[alterndog]

Only had the basic "99 Series 2.5mm Balanced Upgrade Cable" for some time (used with Klipsch HP3, Quad ERA-1 and also Elegia), had a very good build quality and feel to it. The "99 Series Silver Upgrade Cable" is almost 2.5 times the price of the basic version - that is hard to justify, if you don't appreciate the different look. I doubt there is any audible difference between the two (and both are silver placed OFC anyway). I do use a custom cable made by Sky Audio Cables (UK) with my Elegia.

Side note: I do have the ridiculous expensive Silver Plated PCUHD Upgrade Cable 4-pin XLR that came with my Meze Empyrean bundle....its still factory sealed inside the case and I use a generic Hard Audio Cable with them

Thx! I ended up ordering from Hart. Will try their cord out and with the coupon had free shipping.

 

[peterinvan]

Thx I’ll look at Hart. As I mentioned I was hoping for the basic MEZE balanced cable, but no one has it is stock. Do you know anything about their silver balanced cable? That does seem to be in stock?

My local dealer has the Meze 2.5mmm cable it in stock...

https://headphonebar.com/collections/accessories/products/meze-99-balanced-2-5mm-cable

 

[alterndog]

My local dealer has the Meze 2.5mmm cable it in stock...

https://headphonebar.com/collections/accessories/products/meze-99-balanced-2-5mm-cable

Thx ended up going with Hart as they were cheaper.

 

[dixtatorx]

Only had the basic "99 Series 2.5mm Balanced Upgrade Cable" for some time (used with Klipsch HP3, Quad ERA-1 and also Elegia), had a very good build quality and feel to it. The "99 Series Silver Upgrade Cable" is almost 2.5 times the price of the basic version - that is hard to justify, if you don't appreciate the different look. I doubt there is any audible difference between the two (and both are silver placed OFC anyway). I do use a custom cable made by Sky Audio Cables (UK) with my Elegia.

Side note: I do have the ridiculous expensive Silver Plated PCUHD Upgrade Cable 4-pin XLR that came with my Meze Empyrean bundle....its still factory sealed inside the case and I use a generic Hard Audio Cable with them

I was looking at Sky Audio Cables too a couple of weeks ago, as I too am interested for a 2.5mm balanced terminated cable for the Elegia. I was looking at their eBay store (UK), but was and still am unsure about the microphonics on their cables. Would you be so kind to shine some light on this? What type of cable of theirs are you using with your Elegia and how do the microphonics on the Sky Audio Cable you have compare to the microphonics from the Meze "simple" 2.5mm balanced upgrade?

 

[godmax]

I was looking at Sky Audio Cables too a couple of weeks ago, as I too am interested for a 2.5mm balanced terminated cable for the Elegia. I was looking at their eBay store (UK), but was and still am unsure about the microphonics on their cables. Would you be so kind to shine some light on this? What type of cable of theirs are you using with your Elegia and how do the microphonics on the Sky Audio Cable you have compare to the microphonics from the Meze "simple" 2.5mm balanced upgrade?

I am personally not very susceptible to cable microphonics and did not come accross a cable yet where this was not noticable. I have all my custom cables fully sleeved, just for the looks.
The basic Meze has a soft transparent TPU coating which makes it very flexible and tanglefree, probably less microphonics from what I remember. Sky Audio Cable can create the cable to your liking with/-out sleeving or half/half (see posting). I ordered "plain" copper litz cable: it is flexible, lays flat and has a weighty feel to it. Microphonics are about the same as Hart Audio or the infamous Focal stock cable.

I got a pretty basic cable for my Elegia:

Length: 140cm
Termination (Amp): 4-pin XLR Balanced
Termination (Headphone): Focal Elegia (Dual Mono 3,5mm TRS)
Material: Copper Litz
Splitter/Plugs: Carbon Black
Color/style: #32 silver diamond sleeve over all strands​

 

[dixtatorx]

I am personally not very susceptible to cable microphonics and did not come accross a cable yet where this was not noticable. I have all my custom cables fully sleeved, just for the looks.
The basic Meze has a soft transparent TPU coating which makes it very flexible and tanglefree, probably less microphonics from what I remember. Sky Audio Cable can create the cable to your liking with/-out sleeving or half/half (see posting). I ordered "plain" copper litz cable: it is flexible, lays flat and has a weighty feel to it. Microphonics are about the same as Hart Audio or the infamous Focal stock cable.

I got a pretty basic cable for my Elegia:

Length: 140cm
Termination (Amp): 4-pin XLR Balanced
Termination (Headphone): Focal Elegia (Dual Mono 3,5mm TRS)
Material: Copper Litz
Splitter/Plugs: Carbon Black
Color/style: #32 silver diamond sleeve over all strands​

Much appreciated, you've been awesome in your response

 

[WilcoRoger]

What's the verdict - is getting a brand new Elegia for €530 all-in a good deal? Would that be a meaningful upgrade to the Denon 5200? (I really try to convince myself NOT to splash out half a grand)

 

[dixtatorx]

What's the verdict - is getting a brand new Elegia for €530 all-in a good deal? Would that be a meaningful upgrade to the Denon 5200? (I really try to convince myself NOT to splash out half a grand)

For €530 I'd say it's a steal considering the Celeste that is its drop-in replacement in the €1000 bracket, is practically the same headphone with leather pads and a slightly "less audiophile" tuning. In my opinion the Denon 5200 is quite different sounding and if you don't already have another headphone in your collection tuned very similarly with the Elegia then it's a warranted and clever purchase; don't try to think of it solely as an upgrade over a specific headphone, try to think of it as an upgrade to your headphone COLLECTION. By adding a closed back tuned like the Elegia (if you don't already have another one with a very similar tuning) and as technically capable, you're definitely upgrading your headphone collection and making it a lot more flexible and capable of tackling all sorts of different types of music and tracks that previously were not sounding their best through the other "members" of your collection. In my humble opinion there's no ONE headphone that can excel and excite at all types of music; it's much easier and more realistic to try to achieve this through a well rounded headphone collection instead (the size of it is strictly personal and related to how diverse each person's music collection is).
My collection's "Denon D5200" (=an easy to drive closed back with a well executed V-shape tuning) is the Beyerdynamic T5p v2. Just mentioning this to signal to you that I do understand where you're coming from and before you ask, yes I have auditioned the Denon D5200 too and I did like it.
Buying the Elegia you'll simply love even more of the tracks in your current and future music collection by being able to switch between the two and select a particular one for the tracks that it specifically excels on.


p.s. you can check my 1st post here on this thread to better understand where I am coming from and what my approach is.

 

[WilcoRoger]

Thanks for the feedback, somehow I knew there won't be too many voices saying "don't do it"

Currently I have already too many headphones and earphones - HD6xx, Denon 5200, ATH mrs7b, PSB M4U2, B&W PX7, Sony 1000XM2, Senn ie800, ety er6i, ER3SR, HF5, Klipsch X12i... etc so I definitely don't NEED another one

 

[godmax]

Thanks for the feedback, somehow I knew there won't be too many voices saying "don't do it"

Currently I have already too many headphones and earphones - HD6xx, Denon 5200, B&W PX7, Sony 1000XM2, ety er6i, ER3SR, HF5, Klipsch X12i... etc so I definitely don't NEED another one

... I don't think there is something like "too many headphones" Everything past one pair is already beyond reason, since you physically can only use one set a time - so no need to stop collect more of them now, since you already crossed this border The Elegia is still a very nice headphone even with its successors around, with a little EQ or different pads you may also come very close to them if needed.

 

[dixtatorx]

As @godmax said no one really NEEDS more than a single pair of headphones/earphones at a time but none of us in this forum ever embraced that logic in practice. A testament to this is that if any of us truly believed it, none of us would be even following or periodically peeking through a keyhole on this forum (much less so, posting questions about and showing interest in new headphones) would we?

@WilcoRoger
You definitely have plenty of headphones for a person of the "one/a couple of headphones are enough" persuasion, but since you're here and show interest in another one you definitely don't have enough yet .

Somehow I get the feeling that you were "hoping" to read a response along the lines of "it's overpriced, wait for something better/more affordable etc" or that it has a fundamental flaw or that it has nothing more/different/better to offer you that you don't already get from your Denon D5200 in order to strengthen your determination not to splurge more on audio gear/headphones. Of course I might be greatly mistaken, but if the feeling that I am getting from your writing is even remotely close to how you were feeling then you most probably came to the wrong place as the aftertaste that the Elegia has left to the majority of people that had the opportunity to spend ample time with it ranges from "very good/unique offering for its price" to "genuinely and originally exciting/amazing regardless of price". I too like many of us in this forum have many more headphones and earphones besides the ones that I listed in my initial post on this thread, but they are of a completely different "flavour" i.e active noise cancelling/wireless, in-ear monitors etc. I wouldn't consider comparing those though to the Elegia as I wouldn't compare a pair of headphones to a pair of loud speakers simply because the only thing they share is the fact that all of them reproduce music, in all other aspects they were "born to be different" (=they're completely different tools for completely different applications in the same way both a tractor and an F1 race car are motorised land vehicles that are able to cary a person from point A to point B). The Elegia is a completely different "beast" from all the wireless, active noise cancelling, IEMs etc you already have in your collection of AUDIO GEAR. Its only "close relative" in the ones you listed at least, is the Denon AH D5200 which in my opinion is a very different sounding headphone (I refrain from using terms like better or worse exactly because 1.they sound VERY different 2.such terms are affiliated with personal taste/preferences. Keep in mind that despite all that, I HAVE auditioned the Denon D5200 and I belong to the crowd that likes THAT tuning AS WELL as other tunings for other tracks. So I could have very easily said "the Denon is better, forget the Elegia". The fact that I DID NOT make such a statement despite the fact that 1.I liked the Denon and furthermore 2.I purchased with my own money and still own a pair that has a similar sound to the Denon, says something about the Denon; doesn't it?). Whatever you decide, I wish you to keep enjoying listening to music with everything that you currently own and might probably acquire in the future; that's the whole point to this hobby anyway in my view at least, and not to reach an ethereal non-existent peak, or convince ourselves that we've already got everything we will ever need to feel content. If you've got an itch you'll eventually scratch it anyway

 

[DuncanDirkDick]

Hey, can someone tell me the diameter of the connector inlet?

 

[pietcux]

It is 9.2mm.

 

[idsearcher]

The Sundara does sound a bit airier due to being open back. Both have a different presentation to my ears. The Sundara is more mid row performance, vocals are not as near the listener, so the overall performance is a bit laid back in comparison. It sounds more delicate and more of a relax type of presentation.

The Elegia is front row presentation, I might dare say row one perspective. I feel so close to the performance, that I hear every detail since its so close in comparison. Due to this, I find the Elegia to be more exciting and more viseral. The drums , vocals, instruments are so close I can virtually touch them since I am so close to the stage it seems.

If I want a more chill/relaxing type of sound , Sundara does that for me. If i want to rock out and get a more intense sound, Elegia does that for me.

Also depends on the recording, if the recording is mic'd up very close upfront vocals, when played on the Elegia can sound too aggressive/in my face. Likewise, if the recording is mic'd up a little distant for the vocals, the Sundara can sound a bit too mellow. This is based on my gear and my ears.

This is the perfect description of how the two headphones differ. I have both and have the same opinion.

 

[therock10]

I got it on sale on adorama for 399 and returned by the next day. Don't how it's worth 799$ regular price