Ok, thanks for the response!! I really appreciate it!
Yeah, I was thinking the Elegia might be better for mixing and mastering and something like a Teak would not. I wasnāt totally sure, though, so Iām glad you addressed it.
Budget for dac/amp is around $150, give or take. Iād want something as small/portable as possible so most likely all in one.
And yes, US based!
I had the Teaks about a month before I bought the Elegias, and I can say that comparing them is tricky. Iām inclined to say the Elegias are more ārevealingā overall, but the Teaks are more āfunā with a warmer tonality and very distinctive bass slam. The Elegias also have good slam and bass articulation. The Teaks have a rather sharp treble peak which Iāve tried to supress by modifying pads, attenuation rings, etc. At the same time, I tend to EQ the Elegias by toning down the treble and bringing up the bass by a few db. So honestly, I think itās an asymmetric battle between these similarly-priced headphones. The Elegias are more analytic, the Teaks more āfunā.
Thanks for that comparison! It makes sense. I really want fun! But I also want analytical!! I guess Iām wondering if that means I should keep the Elegia and just save up again for Teaks in the future.
Well, Iād say keep the Elegias and save for something on another tier. The Arya, Clear, or some ZMF. If I really had to pick between Elegias and Teak, Iād go with the Elegias because they respond better to EQ, and EQ is cheap and easy compared to modifying headphones.
Sadly I havenāt tried the ifi bass boost but a ton of community members who used the elegia with a ifi bass boost product RAVE about it. Honestly if at times u want a bit more bass I would straight up look for an ifi, maybe the ifi hip dac like @fabiokelm recommended. I looove the elegĆas, but I do think for certain music more bass is welcome!,
You just described the ifi Hip Dac exactly. Ha! Itās a very solid pairing and I am one of the big proponents of it. iFi XBass was the secret sauce to really enjoying those certain tracks and genres that came across dull on the Elegia for me. I leave it off if Iām not listening to a really bass heavy genre, but for stuff like EDM or heavy rock that relies on powerful pounding beats and sub-bass rumble the Elegia + Hip Dac combo brings the goods.
In general I agree with what has been stated about iFi products with their bass boost being an excellent sonic match for the Elegia. If figures such as Richard the Lionheart and Napolean were told that eventually something British and something French would get along that well they would probably issue orders for preemptive hangings. At $150 the iFi Hip-Dac is a very difficult piece to beat when matching to the Elegia for listening enjoyment. I have a moment of pause, thoughā¦
Your interest in mixing and mastering is the wrench here. The Hip-Dac is one of the most sonically colored pieces of gear out there right now. It has a warm, smooth response with a rolled off top end. For mixing and mastering you want neutral. Thus, here are two other things to consider:
Fiio Q1mkii - a more neutral response than Hip-Dac, comes with a bass boost. Iāve not used the Q1 myself but have experience with other entry-level Fiio dac/amps that have a bass boost. They are more neutral in sound than the Hip, but the bass boost isnāt quite as well done, IMO.
Fiio Q3 - guranteed if you search for the Q1 youāll see this pop up too so I better mention it. Bass boost is there, itās right at $150. It will have that āTHX neutralityā. Personally, I disagree that THX is totally neutral and it will likely mess with your mixing and mastering in the treble region as much or more as Hip would mess with it but in the opposite direction. IMO, THX amp tech is very treble-forward to the point of being harsh and brittle sounding. However, I can understand why you would potentially be interested in the Q3 and will also add that if youāre gonna get into THX, $150 or under is the price to do it. Any more $$$ than that and youāre throwing money away, IMO.
You may also want to consider the XDUO XD-05ā¦the $200 model. More expensive than the $150 you asked for but may also strike the balance youāre looking for here. I havenāt heard it myself but it is a well-regarded product around the community. It should be more neutral than the Hip-Dac and also comes with a bass boost. I donāt know how well that bass boost is done, though.
Clear as mud?
Enjoy the search.
Thanks Jose_G and Mr_Makua and thank you for your detailed input, WaveTheory!!
It sounds like the Hip Dac might be a nice fit for creating the āfunā listening experience I was looking for. If I want to work on mixing a song I can just remove it from the lineup and plug the Elegias straight into my computer, right? Sounds like a good compromise until Iām ready to throw more money at this hobby, or not! Iām really so new to this that Iām open to every suggestion and Iām reading everything I can on forums. Learning a lot. This has been really helpful. Thanks!
Youāll be emotionally ready WELL before your wallet is ready 
It hurts how true this is.
I though Iād add that these Elegias are super comfortable. Iāve been wearing them for hours and the only thing I kind of notice, maybeā¦ a little weight on the top of my head? But it isnāt pain. The Bose QCās would become painful after about an hour or more. I still canāt figure out why since they are so lightweight. Something about the shape of the ear-cup, maybe. But the Elegia is great! So thumbs up for comfort!!
Is something special going on with the Focal Elegia at the moment?
They seem to be out of stock in the official europ focal store, and are not even listed in the US store.
Here in Germany they go for 1500ā¬ (1770$) on Amazon instead of the usual 899ā¬.
I have seen the Elegia as low as 600ā¬ but now itās like they became a collectors item or something.
I heard over on Reddit, that they are discontinuedā¦ already? After such a short period of time?
Could the Bentley collaboration have something to do with that?
Yep, theyāre gone. I was fortunate enough to get some of the last stock from projekt-akustik, but theyāve removed the article entirely now.
The Radiance apparently sound very different, but they did appear at the same time the Elegia was discontinued, so it seems as though the Radiance is supposed to be the replacement.
Radiance is going to be a limited edition run, not a full replacement. Wouldnāt be surprised if a non-Bentley branded version came out soon with a very similar design though.
This is my hope / though as well.
Being branded and announced as a limited/ spezial edition I think there needs to be a more standard replacement for the Elegia.
Will be interesting to see that focal comes up with. Does Focal has have a typically time or date they announce new products?
Maybe this isnāt the place to ask, but does anyone have affordable cable recommendations for Elegia since the ones that come with it are so short and stiff? I saw mention of this earlier in the topic but didnāt see many recommendations. What I did look into was extremely expensive, haha. I guess I could go down the rabbit hole of making my own, too. I thought Iād ask what people are using.
I used these until my custom ones from HartAudio came in.
Both MEZE cables, balanced ($50 USD) & unbalanced ($20 USD) work as well.
Another updateā¦ I got an iFi hip-dac and it really does sound great with the Elegia! I was enjoying them prior to getting it since I figured out how to EQ them in a way I liked, but the iFi has added more bass rumble and, I guess, more atmosphere? Iām happy with it, just sayin. Thanks for the cable recommendations, too. Thanks to everyone!
I wear glasses ā¦ So, these are probably something that I should not pull the trigger on? @WaveTheory suggested these to me after getting an idea of the music I enjoy when I was new to the forum and asking about headphones. Iām still eyeing them as my first $500.00 headphones.