[breakfree40]

I'm nowhere near an expert... but I do understand how people's taste and preference can dictate how they perceive different frequencies relative to their preferred signature, etc. I'm a bass guy, I was into car audio in my youth. I've only recently been introduced to the high end headphone world but I have tried a dozen or so different high-ish end models and my preferred IEM that I own is the EE Legend X. I have a pair of Modhouse Argons on order, because I hear good things about the bass and that they are a "fun" headphone.

I stand by that I have a hard time understanding how the Elegia are said to be lacking in bass. They are not meant to be a "fun" basshead headphone but their bass can kick pretty darn hard and they respond to EQ as well. With zero EQ applied, listening via THX789 and ZX507, these have great tonality overall to my ear and the bass is very much there... and appreciated coming from a guy who used to have four 10" subs in a wrangler with 1000W feeding each of them. My tastes have changed, but I still appreciate some kick in the low end regardless of the genre.

 

[Benaudio]

I know there are a lot of pages and looks like a few people have jumped on the deals so just posting again to say 1. These NEED a good break-in before you make any conclusions on sound. Everything gets better on these, bass, sub-bass and less sibilent treble. They are that much better after 15-20hrs. 2. If you want more bass without sacrificing much of anything else grab the Dekoni Sheepskin (not the fenestrated), these are a must have IMO. I haven't gone back to stock after these, just so much fun. 3. The stock cable sounds good but is too short, too stiff and too microphonic. Get rid when you can.

Enjoy!

These would be pretty much the takeaway points for me as well.
Also, each time I try the stock pads back, the mids bother me until my brain adjust back.
The stock presentation is a bit mid forward, maybe this is the reason some find the bass lacking in comparison, and more so if you come from typically more V shaped HP

 

[breakfree40]

On the to do list for me: new cable & try the dekoni pads as Benaudio and rickydenim suggest; no problem here with the mid-forward (I kinda like it) but I do prefer leather pads. The stock cable on the other hand is terrible.

 

[cel4145]

I'm nowhere near an expert... but I do understand how people's taste and preference can dictate how they perceive different frequencies relative to their preferred signature, etc. I'm a bass guy, I was into car audio in my youth. I've only recently been introduced to the high end headphone world but I have tried a dozen or so different high-ish end models and my preferred IEM that I own is the EE Legend X. I have a pair of Modhouse Argons on order, because I hear good things about the bass and that they are a "fun" headphone.

I stand by that I have a hard time understanding how the Elegia are said to be lacking in bass. They are not meant to be a "fun" basshead headphone but their bass can kick pretty darn hard and they respond to EQ as well. With zero EQ applied, listening via THX789 and ZX507, these have great tonality overall to my ear and the bass is very much there... and appreciated coming from a guy who used to have four 10" subs in a wrangler with 1000W feeding each of them. My tastes have changed, but I still appreciate some kick in the low end regardless of the genre.

1. Not everyone wants to use EQ.
2. There are plenty of other non- "fun basshead headphones" with more bass than the Elegia. For example, the Elears have more bass.
3. Why it's so important for you (and others) to decide for everyone what is and is not bass light is difficult for me to understand. It's easy enough just to say "I found they have plenty of bass." On the other hand, I tell people "some people find them bass light" or "I found them a little bass light."

 

[breakfree40]

My bad brother. Didn’t mean to make a decision for anyone. These headphones are capable of producing bass. Not like others can, including others that I own. I was only speaking to the fact that reviewers who are supposed to be subjectively (and on behalf of others) detailing headphones have stated that these are bass light. I just find that statement questionable by a subjective reviewer when they can produce plenty of bass for some. I never meant to tell someone who picked them up and thought they needed more bass for their taste that they were wrong. That would be quite silly of me.

 

[Odin412]

There are two ways to look at bass. Low frequency extension and emphasis at different frequencies. The Elegia have good bass extension.

As Harmon Target response research has shown us, we don't all prefer the same amount of bass emphasis relative to others frequencies. So it should be pretty easy to understand how others would perceive these as bass light.

Note that the Elear have more bass emphasis.

Good point. I have the Elear as well and I'll compare them in a while - I like to spend some uninterrupted time with the new arrival first to get used to the sound of them before I start comparing.

 

[Odin412]

Maybe certain people have different expectations for bass?

No doubt! Just as different people prefer different midrange and treble. I'm super-sensitive to treble so I avoid bright-sounding headphones, but I do enjoy a bit of bass.

 

[breakfree40]

I'll give it another shot for the concerned:

I've an eclectic taste in music. I've found over the past year that I prefer to use different headphones and IEMS when I listen to different genres of music. I'm equally as likely to sit down at listen to Kygo as I am to listen to Eminem, DMB, The Beatles, J. Cole, Pink Floyd, Greta Van Fleet, The Gourds, The Dead, or the London Philharmonic Orchestra. I could go on, I've already forgotten to list RHCP, Rusted Root, P!nk (yes, Pink), Miles Davis and the Doobie Brothers.

I read as many "professional" reviews on the Elegia as I could find before purchasing. I found that many reviewers labeled these as being "bass light," but for $400 and with a generous return policy I gave them a shot. There were no other consistently negative statements amongst the reviews that I read and watched, aside from the cable.

"Bass light' probably means different things to different people. I read that as being incapable of producing bass to any real extent... the headphone in my collection that comes to mind when I think of "bass light' is the Tin HiFi P1 IEM. To my ears and in my opinion, the Focal Elegia is not bass light and is actually more to the middle of the bass spectrum as far as my own personal experience with headphones goes. I THINK that they probably accurately reproduce bass frequencies per the original recording and while I will not pull them out purposefully for a listen to Massive Attack's Mezzanine ... I won't throw them in disgust if the album comes on either. To my ears, graphing these would produce a fairly flat curve between the sub, bass and mids and IMO that is not subjectively bass light according to my definition of the term.

YMMV, to each their own, etc. I recommend these headphones for the price!

 

[KCXT]

I've had my Elegias for a little over a month now and, out of the blue, the stock cable has started going bad... left side cuts out when not perfectly positioned. It seems to be happening on the source side of the splitter, as the cutting out doesn't happen when I hold it together at that spot. I really don't mind the cable itself and have only used it at my desk so use has been far less than strenuous.

Disappointing given the short use time and while I know 'stuff' happens, there are also other folks in this thread that have had the same experience. I do greatly enjoy the headphones themselves so I suppose this will be my introduction into the world of aftermarket cables. Might try a claim just to see what happens but expectations for a replacement are low.

 

[gikigill]

I've had my Elegias for a little over a month now and, out of the blue, the stock cable has started going bad... left side cuts out when not perfectly positioned. It seems to be happening on the source side of the splitter, as the cutting out doesn't happen when I hold it together at that spot. I really don't mind the cable itself and have only used it at my desk so use has been far less than strenuous.

Disappointing given the short use time and while I know 'stuff' happens, there are also other folks in this thread that have had the same experience. I do greatly enjoy the headphones themselves so I suppose this will be my introduction into the world of aftermarket cables. Might try a claim just to see what happens but expectations for a replacement are low.

"Cable breakage is user fault and not covered under warranty"

Thats the standard Focal response.

 

[Benaudio]

I'll give it another shot for the concerned:

I've an eclectic taste in music. I've found over the past year that I prefer to use different headphones and IEMS when I listen to different genres of music. I'm equally as likely to sit down at listen to Kygo as I am to listen to Eminem, DMB, The Beatles, J. Cole, Pink Floyd, Greta Van Fleet, The Gourds, The Dead, or the London Philharmonic Orchestra. I could go on, I've already forgotten to list RHCP, Rusted Root, P!nk (yes, Pink), Miles Davis and the Doobie Brothers.

I read as many "professional" reviews on the Elegia as I could find before purchasing. I found that many reviewers labeled these as being "bass light," but for $400 and with a generous return policy I gave them a shot. There were no other consistently negative statements amongst the reviews that I read and watched, aside from the cable.

"Bass light' probably means different things to different people. I read that as being incapable of producing bass to any real extent... the headphone in my collection that comes to mind when I think of "bass light' is the Tin HiFi P1 IEM. To my ears and in my opinion, the Focal Elegia is not bass light and is actually more to the middle of the bass spectrum as far as my own personal experience with headphones goes. I THINK that they probably accurately reproduce bass frequencies per the original recording and while I will not pull them out purposefully for a listen to Massive Attack's Mezzanine ... I won't throw them in disgust if the album comes on either. To my ears, graphing these would produce a fairly flat curve between the sub, bass and mids and IMO that is not subjectively bass light according to my definition of the term.

YMMV, to each their own, etc. I recommend these headphones for the price!

I for one would purposely reach for them to listen to massive attack. The extension and speed on the bass department make for a great listen IMO. I don't like "bass heavy" headphones for bass heavy tracks

 

[breakfree40]

I for one would purposely reach for them to listen to massive attack. The extension and speed on the bass department make for a great listen IMO. I don't like "bass heavy" headphones for bass heavy tracks

I can dig that... the Elegia IMO represents what the artist intended along the basslines. I prefer IEMs for that style. That's why the hobby is personal... my media room is built for the crowd, my headphones are for me!

 

[mblain]

I have the Hugo 2 and Elegia's also. I think the Elegia's are very detailed but slightly warm sounding. I like that because it makes them a pretty good all around headphone with a variety of different genres of music. The H2 is fairly neutral and brings out the details in Elegia's, but I like them a lot more on my Burson 3XR. On the wrong amp the Elegia's midrange can sound congested like it does on my Liquid Platinum. I don't like the pairing with the current tubes I have.

Wow, I was wondering about amp pairing. I just got the Elegia's and I find on the micro idsd BL they sound a little congested in the mid-range compared to my Meze 99c. Mind you my Meze's have the silver upgrade cable and upgrade pads so it sounds amazing for the price. I was hoping the Elegia's would trump them but I'm fighting against it sound congested and slightly muddy.

I'm also wondering if they require burn-in to improve the sound?

Anyways, it would be good to hear from others with the same pairing.

 

[marku1350]

You 100% need to give them burn in time. I noticed huge differences, as I'm sure you will as well

 

[Smoothstereo]

Wow, I was wondering about amp pairing. I just got the Elegia's and I find on the micro idsd BL they sound a little congested in the mid-range compared to my Meze 99c. Mind you my Meze's have the silver upgrade cable and upgrade pads so it sounds amazing for the price. I was hoping the Elegia's would trump them but I'm fighting against it sound congested and slightly muddy.

I'm also wondering if they require burn-in to improve the sound?

Anyways, it would be good to hear from others with the same pairing.

I have iDSD Micro black label and Elegia, I suggest some play time on the Elegia , they should get better after some burn in. Another thing is, do you have the Xbass on the iDSD BL, I find the Xbass is not always a good thing , it depends on the type of song and headphone. It can be too much bass that can muddy up the sound.