The “best” headphone is the one you like the most, for sound quality and comfort.
Elegia is a super can. But there are other closed-backs that are lovely, too, if you want a different sound signature than Elegia.
It’s always dangerous to pinpoint one headphone as “the best” at a certain price point. Take Elegia, for example. If you seek a very detailed closed back with lovely imaging and a mids and treble focus, then Elegia is terrific. But if you like bass and sub-bass, then Elegia isn’t your can, regardless of who calls it “the best.”
And do you want more bass? More detail? More isolation? More comfort? What is your budget?
I, or a lot of folks here, can point you to one or more options, but it is a crapshoot if that will be something you like or the “best” headphone.
It took me years and way too much money for me to figure out what I like. While I may be the world’s leading expert on what Shane D likes, we all hear differently.
You have to either get out testing/trying where you can or just buy and sell/return what you don’t like.
As @ShaneD said, that’s a magic bullet you’re never going to fire.
More detail? Check. More fun? Check. Better soundstage and imaging? Check.
But we need more info., man. Dynamic driver or planar magnetic? Are you a basshead? A mids lover for vocals and strings? Do you crave cochlea-sizzling treble?
The Robin is a very bassy can with scooped-out mids. If you like that bass, I can almost guarantee you will HATE the Elegia.
Elegia is the antithesis of Robin – all mids and treble, with bass that can punch when called but that mainly stays in the background, keeping steady time like Charlie Watts did drumming for the Rolling Stones.
I don’t care if it’s planar or dynamic driver. I like that it has a sound with some mids present.
For example: The sivga robin in the bass seems correct to me, the sundara in the mids I notice them somewhat late and for examples in the treble I don’t want them to be sibilants. I usually tolerate that part well except for extreme cases such as tin t3.
I like robins. They have a very good scene for the price and a fun sound. I miss more body and a little more general cleanliness in the frequencies. I notice it clean but if I spend €500, I hope it shows in the cleanliness.
I get the feeling sometimes that @ShaneD and I are audio twins. I also have 6 closed backs that I rotate between, and we have had a lot of the same pieces.
I might get kicked out of the forum for saying this, but for me, there aren’t many bad headphones sound-wise. Just different. That’s why I keep rotating them - I need that variety. Looks, feel, and features are almost as important to me as sound. (Please don’t shoot me.) I’ve only turned around and sold headphones if I thought they were boring. I want to engage with the music and feel it. Yes, detail is important, but at its core, music is an emotional experience, and I need gear with personality.
I do avoid certain headphones if I want to listen to art music (“classical” music) - bassy, muffled cans like the Nighthawks and Meze 99 Neos are usually no-gos for sonatas, concertos, symphonies, suites, etc, but they can take the edge off of very bright, edgy compositions and performances.
Here are my six closed backs in ascending order of cost and the reason why I reach for them:
Meze 99 Neo: easy-wear/portable. The things only weigh 260 g and the cable is short, lightweight, and manageable.
Drop X Beyer DT177X Go with Dekoni XL pads: made in Germany. Yep. I do have a few Chinese cans, but I feel strongly that most Western brands that farm their production out to China are focused on mass-produced, cheap, disposable stuff to maximize investor dividends at the expense of local labor, community, and brand pride. I think that companies that keep their manufacturing local have quality and integrity as top priorities. “Original” Chi-fi (like Sivga, Sendy, Blon, Harmonicdyne, Moondrop, FiiO, etc.) is another story altogether - Chinese-owned, designed, and produced stuff can be cool.
LSA HP-2 Ultra (bought used): made in Russia. Lightweight. The graphene-coated drivers are responsive, accurate, and euphonic.
Denon AH-D7200: walnut cups and nanofiber drivers. Sound pretty thicc, but only play well with a few amps.
Focal Elegia: made in France. Isolate well, very comfortable. Luxurious. Reliable.
Audeze LCD-XC: made in USA. My only closed-back planar magnetic phones. I think of my Elegias as driving a performane auto (built for speed and efficiency like my 350Z), while the XCs are like American muscle: overbuilt, overpowered, too-loud, gas-guzzling pigs reeking of testosterone and built to intimidate. The goddamn things weigh 2.5 times what the Mezes do, so I can’t listen very long. But they are pretty spectacular sounding. Z’s review said that these phones actually perform well at lower volume levels - turn it down and enjoy, and I find that that is often the case.
We do share some tastes. I have found there are lots of 'phones and companies that I don’t like.
My list of 6 from worst to first:
The Audio Technica WP 900’s. Beautiful 'phones, but the mids have been scooped out. Literally.
T60 Argons. Lacks clarity, precision and deep bass. Fun, looks beautiful and a pretty good price.
Beyer T5’s. Amazing bass, great isolation but lacks detail. Really dark.
Elegia’s. Great mids, highs and lots of detail. Great isolation, but the bass is a bit light.
CFA Cascades. A wall of bass. When I first got them, they made me giggle and still do. I Love them, but they have one of the worst headbands in the business.
LSA HP-2’s. The best closed back I have ever owned. The most articulate, precise bass I have ever heard. The mids and treble are also beautiful. These are made by Kennerton.
And that is just the current closed backs. I have blown through way too many headphones that have Really disappointed me.
By more scene, I think you’re looking for a wide sound stage? To my ears, I would say probably a tie between Elegia and LCD-XC. I almost don’t notice that those two are closed back.
I’ve only had the HP-2s for a month or so, and I’ve owned the Elegias for more than 2 years, but I’m leaning towards preferring HP-2 over Elegia for acoustic and classical.
Again, if you find Robin bass to be “correct,” you will hate the Elegia’s bass. You’ll find it thin and quiet, in comparison, because there’s no boom or bloom. Just a bit of punch when called upon.
If you seek a nice contrast to the Robin’s bass, then the Elegia could be lovely. A terrific headphone with classical, strings, acoustic, vocals because of the emphasis on mids and non-sibilant treble.
