Audiophilepure

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“Some question marks over its market purpose aside, this is a hugely enjoyable headphone to listen to. The work that Focal has put in means that even if you don’t see yourself wearing it on the move, its undemanding nature means it will deliver the bulk of its high-quality performance even when used with relatively humble source equipment. This may well be the most fun Focal headphone we’ve seen yet, and the fact that the Elegia has been achieved without hindering any of its technical abilities makes it a remarkably fine proposition indeed
Read more at https://www.hifichoicemag.com/content/focal-elegia#PQs0JETUFrTeAYIp.99”

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“The headphones themselves are covered in leather much like the rest of the packaging, but of a much softer and finer grain, with a little swatch in French proudly declaring it ‘full grain leather.’ The build quality is spectacular, the metal yokes, leather pads and ear-cup lattice are all simply stunning pieces of industrial design. The entire headphone strikes a perfect visual balance, not too flashy, not too muted. Comfort wise it’s pretty similar to the Utopia and Elear, though not quite as heavy as the Utopia, based on my recollections. Ear pads are very soft and headband padding is good, though the beautiful metal yolk assembly is a bit heavy and slightly stiff, which means that while these aren’t uncomfortable, they’re not headphones that totally disappear off your head during use. I had no issues using them for lengthy listening sessions however, and overall if the other Focal headphones have worked for you, these should too.”

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There is far less to go on regarding the amplifier and what is happening on the inside. What we do know is that it uses a cascode differential circuit of transistors and MOFSETs with an 80W transformer outputting around 1.2W at 1kHz. I would class this as a medium output level solid state amp on par with the 1W into 32Ω Auris HA-2SE for output but much lower than my own e-stats VE Enterprise E Lite at just over 3W per channel.

The amp is also set up with a Pro Bias 540V output so it is compatible not only with Hifiman’s Jade II headphones but also pretty much any electrostatic headphone with a 5-pin pro bias connector.

This is also a single-ended design rather than a balanced amp configuration despite it having a balanced XLR 3-pin input on the rear. It will allow two inputs (dual RCA/XLR) with a switch control and two e-stats headphones can connect to the front at the same time. As a reviewer, being able to compare to headphones from the same amp at the same time without disconnecting and switching is gold.”

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“This kind of music has always been the stumbling block for closed-back designs, collapsing that beehive to a scaled-down image no wider than your eye sockets. The best mass-produced designs, familiar to a wide audience for air travel, don’t even come close to expanding this space limitation. The Sony WH-1000XM3, one of today’s most popular travel headphones (it includes active noise cancellation) is most non-audiophiles’ idea of a high-end headset, and at $350, it packs a lot performance into a very small, portable and lightweight package. But it highlights the limitations of closed-back headphones. A quick comparison of the Sony with Focal’s “budget” closed-back model highlights that the Elegias are serious headphones for music lovers who demand fine reproduction. The Sonys’ relatively thin and lightweight sound is exposed, making it easy to affirmatively answer the typical non-audiophile question — “But is it really three times as good?” The tradeoffs in added weight and size bring a dramatic increase in musical authenticity — depth of musical texture and dimension that make the listening experience more than shutting out the outside world.

The Elegia packs up in its handsome carrying case, and the short cable is perfect for portable listening. I plugged it into an AudioQuest DragonFly DAC and iPhone full of music copied from CDs. Alisa Wailerstein playing Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks [Decca 483 0835] transported me back to hearing her perform the piece live in the Concertgebouw a few years ago. Bass, high-frequency extension, gorgeous tonal accuracy and explosive dynamics were all in abundance, needing only about half of the iPhone’s volume range. The Elegia’s 105dB sensitivity makes it easy to run with an iPhone (the Stellia, at 106dB, is just as sensitive). The hard-shell case is the size of a small man-purse and is covered in the same fabric as my preferred carry-on luggage, a small backpack from Peak Design.”

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“Apparently the headphones were picked to be handed out at the 2019 MTV Movie awards as well, for whatever that’s worth. In all honestly I’m more interested that a brand with such pedigree was revived by an executive from Klipsh, who has recently put out a very competent headphone. Furthermore, the fact that they’re open-backed and that premium materials have been used in the cable and drivers is another positive sign. KLH claims they’re neutral enough to use for music, movies and even in the recording studio. Tall orders from a first-effort headphone, so we shall see if they deliver.”