Elegia High-Fidelity Closed-Back Circum-Aural Headphones

...and these headphones allow you to hear the details in the music. Compared to other headphones I've owned, I can hear minute, natural details in recordings that I had not detected before, to include more detail of the attack - the bow moving across violin strings or the strum of a guitar. They are fairly comfortable - large, but not too heavy. The overall appearance is one of a high-quality, well-built product. Though they sound fairly good right out of the box, they require a lot of burn-in time to truly shine. After several hundred hours of listening, they now sound excellent with an almost flat eq on my Hiby R3 Saber digital audio player, as opposed to a more V-shaped eq when less broken in. While the sound of these cans is relatively even across the frequency range, I would characterize the presentation as lively as opposed to a more laid-back sound like some Sennheiser headphones, for instance. Music sounds dynamic and detailed like a seat in the middle of the performers, vice a seat in the audience watching the performers at a distance, as with some other headphones. Bass is solid but balanced with the rest of the frequency range; thankfully it does not bleed into the lower midrange. These handle recordings of full orchestral sound with no problem. Interestingly, despite their relatively low impedance, they benefit from being run by an amplifier - it adds a touch more detail and 'oomph' to the bass. Another plus to these headphones is that you can find fairly inexpensive replacement earpads on ebay, and these are easy to switch out on the headphones. They have a bit more sound bleed than other closed-back headphones because the wavy Focal logo on each earphone is actually a small open space. In my opinion, the small amount of sound bleed is worth it because it provides some natural airiness and space to the soundstage that is lacking in many other closed-back headphones. Overall, I'm very pleased with the value of this product.

I’m a professional musician (sax & all woodwinds), & a just-retired Music Educator of 42+ years (band, jazz band & orchestra). I’ve owned a lot of solid headphones, but nothing expensive. I got hooked as a kid, as my Dad had a marvelous Marantz system from the late 1960s w the best Koss headphones you could buy back then. My Mom was a semi-pro violinist. Over the years I’ve owned AKG studio monitors, Audio Technical, Grado, & more recently delved into the newer planars by Meze & HiFiMan. But w college kids, I’ve never been able to shell out $$$ for the best-reviewed models coming out. Until now. BUT I lucked into the FOCAL ELEGIA thx to it being the closed-back I needed & obviously many retailers still having too much ELEGIA stock on hand. So after reading reviews, I JUMPED on these!! Where else can you purchase previously-run $1150 headphones for $380? I could care less about upgraded exotic wood this, or premium leather headband cushioning. I only want the music to sound TERRIFIC - w as large a “sound stage” & outside noise reduction as possible. The ELEGIA is the FINEST pair of headphones I’ve ever owned, & the PRICE CANNOT be beat!! I’m an arranger of all sorts of music, & have a small publishing business. I need to hear clear, crisp details in the music… I want to hear the 2nd oboe or the harp clearly… exact rudiment of the snare drum, the breathing of a singer, the amount of pressure the cello section uses as they go through diff bowing techniques, the third trumpet part. Or the amount of vibrato a jazz singer uses in a particular moment. The ELEGIA’s sound is very “Natural” w/o exaggerated bass (oh, it IS there!). The ELEGIAs are very comfortable to wear - I have a large head, but the seal is perfect. I feel as though I am in the middle of the jazz ensemble or orchestra performing. I’m blown away by these headphones. The best part is I didn’t spend $1150 on them. I’ve LUCKED OUT that Focal has ramped up their production & have been introducing the Celestee & other models so fast - that some of us can snag these terrific “discontinued” models at an almost ridiculous price!! If you’re serious as I was about finally getting top-notch audiophile cans at a moderately low price - order a pair before they’re all gone. The build is terrific, cable has been fixed (not stiff at all). The case is very nice, & as another reviewer mentioned, unboxing them is a step or two more satisfying than unboxing an Apple product. Mine came in a thick packing box surrounded by thick foam…inside was the Focal box also well-padded & the production box was padded inside as well. Made in France by a top-notch engineering & quality-driven production team. Well-done, FOCAL!! These will last me 25 years, but down the road, I’ll check out their other offerings!

Build Quality: One word: Exceptional. Everything you've heard about Focal is true. The box unboxing was like opening an Apple Product. Meticulous attention to detail. The plastic of the box was super high quality. The case the headphones come in is the same high end case that the 4000 dollar Utopias come in. Lot of people complain about the braided focal cables but this headphone comes with a black smooth cable that is 3 feet long and super high quality. The headphone design is wonderful. Clean design. The headband is half pleather and half velour (bottom half). Very comfortable against the head. The arms holding the headphone are hard dense aluminum which is so stiff and looks gorgeous with the black cups which are against high quality plastic. The logo is aluminum and supremely crafted. You can see the drivers inside the cups. My only gripe is that the clamping force of these headphones is no joke. The headphone is very solid and substantial. Not too heavy but not light like say a HD600 either. But the clamp is pretty tight and you should wear it a notch looser which breaks the seal a bit but improves the comfort if you wanna hear for a long time. Sound; Bass: This is the only let down of this headphone. Ive heard quite a few headphones and Iems and compared to the HD600, HD800s, Aria, LCD2, these are on the light side in this respect. The bass is definitely there but its this super clean bass that you can hear more than you can feel. Its not large, voluminous or thunderous. It feels light and does have much impact. I ran it off the Schitt Asguard by the way. The bass is just barely acceptable for me and I am someone who prefers a slightly more bass than your typical listener. I would say its similar to the HD800s which is also light in bass. It doesn't even come close to planar bass which destroys this headphone which really doesn't make sense to me because dynamic headphones especially closed back tend to do bass well. Maybe it has to do with the M shaped technology they are using for this particular driver. I read however, that the focal clear which has a driver of same size and composition resolves all these issues and is OPEN BACK which is even more confusing haha. Mid Range: Fantastic. This is the highlight of this headphone. Vocals sound superb. Absolutely beautiful smooth presentation. Nothing that is annoying or stands out in this range. The resolution of this headphone is amazing. Mid range detail is great. Electric guitars and bass guitars are a joy to listen to. Instruments like piano, and string instruments come through extremely natural and beautiful sounding. This headphone is slightly mid-forward. Really one of the best mids Ive heard in any headphone. Treble: The extension is there and you get some treble details but it doesn't have any major peaks in the treble range that I could spot out. I'm very sensitive to certain treble peaks. I get sound fatigue very easily. For example the HD800s is way too bright for me. I also had these electret IEMs shuoer tapes which i liked but can't listen to for long because they are so bright. This headphone is definitely slightly bright but does not bother me at all. It has just enough detail to make the song complete without irritating you. The treble is also smooth and easy to listen to. Rock and heavy metal are very enjoyable because you don't get the annoying high pitched sounds. It does distorted sounds wells too. It plays poorly recorded music well. Also, Rap is great on this headphone. The only drawback is that I wish for a little more bass when listening to rap but literally all other aspects of the song are really solid. Separation: Very good for 500 bucks. This driver is outstanding in this department. It has planar magnetic level separation. The presentation of rock, heavy metal is some of the best ive heard because the guitars are beautifully separated, the vocal is nicely centered and very natural sounding. Imaging is also pretty good. The headphone has a slight smaller soundstage. Its definitely wide for a closed back to the point that someone would think its open if they didn't know but its not that wide. Most of the stuff happens close to your ears. The sound is intimate which is good because simple vocal tracks sound good. Its a bit wider than the HD 600 which is also pretty narrow soundstage. This headphone can play many types of songs very well. Any song that isn't too bass focused sound fantastic in this heaphone. If you like mainly Rap, Rock, Heavy metal, this is a no brainer. If your a bass head don't even bother with this. You will be disappointed and don't believe what the other reviews say. The bass is honestly speaking: lacking a lot of volume. If you listen to classical, jazz, pop, this headphone is a go in those genres too. I specifically liked all of system of a down, "Laid to rest", "Walk with me in Hell", and others. Overall very good sound and quality. If they had made the bass on this headphone better this would have elevated this to another level!!!

So I have tinnitus and I'm middle aged. So my hearing isn't the best but I enjoy quality sound. That said I have the Sennheiser HD6xx, the HiFiman HE4xx, and the Beyerdynamic DT770,880 and 990 in my collection. Of those the sound I prefer most is the Beyers, mostly the DT770 because the closed back blocks out room noise and is pretty important when the nearby racetrack fires up. So fast forward a bit and my recent addition of a kitten proved disastrous when she ate through the cord of my DT770. I could fix it or I could upgrade now and fix it down the road, I chose to upgrade. While the DT1770 looked good it has the over band cord that the kitten could also eat through. The Elegia looked interesting and was cheaper than the 1770 so I gave them a spin. Comfort, yeah no problem I can wear these all day with the default ear pads. The headband is comfortable and I don't feel any issues with it at all even considering how much heavier these are compared to the DT770. The headband feels substantial and the adjustment has a nice solid click to it, much higher quality than the DTxxx line. The only real issue on comfort is that cable. The cable is short and stiff, and when it pokes me in the neck it brings me out of whatever I'm in so I ordered a cable from Hart Audio which resolved that issue. Sound, I've heard people say these don't do bass well so I was concerned, however I find the bass much better than the DT770, tighter more controlled but still punchy and I'd say even more pronounced. The treble is sharp and defined but not overdone or taxxing for long listens and the mids are there but not emphasized. Overall I'd say it provides a sound similar to the Beyers but more balanced and certainly more defined. If you like the mid forward curve of the Sennheisers these likely are not going to be your cup of tea. For me they do what I want just fine. Amp wise they drive just fine off of my Topping A30 or the DarkVoice 336, and likely even better on better equipment. Within the $400 range these are the closed backs to beat in my opinion.

i'm a music junkie first. the only reason i'm considered by my friends as an audiophile is because i always want to be closer to my music. i've worked in Consumer Electronics well over 30 years from being a product specialist, manufacturer's rep, custom pro/home audio consultant, and enthusiast. i bought the very first set of Planar Magnetic headphones that hit the market back in the '70's, the very first D/A converter/transport combo (Meridian) and DAT (Sony) that hit the market in the '80's along with the first Dolby surround sound on the market. i was early on adopter of the ipod, etc... so yeah i've seen it all and have owned first rate equipment throughout. portable audio and PC's have been a difficult thing because of the compromises involved, but with the rise of Lithium batteries we now have stable power delivery for long periods of time. the Focal Elegia is surprisingly easy to drive. which doesn't mean it doesn't appreciate better power, it just needs less of it. my phone (LG V60 thin-Q) can easily drive this headphone, but i have an Aune B1s which is "home level" sound quality and amplification that is a revelation when i'm on the go. my standard application is using the Elegia with the Sabaj Da3 (balanced...yes it makes an audible difference) with the iFi OTG USB C to A cable (because the one with the Sabaj is crap) from my Asus ROG Scar II laptop through the New Fantasia 2.5mm TRRS balanced cable. all of which you can get from Amazon if you want to. the most important thing i can say critically to potential buyers is If You Are Looking For A Specific "Type" Of Sound keep looking. If You Want Exactly What's On The Recording Buy This Now. this cannot be overstated, as i've read what some people have said (maybe never even having heard it but reviewed it anyways) about the bass being "light". IT IS NOT LIGHT IN THE BASS BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION. what is being heard is the proper PROPORTION of bass in the recording. these headphones go all the way down, far deeper in the bass than any "Beats" headphone that ever existed, but without the boominess and 80Hz EQ bump. what surprises many people that are not used to it (most are not) is Neutrality, which is critical to reproducing any recording faithfully. the simple fact is these headphones can reproduce (accurately) beyond (above and below) the human hearing range when MOST headphones cannot come close to even hitting the human hearing range. i listen to most genres of music, so it's not unusual for me to go from Albeniz to AC/DC or House Music to Country and Blues, or Aretha to David Bowie. so when i want to know if there's Deep Bass my go to is Massive Attack's "Mezzanine", for atmospherics i usually go to Charlie Mingus or Tangerine Dream, for dynamics Tchaikovsky or King Crimson, harmonies CSNY or Porcupine Tree and right to the source for funk (Sly, Parliament, Rufus) or heavy metal (too many examples). Across the board, i've never have been able to afford a closed back set of headphones (a necessity when work goes back to normal) that has been this good or this revealing. and as far as bad recordings (we all have too many of them) they sound as good as they can...and that's an area better addressed by the DAC anyways. construction is excellent the materials are excellent (weight is a major consideration so the plastic use where it's used is Good) this headphone can be worn all day long with zero discomfort or heat behind the ears. my big jug ears are completely surrounded and do not touch the pads. i have zero pressure on my ears very little weight on my head. i've found myself lost in the music as soon as i put these on, and isn't that the point? UPDATE: 8/10/20 ok then i got around to playing "Old Man" by Neil Young... details; focal headphones through new fantasia balanced cables from the Sabaj Da3 from my Asus laptop. holy ... o.k. i've actually been to redwood studios (aka broken arrow) where this song was recorded and listened to the initial digital master (later became Pono version) from the studio mixing board with the engineer that recorded it. i fiddled with Neil's famous pump organ. i was instantly returned to that exact sound signature. that has never happened to me until now. i'm now looking at my calendar on my phone to book more listening time for myself to see if i can repeat the feat.

Not sure how people are thinking these sound good. Maybe it's more of a preference thing? The high mids are seriously cut, like to the point of almost sounding like there's a thick sheet of fabric over the drivers except then the higher highs are still there. Very weird. Overall a dull sound, not my preference at all but maybe if you're coming from consumer gear or something and prefer or are sensitive to high frequencies or something you might like it. So the tuning is god awful, better with EQ but still not great you can get much cheaper headphones that are better sounding than these. Technically they're ok, ok soundstage for closed backs decent clarity for what you can hear and responsive as well but the tuning really ruins it. As far as the build goes they're Focals so they look and feel solid. Comfortable as well and I like that it comes with a case. Had to return though didn't take more than 15 mins for me to decide I hated the way they sound. Overall not worth the price.

This pair of headphones is simply a killer for the price and for that alone they're worth buying. Originally they were $900 headphones, but are now discounted due to being replaced by different (not better) headphones, so you're getting $900 headphones at a fraction of the price. Price aside, these headphones are wonderful in every regard. The comfort is amazing after you either get used to them or break them in a little (I can't quite tell which is the case for me) since they felt a bit too strong with the clamping pressure at first, but just after two weeks I found that I was able to wear them longer than any other pair of headphones that I own (even my Sennheiser HD660s which I believed to be the most comfortable things every once I pad swapped them). The sound quality superb, but that was to be expected at this price point. What it does every well is imaging and overall detail which I have been making use of in gaming as well as getting overly analytical with music at will. The sound staging is also quite wide which is not something that I'm used to so it was much appreciated that it compromised nowhere. Overall frequency response is quite great, though due to them being quite neutral, they might be considered "bass light". They impress me as well considering that they're closed back headphones which have such big and wide presentation that rivals some open backs around their current price pont. One mod that I have done to them is getting an aftermarket cable since the stock one is quite short which is great for mobile use, but at my desk setup was a nightmare to deal with. The stock cable is also quite stiff as well which made it quite unwieldy, though it isn't necessarily a bad cable since it feels quite durable overall. A benefit to the aftermarket cable that I got as well is that it's balanced which wasn't something I was looking to actively improve the headphones with, but they benefitted quite a bit from it since it filled out the bass a bit more which remedied the fact that they were "bass light". Another big plus to these headphones is that they have excellent sound isolation even for closed back headphones so it makes them extra useful for important listening if that's something that you would like to use them for. The slightly spring loaded mechanism is what's responsible for the good isolation couple with quite large pads that will fit your ears since my large ears are accommodated for very well. Build quality is potentially the weakest point of these headphones not that it is necessarily lacking in that department. They have quite a nice leather headband on the top with very soft felt velour from the looks of it which aids in keeping them in place on top of your head with plenty of metal bits where it's important. The only potential complaint would be in the the ear cups themselves that house the drivers being plastic which doesn't boast the most confidence, but it is in the least mission critical area as far as longevity is concerned. The Focal Elegia is a great pair of headphones that makes no compromises at its original price point and even less so now. All the sound qualities that make up a good headphone are there without sacrificing another aspect, even going so far as to rival open backs at any price point lower than $900 in spaciousness while still out performing in every other category.

TLDR: Spectacular neutral-oriented headphones. Not for bassheads. These headphones have a sound signature very few people are familiar with, and that is absolute neutrality. There hasn't been a single person that I've showed this headphone to that has been wowed by how it sounds at first impression. The usual reaction I get is "why so little bass?". Yet this is still my favorite headphone, the first time I put them on my head I immediately knew these would be my closed back endgame and I strongly believe this is one of the greatest headphones I've ever heard, right up there with the best of them. "But Dog" I hear you ask, "why would anyone want a headphone with ' no bass ' "? And I repeat, this headphone is not for everyone. However...If you're one of those few souls looking for neutrality in a world of bass boosted headphones, this is it. The most neutral closed back I have ever heard and there is really not much else I can compare it against, much less for the price. This is not a headphone that will take your music and it will make it sound pretty when it is not, it won't emphasize the bass notes, it won't emphasize the treble. It won't hide sibilance. It won't embellish sound in any way, It'll give you the song exactly how it was intended to sound. "Well, that sounds boring" These will sound boring if the music you're listening to was recorded and engineered in a boring way. Sadly most music is not mixed well, so you will definitely have tracks where you won't have as much oomph as you like. And that is not the point of these, these headphones are not trying to impress you with bass and treble. What's that I hear, you like cringy analogies? here's one: These are the equivalent of a good friend who always tells you the truth without sugar coating it, but at the same time he's not trying to hurt you or make you feel bad. Sincere, truthful yet careful in the way he speaks to you. That's the Elegia in a nutshell. Truthful, revealing but buttery smooth in it's delivery. They're incredible to look at, they do look like they cost as much as you're paying for them. You get a beautiful hard case to carry them and a 1.2m cable. They're supremely comfortable, my comfort reference has always been Beyerdynamic DT990s ( which sound awful for music listening, but are super comfortable ), and these are second to none. Above these you have the Celestees which cost a lot more, but the color scheme makes them look dated. They do a couple things better than these, they're more fun to listen to, more resolving imo but they're not as neutral as these. Once again, be very mindful of what you're purchasing here. This is not bass boosted, this is not treble emphasized, this is neutrality at it's finest. If you're into that, you have to try these before you die. They are discontinued now, so I wouldn't be surprised if they sell out eventually. They are simply spectacular. I own headphones triple the price of these, yet these are the ones I keep coming back to for music enjoyment because they just do music how music should be done.

I had a focal clear and have an elear right now, so big focal fan here. I found the elegia to be a very pleasant sounding hp. It's less of an all rounder than the other two for it has a bit less bass and a bit more treble, however that makes them more detailed than the other two pushing more texture on the voices and the instruments. The stage seems to be bigger than the open back ones which was quite surprising too, and I'm very, very happy with the purchase.

Beautifully produced headphones which are by far the most comfortable I own. They come with a very smart case, cable (a bit to stiff for my liking) and adapter to go between 6.4mm and 3.5mm outputs. Initially I found the midrange to be a bit overpowering and the bass to be under emphasized but the sound really grew on me the more I listened. The bass extension is excellent and they provide about as much range as you could possibly hope for in a pair of headphones. The highs are also present and detailed but in no way harsh. The soundstage goes pretty wide and there is pretty good separation between instruments. Sound isolation is pretty good but the surprising thing is how the sound these produce is more akin to a pair of open-back headphones. I'm very happy with this purchase and would recommend to anyone looking for a quality pair of headphones.

Väldigt bra ljud. Kan kompenseras enkelt med tillgängliga ljudkurvor. Kan användas utan problem en hel dag utan att vara besvärande.

Pure kwaliteit deze Focal. Echt een klasse beter dan mijn Sennheiser HD660s, meer detail, smoother, betere soundstage. Voor dat je hem nu koopt, er is wel 1 dingetje in de tonaliteit die we onder de aandacht moeten brengen. Er is een midbass decline die bij veel slecht gemixte tracks en bijvoorbeeld metal een probleem vormt. Met een equalizer +2db for the bass at 100-200hz tackeled dit al. Persoonlijk gebriuk ik de Xbass functie van de iFi ZEN CAN als correctie. De standaard ZEN DAC van iFi doet die truuk ook.

Arrivo da una cuffia aperta Grado ottima ma questa fa un vero salto di qualità su tutti i fronti. Parto dalla bella scatola, dalla sua custodia un po ingombrante ma solida fino alle cuffie. Innanzitutto appena messe la sensazione è la comodità. Sono grandi ma non si sente assolutamente il peso. Poggiano sulle orecchie benissimo. Isolamento ottimo. Audio perfetto. Vince la riproduzione fedele delle frequenze. Consiglio eccome!!!