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Focal Headphones Owners & Discussion Thread


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On 10/04/2020 at 1:57 PM, Zodiac-12 said:

Even Focal Elegia bundle from $799 now $1399 . Look like headphone is going pandemic...?

I bought some of them, they are my first closed back headphones and I don't really like them, but it may be just because I don't know what a good headphone sounds like. My ancient HD580s may not have been super accurate but I found them very enjoyable to listen to, I regret throwing them out instead of replacing the drivers and soft parts.

 

The Focals must be very old stock as the Free Dragonfly Red offer ended a long long time ago.

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2 hours ago, Noobtastic said:

I bought some of them, they are my first closed back headphones and I don't really like them, but it may be just because I don't know what a good headphone sounds like. My ancient HD580s may not have been super accurate but I found them very enjoyable to listen to, I regret throwing them out instead of replacing the drivers and soft parts.

 

The Focals must be very old stock as the Free Dragonfly Red offer ended a long long time ago.

You're not liking the Focal house sound. Neither do I, don't worry. Sounds artificial.

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35 minutes ago, Bengineer said:

You're not liking the Focal house sound. Neither do I, don't worry. Sounds artificial.

To my very untrained ear they sound somewhat thin and at times quite harsh, some bass notes seem to be there but others seem to be somewhat subdued, they are a very odd sounding headphone.

I just assumed it was because they are more a studio type headphone as other reviews seemed to be very positive. My in ear B&W Bluetooth headphones more enjoyable to listen for extended periods, they lack detail compared to the Elegia but that's to be expected.
Oh, I almost forgot the braided cable, God it is horrible!

If I were to have my time again I probably try the Beyer DT 1770 Pro, the Massdrop Senns in the FS section are tempting.

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  • 2 weeks later...
2 hours ago, Bengineer said:

It's not a lot, none of the Focals have a lot.

 

If you want that deep subbass, for that price, look at a Fostex TH6XX Ebony. Or a used CA Cascade (smaller cups though).

 

It's dynamic and somewhat nuetral. Can always EQ the bass up. Solid headphone for sure.

I've got the thx00 purple hearts and love the bass and sound signature. Was wanting a more portable pair of bassy headphones. I'Il check out the ca cascade.

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3 minutes ago, Bengineer said:

Cascade your main option there.

Do you know how much they were before the virus? I'm geussing at $1599 they have jumped up a bit since this all began. 

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20 hours ago, Satirical said:

I've been deliberating on the Clear Pros the last few days and the HD800s that go for $1500. Ended up just buying the Clear Pros just now. I've certainly done my part in stimulating the economy in the last few weeks with my purchases.

But the Clear Pros does it come with full accessories like standard Clear caused it's didn't show full pictures like standard Clear??

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27 minutes ago, Johnny Golden said:

Elex pads are supposed to be the same as the Clear pads but you just have to wait for Drop to sell them.

Yup exactly, I think that's probably the go. IF they ever decide to or able to sell them again that is... Looking at the reviews for them on Drop looks like a bit of dodgy business went down though...

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The extra pad is probably worth more than the cable. Depends on whether you are fuss, some sort of XLR cable can be have for about $100 AUD, but the pad is pretty expensive.

 

Also the black pro version looks a lot better (my opinion), the pad will probably be a bit more dirt resistance (or less noticeable) than the light colour standard version.

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5 minutes ago, anandpkumar said:

Thanks for the heads up. I did see the b-stock special at $499. I was also looking for something similar to the red. The red retails for around $275, so the combined price for a new Elegia+red at $750 seems to be very good value. Any thoughts on the sound signature of the Elegia's?

I don't know Elegia sound. 
 

I had dragonfly red. It was a mix bag. Good in a lot of ways. In some ways boring. I am not sure that I would get it again if I was looking for something.

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3 hours ago, gwurb said:

I don't know Elegia sound. 
 

I had dragonfly red. It was a mix bag. Good in a lot of ways. In some ways boring. I am not sure that I would get it again if I was looking for something.

 

1 hour ago, Bengineer said:

Elegia sounds like most Focals, if you've heard any other?

 

Similar to Clear, albeit closed and not quite that level. But close.

 

Yes, Bengineer is correct by saying the Elegia sounds like the other models in the line-up. They have their 'house sound' and don't deviate too much. I would describe the Elegia as being mid-forward and leaning on the bright-side of the spectrum. Clarity, detail, and overall resolution is very good for the price, phenomenally good based on the current price.  They have decent levels of bass, neither bass-light or bass-heavy although I usually EQ a little more bass for my preferences.

Not sure why ATA are brutally slashing the Focal models' prices, I'm guessing that they ordered too much stock pre-virus crash and don't want to carry excess inventory? I would snatch up one of the $500 b-stock pairs, I paid way more for mine. Anyway, people often criticise the Focal headphones for being too bright and some say they are tonally off with "fake detail" in the treble etc. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but they sound good to me, although can be fatiguing sometimes. The best part of them in my opinion is the attack/dynamics/slam they provide. Only the Fostex TH series can match them for the 'fun' factor and dynamics IMO, maybe ZMFs also? 

Edited by Monkey4054
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13 minutes ago, Bengineer said:

The Focals are very clear and very dynamic. Punchy AF.

 

To me, they sound robotic.

 

ZMF are very different. More my style 

The Focal sound is certainly intense. They are not sit-back and chill out easy-listening headphones. They force-feed your eardrums every note and detail.... Different strokes for different folks I guess!

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1 hour ago, Monkey4054 said:

Some people who strongly prefer the 'planar sound' may disagree, but I think the Hifiman sounds boring in comparison, although they will be less fatiguing for the same reason.

I may need to listen to the Focals! If it's 'more of the same' then it may be really good or maybe too much :) The Hifiman HE400i are not perfect at all but at their price they do enough good things for satisfaction. There is enough clarity and speed. I find so many dynamic headphones to be dull. Not warm, more of an edge of the strings missing in instruments, etc.
 

Cheers! I'll have a listen to the Focals.

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15 minutes ago, gwurb said:

I may need to listen to the Focals! If it's 'more of the same' then it may be really good or maybe too much :) The Hifiman HE400i are not perfect at all but at their price they do enough good things for satisfaction. There is enough clarity and speed. I find so many dynamic headphones to be dull. Not warm, more of an edge of the strings missing in instruments, etc.
 

Cheers! I'll have a listen to the Focals.

ZMF aren't the boring old dynamics ;)

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21 minutes ago, gwurb said:

I may need to listen to the Focals! If it's 'more of the same' then it may be really good or maybe too much :) The Hifiman HE400i are not perfect at all but at their price they do enough good things for satisfaction. There is enough clarity and speed. I find so many dynamic headphones to be dull. Not warm, more of an edge of the strings missing in instruments, etc.
 

Cheers! I'll have a listen to the Focals.

Yes, definitely give them a demo! I'm gonna guess those dull dynamics were Sennheisers?

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1 hour ago, Monkey4054 said:

Yes, definitely give them a demo! I'm gonna guess those dull dynamics were Sennheisers?

Owned: Sennheiser, Sony, KEF, Phillips, V-Moda, Bose (QC)

Demoed others including AKG and AT.

 

I sold my previous ones and have 2 headphones but want to replace the KEFs with another closed back.

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3 hours ago, gwurb said:

I may need to listen to the Focals! If it's 'more of the same' then it may be really good or maybe too much :) The Hifiman HE400i are not perfect at all but at their price they do enough good things for satisfaction. There is enough clarity and speed. I find so many dynamic headphones to be dull. Not warm, more of an edge of the strings missing in instruments, etc.
 

Cheers! I'll have a listen to the Focals.

I found the Hifiman 400 (which I owned) to offer a fun, lively sound that I enjoyed. I have since purchased the Focal Elear and Focal Clear, both of which I felt offered definite steps forward (and expense). I do agree with @Monkey4054's comments - which would definitely help me if I was looking to buy.

 

I haven't heard the Elegia, but if the house sound is present as James and @Bengineer indicate, the current pricing offers real value!

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As for the comments on the elegias odd bass, it is due to a midbass recession followed by very good sub-bass extension, so songs with deep bass sounds right but those with a lot of midbass might sound thinner. Personally I find the rest of the fr almost faultless along with detail that actually competes with sub 1k open backs, sennheisers are too subdued up top for me. 
A simple 2 band eq fixes this issue for me, I don't mind it even withou eq though.

Edited by gary chen
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49 minutes ago, gary chen said:

As for the comments on the elegias odd bass, it is due to a midbass recession followed by very good sub-bass extension, so songs with deep bass sounds right but those with a lot of midbass might sound thinner. Personally I find the rest of the fr almost faultless along with detail that actually competes with sub 1k open backs, sennheisers are too subdued up top for me. 
A simple 2 band eq fixes this issue for me, I don't mind it even withou eq though.

What EQ changes did you make?

I find that I almost get too much bass for my liking, which is not what I expected. I haven't broken it down to sub-bass or mid-bass.

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