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expirediconian | Staff posted Nov 29, 2021 6:19 PM

Focal Elegia Circumaural Closed-Back High-Fidelity Audiophile Headphones

$379

$890

57% off
+ Free Shippingat Adorama
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Deal Details
Adorama has Focal Elegia Circumaural Closed-Back High-Fidelity Audiophile Headphones for $379. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Editor iconian for finding this deal.

Includes:
  • Elegia Circumaural Closed-Back High-Fidelity Audiophile Headphones
  • Thermoformed Rigid Carrying Case
  • 1.2m Asymmetric Cable (3.5mm TRS Jack)
  • 3.5mm to 6.35mm Stereo Jack Adapter
Features:
  • Full-range speaker-driver with an 'M'-shape aluminum/magnesium dome Ambient noise soundproofing
  • Comfortable and ergonomic
  • Cup Style: Closed-back

Editor's Notes

Written by Corwin | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Our research indicates that this offer is $511 lower (57% savings) than the list price of $890.
  • About this product:
    • Rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 70 Adorama customer reviews.
  • About this store:
    • Details of Adorama's return policy can be found here.

Original Post

Written by iconian | Staff
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Adorama has Focal Elegia Circumaural Closed-Back High-Fidelity Audiophile Headphones for $379. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Editor iconian for finding this deal.

Includes:
  • Elegia Circumaural Closed-Back High-Fidelity Audiophile Headphones
  • Thermoformed Rigid Carrying Case
  • 1.2m Asymmetric Cable (3.5mm TRS Jack)
  • 3.5mm to 6.35mm Stereo Jack Adapter
Features:
  • Full-range speaker-driver with an 'M'-shape aluminum/magnesium dome Ambient noise soundproofing
  • Comfortable and ergonomic
  • Cup Style: Closed-back

Editor's Notes

Written by Corwin | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Our research indicates that this offer is $511 lower (57% savings) than the list price of $890.
  • About this product:
    • Rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 70 Adorama customer reviews.
  • About this store:
    • Details of Adorama's return policy can be found here.

Original Post

Written by iconian | Staff

Community Voting

Deal Score
+35
Good Deal

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50 Comments

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Dec 2, 2021 5:16 AM
8 Comments
Joined Jan 2019
MykallDec 2, 2021 5:16 AM
8 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank Mykall

There's something about "HiFi" that always seems to inspire a healthy debate that somehow turns into bickering. Here's why I think that is: as crazy as it sounds, every opinion here is correct.

I'm not an audiophile, and will never pretend to be (don't know the science or care for it), but I grew up around someone who is a pretty serious nutcase of an Audiophile (my Dad). Here's what he has owned in some shape or fashion over the years (Bowers Wilkins 802 Diamond "R2D2", Thiel CS 3.6, Wilson Audio Watt Puppy, Wilson Audio Alexia, Wilson Audio Alexandria, and Avante Garde Trio). You can Google the specs and the prices yourselves. Some of these are six figure speakers. My point is I grew up listening to these speakers not in a showroom, not for an hour, but I guess I'm intimately familiar with them. I know what a DCS Debussy $10K DAC sounds like, etc.

If you keep the signal chain consistent, I might be able to discern which was which, maybe. If you change something, anything in the chain, all bets are off. Being 100% honest here.

I say all that only to make a point: Audio is extremely subjective. What sounds good to one person is not the same to the other, and price has very little meaning when sound is in the erm... "Ear of the Be-hearer".

The user who said that you didn't need a DAC/Amp to drive low impedance headphones is correct. But the guy/gal who said a DAC and Amp makes them sound better, is also correct. So is the person who said they can tell the difference between 320 encoded versus FLAC and the person who can't. It all depends on what you are looking for in your music, what you want to hear (a jazz singer's voice which is in the midrange is gonna be very different from dance music which will be bass heavy).

It sounds trite, but if you're just starting out in this hobby, the classic advice "go into the store and listen", is the honest truth. The owner of one of the higest end audio stores in Chicago once showed me a big room of what he called "OPM: Other People's Mistakes". That's because someone bought something because they "read somewhere" it sounded good, or a friend told them, or an Audio Forum, etc and had to sell it or return it.

Listen with your ears instead.

I'm not a crazy nut like my Dad, but I own some nice sounding gear, like a Thiel CS 3.6 and a Bryston 4B. The very best sounding set up that I personally love and use everyday is a pair of Grado SR-325s and a Little Dot 1+ with upgraded Tubes. But that's MY preference. I like things to sound like live music. And I am a music lover, not an audiophile. But I want things to sound good to my ears.

Back to the topic at hand: I demoed the Elegias a while back. They do sound a lot like the Clear, BUT there's something very significant that was missing I couldn't quite put my finger on. I didn't like them as much as the Clears. But I still prefer my Grados.

It's all about personal preferences, you see. Smilie
Last edited by Mykall December 1, 2021 at 09:22 PM.
1
2
Dec 2, 2021 6:17 PM
9 Comments
Joined Jul 2019
BraveFaucet431Dec 2, 2021 6:17 PM
9 Comments
Quote from razer145 :
Not sure who hurt you but you need to chill. I'm just trying to help people with my 5-6 years of audio research. Unfortunately it's not misinformation, it's simply how audio tech works. It would be similar to buying a 4k TV and then playing DVDs on it, realizing you need a 4k player and 4k discs to truly get the most out of the tv. If you just buy these headphones and plug them into your phone, you're likely missing out on the capabilities of the headphones. I wasn't calling out Spotify specifically but as an example of a popular streaming service that someone may subscribe to and unwittingly not be getting the highest quality music.
So would these be good for gaming? I'm thinking about replacing my headset with some headphones and a microphone. I've heard that would give me audio and mic improvements.
Dec 2, 2021 6:34 PM
508 Comments
Joined Nov 2016
razer145Dec 2, 2021 6:34 PM
508 Comments
Quote from BraveFaucet431 :
So would these be good for gaming? I'm thinking about replacing my headset with some headphones and a microphone. I've heard that would give me audio and mic improvements.
I use them for gaming and find the sound to be excellent
Dec 3, 2021 11:10 PM
45 Comments
Joined Nov 2017
cuttlefish33Dec 3, 2021 11:10 PM
45 Comments
1
Dec 6, 2021 1:58 PM
348 Comments
Joined Jan 2009
NorbRevDec 6, 2021 1:58 PM
348 Comments
Quote from Mykall :
There's something about "HiFi" that always seems to inspire a healthy debate that somehow turns into bickering. Here's why I think that is: as crazy as it sounds, every opinion here is correct.

I'm not an audiophile, and will never pretend to be (don't know the science or care for it), but I grew up around someone who is a pretty serious nutcase of an Audiophile (my Dad). Here's what he has owned in some shape or fashion over the years (Bowers Wilkins 802 Diamond "R2D2", Thiel CS 3.6, Wilson Audio Watt Puppy, Wilson Audio Alexia, Wilson Audio Alexandria, and Avante Garde Trio). You can Google the specs and the prices yourselves. Some of these are six figure speakers. My point is I grew up listening to these speakers not in a showroom, not for an hour, but I guess I'm intimately familiar with them. I know what a DCS Debussy $10K DAC sounds like, etc.

If you keep the signal chain consistent, I might be able to discern which was which, maybe. If you change something, anything in the chain, all bets are off. Being 100% honest here.

I say all that only to make a point: Audio is extremely subjective. What sounds good to one person is not the same to the other, and price has very little meaning when sound is in the erm... "Ear of the Be-hearer".

The user who said that you didn't need a DAC/Amp to drive low impedance headphones is correct. But the guy/gal who said a DAC and Amp makes them sound better, is also correct. So is the person who said they can tell the difference between 320 encoded versus FLAC and the person who can't. It all depends on what you are looking for in your music, what you want to hear (a jazz singer's voice which is in the midrange is gonna be very different from dance music which will be bass heavy).

It sounds trite, but if you're just starting out in this hobby, the classic advice "go into the store and listen", is the honest truth. The owner of one of the higest end audio stores in Chicago once showed me a big room of what he called "OPM: Other People's Mistakes". That's because someone bought something because they "read somewhere" it sounded good, or a friend told them, or an Audio Forum, etc and had to sell it or return it.

Listen with your ears instead.

I'm not a crazy nut like my Dad, but I own some nice sounding gear, like a Thiel CS 3.6 and a Bryston 4B. The very best sounding set up that I personally love and use everyday is a pair of Grado SR-325s and a Little Dot 1+ with upgraded Tubes. But that's MY preference. I like things to sound like live music. And I am a music lover, not an audiophile. But I want things to sound good to my ears.

Back to the topic at hand: I demoed the Elegias a while back. They do sound a lot like the Clear, BUT there's something very significant that was missing I couldn't quite put my finger on. I didn't like them as much as the Clears. But I still prefer my Grados.

It's all about personal preferences, you see. Smilie
This is the best answer.
Dec 8, 2021 12:53 PM
637 Comments
Joined Apr 2012
StrykerEurekaDec 8, 2021 12:53 PM
637 Comments
Quote from Mykall :
There's something about "HiFi" that always seems to inspire a healthy debate that somehow turns into bickering. Here's why I think that is: as crazy as it sounds, every opinion here is correct.

I'm not an audiophile, and will never pretend to be (don't know the science or care for it), but I grew up around someone who is a pretty serious nutcase of an Audiophile (my Dad). Here's what he has owned in some shape or fashion over the years (Bowers Wilkins 802 Diamond "R2D2", Thiel CS 3.6, Wilson Audio Watt Puppy, Wilson Audio Alexia, Wilson Audio Alexandria, and Avante Garde Trio). You can Google the specs and the prices yourselves. Some of these are six figure speakers. My point is I grew up listening to these speakers not in a showroom, not for an hour, but I guess I'm intimately familiar with them. I know what a DCS Debussy $10K DAC sounds like, etc.

If you keep the signal chain consistent, I might be able to discern which was which, maybe. If you change something, anything in the chain, all bets are off. Being 100% honest here.

I say all that only to make a point: Audio is extremely subjective. What sounds good to one person is not the same to the other, and price has very little meaning when sound is in the erm... "Ear of the Be-hearer".

The user who said that you didn't need a DAC/Amp to drive low impedance headphones is correct. But the guy/gal who said a DAC and Amp makes them sound better, is also correct. So is the person who said they can tell the difference between 320 encoded versus FLAC and the person who can't. It all depends on what you are looking for in your music, what you want to hear (a jazz singer's voice which is in the midrange is gonna be very different from dance music which will be bass heavy).

It sounds trite, but if you're just starting out in this hobby, the classic advice "go into the store and listen", is the honest truth. The owner of one of the higest end audio stores in Chicago once showed me a big room of what he called "OPM: Other People's Mistakes". That's because someone bought something because they "read somewhere" it sounded good, or a friend told them, or an Audio Forum, etc and had to sell it or return it.

Listen with your ears instead.

I'm not a crazy nut like my Dad, but I own some nice sounding gear, like a Thiel CS 3.6 and a Bryston 4B. The very best sounding set up that I personally love and use everyday is a pair of Grado SR-325s and a Little Dot 1+ with upgraded Tubes. But that's MY preference. I like things to sound like live music. And I am a music lover, not an audiophile. But I want things to sound good to my ears.

Back to the topic at hand: I demoed the Elegias a while back. They do sound a lot like the Clear, BUT there's something very significant that was missing I couldn't quite put my finger on. I didn't like them as much as the Clears. But I still prefer my Grados.

It's all about personal preferences, you see. Smilie


Cannot agree with you more.worship
Dec 16, 2021 8:37 PM
9.4K Comments
Joined Jul 2006
NattefrostDec 16, 2021 8:37 PM
9.4K Comments
Do they sound too bright? I mostly listen to metal and some electronic music. My other pick is Dan Clark aeon 2

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Pro
Dec 22, 2021 5:01 AM
1.9K Comments
Joined Apr 2014
WifeLeaver
Pro
Dec 22, 2021 5:01 AM
1.9K Comments
Quote from RickTheRoula :
Some of the best over ears I have ever owned, but the included wire is like a string of spaghetti, you might want to consider replacing it with something better.
I just got my pair from this deal and the cable is madd of black rubber sleeve unlike the one that everyone hates on YouTube. Looks like there was a revision of sort to the cable
Dec 28, 2021 10:30 PM
7.2K Comments
Joined Dec 2014
AkujunkanXDec 28, 2021 10:30 PM
7.2K Comments
Quote from razer145 :
...It would be similar to buying a 4k TV and then playing DVDs on it, realizing you need a 4k player and 4k discs to truly get the most out of the tv...
What you said is fundamentally misguided. What really is going on is, regardless if the source is 4k BR or a 640p DVD you want the best possible DISPLAY. A 20 year old DVD of Aliens will look better on an OLED than a 4-series TCL.

And these $300+ cans will display a 128mp3 to your ears better than the $200+ Sennheiser/DROP collabs that get posted; With the same lowly Spotify content.

I mean you can drive a Corvette or a Corolla with the same fuel, but which one is gonna be more fun doing so?

1
Dec 28, 2021 10:34 PM
508 Comments
Joined Nov 2016
razer145Dec 28, 2021 10:34 PM
508 Comments
Quote from cyciumx :
What you said is fundamentally misguided. What really is going on is, regardless if the source is 4k BR or a 640p DVD you want the best possible DISPLAY. A 20 year old DVD of Aliens will look better on an OLED than a 4-series TCL.

And these $300+ cans will display a 128mp3 to your ears better than the $200+ Sennheiser/DROP collabs that get posted; With the same lowly Spotify content.

I mean you can drive a Corvette or a Corolla with the same fuel, but which one is gonna be more fun doing so?
That's what I essentially said. You are not going to get the most out of these headphones with poor quality streaming/bluetooth. It will still sound better than $20 headphones but you're not getting the most out of it.
1
Dec 28, 2021 10:37 PM
7.2K Comments
Joined Dec 2014
AkujunkanXDec 28, 2021 10:37 PM
7.2K Comments
Quote from Nattefrost :
Do they sound too bright? I mostly listen to metal and some electronic music. My other pick is Dan Clark aeon 2
These are not the best for most electronic music. I have not played much metal on them. The mids are extremely pronounced in these and that makes them fun for a lot of music, but unfortunately with electronic music "artificial" they also tend to be constructed extremely dynamically. These cans will diminish the impact of the highs and the lows, comparatively to more balanced headphones.

That being said, lets be real - even if the balancing of the acoustics don't match electronic music the best they are still damn good at reproducing sound and are seriously fun to use. The fact they are easier to drive than many sets puts them in a highly recommended category from me for travel, movies and gaming.
1
Jan 21, 2022 7:55 PM
167 Comments
Joined Jun 2019
RickTheRoulaJan 21, 2022 7:55 PM
167 Comments
Quote from maheeinfy :
I just got my pair from this deal and the cable is madd of black rubber sleeve unlike the one that everyone hates on YouTube. Looks like there was a revision of sort to the cable
That's amazing. I'm glad they actually listen to customer complaints.
Pro
Jan 31, 2022 7:32 PM
3.3K Comments
Joined Jul 2020
ThirstyCruz
Pro
Jan 31, 2022 7:32 PM
3.3K Comments
I'm finally going audiophile and getting these and T5..I've done so much research on which DAC/ Amp and more confused than ever. Price range is huge and contradict. Can anyone recommend sub 300 (ideally sub 200) dac and amp separate to drive elegía and T5 with good results that will satisfy me enough? Unfortunately, going to a store to test dac / amp is not possible for me now.

Appreciate advice!
Jan 31, 2022 9:02 PM
87 Comments
Joined Feb 2019
SmartLeopard2127Jan 31, 2022 9:02 PM
87 Comments
Quote from ThirstyCruz :
I'm finally going audiophile and getting these and T5..I've done so much research on which DAC/ Amp and more confused than ever. Price range is huge and contradict. Can anyone recommend sub 300 (ideally sub 200) dac and amp separate to drive elegía and T5 with good results that will satisfy me enough? Unfortunately, going to a store to test dac / amp is not possible for me now.

Appreciate advice!
JDS Atom amp and dac (or Topping E30 dac if you want preamp+remote control, slightly better measurements)

Done.

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Jan 31, 2022 10:49 PM
75 Comments
Joined Apr 2016
GirthQuakeJan 31, 2022 10:49 PM
75 Comments
Quote from ThirstyCruz :
I'm finally going audiophile and getting these and T5..I've done so much research on which DAC/ Amp and more confused than ever. Price range is huge and contradict. Can anyone recommend sub 300 (ideally sub 200) dac and amp separate to drive elegía and T5 with good results that will satisfy me enough? Unfortunately, going to a store to test dac / amp is not possible for me now.

Appreciate advice!
Schiit Modi 3+/ Magni Heresy are very well reviewed, and look the best imo

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