[Preachy1]

It’s not as easy as that. In my case, the nearest audio shop is maybe 100 miles away. I’ve said this before, but nearly everything I own was bought sound unheard. In the case of the Elegias, I bought from a merchant who offered a 30 day return policy.

 

[Preachy1]

That said, yes, I am somewhat crazy!!!

 

[gb21011971]

bass light is not the consensus all around?

I would say that assessment is correct. Never trust anyone on the internet and listen for yourself. But I guess we can't all run to the nearest high end dealer all the time, so I am trying to interpret what people are saying or even more WHO says what. With that I mean if someone who owns a Z1R, some Denons, Fostex's and a couple of Audeze's says "it's bass light", then I would take that statement with a grain of salt. On the other hand, if someone owning a HD800 or HD800s or even an Utopia says the same thing, I get worried. It's all about vantage point and what you're used to.

Instead of saying "bass light" or "lots of", let me contribute to the discussion by just comparing to other headphones I know. Hope that crude comparison helps at least a little.

Headphone X vs Elegia - Quantity - Quality

Clear - less - better
Elear - slightly more - slightly worse
Utopia - less - better
Z1R - definitely more- same
Z7 - definitely more - definitely worse
D7200 - slightly more - same
D7000 - less sub-bass, more mid-bass - worse
TH-X00 - definitely more - much worse
LCD 2c - slightly less! - same
T1.2 - much less - same
T1p - less - same
T5p.2 - less sub-bass, more mid-bass - slightly worse
M1060 - less - slightly worse
AFC - much less - same
P7 - less - worse

You might have noticed that in therms of the quality score I have not scored any headphone 'much better'. In my view the Clear and Utopia have faster and more detailed bass, but other than those the Elegia is better or at least the same as the other headphone in question. The amount of desired quantity is very subjective. Hence, I did not judge the amount of bass, just stating if the headphone in question has more or less bass.

Again, this is a very basic comparison. Obviously other frequency ranges influence the perception of bass performance. E.g I am not really sure if the Elear has slightly more bass than the Elegia or if its rolled off highs make me think that. Those are the rabbit holes you end up in when going into more detail....

 

[ctaxxxx]

I would say that assessment is correct. Never trust anyone on the internet and listen for yourself. But I guess we can't all run to the nearest high end dealer all the time, so I am trying to interpret what people are saying or even more WHO says what. With that I mean if someone who owns a Z1R, some Denons, Fostex's and a couple of Audeze's says "it's bass light", then I would take that statement with a grain of salt. On the other hand, if someone owning a HD800 or HD800s or even an Utopia says the same thing, I get worried. It's all about vantage point and what you're used to.

Instead of saying "bass light" or "lots of", let me contribute to the discussion by just comparing to other headphones I know. Hope that crude comparison helps at least a little.

Headphone X vs Elegia - Quantity - Quality

Clear - less - better
Elear - slightly more - slightly worse
Utopia - less - better
Z1R - definitely more- same
Z7 - definitely more - definitely worse
D7200 - slightly more - same
D7000 - less sub-bass, more mid-bass - worse
TH-X00 - definitely more - much worse
LCD 2c - slightly less! - same
T1.2 - much less - same
T1p - less - same
T5p.2 - less sub-bass, more mid-bass - slightly worse
M1060 - less - slightly worse
AFC - much less - same
P7 - less - worse

You might have noticed that in therms of the quality score I have not scored any headphone 'much better'. In my view the Clear and Utopia have faster and more detailed bass, but other than those the Elegia is better or at least the same as the other headphone in question. The amount of desired quantity is very subjective. Hence, I did not judge the amount of bass, just stating if the headphone in question has more or less bass.

Again, this is a very basic comparison. Obviously other frequency ranges influence the perception of bass performance. E.g I am not really sure if the Elear has slightly more bass than the Elegia or if its rolled off highs make me think that. Those are the rabbit holes you end up in when going into more detail....

One thing I've seen mixed opinions on is whether or not the Elegia has more bass than the Clear. From what I've read though, and from my experience with closed and open backs, it seems maybe the Clear has more mid and upper bass that results in more noticeable punch, while the Elegia has better sub-bass extension and presence. I feel a lot of people prefer either mid/upper bass OR sub-bass as a test to see if a headphone is bass light or not. That's why I always try to comment on both bass frequency ranges, because they each can make a noticeable difference in how a headphone can sound.

I still have my Elegia's as well, despite my comments earlier about finding an IEM alternative due to comfort. I've since stretched out the headband even more and find the clamp more tolerable now.

 

[gb21011971]

... it seems maybe the Clear has more mid and upper bass that results in more noticeable punch, while the Elegia has better sub-bass extension and presence. I feel a lot of people prefer either mid/upper bass OR sub-bass as a test to see if a headphone is bass light or not. That's why I always try to comment on both bass frequency ranges, because they each can make a noticeable difference in how a headphone can sound.

Without having seen any charts, I feel the exact opposite . I think the Elegia has more mid and upper bass than the Clear, resulting in a bit more perceived bass presence. Clear goes deeper IMO.

Have we confused everyone enough yet?

 

[drgameboy]

I was hoping to buy these as an upgrade from Fostex TH-610. Weak bass comments are worrying.I listen to all genres and I enjoy dance music and hiphop from time to time. I'm afraid this may end up being a sidegrade rather than an upgrade. I guess I should wait for more reviews.

Anyone that says the Elegia has weak bass is either a bass head that likes beat headphones, or has a weak amp. The Elegia has enough bass, more than enough mids, and just enough highs. This in my opinion is THE BEST CLOSED HEADPHONES in the market currently. It bests the TH900 and even the LCD2 closeed. people need to check their hearing or get better equipment to show what the elegia can do.

 

[obsidyen]

“I guess I should wait for more reviews.”

Not sure if you intended this to be humorous but it sure made me laugh!!!!!

I was not joking. English is not my mother tongue so I may write things that come across as unnatural to native speakers.

I just wish Tyll still reviewed headphones. His tastes did not always agree with mine, but he knew how to review objectively.

Regarding auditioning myself, there's a place where I live that sells high-end speakers and amps such as Focal, which also sells Focal headphones. But it's not a headphone place exclusively, it's a side job for them so I doubt they have a demo model. However, I'll try to persuade them to let me listen prior to purchasing.

 

[raphaelchan]

I would say that assessment is correct. Never trust anyone on the internet and listen for yourself. But I guess we can't all run to the nearest high end dealer all the time, so I am trying to interpret what people are saying or even more WHO says what. With that I mean if someone who owns a Z1R, some Denons, Fostex's and a couple of Audeze's says "it's bass light", then I would take that statement with a grain of salt. On the other hand, if someone owning a HD800 or HD800s or even an Utopia says the same thing, I get worried. It's all about vantage point and what you're used to.

Instead of saying "bass light" or "lots of", let me contribute to the discussion by just comparing to other headphones I know. Hope that crude comparison helps at least a little.

Headphone X vs Elegia - Quantity - Quality

Clear - less - better
Elear - slightly more - slightly worse
Utopia - less - better
Z1R - definitely more- same
Z7 - definitely more - definitely worse
D7200 - slightly more - same
D7000 - less sub-bass, more mid-bass - worse
TH-X00 - definitely more - much worse
LCD 2c - slightly less! - same
T1.2 - much less - same
T1p - less - same
T5p.2 - less sub-bass, more mid-bass - slightly worse
M1060 - less - slightly worse
AFC - much less - same
P7 - less - worse

You might have noticed that in therms of the quality score I have not scored any headphone 'much better'. In my view the Clear and Utopia have faster and more detailed bass, but other than those the Elegia is better or at least the same as the other headphone in question. The amount of desired quantity is very subjective. Hence, I did not judge the amount of bass, just stating if the headphone in question has more or less bass.

Again, this is a very basic comparison. Obviously other frequency ranges influence the perception of bass performance. E.g I am not really sure if the Elear has slightly more bass than the Elegia or if its rolled off highs make me think that. Those are the rabbit holes you end up in when going into more detail....

Yup totally agree. The bass quality of Elegia is very good but sub bass quantity is not so good. Everything else especially transparency really impressed me. For everyone who is not bass head and need a closed back, i think you definitely want to include Elegia in the search list. However at the end of the day I chose Elegia over LCD-2CB today, simply because I can audition the Elegia and confirmed that it totally suit my need of having minimum sound leak. And I don't want to pay full retail price for LCD-2 CB for return privileges. 20% off is a lot of money for me

Question for friends that are using the Beyerdynamic balance cable, are you driving the Elegia via balanced output from your amps? sorry if this is a stupid question. I am a newbie.

 

[Napilopez]

Anyone that says the Elegia has weak bass is either a bass head that likes beat headphones, or has a weak amp. The Elegia has enough bass, more than enough mids, and just enough highs. This in my opinion is THE BEST CLOSED HEADPHONES in the market currently. It bests the TH900 and even the LCD2 closeed. people need to check their hearing or get better equipment to show what the elegia can do.

Yup totally agree. The bass quality of Elegia is very good but sub bass quantity is not so good. Everything else especially transparency really impressed me. For everyone who is not bass head and need a closed back, i think you definitely want to include Elegia in the search list. However at the end of the day I chose Elegia over LCD-2CB today, simply because I can audition the Elegia and confirmed that it totally suit my need of having minimum sound leak. And I don't want to pay full retail price for LCD-2 CB for return privileges. 20% off is a lot of money for me

Question for friends that are using the Beyerdynamic balance cable, are you driving the Elegia via balanced output from your amps? sorry if this is a stupid question. I am a newbie.

I still think there's some weird psychoacoustic trickery going on here. I have the Clear and the Elegia, and the Elegia is very obviously lighter on the bass to my ears. I consider the Clear to be perhaps the most neutral sounding headphone I've heard, so given how I'm hearing things, the Elegia is on the bass-light side of things.

I mean, not dramatically low bass, but also frankly lower than any high-end headphone I've heard I've heard in some time. I think they extend well and the bass can hit hard, but it sounds overall rather dry with a lot of mid-high energy. To my ears it's slightly brighter than the Utopia. The latter has a more prominent treble peak, but is less dry and bright overall.

To make things more confusing I've seen two FR measurements so far, one suggesting it has less bass than the clear, another suggesting it's more. It doesn't seem to me like these are super sensitive to seal, but something weird is going on. Some combination of frequency response and our individual listening strengths.

 

[raphaelchan]

The first time i listened to them was also with my own WM1A, and i wasn’t so impressed. With a balanced cable on the balanced output of the WM1A it was another story, much, much better.

The mids lost their tendency to being shouty after 20h of burn in here.

Thank you for your impressions !

May I know if everything still works well with elegia connected to the balanced output of WM1A. I have the beyerdynamic balance cable for T5P V2. I am a little worried as the instruction does not list driving balanced is an option. I really want to try connect to my Jotunheim's balanced out. Thanks for your help!

 

[gb21011971]

I still think there's some weird psychoacoustic trickery going on here. I have the Clear and the Elegia, and the Elegia is very obviously lighter on the bass to my ears. I consider the Clear to be perhaps the most neutral sounding headphone I've heard, so given how I'm hearing things, the Elegia is on the bass-light side of things.

I mean, not dramatically low bass, but also frankly lower than any high-end headphone I've heard I've heard in some time. I think they extend well and the bass can hit hard, but it sounds overall rather dry with a lot of mid-high energy. To my ears it's slightly brighter than the Utopia. The latter has a more prominent treble peak, but is less dry and bright overall.

To make things more confusing I've seen two FR measurements so far, one suggesting it has less bass than the clear, another suggesting it's more. It doesn't seem to me like these are super sensitive to seal, but something weird is going on. Some combination of frequency response and our individual listening strengths.

Weird. To me, the Elegia CLEARY (pun intended) has more bass than the Clear.

 

[SilverEars]

I still think there's some weird psychoacoustic trickery going on here. I have the Clear and the Elegia, and the Elegia is very obviously lighter on the bass to my ears. I consider the Clear to be perhaps the most neutral sounding headphone I've heard, so given how I'm hearing things, the Elegia is on the bass-light side of things.

I mean, not dramatically low bass, but also frankly lower than any high-end headphone I've heard I've heard in some time. I think they extend well and the bass can hit hard, but it sounds overall rather dry with a lot of mid-high energy. To my ears it's slightly brighter than the Utopia. The latter has a more prominent treble peak, but is less dry and bright overall.

To make things more confusing I've seen two FR measurements so far, one suggesting it has less bass than the clear, another suggesting it's more. It doesn't seem to me like these are super sensitive to seal, but something weird is going on. Some combination of frequency response and our individual listening strengths.

I heard lighter as well. They tuned it to be lighter since it's a closed design. I think the difference is the bass impact.

Utopia has the most lower treble emphasis alongside Elex. Doesn't that constitute as most bright or are you referring to higher frequencies?

 

[Napilopez]

I heard lighter as well. They tuned it to be lighter since it's a closed design. I think the difference is the bass impact.

Utopia has the most lower treble emphasis alongside Elex. Doesn't that constitute as most bright or are you referring to higher frequencies?

Might be a terminology thing. I think of bright as the overall tonal balance rather than just the treble. As I mentioned in my previous post, i hear more of a treble spike with the utopia around that low treble, but the overall tonal balance on the elegia strikes me as brighter/dryer. Tis weird.

 

[Beagle]

And here is the Audiophiliac quick impressions:

Interesting that this same reviewer (who found it bright and relentless) says he loved the Elegia in this "print" review..
https://www.cnet.com/news/focals-elegia-headphone-gobsmacks-the-audiophiliac/

 

[SoundSquare]

May I know if everything still works well with elegia connected to the balanced output of WM1A. I have the beyerdynamic balance cable for T5P V2. I am a little worried as the instruction does not list driving balanced is an option. I really want to try connect to my Jotunheim's balanced out. Thanks for your help!

Yes it does, i spent most of my honeymoon with this setup, using the Beyer balanced cable (and a FIIO 2,5 to 4,4 adapter) as well.