[Undun]

... this cable is pretty silly !

That's one way of putting it
Meanwhile, I just call it "gross" ...

 

[OscSop]

Have recently acquired an AK SE100 DAP. I am seriously looking at the Elegia. Reading through the forum it seems to be that these headphones are really good, other than the stock cable. Thinking of an upgrade of the cable to some from Artic Cables.
Has anyone any experience of the AK2E100 with the Elegia (Stock cable or upgraded cables)?

 

[GiullianSN]

Have recently acquired an AK SE100 DAP. I am seriously looking at the Elegia. Reading through the forum it seems to be that these headphones are really good, other than the stock cable. Thinking of an upgrade of the cable to some from Artic Cables.
Has anyone any experience of the AK2E100 with the Elegia (Stock cable or upgraded cables)?

Hello Mate, I do have both. PERSONALLY (and I will keep that way to be really clear), I don't like to use my Elegia with my SE100. May be me, may be the music I like, may be a lot of things. But SE100 sounds fatiguing with the Elegia. I love the Elegia with almost everything else I tried and constantly use it, for example Audioquest Cobalt and Fiio BTr5 on the portable side, even my Home Theater Receiver. I personally think the SE100 is on the brighter side of the DAP list

 

[OscSop]

Hello Mate, I do have both. PERSONALLY (and I will keep that way to be really clear), I don't like to use my Elegia with my SE100. May be me, may be the music I like, may be a lot of things. But SE100 sounds fatiguing with the Elegia. I love the Elegia with almost everything else I tried and constantly use it, for example Audioquest Cobalt and Fiio BTr5 on the portable side, even my Home Theater Receiver. I personally think the SE100 is on the brighter side of the DAP list

Thanks for taking the time to respond, much appreciated. What genre of music do you mainly listen to? Also , what headphones (closed back) would you recommend?
I am able to get a demo version to trial first, so will only go on what sounds right to me

 

[GiullianSN]

Thanks for taking the time to respond, much appreciated. What genre of music do you mainly listen to? Also , what headphones (closed back) would you recommend?
I am able to get a demo version to trial first, so will only go on what sounds right to me

I highly recommend to try the Elegia, specially if you can get for the price the other members are getting (425USD), that's a bargain. Don't take my opinion blindly to cross it off your list. On the closed back range, I haven't heard anything that has a good price/performance ratio that is worth buying. Stellia is really good, but too expensive. Meze 99 is too warm.

I mostly listen to Metal (Sabaton, Slipknot, Tyr, Amon Amarth, Paradise Lost, Dark Tranquility...), Classic rock (Megadeth, Led Zepelin, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Ozzy...), Hip hop and Soundtracks. Depends a lot of the mood. Not all those bands and genres sounded too bright on the SE100, but I simple prefer it with other sources. But again, that doesn't mean you won't like it. So again, I recommend giving a try.

 

[OscSop]

I highly recommend to try the Elegia, specially if you can get for the price the other members are getting (425USD), that's a bargain. Don't take my opinion blindly to cross it off your list. On the closed back range, I haven't heard anything that has a good price/performance ratio that is worth buying. Stellia is really good, but too expensive. Meze 99 is too warm.

I mostly listen to Metal (Sabaton, Slipknot, Tyr, Amon Amarth, Paradise Lost, Dark Tranquility...), Classic rock (Megadeth, Led Zepelin, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Ozzy...), Hip hop and Soundtracks. Depends a lot of the mood. Not all those bands and genres sounded too bright on the SE100, but I simple prefer it with other sources. But again, that doesn't mean you won't like it. So again, I recommend giving a try.

Thank you, sincerely appreciate it. Yeah, agree the Stellia is just too expensive. I was thinking of the Meze 99, but started looking a little higher. I definitely want closed back as my environment just doesn't suit open back unfortunateIy. I listen to almost anything apart from metal But as you say, I will try some out before eventually opening the hard earned cash! Thanks again for taking the time to advise.

 

[GiullianSN]

Go for it mate, Elegia is a great pair of headphones. From build quality, to accessories and presentation, to sound signature. It is a pleaser.

 

[KC2020]

...Reading through the forum it seems to be that these headphones are really good, other than the stock cable.

The stock cable is just very short, not bad. Longer replacements are affordable and extensions work just fine.

I highly recommend to try the Elegia, specially if you can get for the price the other members are getting (425USD), that's a bargain.

That was a short lived special that I don't think you can find anymore. If you can please point me to it, I'd buy a second pair.

I paid $500 for an open box demo but I think I'd still be very happy at the going price of $690.

 

[Benaudio]

The stock cable is just very short, not bad. Longer replacements are affordable and extensions work just fine.

Mine works well, but what really bothers me is the stupid microphonics...
The slightest rub against anything you dare to wear is amplified through the cups.
Very annoying, I feel like I'm a prisoner having to stay absolutely motionless

 

[Undun]

Also , what headphones (closed back) would you recommend?
I am able to get a demo version to trial first, so will only go on what sounds right to me

What's your price range? I can't name a single closed back that I'd recommend over the Elegia under the $700 price point that it seems to be going for right now. If you're willing to spend closer to $1000 and can find a used/refurb Audeze XC, those are technically strong too, leaning more towards the warm/dark tonality, versus Elegia which tilts brighter.

I'd maybe try out the Aeon Closed 2 (hear good things about them, I've only heard the first gen... they were good but not as good as the Elegia and lacked dynamicsm... I hear the new version is a significant improvement in that department). I can't flat out recommend it as I haven't tried it, but if you demo it, may be a good place to start.

 

[chomskyan]

Ordered the Meze 99 4.4mm cable to replace the stock Elegia cable, which had broken in less than an hour. The cable-gods are not smiling upon me, as the 4.4mm end was half dead on arrival.
This time it was the right side that wasn't working, when fully plugged into the balanced port of an iFi Zen DAC. A little less than halfway plugged in, transmission came in both ears, but sounded muddled. I did a few tests, including the simple "Test" button in Windows Sound Settings. It was clear that some signal was being lost, there was sound missing.
A replacement is being sent, hopefully I have better luck this time

EDIT: Turns out, the culprit was NOT the Meze cable! New post on next page explaining..

I like the Meze 99 as a replacement cable for the Elegia, for the build quality alone. I had a bad QC experience with the first one, but the microphonics, weight, and overall build quality far-surpassed the Elegia cable. Of course, it is a $130 cable. I haven't tried the NewFantasia replacement cable @ $43, but the reviews say it's stiff and loud, which the Meze cable definitely is not.

 

[cel4145]

Have recently acquired an AK SE100 DAP. I am seriously looking at the Elegia. Reading through the forum it seems to be that these headphones are really good, other than the stock cable. Thinking of an upgrade of the cable to some from Artic Cables.
Has anyone any experience of the AK2E100 with the Elegia (Stock cable or upgraded cables)?

No need for a DAP. For portable use, the Tempotec Sonata HD Pro dongle goes for around $40 on Amazon and it easily drives the Elegia to loud volume with plenty of headroom. See this review

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/tempotec-sonata-hd-pro.24181/

ASR measured the HIDIZS S8, same DAC in a different enclosure with different branding, and it is extremely accurate. Sounds every bit as good as my JDS Labs Atom and Topping D50S desktop setup. (And measures more accurate)

Really, anybody with the Elegia and an Android phone ought to get one. Not sure how it does with Apple.

 

[frankensmurf]

I did demo the Elegia (stock cable) with my Chord Hugo2. It was a little warm for my taste, but definitely had real presence and detail. For a closed headphone I found it both revealing and spacious.

 

[Undun]

Ordered the Meze 99 4.4mm cable to replace the stock Elegia cable, which had broken in less than an hour. The cable-gods are not smiling upon me, as the 4.4mm end was half dead on arrival.
This time it was the right side that wasn't working, when fully plugged into the balanced port of an iFi Zen DAC. A little less than halfway plugged in, transmission came in both ears, but sounded muddled. I did a few tests, including the simple "Test" button in WIndows Sound Settings. It was clear that some signal was being lost, there was sound missing.
A replacement is being sent, hopefully I have better luck this time

I like the Meze 99 as a replacement cable for the Elegia, for the build quality alone. I had a bad QC experience with the first one, but the microphonics, weight, and overall build quality far-surpassed the Elegia cable. Of course, it is a $130 cable. I haven't tried the NewFantasia replacement cable @ $43, but the reviews say it's stiff and loud, which the Meze cable definitely is not.

Yikes, that's very unfortunate to hear. If the Meze replacement ends up not working out for you (though I do hope it does) and you don't want to consider NewFantasia as an alternative, you may consider the following brands: Periapt (can be had <$60), Impact Audio (little over $100, but custom made to your needs), Dyson Audio (previously mentioned), and Corpse (Mogami) ($140ish). While I personally am happy with NewFantasia, I have friends who own Focal sets and are happy with the brands I've listed.

 

[chomskyan]

Yikes, that's very unfortunate to hear. If the Meze replacement ends up not working out for you (though I do hope it does) and you don't want to consider NewFantasia as an alternative, you may consider the following brands: Periapt (can be had <$60), Impact Audio (little over $100, but custom made to your needs), Dyson Audio (previously mentioned), and Corpse (Mogami) ($140ish). While I personally am happy with NewFantasia, I have friends who own Focal sets and are happy with the brands I've listed.

Thanks!
I hope I have some luck with the new Meze..

Was looking at the Corpse for an XLR terminated cable, thinking about getting an ADI-2 soon.