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NascentAP
56
Feb 13, 2021
The dreaded left driver failure happened today. They were purchased on early October of 2020, minimally used, and babied like no other when used. As others have mentioned, it came with no warning - when I took it out to give it a listen tonight (first time in weeks), there's no sound out of the left side. Such a shame, Elex was not my favorite but I was starting to warm up to the bass/slam focused signature. Update - Contacted Drop support last night and feel fortunate that they have already responded. I will have to ship the defective ones back and they will replace. Despite the poor QC of Elex, I have to say the way Drop has handled everything thus far (not only pertaining to Elex as I have purchased multiple items from them) has been great. I'm aware that being in the continental US helps a lot so I feel for the international buyers who receive a dud. Hopefully the replacement will last longer than my initial one.
(Edited)
pjc_md
11
Mar 1, 2021
NascentAPLeft driver failure, too, today. :'(
NascentAP
56
Mar 1, 2021
pjc_mdI feel your pain. Hopefully you’re in continental US. Drop response has been very good at the least.
raansire7
1507
Mar 2, 2021
NascentAPCrazy. I've been wanting the Elex since they came out, but I've read so many reviews about dying drivers, I opted for the Focal Elegia instead. So far, no dead driver since October 2020 that I got them from Adorama. I guess no Elex for me ever.
NascentAP
56
Mar 2, 2021
raansire7It's funny - I also bought an open box Elegia from Adorama and the day it arrived was the day my Elex died when I took it out to A/B. The Elegia out of the box sounded off (too mid-forward) and after using Resolve's EQ profile, it sounded better but I couldn't get over the metallic timbre in the high frequencies. In the end, I ended up return it. If you're curious, my replacement Elex sounds like the EQ'ed Elegia with less metallic timbre in the treble with slightly better bass. Where this gets weird and the reason why I wouldn't recommend Elex is that my dead original set had several major differences from the replacement set I received. Firstly, the replacement set's box seemed obviously newer and sturdier. Second, the ear pads were vastly different; my originals were soft and mushy whereas the replacement earpads were clearly firmer and had less give. Lastly, and perhaps related to the the firmness of the earpads, the sound profile was also very different. My original Elex had a dark and muffled sound where the treble clarity was non-existent. This was especially noticeable when going from Sundara to the Elex. The replacement Elex sounds much brighter (more so than my HD6xx) and moving back and forth from Sundara to Elex now doesn't make the Elex sound overly dark/muffled. Resolve's review of the Elex, based on his experience, surmised that there may be unit to unit variability. This also has been my experience with n of 2.
raansire7
1507
Sep 19, 2021
NascentAPYou still got the replacement Elex? I've yet to fall in love with my Elegia. They're so freaking screamy and obnoxiously mid-forward with that metallic timbre. The bass got better with time, sounding fuller and hitting harder, but ugh...they're so shouty. Why? Who decided on that? Everything in the mids is too loud all at the same time. Why? 😐
NascentAP
56
Sep 20, 2021
raansire7Yep, still got my Elex and still working fine (as of last week). I hear you with regard to the Elegias. I don't who or why anyone thought that was good tuning. Or perhaps, there is a batch with screwed up tuning. It's not bad with EQ given the closed back nature of the cans and hopefully with discounted price but the Elex is better in every aspect except bleeding sound.
raansire7I think I can help you fall in love with your Elegia. I recently bought a pair and quickly realized that their stock pads were terrible, hindering their sound and comfort... so I promptly destroyed them in order to salvage their two-piece mounting rings: [1] a hard plastic piece and [2] a soft piece that sticks on the cup-facing side of the plastic piece. I then proceeded to experiment with pad-swapping with over a dozen aftermarket pads, wrapped around the outside of the mounting rings. I concluded that the best sounding pads - by far - on the Elegia are the Brainwavz XL Micro Suede Pads. To extend sub-bass and increase soundstage (and further improve comfort), I added a (3" long, 3/8" wide) strip of memory foam to the back area of the pads. I did my listening on an ifi ZEN DAC (firmware updated) and xDuoo MT-604 amp (upgraded tubes: GE JAN 5654W). Balanced connections all-around. The Elegia also sounds great on my Geshelli Labs Erish... just not as warm or spacious as with the upgraded xDuoo unit. Even with these modifications to improve the Elegia's bass response, I would still recommend pairing it with a warm-leaning amp. In summary, the overall improvement from the stock Elegia is dramatic, to say the least. It seems that Focal just slapped on some cheapo pads at the last minute, without caring that the sound suffered greatly because of them. No doubt, Focal would recommend their Celestee and Stellia closed-backs, which (I'm sure) sound significantly better out-of-the-box that the (now-discontinued) Elegia. But for savvy Elegia owners, this mod does wonders! All the best, and let me know if you have any questions.
raansire7
1507
Oct 23, 2021
mattrisHey, I appreciate the advice. My pads are still new, so I'm not ready to cannibalize them yet. I did try my beyerdynamic Amiron home cable on the Elegia...just experimenting like you did with the pads, and the bass started sounding correct...even too much for my liking. I also tried the cable from the HIFIMAN HE5XX and the bass got a bit flabby and loose. This tells me there might be an impedance thing going on with the stock Elegia cable, because cables should not totally change the sound of headphones. I've been deferring it for a long time, but I read that the Dekoni Elite Sheepskin pads for Focal headphones sound good on the Elegia and fix what bothers me about them. They're $70-$80, so I've been hesitant to spend so much on pads, but I'll eventually push myself to do it, since it's been first on the list. I will try those Brainwavz pads once the stock pads get worn out. I appreciate the heads-up! 😁👍
raansire7You're welcome. Trust me, the Elegia stock pads are absolutely irredeemable sound-wise. If you're willing to try my mod - and will probably get the Dekoni pads anyway - there's really no need to wait to cannibalize the stock pads. I really think you'd be immensely impressed with the sound and comfort of the 'Brainwavz pad mod'. Perhaps then you could get the Dekoni sheepskin pads* out out curiosity... or if you want a pair of good-sounding pads that still allow you to store the headphones in their case. I'd to try the Dekoni pads myself, but I've spent too much money on pads lately... and am more than pleased with my Elegias now. Yeah, cable swapping should not totally change the sound of headphones, so I wonder what's happening there. I use a Youkamoo balanced cable. This brand has a bunch of seemingly well-made $24 headphone cables on Amazon. * or Dekoni's Stellia Limited Edition Pads, which (supposedly) sound even better
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