I like the stock pads, cable is junk on all Focal’s from what I’ve heard. Elegia is too short and very stiff. I’ve got Hart cables for all my others but the connection the the earcup on the Elegia is so satisfying I don’t know if aftermarket will have the same retention lol.
Stock pads are pretty expensive and I don’t know that I would buy Focal replacements for their price if I can get third party for a third of the price…
I have to say that Focal headphones are beautiful and elegant; those Elegias are looking smooth right there
there isn’t any 600 ohm version of the dt 1990s, you might be thinking the 990s 600 ohm premiums.
Yep, I have both. DT 1990 is your more analytical, neutral bright, open back headphone in this case. It is very accurate with a nice large soundstage. Meanwhile the T1 is your more laid back fun headphone. Both are bright but T1 has a sharper treble and sounds more in tune with the classic beyer sound imo. 1990 has a more planar like slam bass to it while T1 has a rounder bass tone to it. T1 demands a high end amp and dac setup to sound the best meanwhile dt 1990 can sound good even off my liquid spark. T1 is the Semi open though it doesn’t sound like it to tell the truth lol meanwhile the T5 is essentially the closed back version. I can’t speak on Elegia but I know it’s not generally considered the greatest for gaming same for the Ether CX but this is a very subjective opinion. Personally, for immersion I use my Aeon open X but if I want that nice bright signature I definitely go towards my Beyers more so the dt 1990 it is absolutely wonderful and I will recommend any gamer who likes that somewhat bright sound to pick one up in a heart beat. If your going to chase after the Elegia definitely get them on a good sale they did indeed drop to the $400+ range at a point. I expect they will do so again.
Edit: If you like any sort of treble I would skip nighthawk. This is a very unique headphone. It is very dark, yet very bassy. It sounds muffled to quite a few ears due to the darkness of this headphone. It is definitely one of my more unique favorites but it’s not one I would recommend to everyone. It is not meant for gaming it is definitely meant for music.
Not particularly. It’s a strange one in the group as its a warmer more neutral type headphone. I guess you could compare it but its still a closed back so kind of up in the air on that one… they sound pretty different from one another I really can’t say I can compare them due to closed vs open. Ask others and they are definitely more intune to an Argon mk3. If I were to say its signature… its definitely either V or U but its fairly subtle in that regard and definitely more neutral.
Ah…I probably was thinking of the 990
Thank you for the response and all the quality info.
I definitely tend to go for open back for music pleasure and anything that doesn’t require sound isolation.
My home office is now located between the AC/Furnace and the water main, so if someone is taking a shower, or the A/C is on, I can hear noise. And when that’s not the case, I can sometimes hear the PC fans when gaming. So some isolation is appreciated from time to time. Problem is I feel like I went a bit big on mi-fi but never got all the way to hi-fi, you know? I have headphones that are good, great, even; but just aren’t at the top. And now, wanting that, AND closed? personally, I should be looking into two sets, one open and another closed, for my two different needs. I was planning on using the THX Drop Pandas at the office whenever we start going back to the office (and whenever they actually ship), but only as an upgrade to the wh-1000xm3 in sound quality. I’m still concerned that I would be giving up too much without ANC within the office. It gets pretty damn noisy. I used to work from home every day and there I had my choice.
Now I’m trying to look into the future; something I can get and not worry about upgrading until I’m ready for the “beasts”.
Thank you for the info on the Beyers. I wonder if I should compare the MMX 300 and the Elegia; but I mean we are talking about a product that is 3x the price, so it’s like, well, do you want the little pizza or the big pizza? but …which one tastes better? Maybe we are talking about the same pizza size but one has better ingredients? does it taste better?
damn it now I want pizza…
Ah alright, well do keep in mind that just because they are open back there are some headphones that are more “open” than others. Some will have more padding and the like. A great example here would be like a 58x Jubilee vs Sundara. The sundara is so much more open its insane like you can definitely have your room know exactly what your listening to and is why its not recommended for those who want a mic lmao meanwhile 58x jubilee is much more subtle about it. However, in your case a Semi-open may work but you’d definitely benefit from a closed back with some thicker padding for full isolation. The only open back I have that is shocking isolating despite being open is definitely the Aeon Open X, it feels just lke a closed back and isolates you in the headphone meanwhile still has that lovely wide sound absolutely beautiful headphone especially on a balanced setup but I would not recommend the original aeons.
Well, I don’t say this is wrong persay its pretty easy to be stuck in the mid-fi zone because its typically more affordable and a nice area… theres nothing wrong with this section of headphones.
This is actually what I did. I make use of the Aeon Open X for open back immersion, dt 1990 for bright more lively competitive gaming and the brighter music genres, DT 177x Go for my closed back, Still working on a setup for my T1 I do like it for that more laid back sound sometimes that super analytical sound from a 1990 gets tiring, HD 660 S for that really lovely balanced more detailed vocal style headphone, and Nighthawk Carbon for the unique dark sound. I do have a ton of other headphones but these are my general use headphones right now.
From whats known these should be an incredible choice, but again whenever they ship lol. May be best to just wait on the closed back till these come in for ya.
Normally, good closed back isolating headphones should lock out the outside world. Thicker pads can help on this. I would wait on this till you get the Pandas to know for sure if you need a seperate set I don’t think you will be too disappointed with them.
In this regard if you were looking for this route, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pick up the DT 770, 880, or 990 respectively, for auditions so you know the sound, as they are decently similar to their later forums the 177x go, T1, and 1990 respectively with the T5P being the kind of oddball in that midst alongside the MMX 300 and Tygr 300 r which are strange I have yet to sit down with the Tygr’s yet but both of those gaming headphones are definitely said to be absolutely phenomenal. Do keep in mind the DT series should probably be played in the 600 ohm version BUT these take quite the setup to drive to their fullest potential. Theres a ton of headphones though that are good for everything.
One thing to definitely keep in mind that in this hobby, price doesn’t dictate really anything. You can get a KPH30I and it will potentially blow away most headphones despite being only $30. The same thing for Porta Pros and good lord the Sundaras. There are certain headphones that for the price are too good to be true.
Perhaps this will also help a bit further https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/97mi5s/zguides_headphones/
Thank you so much. I really, really appreciate it.
I was looking at the Aeons, but I didn’t know if I should look at the closed one, or the open backs.
On open back, my “high standard” was the HD6XX, and the Monoprice 1060; figured have one dynamic and one planar; and that’s how it all got started. Then I added the HE4XX because it seemed like a good deal for a hifiman planar headphone. The problem is I never moved past that point, and I never got to appreciate anything beyond.
I’ve been eyeing getting a Sundara, specially now that my wife took my 1060s as her mains (she moved from wh-1000xm3 -turned off- to the 1060 on a k5 pro - even though I installed balanced cables…)
I know people talk about sound signatures. It looks like you have quite a few beyerdynamic. Do they all share the same sound signature with small tonal changes? or is it more about adding sound stage or making them more recessed or a little more analytical?
Yeah I am excited about the Pandas, I think I’ll be able to use them in the office and with the mic maybe I can even use those for some streaming. I think I’m going through that period of being at home for so long that I start focusing on an idea and go full throttle. Just got the Monoprice MM-5R, the MM-3, the Monolith THX Amp/Dac all within the past couple weeks. I have remodeled my office so I sort of took that excuse to rebuild the “entire” set up, including the streaming room that I haven’t even used in years lol.
I was curious about the Elegia, but I’m seeing some talking about a dip on the 100-200 Hz that can feel as a roll off depending on the music, and that the highs are forward. Are they forward to the point of fatiguing/too sharp?
sometimes I just like relaxing with some music, other times I’d rather get enveloped in sound while I work, and other times I want as much detail as possible.
Looks like you have all the options out there.
Thank you again. I’m going to price out some headphones and see if anybody else brings up any suggestions.
Do you have any tube amps? do they make a difference for headphones? do they always make headphones sound warmer? or does it totally depend on the tubes? I don’t think I’d be using tubes for the streaming and/or gaming, but mostly if I decide to listen to some music for pure enjoyment. I think most of the amps or dac/amps I have are neutral or more analytical and not that warm, but I have little to no clue lol.
Also, thank you for the links. I’m checking them out right now. I think the headphone guide I have checked it out before, but I will review now that my interests have changed!
Thanks again!
Really depends on what your looking for here. I don’t have any experience with the newer aeons but I haven’t been told they are a massive improvement from some people compared to open X just that they are more refined and neutral. Closed backs though will have more bass less soundstage. Aeons I chose after auditioning them due to a few reasons. It feels like a closed back despite being open, it has rolled off treble despite having a V signature so it doesn’t sound all that bright and the mids aren’t very recessed, its very smooth and has warm tones, its pretty damn wide for the soundstage, haven’t actually used another headphone like it and making them balanced makes them sing beautifully. Literally one of my favs and a must try at the very least in my books. If you can audition one with a return policy I would definitely recommend one. In comparison to ethers I would say the Ether is the one thats more along the lines of less fun more analytical and a little more intimate while Aeons are the more laid back and fun
These, mind you this is my opinion, are the king in their price point for an open back. I have a very hard time finding a better sounding planar. You can find them for $250 in used or openbox over there on headphones.com which is where I got my copy. Fantastic neutral bright with amazing highs that aren’t sibilant and a wide concert like soundstage to them that isn’t too large the only issue is they are super open so definitely a no go for gaming with a microphone or streams. They are by no means very aggressive or forward its one of those headphones that is very relaxed and laid back unlike the HE4XX which is more aggressive and intimate. I love my sundaras but after switching to Aeons and trying Edition XX which is essentially a step up I don’t use them anymore still for the price these are extremely hard to be beat. I do however wish they had more bass to them with that awesome Planar bass Slam you come to expect from the driver type.
Beyerdynamics typically use a Tesla driver in their headphones which is known to be very bright sounding. Was going to try to say oh yeah some of their headphones aren’t bright. yeaah cant, lol all of their headphones are bright. They all sound different though, for example the DT 880s and DT 1990s are more in tune towards neutral they aren’t very bright but still have that nice brightness to them meanwhile a T1 or DT 990 are much brighter especially the 990s which is a most definite V signature and is extremely sharp to the point of uncomfortable for a lot of people yet still one of my favs. The Beyerdynamic lineup is one of my favorites and a pretty higher ended favorite amongst gamers anymore especially with the dt 880 and the dt 1990 being a thing. DT 1990 is completely insane for competitive gaming. However, if you were so to speak want a more balanced style headphone with vocals in mind you would of course look for Sennheiser or AKG of which will have a balanced tone which are Sennheisers or have quite a few headphones with mids and highs being front faced with recessed bass like an AKG. Theres a thing called a House Sound too with these brands and their headphones will naturally have that sound despite usually sounding different. For Beyers though, if you were to compare say a 1990 to a T1 the bass is different, soundstage is different, analyticals are different, highs are definitely different, hardware requirements are different, theres a lot there that makes it stand apart and the T1 is darn sure no push over if you have the proper setup for it…
I am currently in the process of acquiring a Liquid Platinum which is a Balanced hybrid amp that uses tubes. Real good amp. SO , no at the moment I don’t have access to tubes however, I have tested them. Yes they make a difference, no it’s not always warmer, and it definitely depends on the tubes your using and which amp it is. Definitely something you can ask one of the others here who has some real crazy setups and more expensive gear if your interested.
Edit: just saw this my bad. Well for this I wouldn’t say they are too sharp but again this would be a case by case basis… Some people are really sensitive towards treble.
Thank you once again. Lots of great info here.
I’m going to have to figure out my logistics to cover my expenses lol. I feel like if I start with something small, I won’t get the good stuff, ever, because it’ll be harder to justify “well you just bought some headphones” a few weeks ago! so trying to hit the high end first before I fall in that trap again.
I might look into a tube amp just because all I have seems to be solid state and I would want to get a taste to be able to appreciate it.
Thank you for the info on grabbing stuff off headphones.com. It makes total sense and I don’t know how I hadn’t thought of it before.
In terms of headphones if they simply somehow inside of the house without my wife noticing…that tends to be better. If she sees packages she freaks out “another headphone??? how many ears do you have??? yeah you need one pair of headphones, that’s it!!” that’s coming from the one that stole arguably my best (or at least my most expensive) headphones (monoprice 1060) after her copies of the EL-8C and the Mobius stopped working properly. Then again, she wanted something open and after auditioning everything, that’s what she ended up with. Can’t argue with her choice from what I had to offer lol…
Anyway thank you again. I’m setting up my plans and see how I play this out. Very good ideas you’ve provided!!
That site, Head-fi, ebay, amazon, sometimes here on the buy/sell thread, pawnshops, you can also use Hifishark to sometimes pinpoint certain items. Best to find the audio equipment outside of dealers cause they definitely will save you money. Great example here are Sundaras or even the DT 1990. Sundaras as you see you can get for $250 meanwhile the DT 1990 actually have been seen to sell over on Head-fi for $300 minimum despite being priced in the $600 region.
Definitely would consider asking the others for a good recommendation on that. Certain headphones do well with certain tube amps or balanced setups.
Yeah, most definitely. Do some digging for yourself theres plenty of options. Those guides definitely pinpoint just about any headphone I would bring up in conversation too so its a good tool to use.
Feel free to drop in and let us know what you decided to go with and how you feel on it. If you have any other questions also feel free to ask plenty of people here who can answer a ton.
I did a little test last night with COD Modern Warfare. Started a custom game and grabbed the AK47, did a few test shots with the HD6XX, very deep sounding shots, definitely in the lower end of the frequency range. All bass, no treble which surprised me (been using the 177x exclusively for games since I got it).
Swapped to the 177x and a few more shots, very high pitched for same gun, only difference is the headphones, swapped out the connections to use the same amp and port ect. It was almost sibilant in a comparison to the HD6xx, but not hurtful to me. I didn’t remember the bass for how shocked I was to the treble.
Then popped on the Elegia’s, they were ran SE as I don’t have a balanced cable for them like the first two, but used the same amp (monolith liquid platinum). It was the most natural sounding of the three pairs and most enjoyable. Gunshots sounded well balanced with some bass and treble crack still.
For more competitive gaming than I play, the 177x would probably give me an edge over the other headphones. I’m not hearing more, but just a different frequency for some of the gun shots that “grabs” my attention like nothing else. The HD6xx would be no good for games in comparison. The Elegia is the most enjoyable and I find I’m still able to hear someone running up my flank or gunshots, just not as attention grabbing as the 177x.
Thank you for taking the time to test this.
I think I’m going to follow your steps and do some AB testing of all my headphones, separate them on closed and open and run them through some basic tests/music and see what I find, to give me a baseline. I might even grab a couple microphones and test the sound isolation. An idea is to get Elex + Elegia
The Focal Elegia were temporarily $429 today at Adorama. Not sure how I even saw it, and couldn’t have clicked through checkout faster. It was a sign. Lol.
I think the balanced cable from the hifiman 4xx works with the Elegia. Now debating between Focal Elex or Sundara for the open cans…or maybe the Dan Clark audio Aeon X…hmm…
Thank you everyone with assisting me with this matter.
I might still look into 177x for a different setup. I found my Audeze EL-8 yesterday, and I ordered what I think is a balanced cable for it, so I’ll compare that with the Elegia when they arrive, as well.
Great find!! I can say that the Dan Clark aeon x will provide a different experience from any closed cans. I’m a huge fan of planars and I feel like planars are necessary in everyone’s collection.
If the way my aeon2 closed compare to my focal clears is any indication of how the open x will compare to the elegia you’re in for a great time. Lol, it’s the complete opposite pairing haha
And yes, the hifiman cables work on focals. Just did that with a 4xx cable on my clears, I’m very pleased that cable gets a new life
since you bought an elegia (congrats on the cheap price btw lol) it might be nicer to try different sound instead of a focal house sound. i would probably direct you towards the sundara in that case. Both the elex and sundara are crazy enjoyable tho, i would say the sundara are more laid back while the elex are more engaging and upbeat.
Thank you for the note.
I’m looking into having a Planar open, a planar closed, a dynamic open, and a dyamic closed, sort of to cover my basics.
Right now I have 4xx for planar open (had m1060 v2 before, but wife took), probably looking into switching this one to sundara or aeon X.
For planar closed I have audeze el-8 closed for now (and I guess Adeze Mobius?).
For dynamic open I use the hd6xx and for closed will be using the Focal Elegia.
I have the Fostex Dekoni Blue as semi closed, I guess. Still trying to figure out a few things.
That hd6xx is currently my “high end” main at one of my setups, so trying to go to the next level for dynamic open next as well…
I’m also looking into some bang for buck tube amp that I can use to get my feet wet on the tube side.
And hopefully I get back into streaming soon…
Drop THX Pandas will be coming eventually, I’m hoping within the next 3 months, and we’ll see where those fit…I figured probably my mains in the office and at the home office to replace wh-1000xm3 and audeze el-8
Thank you so much for the suggestions, and you’re right, best not get stuck on one single house sounded signature and see what others offer!
Thank you, that helps. Part of my thought about getting the Focal Elex was that it comes with the balanced cable. Figured, if it goes back to $600, then I can get the balanced cable to use with both. But right now the Elex is $700 and ships some time in August…so if the he4xx cables work, that will save me some time and money at least to get started. I will probably need to buy another set, but that’s not too much of a worry
I still recommend against this one for streamers or gamers due to just how much sound leaks from this headphone. Word of caution if you will on this one just be wary that you may need some alterations to insure the sound isn’t leaking into the mic.
Neutral bright vs a V signature that has a rolled off treble. Both are relaxed and laid back. Aeon feels more like a closed back super comfortable thick pads imo this sounds every bit better than the Sundaras other than the highs which are more detailed smooth and sparkly on the sundara
hmm, depending on budget here if you can afford the mobius then in that price range as long as your okay with that sweet sweet BASS I will point you towards Argons otherwise yeah. el-8 is fine mobius is decent sounding but imo only great cause it’s wireless panda may stomp it out though don’t know yet.
Hmm, perhaps Darkvoice or Bottlehead Crack + Speedball(note this is a DIY tube amp though albeit basic sodering and setup)
