Snaggy like wood and microphonicā¦bit like your Maās iron flex 
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Iām with you here. These are a SOLID all-rounder that does most music justice. My Nighthawks are a great complement to the Elegia. I go to the hawks when I want the bass to really thump, but they are definitely not on the same level with the Elegia in terms of clarity, imaging, or separation. I find the sub-bass on the Elegia is very satisfying though. There is a lot of body to the sound when sub-bass is present in the track, but it still allows you to hear all the mids crystal clear because the mid / upper bass isnāt getting in the way.
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Itās an in-joke for anyone familiar with the stock cables that come with Focal headphones. Hereās a real Elegia stock cable to show what the joke is all about:
Bends, janks, very stiff, too short for desktop use. Theyāve got a nice-looking black-and-white sheath, and build quality is good, but theyāre pretty unpleasant to use. The extremely high-quality of the headphones make the cables seem even worse than they really are. Still, the stock Focal cables are pretty much a mandatory upgrade.
IOW, the stock Elegia cable is about as valuable and functional as a short, inflexible, black-and-white stick.
Meanwhile, here is a replacement cable I bought for my Focal Stellias from Forza Audioworks:
This cable is like jewelry. Itās long enough to comfortably use in a desktop setting, very supple and flexible, does not transmit any physical noise through the cable (like when the cable rubs on the edge of a desk), and itās gorgeous to look at and a great aesthetic match for the headphones. It also has a 2.5mm balanced termination, which lets me use my headphones with balanced amps in addition to standard 1/4" and 3.5mm single-ended amps, phones, etc.
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is that the Claire series cable? imo Forza has the best looking cables on the marketā¦ your setup looks incredible man 
(and focals are even prettier in person)
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The Focal cable thing is reaching meme levels. Why wouldnāt they just include a nicer cable? Seems so weird for a company that otherwise makes such high quality, tasteful products (so I hear).
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Because nobody is allowed to release a perfect product.
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Focal Ganggggg
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Zi cableaux cāest baguette!
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I previously asked this question too, and @MON replied they canāt be arsed or something along those lines?
im using the stock edition xx cable right now, so the focal cable is looking pretty good at the moment lmao
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Yes, Claire HPC Mk2. I emailed Matt to ask about getting a mix of clear and ātransparent blackā shielding since the web store only allowed me to pick either / or. The pure copper and dark shielding makes a bronze color thatās a spot-on match for Stellia.
Thatās actually a pretty old version of my office setup; it has evolved several times since then. The latest, before quarantine / WFH became the new norm, is quite a bit more pimped out:
The older shot shows off the cable better, though.
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Nice niceā¦ you mentioned getting a 2.5 and using adapters? Do you get them from Forza as well?
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Drop.com has a 2.5mm to XLR for 20$ thatās about as clean of a look you could want. Curious how 2.5m bal does going to 3.5m SE. Iāve heard you donāt want to drive SE only headphones from a balanced amp but other way around is ok?
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I got most of my adapters from Norne Audio, including the snazzy Eidolic pouch:
The Eidolic super-short adapters are pricy, but very well-made. Iāve got 2/ea of 1/4", XLR and 3.5mm (the second one was in use when I took this picture). I have a couple miscellaneous 2.5 ā 4.4 balanced adaptersāa hard angled one came with my Hiby R6 Pro, and Iāve got a couple pigtail adapters in the photo here. The 4.4 ā 2.5 is so I can try someone elseās 4.4-terminated headphones with my Astell & Kern DAPs.
Yes, in fact Iāve shared this same picture of my rig @ Drop under their 2.5 ā XLR adapter photos. 
Iām using Dropās adapter there inbetween the Forza cable and 887. It matches up so well to the Forzaās termination that it practically looks like one cable. I tend to leave the Eidolic connectors in my pouch or use them at home, while I leave the Drop one permanently plugged into the office 887, since all of my headphones have 2.5mm cables.
Short answer, yesāthe other way is totally fine. In fact, thatās exactly what the stock cable does for you.
The deal is that when an amp has a balanced output, you donāt want to short out the L and R paths with a SE cable / SE headphones. Focal headphones all use separate wiring for the 2 earcups, so the headphone is inherently ābalanced,ā if it helps to think in those terms. All you need is a balanced cable, and youāre good for balanced amps. Some other headphones like Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pros are single-ended by natureāthe headphone itself has a 3-pin XLR connection (grounds tied together), so you would not want to use that headphone with a balanced amp, even should you find a cable that lets you make the connection.
Meanwhile, if you use a balanced cable, then the L and R signal paths remain independent all the way through the cable termination. Using a SE adapter (e.g., 2.5 ā 1/4" or 2.5 ā 3.5 TRS) simply āties the grounds together,ā effectively turning your balanced cable into a SE cable. Hence, āOne Cable to Rule Them All.ā Itās the same principle that Hart Audio and others follow for their interchangeable cable sets.
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right on, I really like this cable system you have going on. pretty slick and stream line. thanks for all the info
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Talkin bout my momma?
Just ordered brand new warrantied Focal Elegia for $233 shipped. Donāt ask me how, I got a special deal through my work that you can only get if you get a job there 
It comes with a Dragonfly Red. Would that be enough to drive these adequately from my Macbook Pro? I have Asgard 3 for home use, but want to know how I can make them shine when I have to fly / travel for work
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Elegias are super not picky about amplification. Dragonfly should be fine.
If youāre really concerned you could invest in a DAP or hip dac.
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I was eyeing the Xudoo XD-05 Plus since itās USB-C native, Iād be running this from a new MBP so maybe thatās a good fit
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whoa whoa whoa, i need an application
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