Focal Elegia High-Fidelity Closed-Back Circum-Aural Headphones

...and these headphones allow you to hear the details in the music. Compared to other headphones I've owned, I can hear minute, natural details in recordings that I had not detected before, to include more detail of the attack - the bow moving across violin strings or the strum of a guitar. They are fairly comfortable - large, but not too heavy. The overall appearance is one of a high-quality, well-built product. Though they sound fairly good right out of the box, they require a lot of burn-in time to truly shine. After several hundred hours of listening, they now sound excellent with an almost flat eq on my Hiby R3 Saber digital audio player, as opposed to a more V-shaped eq when less broken in. While the sound of these cans is relatively even across the frequency range, I would characterize the presentation as lively as opposed to a more laid-back sound like some Sennheiser headphones, for instance. Music sounds dynamic and detailed like a seat in the middle of the performers, vice a seat in the audience watching the performers at a distance, as with some other headphones. Bass is solid but balanced with the rest of the frequency range; thankfully it does not bleed into the lower midrange. These handle recordings of full orchestral sound with no problem. Interestingly, despite their relatively low impedance, they benefit from being run by an amplifier - it adds a touch more detail and 'oomph' to the bass. Another plus to these headphones is that you can find fairly inexpensive replacement earpads on ebay, and these are easy to switch out on the headphones. They have a bit more sound bleed than other closed-back headphones because the wavy Focal logo on each earphone is actually a small open space. In my opinion, the small amount of sound bleed is worth it because it provides some natural airiness and space to the soundstage that is lacking in many other closed-back headphones. Overall, I'm very pleased with the value of this product.

This pair of headphones is simply a killer for the price and for that alone they're worth buying. Originally they were $900 headphones, but are now discounted due to being replaced by different (not better) headphones, so you're getting $900 headphones at a fraction of the price.Price aside, these headphones are wonderful in every regard. The comfort is amazing after you either get used to them or break them in a little (I can't quite tell which is the case for me) since they felt a bit too strong with the clamping pressure at first, but just after two weeks I found that I was able to wear them longer than any other pair of headphones that I own (even my Sennheiser HD660s which I believed to be the most comfortable things every once I pad swapped them).The sound quality superb, but that was to be expected at this price point. What it does every well is imaging and overall detail which I have been making use of in gaming as well as getting overly analytical with music at will. The sound staging is also quite wide which is not something that I'm used to so it was much appreciated that it compromised nowhere. Overall frequency response is quite great, though due to them being quite neutral, they might be considered "bass light". They impress me as well considering that they're closed back headphones which have such big and wide presentation that rivals some open backs around their current price pont.One mod that I have done to them is getting an aftermarket cable since the stock one is quite short which is great for mobile use, but at my desk setup was a nightmare to deal with. The stock cable is also quite stiff as well which made it quite unwieldy, though it isn't necessarily a bad cable since it feels quite durable overall. A benefit to the aftermarket cable that I got as well is that it's balanced which wasn't something I was looking to actively improve the headphones with, but they benefitted quite a bit from it since it filled out the bass a bit more which remedied the fact that they were "bass light".Another big plus to these headphones is that they have excellent sound isolation even for closed back headphones so it makes them extra useful for important listening if that's something that you would like to use them for. The slightly spring loaded mechanism is what's responsible for the good isolation couple with quite large pads that will fit your ears since my large ears are accommodated for very well.Build quality is potentially the weakest point of these headphones not that it is necessarily lacking in that department. They have quite a nice leather headband on the top with very soft felt velour from the looks of it which aids in keeping them in place on top of your head with plenty of metal bits where it's important. The only potential complaint would be in the the ear cups themselves that house the drivers being plastic which doesn't boast the most confidence, but it is in the least mission critical area as far as longevity is concerned.The Focal Elegia is a great pair of headphones that makes no compromises at its original price point and even less so now. All the sound qualities that make up a good headphone are there without sacrificing another aspect, even going so far as to rival open backs at any price point lower than $900 in spaciousness while still out performing in every other category.

were do i start, i feel like it to me ages to decide until i settled on the Elegia.OK well go with the easy stuff first.the cable is rubbish(comfort wise) but the sound with it is ok.Looks: i like, no to flashy i think its nice.Comfort : best i tried (i got a narrow head with big ears and they are perfect, it is like they were made for me) not too tight, and all the ear is inside, and not rubbing against any thing.Now For The sound: In short (for 570$ ) you cant go wrong if your looking for a GREAT closed back headphone.in this past 3 months i have listened to a lot of hi-end headphones trying to understand what i like (to name a few almost all the focal line including stellia, ultrasonic edition 8,all kenertion ones,and more )are they the best sound wise maybe not it depends on a lot of things (the music u like, the dac/amp setup u got etc.but, as a package of great sound quality and comfort for under 1000$ (with pretty much any dac/amp) i think its and easy purchase.I'm so pleased with it.great sound detail.very good staging (for a closed back) its supersizing.love the bass just the right amount for me, with good separation from the mids.brilliant highs not to harsh.well u get the gist of it i love them :).i hope this will help other unsure new to the scene buyers.good luck.