[Soundwave76]

I am considering Elegia to replace my Oppo PM-3. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Jthompson300]

I am considering Elegia to replace my Oppo PM-3. Any thoughts on this?

Absolutely a good choice. The PM-3 were my go to for portables ever since Oppo put them on sale day one and I got the Elegia to replace them and couldn’t be happier.

 

[Soundwave76]

Thanks. I am picky with headphones, but these do seem to be a good contender for the PM-3. Had an audition today and really liked them. I am pairing them with a Chord Hugo at work.

 

[raphaelchan]

I am considering Elegia to replace my Oppo PM-3. Any thoughts on this?

Elegia is definitely more comfortable for me. I have big ears, I could not wear PM3 for more then 30min. Elegia I can go on for couple hours. Other then that I think Elegia is slightly better in all areas except bass impact. But I had PM3 like 3 years ago. Memory is a bit fuzzy. Elegia is also a lot bigger in the cup size but the carry bag design makes it very portable.

 

[Preachy1]

I just received an inexpensive set of replacement cables for the Elegia. Using them now: Foobar2000 > Chord Mojo > Elegia. gotta say, they sound every bit as good as the originals. These are much more flexible and not prone to kinking at all.

$16 USD!!!!

 

[terminatetrails]

For me, personal preference, I would sell my Audeze XC before I sold the Elegia for sound and multi use

I did that and I haven't looked back. To me the Elegia broken in is better than the XC and I like Audeze and Focal sound.
Little story- today I was working and listening to my newest set of hp's- LCD-4z on my portable rig (Mojo). Got home and hooked up the Elegia on the main rig (YGGY A2-MJ2) and was blown away by how much detail, sound stage and isolation I was getting. Now, I'm not saying that the Elegia is as good as the 4z, that would be silly. I'm just saying that I was not disappointed by comparison and happy to have the isolation back home in the noisy house.

 

[Jthompson300]

Has anyone swapped the ear pads out for the utopias or even some dekoni pads?

Considering changing the pads out and was curious to see if anyone who had already done so would be able to give their opinions on the positives or negatives.

 

[antdroid]

Has anyone swapped the ear pads out for the utopias or even some dekoni pads?

Considering changing the pads out and was curious to see if anyone who had already done so would be able to give their opinions on the positives or negatives.

I used brainwavz sheepskin leather pads briefly and preferred the original pads more. Preferred those pads on the Elex more but am back to the original ones again. I may pick up dekoni elite hybrids at some point.

 

[Jthompson300]

I used brainwavz sheepskin leather pads briefly and preferred the original pads more. Preferred those pads on the Elex more but am back to the original ones again. I may pick up dekoni elite hybrids at some point.

I went ahead and bought the Utopia pads to try out, for the price I hope I like them.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Hey guys i tried the Elegia at the store, fit was nice and roomy. but i felt the ear pads didnt seal properly on the cup itself. i felt there was a gab where the pads and cups met. seal around my ear was good. anyone else get this feeling?
also, i forget, but is this balanced? or unbalanced? could you use balanced cables?

 

[doboo57]

Hey guys i tried the Elegia at the store, fit was nice and roomy. but i felt the ear pads didnt seal properly on the cup itself. i felt there was a gab where the pads and cups met. seal around my ear was good. anyone else get this feeling?
also, i forget, but is this balanced? or unbalanced? could you use balanced cables?

I use the Elegia with my Clear balanced cable, it works fine.

 

[doboo57]

After hearing so many good comments about ZMF products, I recently got the chance to get my hands on the Eikon (camphor, stock pads). Considering that some participants of this forum want to locate the Elegia compared to other well-established HP, I decided to make a comparison between these two models to know were the Elegia can stand in comparison of one of the most acclaimed closed-back HP on today’s market. Note that for this comparison I’ve listen to FLAC and WAV files via Schiit Jotunheim with balanced DAC. Although many users have mentioned the Eikon’s good synergy with tube amplifiers (especially in terms of treble), but I unfortunately did not have the chance to get one for this test.

Build quality: At first glance, there is no doubt that the Eikon represents a true work of art. The design and choice of materials is just wow. I must say that the Elegia are also very well made (they’re made in France by very competent and attentive people) and look just as strong and durable, but they have a more "industrial" and a bit more “impersonal” look than the handmade Eikon.

Driver technology: They use a different driver type (the Eikon uses a biocellulose technology covered with damping material and the Focal uses a kind of speaker-like type of driver). I suppose that the amount of the damping material used in front of the Eikon drivers have a big effect on the resolution (it could result in a too muffled / too bright sounding if the wrong amount is putted on). On that point, I'm sure Zach spent several hours to achieve the Eikon's unique sound signature. On the other hand, Focal also did a great job developing this very reactive aluminum & magnesium “speaker-like” dynamic driver technology.

Comfort: The comfort of the Eikon impresses me; the pads are quite well cushioned, the very well designed headband creates no hotspot on the top of my head and clamping force is not excessive. No doubt, they were designed for long-term listening. There’s only one shadow on the board: their weight. They are pretty heavy and also pretty big (you can rapidly feel their weight from your neck). The Elegia is lighter and less imposing in terms of size, but their greater clamping force is noticeable. They are more stable on the head tough, which allows users to wear them on the go (which is virtually not possible with the Eikon).

Leakage and isolation: Note that I wear glasses with wide edges and I have not encountered any major seal problem or excessive sound leakage with both of these two HP. Since the stock pads of the Eikon are made of leather and the Elegia are made of suede, I was expecting the Eikon doing a better job in terms of isolation but, surprisingly, I found the isolation a bit better on the Elegia.

General sound signature: Both have a pretty balanced tonal balance, but the Eikon sounds fuller and richer (more musical and seductive) than the Elegia to my ears. The Eikon’s tone, even if it is more colored than Elegia’s, is a bit more inviting/seductive/addictive and more immersive for most music genres IMO. On the other hand, Elegia's character is more revealing, more incisive and more accurate/transparent in terms of resolution. Elegia shows a slightly more neutral tonal balance and less coloration. By the way, none of these can be considered as forgiving HP, so take it into account if you plan to listen to low-bitrate files or poor mastered tracks. First thing you notice with the Elegia is how good its technical abilities are (dynamic punch, speed, clarity, sparkle, etc.). With the Eikon, this is the emotion (especially through voices). The Elegia is lacking some of that unique emotional feeling that makes ZMF so special... But in technical terms, the Elegia is quite impressive!

Bass: Eikon's bass sounds thicker and more “meaty”. It also offers a little more slam than Elegia. I also find that the Eikon has a slight edge in terms of sub-bass extension. On the other hand, Elegia’s bass is a bit more neutral in terms of quantity, but in terms of quality it is much tighter, faster and is a little more detailed.

Mids: Most voices on the Eikon generally sounds a bit buttery, generally more upfront and more realistic, but less airy and a bit less detailed than on the Elegia. I wrote ”generally” because it could vary a lot from a recording to another... One obvious thing about Eikon’s vocals (especially male vocals): they definitely have a more “human” timbre, bringing more emotion. Acoustic guitars also shows more richness with the Eikon. Mids of the Elegia sound generally more resolving than on the Eikon, but in a somewhat more thin/dry approach, but bringing a bit more micro-details to my ears.

Treble: There is definitely more sharpness, sparkle and brilliance in the treble of the Elegia. Highs of the Eikon sounds a tad bit slower, less articulate, less present and a bit less accurate than on the Elegia to my ears, but I don’t think they sound unnatural tough. Both HP have a pretty good treble presentation IMO, it’s just presented in a different way. The Elegia shows a more spot-on, more articulate and impressive performance overall IMO (Elegia’s highs fits better to my tastes, since I use to prefer accurate tonality over warmth), but I think the Eikon could suit treble-sensitive people’s tastes better. By the way, the 6K peak reported on the Eikon’s frequency graphs did not bother me at all during my listening (some "t" and "s" can sometimes be irritating, something that I never encountered at all with the Elegia).

Speed and dynamics: In terms of speed, Elegia definitely have th edge (its more incisive attacks and faster decay are quite impressive). On the other hand, both HP are very reactive in terms of dynamics (It’s definitely not night and day there).

Soundstage: The Eikon have a definitely wider scene than the Elegia. As described by several users, the new range of Focal earphones rely on a very precise imaging, but also on a certain intimacy (a narrower scene and referring to the first row of a concert). Elegia sounds generally more airy than the Eikon. Elegia shows an airy presentation which can be compared to some open-backs (which is quite impressive for a closed-back IMO). I did not experience that same level of airiness with the Eikon. Layering is better with the Eikon though.

Music genres: If I had to categorize them in terms of musical genres, I would recommend Elegia for jazz (pianos, saxophones, trumpets and cymbals sounds just amazing on the Elegia), also for classical and vocal-oriented genres (mostly female vocals). The Eikon represents a better compromise for more bass-oriented styles (like rap, hip-hop and EDM), classic rock, as well as male vocals and acoustic guitars (where the Elegia is also very good, but where the Eikon’s sound adds an extra touch of richness and openness/reverb to it).

Conclusion: All in all, these are two of the best and well-made closed-back HP on the market IMHO. Elegia will probably represent a better choice for sound professionals and precision/absolute resolving fans, since the Eikon refers more to a signature with a touch of color, showing a warmer and more "human" tone. Overall, the Eikon offers a true TOTL closed-back headphone experience but nevertheless, the Elegia can bests the Eikon for some technical abilities (which I do not expect at all to be honest...).

In short, the Eikon does not blow the Elegia out of water as I expected. At my surprise, the Elegia did stand up to the Eikon on some important technical aspects. Before performing this comparison, I was about 98% sure that I’ll want to sell the Elegia and keep the Eikon. Well, I’m now considering keeping both (I’m sure my wife will be pleased hearing that ).

I think the choice between these two models is really based on personal tonality preference. Fans of a warmer signature and of little less revealing/sharp tone will inevitably prefer the Eikon. In fact, I guess almost 8-9 people out of 10 will likely prefer the Eikon and its more inviting tone... They do complete each other very well though.

About whether the $ 500 price difference ($ 899 for Elegia and $ 1,399 for Eikon) is justified or not, the debate is launched! In my opinion, both are excellent HP, but at $ 899, the Elegia could represent a very good deal if you’re ready to sacrifice some of the musicality of the Eikon in favor of a bit more neutrality and resolution (or if you’re an “accuracy and detail maniac” like me ).

Hope this can help.

 

[Jthompson300]

After hearing so many good comments about ZMF products, I recently got the chance to get my hands on the Eikon (camphor, stock pads). Considering that some participants of this forum want to locate the Elegia compared to other well-established HP, I decided to make a comparison between these two models to know were the Elegia can stand in comparison of one of the most acclaimed closed-back HP on today’s market. Note that for this comparison I’ve listen to FLAC and WAV files via Schiit Jotunheim with balanced DAC. Although many users have mentioned the Eikon’s good synergy with tube amplifiers (especially in terms of treble), but I unfortunately did not have the chance to get one for this test.

Build quality: At first glance, there is no doubt that the Eikon represents a true work of art. The design and choice of materials is just wow. I must say that the Elegia are also very well made (they’re made in France by very competent and attentive people) and look just as strong and durable, but they have a more "industrial" and a bit more “impersonal” look than the handmade Eikon.

Driver technology: They use a different driver type (the Eikon uses a biocellulose technology covered with damping material and the Focal uses a kind of speaker-like type of driver). I suppose that the amount of the damping material used in front of the Eikon drivers have a big effect on the resolution (it could result in a too muffled / too bright sounding if the wrong amount is putted on). On that point, I'm sure Zach spent several hours to achieve the Eikon's unique sound signature. On the other hand, Focal also did a great job developing this very reactive aluminum & magnesium “speaker-like” dynamic driver technology.

Comfort: The comfort of the Eikon impresses me; the pads are quite well cushioned, the very well designed headband creates no hotspot on the top of my head and clamping force is not excessive. No doubt, they were designed for long-term listening. There’s only one shadow on the board: their weight. They are pretty heavy and also pretty big (you can rapidly feel their weight from your neck). The Elegia is lighter and less imposing in terms of size, but their greater clamping force is noticeable. They are more stable on the head tough, which allows users to wear them on the go (which is virtually not possible with the Eikon).

Leakage and isolation: Note that I wear glasses with wide edges and I have not encountered any major seal problem or excessive sound leakage with both of these two HP. Since the stock pads of the Eikon are made of leather and the Elegia are made of suede, I was expecting the Eikon doing a better job in terms of isolation but, surprisingly, I found the isolation a bit better on the Elegia.

General sound signature: Both have a pretty balanced tonal balance, but the Eikon sounds fuller and richer (more musical and seductive) than the Elegia to my ears. The Eikon’s tone, even if it is more colored than Elegia’s, is a bit more inviting/seductive/addictive and more immersive for most music genres IMO. On the other hand, Elegia's character is more revealing, more incisive and more accurate/transparent in terms of resolution. Elegia shows a slightly more neutral tonal balance and less coloration. By the way, none of these can be considered as forgiving HP, so take it into account if you plan to listen to low-bitrate files or poor mastered tracks.

Bass: Eikon's bass sounds thicker and more “meaty”. It also offers a little more slam than Elegia. I also find that the Eikon has a slight edge in terms of sub-bass extension. On the other hand, Elegia’s bass is a bit more neutral in terms of quantity, but in terms of quality it is much tighter, faster and is a little more detailed.

Mids: Most voices on the Eikon generally sounds a bit buttery, sometimes more distant (with some recordings), less airy and a bit more laid-back than on the Elegia. I wrote ”generally” because it tends to vary a lot from a recording to another... One obvious thing about Eikon’s vocals (especially male vocals): they definitely have a more “human” timbre. Acoustic guitars also shows more richness with the Eikon. Mids of the Elegia sound generally more upfront and a bit more resolving than on the Eikon, but in a somewhat more dry approach. Elegia's more forward midrange tend to bring a bit more micro-details to my ears tough.

Treble: There is definitely more sharpness, shimmer and brilliance in the treble with the Elegia. Highs of the Eikon sounds a tad bit slower, less articulate, less present and a bit less accurate than on the Elegia to my ears, but I don’t think they sound unnatural tough. Both HP have a pretty good treble presentation IMO, it’s just presented in a different way. The Elegia shows a more spot-on, more articulate and impressive performance overall IMO (Elegia’s highs fits better to my tastes, since I use to prefer accurate tonality over warmth), but I think the Eikon could suit treble-sensitive people’s tastes better. By the way, the 6K peak reported on the Eikon’s frequency graphs did not bother me at all during my listening.

Speed and dynamics: In terms of speed, Elegia has a slight advantage (its more incisive attacks and faster decay are quite impressive). On the other hand, both HP are very reactive in terms of dynamics (It’s definitely not night and day there).

Soundstage: The Eikon have a definitely wider scene than the Elegia. As described by several users, the new range of Focal earphones rely on a very precise imaging, but also on a certain intimacy (a narrower scene and referring to the first row of a concert). To my ears the Elegia sounds generally more airy than the Eikon. Elegia shows an airy presentation which can be compared to some open-backs (which is quite impressive for a closed-back IMO). I did not experience that same level of airiness with the Eikon.

Music genres: If I had to categorize them in terms of musical genres, I would recommend Elegia for jazz (pianos, saxophones, trumpets and cymbals sounds just amazing on the Elegia), also for classical and vocal-oriented genres (mostly female vocals). The Eikon represents a better compromise for more bass-oriented styles (like rap, hip-hop and EDM), classic rock, as well as male vocals and acoustic guitars (where the Elegia is also very good, but where the Eikon’s sound adds an extra touch of richness and openness/reverb to it).

Conclusion: All in all, these are two of the best and well-made closed-back HP on the market IMHO. Elegia will probably represent a better choice for sound professionals and precision/absolute resolving fans, since the Eikon refers more to a signature with a touch of color, showing a warmer and more "human" tone. Overall, the Eikon offers a true TOTL closed-back headphone experience but nevertheless, the Elegia can bests the Eikon for some technical abilities (which I do not expect at all to be honest...).

In short, the Eikon does not blow the Elegia out of water as I expected. At my surprise, the Elegia did stand up to the Eikon on some important technical aspects. Before performing this comparison, I was about 98% sure that I’ll want to sell the Elegia and keep the Eikon. Well, I’m now considering keeping both (I’m sure my wife will be pleased hearing that ).

I think the choice between these two models is really based on personal tonality preference. Fans of a warmer signature and of little less revealing/sharp tone will inevitably prefer the Eikon. In fact, I guess almost 8-9 people out of 10 will likely prefer the Eikon and its more inviting tone...

About whether the $ 500 price difference ($ 899 for Elegia and $ 1,399 for Eikon) is justified or not, the debate is launched! In my opinion, both are excellent HP, but at $ 899, the Elegia could represent a very good deal if you’re ready to sacrifice some of the musicality of the Eikon in favor of a bit more neutrality and resolution (or if you’re an “accuracy and detail maniac” like me ).

Hope this can help.

While I did enjoy your comments I do think that you are comparing 2 different life styles. The ZMF are hardly portable and if you consider the other options for non portable headphones I do not see why the Elegia would show up on the radar and the same could be said in reverse.

Again I do appreciate your comparison between the 2 and your enthusiasm for the Elegia and wanting to show it but I feel like it doesn’t make sense because I am stuck on the fact the Elegia are more geared towards portability. When I first wanted to get the Elegia before they were released I was turned onto the ZMF which I had never even considered but it was also pointed out to me the 300ohm nature of them which killed them for me. Now if i was looking to replace another closed set for home listening then perhaps the comparison would be fair but even if the Elegia beat the snot of the ZMF in your comparison and then threatened it’s siblings, or in reverse, I would still say it’s not a fair comparison because I think they are meant for two different things.

While I would sell my LCD-XC before my Elegia it is only because of multipurpose. My Elegia I can take with me anywhere and use comfortably while my XC I can not.Do both serve a purpose and in different ways aside from that, of course.

My apologies because my comments are my own and I again applaud your comparison but I feel like you should mention one of the most important parts of the Elegia and why in my opinion, and I could be alone in this but I feel like I am not, they are one of the best portable headphones on the market today.

 

[up late]

^ focal markets the elegia both "for mobility" and "for home" use. i think comparing it to the eikon (and the hd820, z1r, th900 etc.) is valid as they are closed-back headphones first and foremost.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

While I did enjoy your comments I do think that you are comparing 2 different life styles. The ZMF are hardly portable and if you consider the other options for non portable headphones I do not see why the Elegia would show up on the radar and the same could be said in reverse.

Again I do appreciate your comparison between the 2 and your enthusiasm for the Elegia and wanting to show it but I feel like it doesn’t make sense because I am stuck on the fact the Elegia are more geared towards portability. When I first wanted to get the Elegia before they were released I was turned onto the ZMF which I had never even considered but it was also pointed out to me the 300ohm nature of them which killed them for me. Now if i was looking to replace another closed set for home listening then perhaps the comparison would be fair but even if the Elegia beat the snot of the ZMF in your comparison and then threatened it’s siblings, or in reverse, I would still say it’s not a fair comparison because I think they are meant for two different things.

While I would sell my LCD-XC before my Elegia it is only because of multipurpose. My Elegia I can take with me anywhere and use comfortably while my XC I can not.Do both serve a purpose and in different ways aside from that, of course.

My apologies because my comments are my own and I again applaud your comparison but I feel like you should mention one of the most important parts of the Elegia and why in my opinion, and I could be alone in this but I feel like I am not, they are one of the best portable headphones on the market today.

Agreed, im curious about the Elegia because of its portability, closed back design and ease to drive. I wouldnt ever consider zmf headphones as easy to drive nor made for commuting portably. Im sorry but when almost your entire lineup is made of wooden HP i find it hard to justify taking them on the underground train and bus or plane. Its just not sensible.