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Focal Elegia Review (Closed Back Headphone)

Rate this headphone:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 32 15.0%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 98 45.8%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 59 27.6%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 25 11.7%

  • Total voters
    214

Bow_Wazoo

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I am totally impressed that the flagship closed-back Focal headphone lacks one of the most characteristic attributes of Focal headphones, i.e. punch and slam!
Yes, that messes up the whole Stellia.
The bass of the Stellia reminded me a lot of that of the Aeon Flow 2.
At this point I would like to mention that I always set all headphones to Oratory.

The bass of the Elegia is great.
It gets even better with the Dekoni Stellia Pads.

I would like to recommend this album to everyone who owns the Elegia

61eNUQgxaXL._SY1000_.jpg
 

PeteL

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Since this is audio SCIENCE review I assume that you use measurements to set up your EQ profile, and then do measurements after EQ to confirm that the EQ actually corrected the deficiency? I'd like to see the post-EQ curve plotted.

If you are doing the EQ by ear, then maybe this blog should be called "audio semi-scientific review." Just sayin'.
Even Amir don't do post EQ measurments, and you expect that common customers should go trough all that, owning a measurment rig before they should be allowed to post their impression of a headphone? Com'on, we can be interested in science and measurments and still be able to listen and know what we hear...
 

GaryH

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Since this is audio SCIENCE review I assume that you use measurements to set up your EQ profile, and then do measurements after EQ to confirm that the EQ actually corrected the deficiency? I'd like to see the post-EQ curve plotted.
Particularly for this headphone which has apparent non-minimum phase cancellations so we really don't know if the EQ will have the intended effect e.g. the filter here around 3 kHz to correct a very sharp dip coinciding with a big swing in group delay.
 

sushi2020

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I'm interested in what the subjectivists mean by "punch and slam", but I'm not going to buy this just for that reason.:confused:
 

Zensō

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Since this is audio SCIENCE review I assume that you use measurements to set up your EQ profile, and then do measurements after EQ to confirm that the EQ actually corrected the deficiency? I'd like to see the post-EQ curve plotted.

If you are doing the EQ by ear, then maybe this blog should be called "audio semi-scientific review." Just sayin'.
I agree that showing post-EQ measurements would add greater validity to the process.
 

Zensō

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I'm interested in what the subjectivists mean by "punch and slam", but I'm not going to buy this just for that reason.:confused:
Some have postulated “slam” is related to the amount of driver excursion. I have no idea if this is real or if it’s just another pseudo-scientific audiophile concept.
 

Robbo99999

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Mhm, mhm, punch, slam, getting kicked in the nuts, fairy dust floating all around and all that poorly defined, inconsistently used language...
But, hey, that type of stuff is consistently making Focals overhyped and overpriced, which meant when I sold my Clears, I did so with only a non-significant financial loss :)

Haven't been punched or slammed by a Focal, and consider the low end no more impressive than a lot of other, cheaper options out there. Measurements confirm that out of the box they're nothing to write home about, there are also reliability issues and the collaboration with Drop on the Elex is just awful in that department.

But as long as some of these goofy subjective reviewers cream their pants after being slammed by Focals, they'll keep their price.
Ha, had to give you a like for the "getting kicked in nuts" addition, did make me chuckle!
 

Robbo99999

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Particularly for this headphone which has apparent non-minimum phase cancellations so we really don't know if the EQ will have the intended effect e.g. the filter here around 3 kHz to correct a very sharp dip coinciding with a big swing in group delay.
Yes, in this instance it would be interesting, I'd like to see that.....to see if you get the full predicted correction effect of the filters.
 

ngs428

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Do you share your playlists, Amir?
 

Firefly00

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Some have postulated “slam” is related to the amount of driver excursion. I have no idea if this is real or if it’s just another pseudo-scientific audiophile concept.
Sounds like that just means more volume. Maybe it’s the amount of bass? However these focals are bass deficient compared to Aeon RT...Maybe it’s the lack of sub bass that gives a headphone “slam”?
 
OP
amirm

amirm

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Since this is audio SCIENCE review I assume that you use measurements to set up your EQ profile, and then do measurements after EQ to confirm that the EQ actually corrected the deficiency? I'd like to see the post-EQ curve plotted.

If you are doing the EQ by ear, then maybe this blog should be called "audio semi-scientific review." Just sayin'.
I hope you are not addressing this to me as my EQ is always based on measurements. I would have little idea what to do without it.

That aside, what you state is not science. This is science from Dr. Toole's book, Sound Reproduction in Rooms:

1636580082189.png


The final arbiter of any correction must be your ears, not measurements. Preferences vary. And reading the graphs requires much skill with respect to psychoacoustics. Importantly, there is no direct correlation for distortion so you must listen to detect when it sets in and adjust equalization using that.

If you want fully computed, no ear based equalization, it is provided kindly by member @Maiky76:
I have generated one EQ, the APO config file is attached.

Score no EQ: 46.6
Score Armirm: 65.7
Score with EQ: 83.0

The improvements shown for my EQ indicates that directionally I did improve compliance with the target even though I develop my EQ by "eye" using the measurements as visual aid.

Any deeper dive on this topic should go in the master complaint thread or a thread of its own.
 

Berwhale

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milosz

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Even Amir don't do post EQ measurments, and you expect that common customers should go trough all that, owning a measurment rig before they should be allowed to post their impression of a headphone? Com'on, we can be interested in science and measurments and still be able to listen and know what we hear...
"common customers" are not online reviewers. I expect more from a technical blog than I do from a "common customer." I want to see if the EQ actually brought the measured response closer to the Harman target. Otherwise, why include the EQ settings he used?
 

milosz

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I hope you are not addressing this to me as my EQ is always based on measurements. I would have little idea what to do without it.

That aside, what you state is not science. This is science from Dr. Toole's book, Sound Reproduction in Rooms:

View attachment 164602

The final arbiter of any correction must be your ears, not measurements. Preferences vary. And reading the graphs requires much skill with respect to psychoacoustics. Importantly, there is no direct correlation for distortion so you must listen to detect when it sets in and adjust equalization using that.

If you want fully computed, no ear based equalization, it is provided kindly by member @Maiky76:


The improvements shown for my EQ indicates that directionally I did improve compliance with the target even though I develop my EQ by "eye" using the measurements as visual aid.

Any deeper dive on this topic should go in the master complaint thread or a thread of its own.
If "The final arbiter of any correction must be your ears" wouldn't you have to do some double-blind listening to show that your EQ curve was effective? Or are you saying that your ears are the gold standard? Aren't we trying to get away from the subjectivists? Why have an Audio Science Review if we are going to follow the same standards as they do?
 

milosz

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You have enough posts here for me to assume you know how to use search and find out that this has been asked and answered on many threads.

Even if not, just by looking at the EQ you can see it directly addresses the measured deviations as in every review here, so it's not by ear.

So either trolling or refusing to use your brain (assuming the capacity exists).
No need to get nasty. And, I do have a right to ask questions and express an opinion.

I'd still like to see a Post-EQ curve.
 

restorer-john

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They sure are a good looking pair of headphones. They'd be on my list to listen to, just based on looks :)

@amirm With repsect to the stiff and microphonic cable, what is the connection to the headphone? Mini XLR or 3.5mm? Funny, the first thing I did with my AKG-702s was replace the skinny and very soft 3M cable with a shorter cable I made up with fatter/stiffer pro-mic cable.
 

restorer-john

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You have enough posts here for me to assume you know how to use search and find out that this has been asked and answered on many threads.

Even if not, just by looking at the EQ you can see it directly addresses the measured deviations as in every review here, so it's not by ear.

So either trolling or refusing to use your brain (assuming the capacity exists).

Consider editing your post, removing the insult and perhaps throw in an apology for good measure...
 

Doodski

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"common customers" are not online reviewers. I expect more from a technical blog than I do from a "common customer." I want to see if the EQ actually brought the measured response closer to the Harman target. Otherwise, why include the EQ settings he used?
I think the reason why is the final adjustments after EQing to the Harmon Curve are done by ear for the ear's sensitivity and tone response.
 
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