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What's the deal with mid-tier closed headphones?

aandres_gm

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I admit with the Elegia I'm trying right now, I have deep fears that they will die in 3 months, 6 months, maybe a year. Especially when their customer service seems to be lacking as well.

And it's shocking to me how this company can spend all this time and money on the package and case but include the jankiest and shortest cable I have ever seen. And to read they are the same cable they send out with $1400 Clear is astonishing. These cables suck in every way. Too short, too janky, I been trying to straighten them for days now, truly are awful.
I've also read reports on the headbands simply snapping in half, due to its plastic construction.
 

ziddy76

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I'm staring at the Aeon X Closed in the Amazon cart right now, since the Amazon return policy seems much better than Dan Clark's. And these are sold and shipped by Amazon. And Dan Clark has stated the X Closed and RT are the exact same headphones.

And the 1540... Hmm... I liked the SRH840 for the time I had them until the joint where the cups attach to headband snapped.

Anyone here know how they are compared to the Elegia?
 
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ziddy76

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Something is wrong with these Elegia and going to return them. I don't doubt the capability of these drivers, and the research went into sound dampening for these Elegia, but someone at Focal forgot that headphones are meant for listening to music.

I wouldn't call these headphones bright or forward as much as they have a metallic sound and is anemic and lack fullness of sound. They produce the full frequency with precision, but no passion, I dunno how to say it, it's missing and lacking why I love to listen to music with headphones.

I'm trying really hard to like these, I am. I don't want to return headphones... but I've been listening to these for a few days now and it's not improving. I'm really trying to figure out what the reviewers who rave about them are hearing and wondering if they even listened to an Elegia. Trying to hear what they are raving about it and it's just not happening.
- Used probably half dozen different EQ with APO Equalizer + Peace now.
- Tried Sonar SoundID
- Listened via phone, laptop, Topping EX5, Audio-GD NFB11, Fulla2, Su8+EX5. This glorious sound they are raving about is not happening.

And when listening to hectic music like Beast in Black, it's just a barrage of sound and I can't enjoy the music. Listening to Amaranthe, the guitars just blends in with the cymbals and just like a wall. When the music slows, then it becomes wow these sound great. But when the chorus starts up again, it's ugh... what happened?

This occurs with EDM as well. If I'm listening to York The Awakening or Neelix You, I can hear everything clearly. But it has a metallic hollowness to it, it's not a full sound. And then when I listen to Infected Mushroom Eat it Raw latter half, it becomes a barrage wall of sound mess again. Craig Connelly Black Hole same deal, it's just a wall of sound, almost as if everything from high mids and onward is just one sound.

When I switch back to the HD58x or R70x I genuinely feel relief. Elegia have like a constant pressure, like it's just trying shove as much sound as it can. With my other headphones it's like OK, the music is now back to flowing, and I can hear everything again, I can hear that treble and mids are not just one wave. I can hear that fullness of the mid bass again. It's like comparing a enormous waterfall to a flowing river, the Elegia is the waterfall.

Sit back, relax and listen to some toons. I can't relax with Elegia, and it's not because I'm so excited and pumped, but feel like I'm being assaulted.
 
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aandres_gm

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I'm staring at the Aeon X Closed in the Amazon cart right now, since the Amazon return policy seems much better than Dan Clark's. And these are sold and shipped by Amazon. And Dan Clark has stated the X Closed and RT are the exact same headphones.

And the 1540... Hmm... I liked the SRH840 for the time I had them until the joint where the cups attach to headband snapped.

Anyone here know how they are compared to the Elegia?
I wasn't aware they were on sale at amazon.com. They seem to ship them to Germany for a bit less than what DCA charges on their website. Interesting.
 

ziddy76

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I wasn't aware they were on sale at amazon.com. They seem to ship them to Germany for a bit less than what DCA charges on their website. Interesting.

Someone confirmed with Dan Clark they come with the same 2 year warranty with the Drop X version as the Aeon RT.
 

ziddy76

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I had to pull out my A990Z to compare to the Elegia, I don't listen to these much as others have already noted, the A990z have a bloat to the bass and were resonance issues. These are heavily modded with sound deadening material and using poly fluff used often in stuffing speakers/subwoofers to try to control the two. Suffice to say there are no resonance any more and the bass has been controlled. As good as A990z will ever sound I would think. But I am still searching for something different.

Yeah, something up with the Elegia because my ears feel relief listening to the A990z compared to the Elegia as well.
 

solderdude

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I wasn't aware they were on sale at amazon.com. They seem to ship them to Germany for a bit less than what DCA charges on their website. Interesting.

Thomann also sells some DCA models
Not the Drop models though.
 

MayaTlab

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I've also read reports on the headbands simply snapping in half, due to its plastic construction.

Mmmm my Sennheiser headbands are in disagreement :D. It's probably just either poorly designed or manufactured, or a combination of both.

Something is wrong with these Elegia and going to return them. I don't doubt the capability of these drivers, and the research went into sound dampening for these Elegia

I think you should. It has a lot of high-Q peaks / nulls, right down to 1-2kHz, like all of Focal's closed backs.
https://headphonetestlab.co.uk/test-results-manufacturers-e-h-focal-elegia
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/focal/elegia
While the audibility of each one of these high-Q problems is debatable, humanity has already achieved much better in that regard for much less.
 

ziddy76

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I
Mmmm my Sennheiser headbands are in disagreement :D. It's probably just either poorly designed or manufactured, or a combination of both.



I think you should. It has a lot of high-Q peaks / nulls, right down to 1-2kHz, like all of Focal's closed backs.
https://headphonetestlab.co.uk/test-results-manufacturers-e-h-focal-elegia
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/focal/elegia
While the audibility of each one of these high-Q problems is debatable, humanity has already achieved much better in that regard for much less.

Good to know. And agreed, never had plastic headbands break on me. From the cheapest Sony I used when I was 10 to HD650. But then I don't think my head is that wide.

Why do Elegia get such praise is the question for me then.
 

JWAmerica

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Audio Technica and Sony have some very nice closed cans in that range, especially if you are willing to buy an open box item.
 

solderdude

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BTW keep an eye for the new JBL Tune 710. If the measurements are anything to go by it could dethrone the AKG K371.

Its not really any competition but not a bad headphone.
Measurements and evaluation here.

Below a comparison between K371 and TUNE710
red-tune-710-green-k371.png
 
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dannut

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Concur with your review. Sean Olive did a good marketing with these, so I got one also. If you have larger ears it is uncomfortable - on-ear with a highish clamping force.
But mine has a distinct sound character difference BT vs. wired. In BT mode the sound gets thinned out properly (no perceived midbass hump whatsoever). Wired gets bloated on most material with spirited listening levels - excactly what your graph tells. OTOH using mine with BT needs loudness correction for hearing-conserving listening levels, otherwise can be used without EQ.
 

Physkx

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My top five favourite mid tier closed backs:

1. MMX300 (Same driver as DT770 32ohm but superior tuning to my ear.. could be pad related.. needs EQ for hf, decent comfort for long sessions)
2. DT770 80ohm (Have tried the 250ohm version and preferred the 80ohm, slightly less hf, decent comfort for long sessions)
3. 1More Triple Driver (Superior bass quality to DT770, though too much of it and also needs EQ for lf, average comfort)
4. AKG K371 (Doesn't need EQ, not as detailed or as good at imaging or soundstage as the options above, comfort hit or miss)
5. Audio Technica M50x (Just average all round doesn't excel or fail badly in any particular area)
 

markanini

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1. MMX300 (Same driver as DT770 32ohm but superior tuning to my ear.. could be pad related.. needs EQ for hf, decent comfort for long sessions)
Wow top 1. Apparently DT770-32 drivers inside with velour pads and different cups. Temped to pick up a DT770-32 and swap the pads but the MMX300 package could as well have brought it's own improvements to the sound.
 

Physkx

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Wow top 1. Apparently DT770-32 drivers inside with velour pads and different cups. Temped to pick up a DT770-32 and swap the pads but the MMX300 package could as well have brought it's own improvements to the sound.
I have since tested DT770 80ohms with Dekoni choice leathers vs my MMX300s (with the same pads) and still came to the same conclusion - the MMX300s sound slightly more detailed, most noticeable in the high frequencies. Although it may be due to the different cup design, which I was not aware off. The small sonic differences between the 32ohm and 80ohm might also be coming into play, but still you would think the 80ohm would take the edge when it comes to detail. It doesn't. I don't have or know anyone with a 32ohm or 250ohm DT770 anymore to test them all with all the same pads, but from memory all the DT770s sounded extremely close compared to each other, while the MMX300 departs slightly from them all in terms of frequency response and overall detail. Are there any reliable FR graphs off the MMX300 vs DT770 around? I couldn't find any when I looked last.
 

markanini

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I have since tested DT770 80ohms with Dekoni choice leathers vs my MMX300s (with the same pads) and still came to the same conclusion - the MMX300s sound slightly more detailed, most noticeable in the high frequencies. Although it may be due to the different cup design, which I was not aware off. The small sonic differences between the 32ohm and 80ohm might also be coming into play, but still you would think the 80ohm would take the edge when it comes to detail. It doesn't. I don't have or know anyone with a 32ohm or 250ohm DT770 anymore to test them all with all the same pads, but from memory all the DT770s sounded extremely close compared to each other, while the MMX300 departs slightly from them all in terms of frequency response and overall detail. Are there any reliable FR graphs off the MMX300 vs DT770 around? I couldn't find any when I looked last.
MMX300 vs DT770-250: https://headphonedatabase.com/oratory/headphones?ids=225,148
A cool thing would be MMX300 vs DT770-32 with velour pads. With the later modded to sound like the former. If such a thing existed.
 
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