Swifty Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 2 minutes ago, Bengineer said: Fiio BTR5 is a nice little guy. Balanced output too. LDAC phone to Fiio. And the infamous Mojo. You answered your own question though bud. I mentioned the btr5 and I could see the guy physically kinda cringe a little haha. He said it's a awesome product but it is just isn't in the league for the stellias. I wanted to try it but forgot to escpecially after watching Zeos hyped review about it. I do already have a mojo, maybe I'll give it a go for portable use again. Did I? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 6 minutes ago, Bengineer said: Fiio BTR5 is a nice little guy. Balanced output too. LDAC phone to Fiio. And the infamous Mojo. You answered your own question though bud. 6 minutes ago, Bengineer said: Fiio BTR5 is a nice little guy. Balanced output too. LDAC phone to Fiio. And the infamous Mojo. You answered your own question though bud. I mentioned the btr5 and I could see the guy physically kinda cringe a little haha. He said it's a awesome product but it is just isn't in the league for the stellias. I wanted to try it but forgot to escpecially after watching Zeos hyped review about it. I do already have a mojo, maybe I'll give it a go for portable use again. I'll have to go in again and just test daps with the stellias. Didn't test them for long because I wasn't really wanting to drop a tonne of money on another device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwurb Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 (edited) Maybe go to the store with your phone and some music. Connect the DACs or DAPs from lowest and go up. Start with BTR5, it's pretty capable. With what you described as your music you may or may not get too far up the DAC or DAP upgrade chain. And the guy may be right that some DACs or DAPs may limit your headphones. But, your music may limit everything (DAC, DAP and headphones) anyway. Going up you will find when you can't hear an upgrade anymore. Your MoJo may be more than enough as a DAC/Amp? Edited May 10, 2020 by gwurb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengineer Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 29 minutes ago, zxSwifty said: I mentioned the btr5 and I could see the guy physically kinda cringe a little haha. He said it's a awesome product but it is just isn't in the league for the stellias. I wanted to try it but forgot to escpecially after watching Zeos hyped review about it. I do already have a mojo, maybe I'll give it a go for portable use again. I'll have to go in again and just test daps with the stellias. Didn't test them for long because I wasn't really wanting to drop a tonne of money on another device. Yep. 1. Your music is mostly poorly recorded, mastered, compression etc. 2. Little gains over what your currently use The BTR5 is good for what it is... And any of these $1000 and more DAPs are pretty good, and really splitting hairs on SQ. They definitely sound different to each other, but unlikely much between them in raw SQ. Maybe a smoother sound like the Sony would suit your music and it's inherent lower quality mastering/recording etc? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 12 minutes ago, Bengineer said: Yep. 1. Your music is mostly poorly recorded, mastered, compression etc. 2. Little gains over what your currently use The BTR5 is good for what it is... And any of these $1000 and more DAPs are pretty good, and really splitting hairs on SQ. They definitely sound different to each other, but unlikely much between them in raw SQ. Maybe a smoother sound like the Sony would suit your music and it's inherent lower quality mastering/recording etc? The sony does seem like a good fit for my music but there players don't do streaming services do they. I think they have one player that does it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengineer Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 The 507 does. The newest one 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengineer Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 Though for purely streaming I'd be more inclined to use phone, connect to a Mojo to xDSD or Micro Black Label. All have a bit of warmth, especially the iFi models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Bengineer said: Though for purely streaming I'd be more inclined to use phone, connect to a Mojo to xDSD or Micro Black Label. All have a bit of warmth, especially the iFi models. I'll defintely give the mojo a go again for portable use. I disconnected the battery and been using it as a desktop dac and amp at work. It's a awesome little unit. Edited May 10, 2020 by zxSwifty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Bengineer said: The 507 does. The newest one I'll have to look it up :)) Edited May 10, 2020 by zxSwifty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengineer Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 2 minutes ago, zxSwifty said: I'll defintely give the mojo a go again for portable use. I disconnected the battery and been using it as a desktop dac and amp at work. It's a awesome little unit. And pick up a cheap Poly and give it more network ability/streaming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 22 hours ago, Bengineer said: And pick up a cheap Poly and give it more network ability/streaming If one pops up for cheap definitely, that would be the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 2 hours ago, steffanth said: @zxSwifty I recently got th Fiio Q5s headphone dac and amp. i also listen pretty much exclusively to dance music and its not in lossless format. My headphones are not up to the standard of the focals (sony mx1000 mk2) but im loving the sound with the combo. a hell of a lot better than my previous setup. It also has the bluteooth capeabilities of the BTR5. I've got the wh1000xm2 as well and they are a fun headphone though they do sound a bit muddy in comparison. Very enjoyable sound none the less. Great to hear that there is a sound upgrade with the Q5, I've only ever ran them off of my phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esoterica Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 Just unpacked my Elegias tonight and tried them out. As has been mentioned around these parts, the only reason they would’ve been ’b-stock’ is some minor outer box damage. The inner (premium) box is perfect. First impression: The headphones themselves are very well made, as one would expect from the rrp. Good to read that they aren’t at their best sound quality wise until broken in, because I wasn’t blown away as expected, but Bowie’s ‘Last Dance’ Tidal master revealed a lot I hadn’t heard before. Overall I was impressed with the handful of songs (mostly masters) I listened to on Tidal, from Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to Still Corners and Lou Reed, and it was only a direct connection to my iPad pro. I did notice some harsh highs, but with break-in and a dac/amp I expect some great listening ahead. I find the ear cup clamp to be a bit uncomfortable but opening the headband a bit seems to do the trick. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elisiX_ Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 (edited) Some really good points. I've been listening to mine for 2 days now and they're better still with only 15hrs on them, or I am just getting used to them. Bouncing back and forth with my HD6XX, I can say that these are of a higher quality. Sound wise i'd say they're definitely more detailed than the HD6XX, but lack base out of the box. If I run the Elegia off my MBP without a DAC/AMP, this is obvious. That said, pairing with my iFi HipDAC which I will be using to daily drive these from the office, they're bloody amazing. It fills the gap nicely and still maintains a cleaner sound than the HD6XX, if still more closed in (obviously). I tested the Clears today at MiniDisc, using both the iFi HipDAC and Chord Moji and I must admit the Clears were also amazing. They're like a mix of the HD6XX and Elegia - not in terms of quality (they're the top of the pile), but in terms of sound. So they retain that open sound of the HD6XX, but exceed the clarity of the Elegia. I actually found the iFi HipDAC to produce the nicer sound for the Clears over the Mojo - which I was told might be due to the HipDAC being warmer and that perhaps being my preference. I'm 99% sure i'll buy the B-Stock Clears also, but i'm just undecided as that money goes a good way toward HD800S, Arya, LCD-X as well. The value that the Clears offer just can't be beat I think and I don't think there is any particular genre of music that they wouldn't excel at. Edited May 21, 2020 by elisix_ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anandpkumar Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 On 21/05/2020 at 9:15 PM, Esoterica said: Just unpacked my Elegias tonight and tried them out. As has been mentioned around these parts, the only reason they would’ve been ’b-stock’ is some minor outer box damage. The inner (premium) box is perfect. First impression: The headphones themselves are very well made, as one would expect from the rrp. Good to read that they aren’t at their best sound quality wise until broken in, because I wasn’t blown away as expected, but Bowie’s ‘Last Dance’ Tidal master revealed a lot I hadn’t heard before. Overall I was impressed with the handful of songs (mostly masters) I listened to on Tidal, from Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to Still Corners and Lou Reed, and it was only a direct connection to my iPad pro. I did notice some harsh highs, but with break-in and a dac/amp I expect some great listening ahead. I find the ear cup clamp to be a bit uncomfortable but opening the headband a bit seems to do the trick. Your first impressions quite mirror mine (though my music is different - more blues, jazz, soul). They do improve quite a bit with break in. Give them around 100 hrs or so - the highs will become smoother, and the bass more tight. I too found the clamping force a bit strong in the beginning, and left it 'stretched' out between a few books for a couple of days - which did the trick of loosening them up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esoterica Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 On 26/05/2020 at 3:09 PM, anandpkumar said: Your first impressions quite mirror mine (though my music is different - more blues, jazz, soul). They do improve quite a bit with break in. Give them around 100 hrs or so - the highs will become smoother, and the bass more tight. I too found the clamping force a bit strong in the beginning, and left it 'stretched' out between a few books for a couple of days - which did the trick of loosening them up. I like blues and jazz too. I’m listening to the Tidal master of Rollin’ and Tumblin’ by Eric Clapton & B.B King now, and it sounds pretty awesome. I got the C5D dac/amp today which seems to improve the sound which you’d expect. The clamping force doesn’t bother me at all now. I find that and the overall comfort is great when I have the headband positioned forward of the top of head. Fits around my ears more evenly that way. Also, I was talking about ‘Let’s Dance’ by David Bowie. No idea where I got ‘Last’ from. Haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esoterica Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 Listening to Papi Chulo by Octavian, Skepta and have full bass set on the amp. I’m not a bass fiend but it’s like having mini subs in each ear lol. Pretty cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elisiX_ Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 (edited) 57 minutes ago, Esoterica said: I find that and the overall comfort is great when I have the headband positioned forward of the top of head. Fits around my ears more evenly that way. lol, I do the same, but I still find the clamping force a little much Edited May 27, 2020 by elisix_ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anandpkumar Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 1 hour ago, Esoterica said: I’m listening to the Tidal master of Rollin’ and Tumblin’ by Eric Clapton & B.B King now, and it sounds pretty awesome. Great Album, that one. I have it on CD - should check if the Tidal 'master' version is any better 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anandpkumar Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 24 minutes ago, elisix_ said: lol, I do the same, but I still find the clamping force a little much Agreed - I too find the clamping force a bit more than what I would prefer - though has been better after I stretched it out between a few books. I guess I have an 'odd' shaped head since most people seem to find these quite comfortable! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esoterica Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 15 hours ago, elisix_ said: lol, I do the same, but I still find the clamping force a little much I wear a medium moto helmet... so not a big head Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadSneakers83 Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 I'm also an Elegia owner. I picked them up a few months ago for $799 with the Dragonfly Red, that I've since sold on. Honestly, I didn't love them at first. They sounded very mid forward, which I found fatiguing pretty quickly. I listen to a ton of orchestral music and I couldn't escape a kind of muddy claustrophobic feeling during big tutti sections when using them. But...after 100 plus hours of burn in the were sounding much better. Then, I decided to try and EQ them. I'm using the attached settings I found on Reddit. I just threw them into Roon and honestly, they sound like a new headphone. The mids were no longer forward, there is a ton more air in the sound, and the Elegia's true strength (incredible detail) shines through. You are absolutely dragged along with the musical phrasing, almost by the scruff of the neck! I also have a pair of HiFiMan HE-560s, but in the past couple of weeks I just keep coming back to the Elegia. Naturally their soundstage can't compete with the open backed cans, but the detail and texture present is incredibly immersive. B stock for $499 from A2A is nothing short of highway robbery. Just make sure you give them some time to break in, and use the EQ! I really doubt that you will be disappointed. Focal Elegia.pdf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elisiX_ Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 What’s the best way to apply EQ in MacOS? I’ll give this a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esoterica Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 (edited) Not being a head-fi guy $499 seems a good chunk of coin for headphones and I only bought them to get some alone time when I had someone staying with me recently. And I can’t ignore a (perceived) bargain. I think they sound good, sometimes great, but wouldn’t have put 10 hours on them yet. I’d expect great sound for $499, let alone the rrp of $1300 or whatever it is. The Stellia and Utopia, and others in that crazy price tier must be like hearing angels sing lol Edited June 2, 2020 by Esoterica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 2 minutes ago, Esoterica said: Not being a head-fi guy $499 seems a good chunk of coin for headphones and I only bought them to get some alone time when I had someone staying with me recently. And I can’t ignore a (perceived) bargain. I think they sound good, sometimes great, but wouldn’t have put 10 hours on them yet. I’d expect great sound for $499, let alone the rrp of $1300 or whatever it is. The Stellia and Utopia, and others in that crazy price tier must be like hearing angels sing lol Congrats on Elegias Listening to the Stellias right now, can confirm the angels are indeed singing haha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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