expirediconian | Staff posted Apr 14, 2021 06:13 PM
Item 1 of 4
Item 1 of 4
expirediconian | Staff posted Apr 14, 2021 06:13 PM
Focal Elegia Circumaural Closed-Back High-Fidelity Audiophile Headphones
+ Free Shipping$399
$890
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Even though I strongly dislike these headphones, thank you for the post.
It's difficult to find a good closed-back headphone in the $400 price range, but I very much enjoy the various Fostex variants (TH610, TH-X00, TR-X00, E-MU Teak, etc.) and other biodynamic drivers (Denon AH-D5200) and think that most people will have a better experience with those even though they are V-shaped and far from neutral -- pretty much the complete opposite of the Elegia.
If you don't need a closed back headphone and are looking for a neutral sound, then a good option that sometimes can be had for close to $400 is the Beyerdynamic DT1990.
Again, everyone's ears are different -- this is just one person's opinion. There are many, many people who are perfectly happy with the Elegia. They are certainly nice to look at, too.
Name 3 headphones he DIDN'T like.
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Even though I strongly dislike these headphones, thank you for the post.
Even though I strongly dislike these headphones, thank you for the post.
For those who follow Zeos, he RAVES about how great these are and they are worth every penny at $900.
I think that's going a bit far.
Good headphones? Yep. Relatively neutral, detailed but not bright headphones. Bass light for my tastes. If you're not a basshead and need some closed back cans, you'd be hard pressed to find something better for $400.
It's also worth noting that there are lots of stories about clipping and driver issues with these... so if you push them hard, you might run into problems.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank proghouse
It's difficult to find a good closed-back headphone in the $400 price range, but I very much enjoy the various Fostex variants (TH610, TH-X00, TR-X00, E-MU Teak, etc.) and other biodynamic drivers (Denon AH-D5200) and think that most people will have a better experience with those even though they are V-shaped and far from neutral -- pretty much the complete opposite of the Elegia.
If you don't need a closed back headphone and are looking for a neutral sound, then a good option that sometimes can be had for close to $400 is the Beyerdynamic DT1990.
Again, everyone's ears are different -- this is just one person's opinion. There are many, many people who are perfectly happy with the Elegia. They are certainly nice to look at, too.
It's difficult to find a good closed-back headphone in the $400 price range, but I very much enjoy the various Fostex variants (TH610, TH-X00, TR-X00, E-MU Teak, etc.) and other biodynamic drivers (Denon AH-D5200) and think that most people will have a better experience with those even though they are V-shaped and far from neutral -- pretty much the complete opposite of the Elegia.
If you don't need a closed back headphone and are looking for a neutral sound, then a good option that sometimes can be had for close to $400 is the Beyerdynamic DT1990.
Again, everyone's ears are different -- this is just one person's opinion. There are many, many people who are perfectly happy with the Elegia. They are certainly nice to look at, too.
It's difficult to find a good closed-back headphone in the $400 price range, but I very much enjoy the various Fostex variants (TH610, TH-X00, TR-X00, E-MU Teak, etc.) and other biodynamic drivers (Denon AH-D5200) and think that most people will have a better experience with those even though they are V-shaped and far from neutral -- pretty much the complete opposite of the Elegia.
If you don't need a closed back headphone and are looking for a neutral sound, then a good option that sometimes can be had for close to $400 is the Beyerdynamic DT1990.
Again, everyone's ears are different -- this is just one person's opinion. There are many, many people who are perfectly happy with the Elegia. They are certainly nice to look at, too.
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It's too bad you missed the black Friday sale by Denon where they were unloading the AH-D5200 for $209.99 for several hours. Don't think it made it here to slickdeals. Along with buying a used Onkyo A800 for $200 (a headphone that pretty much no one has or ever will hear thanks to Onkyo's poor marketing and distribution), the AH-D5200 represents one of the best value headphone steals I've managed to snag. The driver wasn't made by Foster, but it's a biodynamic driver that shares the same DNA and general sound profile as the Fostex line. The earlier AH-D2000 was manufactured by Foster.
The DT 1990 are much less amp-dependent than other Beyer headphones I own or have owned like the T1.2. I've used them with my Schiit Lyr 3, Schiit Jotunheim, Drop THX AAA 789, and iFi Micro iDSD Black Label, and they performed well with each. I imagine they would do just fine with the well regarded JDS Labs Atom, though don't quote me as I don't own it.
For those who follow Zeos, he RAVES about how great these are and they are worth every penny at $900.
I think that's going a bit far.
Good headphones? Yep. Relatively neutral, detailed but not bright headphones. Bass light for my tastes. If you're not a basshead and need some closed back cans, you'd be hard pressed to find something better for $400.
It's also worth noting that there are lots of stories about clipping and driver issues with these... so if you push them hard, you might run into problems.
It was very hard to watch some of his videos without having to skip through his rants and personal emotions mixed into his own subjective reviews.
Example:
Back when I was looking for an dac/amp, I stumbled upon some of his videos. Most of his reviews for the items come from users that send him the item that they want him to review (nothing wrong with that).
Now we can't get our hands on the equipment to test it out without having to actually order it and use it, return if undesirable and go through the rma process.
I wanted to see what color/attributes these will bring to the table.
With a price range I had in mind helped me find filter his videos to find the dac/amp I was looking for. Sadly, his videos didn't offer much help and when I narrowed it down to actual watch time it was about 1/3 of the total time.
Sound is subjective to each individual person.
Our outer ears are shaped differently. Canals were either shallow or deep. The drums are positioned and shapes varied from person to person. Sound tolerance ranges in every individual.
I have yet to see or read a review (Google them, it's too many out there) about these closed back headphones that gives me a clear impression of how they will perform without any tuning. Most reviews had the user tune it because it was missing bass or some mids were drowning into the highs.
Not sure, but I am still seeking a good set of closed back for those immersable quiet days.
It was very hard to watch some of his videos without having to skip through his rants and personal emotions mixed into his own subjective reviews.
Example:
Back when I was looking for an dac/amp, I stumbled upon some of his videos. Most of his reviews for the items come from users that send him the item that they want him to review (nothing wrong with that).
Now we can't get our hands on the equipment to test it out without having to actually order it and use it, return if undesirable and go through the rma process.
I wanted to see what color/attributes these will bring to the table.
With a price range I had in mind helped me find filter his videos to find the dac/amp I was looking for. Sadly, his videos didn't offer much help and when I narrowed it down to actual watch time it was about 1/3 of the total time.
Sound is subjective to each individual person.
Our outer ears are shaped differently. Canals were either shallow or deep. The drums are positioned and shapes varied from person to person. Sound tolerance ranges in every individual.
I have yet to see or read a review (Google them, it's too many out there) about these closed back headphones that gives me a clear impression of how they will perform without any tuning. Most reviews had the user tune it because it was missing bass or some mids were drowning into the highs.
Not sure, but I am still seeking a good set of closed back for those immersable quiet days.
I've been reading and have arrived at the monoprice m570 as the next step up / best value since they are $200 right now. Any other suggestions in that price range that I might've overlooked.
Tia
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