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expired Posted by iconian | Staff • Dec 25, 2022
expired Posted by iconian | Staff • Dec 25, 2022

Focal Elegia Circumaural Closed-Back Audiophile Headphones

+ Free Shipping

$299

$890

66% off
Adorama
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Deal Details
Adorama has Focal Elegia Circumaural Closed-Back Audiophile Headphones for $299. 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 persian_mafia | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 100 Adorama customer reviews.
    • This price is $30 lower than our previous +61 Frontpage Deal from October.
  • 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 Audiophile Headphones for $299. 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 persian_mafia | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 100 Adorama customer reviews.
    • This price is $30 lower than our previous +61 Frontpage Deal from October.
  • About this store:
    • Details of Adorama's return policy can be found here.

Original Post

Written by iconian | Staff

Community Voting

Deal Score
+24
Good Deal
Visit Adorama

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Top Comments

Good sounding headphones, but beware durability concerns. Even people who've babied them have had major failures, I believe it's the headband causing issues.
Best way, without jailbreaking, is to get a Qudelix 5K. It's by the man who made the ES100 that took the headphone community by storm several years ago. He split off to do his own thing, which was Qudelix. Really amazing little device and you can tweak everything through the companion app (also has a chrome extension that does the same). Then apply the oratory1990 EQ settings someone linked above. Or if you dislike the Harman target, use AutoEQ to spit out an auto-generated EQ profile for w.e target curve you like.

Apple has always had very little codec support for BT (AAC and SBC, and very rarely, ALAC), so if you use bluetooth, audio quality will take a hit. Whether or not that bothers you, is up to you.

If you dislike that, you can use it as a dongle (you just need to get your own USB C to lightning cable (or adapter) as they only provide USB A and USB C to C).

There's also the option of finding some way to velcro or otherwise stick the Qudelix to the headphones (these are closed back, so pretty easy to stick it on the sides or on top of the headband). If you stick it on the side, you can use the Qudelix's mic as a headset. Just be aware that the mic sucks (though a fun feature they added is that you can enable the mic while connected via USB).

Other optional longer term upgrades: you can get a balanced cable to connect to the Qudelix's 2.5mm output. Not going to get into details, but balanced essentially doubles power output because it has two in-phase signals instead of one (unbalanced) [boxcast.com]. Dedicated amps generally don't lack for power, and outside of very very long cable runs, EMI on unbalanced doesn't matter. But for portable devices, which are power limited, balanced provides a pretty large power benefit. Shouldn't need it for this pair, but harder to drive headphones would receive some benefit. Just never plug a non-balanced audio device into a balanced port.

You can also use the Qudelix 5K as your desktop dac/amp, or as a preamp (to enable EQ and other settings) to a dedicated amp. You would enable car mode for that; their website has great guides and the support team is very active on the forums.

I use mine for both on the go and on my desktop; I have a USB C cable fixed to my desk that I plug it into. Nice thing about doing it that way is that it'll always be charged for when you want to take it out for portable use. Though you can set it to charge from your phone (or not) or just use a portable charger.

57 Comments

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Pro
Dec 26, 2022
9,237 Posts
Joined Apr 2006
Dec 26, 2022
TheEdge
Pro
Dec 26, 2022
9,237 Posts
Quote from Sciapodas :
Yeah I was just meaning the overall build, what differs from the similarly designed Focal's that make these more akin to defects in regards to the headband. Or is it the same defect along the whole family, or this specifically. And what is the defect rate on these, and how worried should a potential new buyer of this set be of this potential defect being an issue?
Unsure. I had both the Elear and Elegia and didn't have breakage issues with them. But it did feel a bit "creaky" when expanding them wide to put over my large head.

For those who are fans of Zeos, he says these are built like a tank. A creaky tank, I say.
1
Dec 26, 2022
21 Posts
Joined Jul 2019
Dec 26, 2022
Sciapodas
Dec 26, 2022
21 Posts
Quote from TheEdge :
Unsure. I had both the Elear and Elegia and didn't have breakage issues with them. But it did feel a bit "creaky" when expanding them wide to put over my large head.

For those who are fans of Zeos, he says these are built like a tank. A creaky tank, I say.
Yeah I'm really thinking about them, at this price point there is basically almost no competition in terms of closed backs that are stock factory and not mods like the Argons and a step above the AKG K361/71 lineup. Maybe the Sundara Closed-back? But it is $100 more.
Dec 26, 2022
10,341 Posts
Joined Sep 2013
Dec 26, 2022
alxshanti
Dec 26, 2022
10,341 Posts
Quote from RunningOnEmpty :
Oratory1990 EQ is a must. Amp is optional if you're not an audiophile.


Free EQ software available on phone and PC


https://www.dropbox.com/s/ialbitf...a.pdf?dl=0
How to apply EQ presets on headphones when playing through a receiver? Buy a DAC? Which one for this headphones or Philips X2HR?
1
Dec 26, 2022
2,313 Posts
Joined May 2007
Dec 26, 2022
eeagle
Dec 26, 2022
2,313 Posts
Quote from TenderKestrel6606 :
Hi- yes you can. The default cable has a 3.5mm termination (and a gold 4.4mm converter). The elegia does not require much power so you can easily use it with your phone or laptop. An amp is recommended but not necessary
It comes with a 6.35mm Stereo Jack Adapter (full size 1/4 phone plug). You can't adapt a 4.4mm balanced termination to a 3.5mm SE termination.
Dec 26, 2022
457 Posts
Joined Oct 2014
Dec 26, 2022
batavoosh
Dec 26, 2022
457 Posts
Have these for over a month. Bought a fii0 q3 and it is much better. Without EQ or bass boost you miss out. I like them so far, concerned about the headband situation I'll report back if and when it happens
Dec 26, 2022
5,029 Posts
Joined Jul 2010
Dec 26, 2022
BuddyLove99
Dec 26, 2022
5,029 Posts
These headphones probably sound better than the music being played live by the artist.
1
Dec 26, 2022
2,701 Posts
Joined Dec 2019
Dec 26, 2022
User18383921
Dec 26, 2022
2,701 Posts
Quote from BuddyLove99 :
These headphones probably sound better than the music being played live by the artist.
Nah, you have to get the $5000 flagship one for it to sound better than the artist.
Last edited by RunningOnEmpty December 26, 2022 at 02:14 PM.
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Dec 26, 2022
2,701 Posts
Joined Dec 2019
Dec 26, 2022
User18383921
Dec 26, 2022
2,701 Posts
Quote from alxshanti :
How to apply EQ presets on headphones when playing through a receiver? Buy a DAC? Which one for this headphones or Philips X2HR?
Sorry, I don't know. I'm not a home theatre guy.
1
Dec 27, 2022
71 Posts
Joined Nov 2013

This comment has been rated as unhelpful by Slickdeals users.

Dec 27, 2022
1,142 Posts
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Dec 27, 2022
az060693
Dec 27, 2022
1,142 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank az060693

Quote from swd1 :
Can someone share how to connect these to an iOS device and have equalizer (e.g. autoeq or some other) automatically applied for all audio? Thanks in advance.
Best way, without jailbreaking, is to get a Qudelix 5K. It's by the man who made the ES100 that took the headphone community by storm several years ago. He split off to do his own thing, which was Qudelix. Really amazing little device and you can tweak everything through the companion app (also has a chrome extension that does the same). Then apply the oratory1990 EQ settings someone linked above. Or if you dislike the Harman target, use AutoEQ to spit out an auto-generated EQ profile for w.e target curve you like.

Apple has always had very little codec support for BT (AAC and SBC, and very rarely, ALAC), so if you use bluetooth, audio quality will take a hit. Whether or not that bothers you, is up to you.

If you dislike that, you can use it as a dongle (you just need to get your own USB C to lightning cable (or adapter) as they only provide USB A and USB C to C).

There's also the option of finding some way to velcro or otherwise stick the Qudelix to the headphones (these are closed back, so pretty easy to stick it on the sides or on top of the headband). If you stick it on the side, you can use the Qudelix's mic as a headset. Just be aware that the mic sucks (though a fun feature they added is that you can enable the mic while connected via USB).

Other optional longer term upgrades: you can get a balanced cable to connect to the Qudelix's 2.5mm output. Not going to get into details, but balanced essentially doubles power output because it has two in-phase signals instead of one (unbalanced) [boxcast.com]. Dedicated amps generally don't lack for power, and outside of very very long cable runs, EMI on unbalanced doesn't matter. But for portable devices, which are power limited, balanced provides a pretty large power benefit. Shouldn't need it for this pair, but harder to drive headphones would receive some benefit. Just never plug a non-balanced audio device into a balanced port.

You can also use the Qudelix 5K as your desktop dac/amp, or as a preamp (to enable EQ and other settings) to a dedicated amp. You would enable car mode for that; their website has great guides and the support team is very active on the forums.

I use mine for both on the go and on my desktop; I have a USB C cable fixed to my desk that I plug it into. Nice thing about doing it that way is that it'll always be charged for when you want to take it out for portable use. Though you can set it to charge from your phone (or not) or just use a portable charger.
Last edited by az060693 December 26, 2022 at 11:30 PM.
1
Dec 27, 2022
7 Posts
Joined Mar 2014
Dec 27, 2022
sneimand
Dec 27, 2022
7 Posts
Dec 27, 2022
108 Posts
Joined Sep 2013
Dec 27, 2022
throtol
Dec 27, 2022
108 Posts
I purchased a pair a month or so ago. Hands down these are the best sounding closed design headphones that I have ever used. In addition, the case and cables are first rate. I use Grado SR-225 when I want an open solution.
Dec 27, 2022
151 Posts
Joined Nov 2015
Dec 27, 2022
darren_fsl
Dec 27, 2022
151 Posts
https://www.audiosciencereview.co...one.27977/

This is also a good review to read if you're interested...

I bought mine for $400, and would do so again. Maybe I just got lucky. I've certainly not babied mine, having dropped them from nightstand height more than a few times. I also have a pretty large head. I don't keep them in a case. No headband issues for me, or really any problems with these.

They do need EQ, and I've always used a player on my android that allows me to load an EQ profile, or (more recently) used PEQ in roon for my headphone DAC endpoint (SMSL C200). There are better headphones out there for bass-heavy music or people who prefer "fun" sounding headphones. I listen to a lot of acoustic music where I want to hear vocals and details of the instruments, and for this the Elegia are great--especially since my S.O. doesn't want to hear my music while I'm listening in bed. If you don't need closed-back isolation, then you may find a better headphone with open-back design.

Seeing these for $300 makes me want to buy a backup for mine. There will likely come a day when these Elegias finally sell out and it will be difficult to replace with a similar quality per price with this feature set.
Dec 27, 2022
2,474 Posts
Joined Dec 2014
Dec 27, 2022
brucknerfan
Dec 27, 2022
2,474 Posts
Quote from TheEdge :
At this price point, little risk here as these often sell used for around $300 on Head-Fi, AV Exchange, etc.

Relatively neutral sounding headphones with solid detail and clarity.
Do you know what county these are manufactured in? Is it France?
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Pro
Dec 27, 2022
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Dec 27, 2022
TheEdge
Pro
Dec 27, 2022
9,237 Posts
Quote from brucknerfan :
Do you know what county these are manufactured in? Is it France?
I believe so. At the very least, I believe they were designed there.
1

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