[RayMets1]

Many folks, including myself, have had good luck using pads to tame some of the treble spikes and lift the bass. I'm currently using the Dekoni Fenestrated Sheepskin pads and like the slight increase in warmth (and comfort) that they add. I still EQ them, though.

i just put some Dekoni Fenestrated Pads in the Classifieds

 

[Hypops]

i just put some Dekoni Fenestrated Pads in the Classifieds

Ha. Something about these headphones really brings out strong differences of opinion!

Also, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that comfort probably has a big influence on what I “hear” with these pads. The combination of the clamping force of the Elegias, my head size/shape, and the fenestrated pads feels like putting on a favorite coat or sitting in a favorite chair. I also live in a desert, so the added airflow is a godsend for long summer work/listening sessions.

 

[Alexfux12]

I remember trying them and thinking that they dont sound their price, wasn’t special at all to me

 

[fofocho]

With a bit of EQ they are amazing

 

[Hypops]

I remember trying them and thinking that they dont sound their price, wasn’t special at all to me

Are you referring to the headphones themselves or to the Dekoni pads?

 

[Waddiewadkins]

I'm on a WP-900 thread and threw Elegia into the mix a guy there could compare said if you want , black background, clear separation of instruments , studio recorded as was playback, go Elegia.

 

[Sanman99]

Elegias aren't available for sale now even on Adorama and Amazon?

Anyone's opinion on Dekoni sheepskin versus the limited Stellia pads?
The inside is fenestrated or something a bit more I guess

I'm also trying to post to get info on how headphones lose value
Like I wanted to ask about AMT but that's a whole other thread

 

[Hypops]

Elegias aren't available for sale now even on Adorama and Amazon?

Anyone's opinion on Dekoni sheepskin versus the limited Stellia pads?
The inside is fenestrated or something a bit more I guess

I'm also trying to post to get info on how headphones lose value
Like I wanted to ask about AMT but that's a whole other thread

Still available on Amazon for me (new for $350). But these have been priced to sell through for a good year or two. Was bound to run out of remaining stock at some point.

I use the Dekoni fenestrated sheepskin pads. Better than stock. Not sure how they compare to the custom Stellia pads. Most folks who use the Stellia pads swear by them.

No idea what to say about headphones losing value. Supply, demand, production costs, resale demand, etc. Too many factors to give a straightforward answer. It really just depends on the headphones.

 

[peterinvan]

Anyone's opinion on Dekoni sheepskin versus the limited Stellia pads?
The inside is fenestrated or something a bit more I guess

I tried all three and settled on the Dekoni “custom” Stellia pads. The full sheepskin pads emphasized the bass too much. Makes them sound like the Radiance.

 

[Sanman99]

I tried all three and settled on the Dekoni “custom” Stellia pads. The full sheepskin pads emphasized the bass too much. Makes them sound like the Radiance.

I was buying between two for sale had either kind of pad at the time
Is it harder to get stellia pads now?
I'm not sure whether it's important enough to me.


Elegia plastic creaks a tiny bit. Some headphones like lcd-xc makes more of a heavier clink sound sometimes. And the planar in Ananda makes a driver clink when idle sometimes.

I'm saying a minor drawback to these just feel like plastic
Not as bad as I make it seem. But some headphones don't make plastic creaking.

 

[Hypops]

I was buying between two for sale had either kind of pad at the time
Is it harder to get stellia pads now?
I'm not sure whether it's important enough to me.

Dekoni still makes and sells the Stellia pads (“Custom Series Replacement Ear Pads for Focal”). They can be purchased direct from Dekoni or through any number of online retailers including Amazon. Shelling out for $100 pads for a $400 pair of headphones can be a tough call. Depends on how bothered you are by the stock pads’ comfort, or how much you want to tweak their frequency response without EQ. The other way to look at it is would you pay $500 for the headphones if they came stock with nicer pads? I would. Decent closed-backs aren’t easy to find for under $1000.

Elegia plastic creaks a tiny bit. Some headphones like lcd-xc makes more of a heavier clink sound sometimes. And the planar in Ananda makes a driver clink when idle sometimes.

I'm saying a minor drawback to these just feel like plastic
Not as bad as I make it seem. But some headphones don't make plastic creaking.

As long as you don’t hear anything sharper than a “creak,” it shouldn’t be an issue. My Elegia headband completely snapped after about a year of regular use and needed to be replaced. They were under Focal’s warranty so no biggie, but yeah, build quality is not exceptional. Lots of plastic.

 

[Lx3A]

Shelling out for $100 pads for a $400 pair of headphones can be a tough call. Depends on how bothered you are by the stock pads’ comfort, or how much you want to tweak their frequency response without EQ. The other way to look at it is would you pay $500 for the headphones if they came stock with nicer pads? I would. Decent closed-backs aren’t easy to find for under $1000.

I sure think these are worth more than the discontinued price indicates. However I do think $100 is a lot to spend on pads in this range. If anyone does have newer original pads I am looking for those and I’m sure others are as well. You could use those funds towards dekoni pads, zmf, etc.

The other way to look at it is would you pay $500 for the headphones if they came stock with nicer pads? I would.

I’d pay $500 to buy these again easily. If there are recommendations on technically comparable closed backs I’d love to hear what you have. Especially in the dynamic driver space.

 

[LanceSaintPaul]

I sure think these are worth more than the discontinued price indicates. However I do think $100 is a lot to spend on pads in this range. If anyone does have newer original pads I am looking for those and I’m sure others are as well. You could use those funds towards dekoni pads, zmf, etc.

I’d pay $500 to buy these again easily. If there are recommendations on technically comparable closed backs I’d love to hear what you have. Especially in the dynamic driver space.

My take on the Dekoni's used to be no, the stock pads are better.
Recently this got reversed. Focal Listen Pros finally satisfied me with treble extension after changing to Dekoni Earpadz (and I had way earlier modded the drivers by removing the ridiculous foam that covered most of the drivers - I also cut out the fabric in the center of the pads).
Then in a recent comparo between several phones I realized my Elegia's sounded too anemic (as if I had "blown out a woofer"). So I tried the Dekoni super pads (Utopia Elite Sheepskin) and the Elegias found their balls. It made them look more like the Radiance & I wondered if it made them sound more like them. Since then I noted someone's comment in a forum here that he thought the pads made them too much like a Radiance, so these become more like them for way less $$$. And I like it that way.

 

[Sanman99]

My take on the Dekoni's used to be no, the stock pads are better.
Recently this got reversed. Focal Listen Pros finally satisfied me with treble extension after changing to Dekoni Earpadz (and I had way earlier modded the drivers by removing the ridiculous foam that covered most of the drivers - I also cut out the fabric in the center of the pads).
Then in a recent comparo between several phones I realized my Elegia's sounded too anemic (as if I had "blown out a woofer"). So I tried the Dekoni super pads (Utopia Elite Sheepskin) and the Elegias found their balls. It made them look more like the Radiance & I wondered if it made them sound more like them. Since then I noted someone's comment in a forum here that he thought the pads made them too much like a Radiance, so these become more like them for way less $$$. And I like it that way.

I almost had chosen Stellia limited pads
Someone said that's the same as the ones Dekoni still sells?
I don't think so

The Stellia limited ones are perforated in the inside
I still went with regular dekoni sheepskin
There were two ebay sales with the accessories

Price has gone down further
With the original carrying case makes these quite decent
Not as comfy as some headphones

They sound great but not at the same level or comfort as say a lcd-xc
But for 1/3 price?
Audeze I noticed metal creaking sound
But Elegia was plastic creaking

 

[samandhi]

I almost had chosen Stellia limited pads
Someone said that's the same as the ones Dekoni still sells?
I don't think so

The Stellia limited ones are perforated in the inside
I still went with regular dekoni sheepskin
There were two ebay sales with the accessories

The "new" version of the Stelia limited, are now called the Custom Stelia skeepskin pads and are not fenestrated per se. They DO have a very small band in the inner ring that is a diffferent material than the sheepskin, but it isn't fenestration. Maybe getting technical here, but I thought I would share anyhow. They DO sell the fenestrated ones as well, which are different and allow more air, as well as velour ones like the stock ones. In all, and IIRC, there are 4 sets of pads that Dekoni sells for the Elegia.

The limited edition ones that they originally sold were so popular that they added them as a regular item and renamed them to "custom" rather than "limited", but they are the same pads otherwise...