I have the xdsd, the bass boost doesnt do a ton to help it. Youād have to eq it up imo if you want an actual bass boost.
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The Liquid Spark is a nice amp when wanting to warm things up a bit. I only heard the LS for a few weeks as I bought it for a dear friend of mine for Christmas and wanted to make sure it worked, and had a few hours of use on it to satisfy normal break in.
Iāve said it many times before, but, bass boosts are something I wish more manufacturers included on desktop dacs and amps, instead of limiting it to just portable gear. There are many like me that donāt want to EQ anything, but would like an optional bass boost that isnāt overdone. I think itās something that hopefully the right manufacturer eventually looks into and offers on future desktop products.
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The local guy Iām purchasing it from is meeting me tomorrow afternoon. Nice guyā¦offered to drop it off during my lunchbreak.
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im with you on that one and the ifi stuff in my experience has the most tastefully done bass boost trouble is its such a warm and gooey piece of gear that thereās always a trade off when using itā¦ so yeah a nice clean detailed amp with a tasteful bass boost would be pretty sweet
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Cool. If your gear NEEDS EQ, probably better off to move it. But just to change things up now and again? That is fun. I made peace with my Gradoās lack of bass a long time ago. But every so often, it is fun to bass them up.
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I think this is a really good explanation tbh. These cans definitely bring forward what the mixing wanted to bring forward moreso than any other headphones I own.
I definitely enjoy warm cans the most, but I also appreciate the Elegias the more I listen to them. Like I said in my first or second post of impressions for these, I think these show the flaws of a track better than anything I have as well as what is the most āforwardā on any certain track.
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Just got a pair of these. I donāt know what they sound like yet but whoever designed the cable needs to be beaten with it to within an inch of their life.
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Lol! I actually got mine to straighten out a little bit, so I donāt hate it. It can definitely be uncooperative at times. Butā¦ I just placed an order for a Hart cable. Mainly so I could use it with my balanced sources, but Iāll be bidding adieu to the stock cable once it gets here.
Itās like a damn branch. wtf
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Does a bass boost on amps just raise the bass quantity or does it add slam as well?
I feel like it boosts all bass frequencies up to a certain extent. Not sure of the exact science. It sounds like it adds slam quality on the Elegia to me but someone else may disagree.
Bass boost is exactly like having an EQ on which you boost the low frequency. What the center frequency used for the boost on an amp is is pretty much never published. Nor is the Q - this is how wide or narrow around the center frequency the boost is. So you just get what you get and thatās that.
It depends on the bass boost and how it is implemented. Either way, I can live without it. I live without EQ by choice, so I can live without a bass boost.
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Bought the Elegias for 500 a few weeks ago and figure Id weigh in a few impressions.
Build Quality
It is a little heavier than Iād thought, especially compared to Beyer T1 or hd650 but definitely built really well. The pads and strap havent shown any wear (yet) and the cable is fine after idk maybe an hour in front of the heater? Just leave it in the sun and the kinks come out, but yes I agree for the price you could argue for a better cable. Microphonics are annoying. Overall very comfortable and impressed.
Sound
Out of the box actually sounds great. Iāve been tweaking a harman curve (2017?) and basically leave the bass alone, and fiddle with some of the mids but only +3db tops. It depends on the song - personally the bass slams plenty.
Mids are great, donāt ever sound metallic like Iād worried but they do sound like a closed back. If you are looking for the upper bass dip youāll find it, but otherwise nice buttery mids. Soundstage great, detail great (worse than Beyer T1 but better than hd650), and what else? Oh Imaging really great, strength certainly.
Comparisons
Argon mk3 (proteins) are sloppier and might be hazier around 6 or 7k? Both very comfy, different detail presentation, oneās planar oneās dynamic, both prefer clean solid state amp. ABing them the cleanliness of the Elegias wins out I think over the immersion/fun of the Argons.
hd650s I am biased since getting used to exclusive eq with them, ABing without eq gives better mids and clarity to Elegias. Soundstage obviously goes to the 650s and the bass too probably. I mention since some tracks dont have the extension that 650s lose out on, whereas all tracks will have mid bass or somewhere above 100Hz or wherever you define it. So again, Iām biased against hd650 without eq but it does do a far wider variety of music genres. More pleasing, less exciting than Elegias.
Clears Iāve had longer but used only on special occasions. Same weight, longer cable and open back. At softer volumes they are actually very similar, but given more juice the Clears truly are amazing and imo superior to Elegias.
Conclusion
Elegias are really good headphones. I should add I donāt like them out of my phone (sans eq) but would highly recommend to anyone wanting good closed backs. Hot take - since theyre being discontinued why not just wait till one comes second hand, there is no competition for value in a closed back at those/these price points.
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The standard feedback is true IMO, meaning light bass with strong mids. My experience with EQ differed though, because I find bass boosting kills the detail for mids and highs cold. I suspect the reason bass is light is because they tuned it down knowing of the problem.
Build quality feels excellent, but the headband is plastic inside the padding. Iām surprised someone above could change the clampforce. Maybe there are different versions.
Word of warning: The Focal warranty does not cover the headband if it breaks because they think it is impossible for it to be faulty. As far as theyāre concerned, if it breaks, you did it, and replacements cost as much as a new set. In that sense, the Elegia is a high-risk buy, since you can lose your entire investment the first time you use them.
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I have a hard time imagining somebody breaking the headband under any type of normal circumstances. I wouldnāt exactly call it a āhigh-risk buyā. Although Iām not usually one that needs to try and bend headbands to get a good fit. I wasnāt aware about the warranty though. It doesnāt concern me but it is interesting info.
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on the hip dac there is an underlying slam that is improved but also as makua mentioned there is this overall bloom of bass warmth across a wide frequency ā¦ its pretty fun sometimes but again you lose some detail and refinement to acquire the added fun
early impressions here fyi
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I kept bass boost off all day today because I wanted to hear the un-altered FR on the Elegia again. Itās interesting how your brain acclimates to a certain sound over time. After listening for a little while I was really enjoying the sound, then I turned Xbass on again and thought āoh thatās too much.ā Haha! Probably depends on my mood too. I like the flexibility of having it around. And I LOVE my Elegia.
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I agree with everything you just saidā¦ especially the love elegia part
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I really love mine too, and it seems the bass is there once they settle on my head
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