considering the price. But the reality is that we don't need more either. We have a medium-sized cardboard box where the headset comes. Inside we have a carrying case, very rigid and of a quite adequate size in relation to the size of the Elegia. This cover is the one we also see in other models of the brand.
The headset comes inside along with a renewed cable. This headset has received criticism for practically everything and one of them was for including a rigid cable, perhaps too rigid, but personally I prefer that type of cable to a weaker one. The one he brings is similar to the Hifiman one. It rolls up easily but can be considered semi-rigid.
The connection is 3.5mm Jack to 3.5mm cup as well. Although we have a 6.3 to 3.5 mm adapter.
We also have some Focal papers and guarantees…
As you can see, the content is relatively scarce, but the reality is that much more is not needed. The most important thing apart from the headset is the carrying case or bag and I find this very practical because it is resistant, beautiful, has a good touch, weighs little and is manageable.
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SOUND SECTION
Before entering into purely sound aspects, something must be highlighted. The comfort of the Elegia is outstanding. Although 430 grams may be a lot, it feels comfortable due to the pads that adapt more than well to the shape of your skull. In addition, the wide headband manages to distribute the weight distribution well.
It is very important that an over-ear type headset be very comfortable for us. Personally, it is something that is more important than the construction, type of cable or design...aspects that tend to be easily criticized.
The Elegia focal has a sensitivity of 105 decibels and 35 ohms. I recommend a dac dongle to take advantage of the headset. Although I have tried it with a mobile phone, a red magic 5g and at half power the volume was more than enough. Still, high volume and driver efficiency are not the same. It may sound at a good volume but the driver may not be working correctly if it is not given the necessary power.
The frequency response ranges from 5 Hz to 23 kHz.
The Elegia is made up of two 40mm aluminum/magnesium capsules typical of Focal. The general result after the first listen is a dynamic and relaxed sound…but certainly peculiar.
The world of high fidelity audio is a very particular niche. Each person has musical tastes and preferences. I add to this that we are not always in the same mood and that can drastically affect the sound signature we want. That is why it is very difficult to have a single headset that we are always passionate about. I do not consider that you have to bet only because the correct thing is a neutral firm. You must also evaluate signatures in V, W, brilliant, basshead... each one has positive and negative aspects.
That said, the Elegia presents itself as a headphone with a somewhat forward midrange sound, very lively and clean. Maybe it is not the tonality you are looking for if you want something neutral and correct, but after 10-15 minutes of listening to get used to it I find Focal Elegia very attractive for vocal, jazz, classical music sessions... although honestly with more popular genres it does not disappoint.
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SOUND SECTION – TECHS-
In the technical section, the Focal elegia stands out for presenting good audio dynamics. This is a feature of the brand that I sincerely appreciate very much.
Everything sounds very lively giving you a more than good perceived dynamic range superior to many other headphones. It is no wonder if we take into account that it is a headset that was sold for €900.
Its soundstage is not excessively large, but it is more than convincing if we treat it as the closed headphone that it is. Something to highlight is the ability it has to put sounds in front of you and not inside your head or on the sides of it.
This, together with a precise image, gives the sensation of a, misnamed, holographic sound that is quite well achieved. Basically sometimes it sounds like your music is coming from speakers and not a headphone. The soundstage may lack a little depth, but that is compared to other options on the market such as the R9. Comparison that we will see in another video.
As I said, the image is accurate. It is possibly, along with dynamics, its best virtue. In classical music, the instruments are positioned very easily and in other vocal genres the voices tend to be placed on one side to make way for the rest of the instruments that will be heard on the other. The sensation of air is more than evident.
I repeat, I didn't expect anything less from a headset at this price.
Not everything is positive, I consider the instrumental separation to be not good on more congested tracks. Although it separates L/R well when there are few sounds or they are well differentiated, in denser songs it costs a little more.
In short, do I consider you technical? Yeah. Perhaps it is the most technical closed option in general, although I think that due to its price the market is making it really difficult for Elegia if it wants to be in the top positions.

SOUND SECTION – BASS-
The bottom end of the Elegia features a decent level of detail. It is a bass that seeks control in the face of a rumble. If the track requires it, it will have good punch, although it is not comparable with most current options that inflate these frequencies more.
In short, The Elegia offers precise and competent bass, which arrives with impact if necessary. It doesn't have much gain, but it's still enjoyable. In sub-bass regions I would have liked it to have a few more decibels.
The overall sound, despite being very detailed, is still more emotional thanks to that intoxicating bass.

SOUND SECTION – MIDS-
In the media the elegy almost makes something perfect for me.
Focal decided to advance the mids so that they stand out slightly and have more prominence. A success from my point of view. Additionally, this range feels quite open, avoiding vocal congestion. On vocal tracks the mids can vary by placing themselves in front of you and not in a more central position. There will be songs where the voice is perceived in front and to the side or in front in a surgical way.
It's one of the best midranges I've heard. I feel he has enough body, dynamics, cleanliness... I would have liked more naturalness but that would be too much to ask for.

SOUND SECTION – TREBLE-
The female vocals sound velvety, but the strings and other instruments never lose their edge. The resulting sound is both rich and uncompromising, but also tempered and controlled. That is to say, without all the talk, if you are looking for that kind of treble that walks the fine line between tons of detail and excess detail, your long search is over.
If we go to higher regions it is not as bright as I expected, the top end of the Elegia seems slightly softened, leading to a relaxed but detailed sound, something, as I said, difficult to achieve.

SUMMARY SECTION - VIDEO-
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What was mentioned above. Every person is a world. Musical preferences vary drastically, but personally it is a headphone that I like and it is worth it...if you equalize it, you may correct the few defects it may have, but I understand that this stock headphone can be an ideal complement when you feel like listening something like classical music on your couch on a Sunday afternoon.
It has received a lot of criticism for having an unorganic sound, sounding distant, and even poor technical performance...however I think that is not entirely the case.
It is a peculiar headset. It is not the typical V-shaped one that enhances the bass nor is it a completely neutral headphone. I consider that the original sale price was somewhat exaggerated but at the current price of about €500 it is a more than decent option.
It has a forward midrange sound, controlled bass, and smooth but detailed treble...something difficult to achieve. If this is accompanied by good dynamics, a competent scene and a fairly enveloping sound, the result is one of the best closed headphones available for less than €1000.
I recommend it, definitely yes.

I´m also on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMtfbMXFzOKe07X-ZstZ_Bg
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InvisibleInk
InvisibleInk
Owners will typically want to replace the cable, experiment with different ear pads, and use a headband cover during the course of their long ownership of this headphone. I say long ownership because they are built to last and they will. I'd start with the headband cover, because the underside of the headphone tends to get soiled in an unsightly way the more it is used.
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Enther
Enther
The cable I can use is the "new" version from Focal. Before, they had a thicker and more rigid cable by default.
Regarding the pads, I'm not a fan of that. And even less at these prices. Spending €500 or the €1000 it was worth to have to change the pads and experiment, I don't think it's fair. There will be those of us who will gladly do it but I don't see it well. The changes are very subtle.
Yes Yes. In the Focal Clear the top of the headband also gets stained.

Thanks for comment.

WILLJS

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Great Design
Insanely Comfortable
Premium Build Quality
Great Sound Quality (Detail, Tuning, Instrument Separation
Better than average Soundstage (for a Closed Back)
Cons: Cons:
Cable is big and chunky, holds its shape after coiled to fit in case
A little Mid-Forward (easily remedied using basic EQ
Overview:
the Elegia was Focal first high end
closed-back headphone, followed by the Celestee and Stellia, selling for about $1400AUD ($900USD). The Elegia features a 40mm Focal aluminium M shaped inverted dome driver (rather than beryllium, which is what Focal use for their TOTL headphones such as the Clear and Utopia models, as well as in the tweeters of their high end speakers). They are reasonably easy to drive, at 35 Ohms, 105 dB Sensitivity, easily driven from all Phones, DAPs or Portable Headphone Amplifiers (even my FiiO BTR3K from TRS (unbalanced) output, Approx. 25mW).

Sound Quality:

The Elegias have an impressive sound, with excellent detail, instrument separation, soundstaging, and overall tuning (even better with a little EQ). I don't find that being a closed back held the Elegias back a great deal, only a little with soundstaging. The biggest issue with the Elegias is the tuning, slightly raised in the 200-2,000Hz range. This is by no means a major issue, with these frequencies only raised by around 2-3 dB, it is merely (in my opinion) the only negative to the Elegias sound (along with the upper mids and treble looking a little all over the place on paper).

Design and Build:

The design and build quality is typical Focal, sturdy and supremely comfortable, with a minimalistic yet luxury design.
The Elegias have a padded leather (or faux leather) covering on the headband, and solid aluminium yokes, attached to the earcups with sturdy supports, which can be the failings of many headphones, including the Hifiman HE400, HE400i, HE4XX, HE5XX, etc, which look flimsy, cheap and plasticy. My complaint about the build is the cable, which is a common complaint - it is very thick and keeps its shape after being coiled, making a zigzag shape. I personally don’t mind this, as it doesn’t affect my listening, as these are part of my desktop setup, but for a headphone designed for travel, this isn’t ideal.

Summary:

The Focal Elegia is an excellent closed-back headphone, with sound to match Focal’s high end open-backs, with the to added bonus of being able to travel on trains, planes or buses, without bleeding sound, or letting in outside noise, these are a premium headphone with sound to satisfy even the pickiest of audiophiles!

CephDigital

Head-Fier
Very fun but very weirdly tuned
Pros: Comfortable to wear even with glasses
Easy to power (only slightly so more than your typical IEMs)
Excellent in bringing out detail
Very open sounding despite being closed back
Passive isolation is VERY good (I can barely hear anything on the outside with these on)
Comes with a very nice carrying case
Cons: Stock cable is garbo
The tuning isn't for everyone
There's some weirdness with the treble
Needs some EQ (I quite like it without EQ but it does help)
Hi there!
I managed to pick up an unused, display model of the Elegia for £350 and this was practically new in the box. Zero indication it was ever picked up let alone opened. Couldn't resist, especially more after AB testing them against a Celestee in a store so I knew how good they were for me. I'll be comparing this to my Monolith M1570 (giant planars with Oratory's EQ), AIAIAI TMA-2 (current portable headphones, alcantara earcups and S10 speaker units) and Corsair Virtuoso SE (my gaming headphones). This is my first time making a proper review on a pair of headphones I own and I am by no means an expert with fancy measuring rigs, I'm just a dude giving his opinion based on his preferences and such.

Source - FiiO M11 Plus from downloaded FLACs (mix of 16 and 24 bit) with the PowerAmp app

Accessories - on the go goodies
This comes with a carry case, a dual 3.5mm TS to 3.5mm TRS cable and a 3.5mm to 6.5mm screw on adapter. Everything fits neatly in the carry case and can be stored very nicely away. The cable bloody sucks though, rubbing this against the slightest thing and you can hear it through the headphones. Get a custom cable ASAP.

Comfort
I'd place these as my 2nd most comfortable pair of headphones just behind the Virtuoso. This has excellent clamp force and the weight is nicely distributed across the headband. It's SUPER light compared to my M1570 but those things are gigantic and the worst for comfort. The TMA-2 feels lighter than the Elegia but the cushion around my ears feels much better on the Elegia than the TMA-2 so that puts the TMA-2 below the Elegia. The Virtuoso feels lighter on my head so that's why it's higher on my list. Bonus points to being easy on my glasses though, I'm wearing mine and don't feel any excessive force on the frames or it digging into my ears. I can wear them no problem lying in bed as well which is nice.

Isolation - WHY AM I TALKING SO LOUD?
Being closed-back, you want them to isolate you from the outside. This does that perfectly for me to the point people were telling me I was speaking too loud when trying to talk to someone with these on. The oval shape to the earpads makes it a better fit against my head with a better seal compared to the TMA-2 and Virtuoso which has circle earcups. I'd say the M1570 has a better fit against my head though as those earpads are angled but those are open-back so slightly less relevant when it comes to isolation. I sat about a meter from my sisters and started testing at what point they could hear my music. At my usual listening level (80 on low gain), they couldn't hear it. Only when I pushed it a bit higher to 90 did they start to hear it and these were pretty damn loud at that point. I'd say that makes them great for taking to the office to drown out your noisy coworkers without them hearing what you're jamming to.

Sound - weird, in a fun way (tested without glasses)
First of all, these things SING with the right amount of power. Give it enough power and the mids + treble come alive with clarity and detail which is about 85 low gain on my M11 Plus. These are headphones that lean more towards the mids and highs than the bass but that's not to say there isn't any bass, there definately is and I'd say it's enough, it's just not the focus.
The M1570 is more pleasing to me in the lows with extra kick but in the mids and treble, this takes the crown.

Now why do I call these headphones weird? There's something funky going on with the highs where certain things are definately more emphasised than others and it's pretty obvious. For instance, in Lost Boys by Aviators the drums are always there present in front of you whereas with my other headphones, they're more in the background. Whether or not this is bad I think is subjective. To me, I like it. It's a little bit of spice in my music and something different. These headphones were always pleasing to me when I first tried them and these little quirks give it a little bit of charm. It's a nice contrast to the TMA-2 which sounds pretty flat and neutral.

Now, I though planars are typically better at detail retrieval than dynamic so I thought I heard all the little things in my music I missed when I got my M1570. Then I heard the Elegia. Holy crap, I don't know if it's the weird tuning it has but it brings out random bits of detail from all over the place in songs you never realised whether it's in the bass, mids or treble and you don't expect it. Did the singer always sound like that at the end of his words? Was that airy-ness in that bass drop always there? Was that instrument always there? It's completely random what I'll manage to pick out because of these headphones when I least expect it. I thought I got all the things I missed in my music when I got the M1570 but here comes the Elegia smashing what I knew about my music. I think the best way to explain would be in Pressure by Draper where you can easily hear Laura Brehm inhale before singing without trying while the M1570 you have to focus on the lyrics to hear it.

Conclusion - not for everyone, but it is for me
I highly recommend you at least try them out before making a decision on these headphones to see if the weirdness is for you. I was stuck between the Celestee and Elegia until I actually got to try them out to make my decision. They're a fun and portable pair of headphones that you could take to the office that brings out the detail of your music without even trying. To me, they're a 4.5 / 5 but I dropped it to 4.0 because I know it's not going to please the vast majority of people.
CephDigital
CephDigital
Oh they definitely aren't the same size.
bassdad8
bassdad8
I am literally about to buy these for $390, but some of the earlier reviews have given me pause. I don’t care about “weird” tuning as I am looking for something different from the B&W px7 s2 and Sony xbr950n1s that I currently own and enjoy. I am not a full-on basshead, but I like to hear it when it’s supposed to be there. Since you have put up the most objective and very well detailed review, I have to ask, should I put my $400 on the Elegias or elsewhere?
WILLJS
WILLJS
definitely worth $390, but you could probably get them cheaper if you wait

Comments

peterinvan

1000+ Head-Fier
I have had my Elegias for three weeks, and feel they are nicely broken in.
I had comfort issues as well. With the clamping force and the perforated velour pads, my ear hit the top of the inner cup.

My solution was to purchase the Dekoni Audio Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin Earpads: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07BYYJRL8/

With a bit of gentle stretching on the headband the clamping force is now comfortable. Careful... this is a plastic headband.The pads from Dekoni are MUCH more comfortable. My ear does not touch any more.

Now very happy with these headphones. I rate them as a slightly brighter sound than my LCD-2F. I really like the closed head-space, and do not find any problems with the bass at all. It is tight and meaty when challenged (e.g. Toy tracks). Whereas the LCD-2F have bass more punch, the Focal bass is faster and more distinctive.
 
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