Focal Elegia

Focal invites audiophiles to make a date with absolute sound whenever and wherever they want, to dive into an intimate sound bubble, without worrying that a noisy environment is going to interfere with this moment of pure pleasure. Whether it's the motor, the voice coil, the surround or the dome, Focal has once again chosen skilfully created, cutting-edge technologies, developed and assembled in its own workshops to put the very best into these innovative circum-aural closed-back headphones.

Elegia incorporates a new generation of exclusive and low compliance electrodynamic transducers, capable of operating in a small inner environment, whilst ensuring exceptional dynamics, a linear, extended frequency response of 23 kHz and the most precise sound reproduction. Just like the construction of the Elear, Clear and Utopia speaker drivers, Elegia is fitted with a dedicated surround, this time of 110 microns - the geometry of this new, half-roll NBR surround guarantees a lightweight moving part that is always under control, even at the lowest frequencies and the highest volumes.

The frameless, copper voice coil (exclusive to Focal) measuring 4 mm high, is also very lightweight in relation to the traction capacity of the moving part - as such, the signal is reproduced perfectly. Finally, exceptional headphones deserve an exceptional dome. The "M"-shape inverted dome, a major innovation in open-back headphones, is also used for Elegia. Made from an aluminum/magnesium alloy, this dome offers an ideal combination of lightness, high rigidity, and excellent damping. Its "M"-shape gives it a larger emissive surface area for a sensational listening experience. Finally, when combined with portable source equipment, Elegia guarantees remarkable listening quality thanks to its low impedance of just 35 Ohms. This promotes mobility, without scrimping on technological performance.

Loading a speaker driver into a "small room” makes it extremely sensitive to the environment. The manufacturer's 40 years of expertise and know-how led to specific work being undertaken on the vents, so as not to limit the frequency response in the low-range and thus properly manage the air flow. The Elegia's full-range speaker driver, therefore, includes a vent which manages the balance between the bass and the midbass. A second vent, located at the back of the ear cup, picks up the rear wave coming from the center of the motor to avoid any compression and extend the frequency response of the speaker driver. How? By ensuring the connection between the center of the motor and the outer part of the ear cup located beneath the logo. The speaker driver's response in the bass-reflex acoustic loudspeaker is thus extended to the lowest frequencies while providing remarkable linearity and bass articulation. With Elegia, there is no resonance or unwanted additional sound signal to disturb the listening experience. And the closed earpads round off the remarkable soundproofing. The realism and naturalness of the diffused sound is striking from the very first seconds of listening, whether that's at home or outdoors, using the 1.2 m cable fitted with a 3.5 mm stereo jack connector and the 3.5 mm female jack adapter to 6.35 male jack provided with the headphones.

Open to the world around it, Focal doesn't just create high-performance acoustic solutions. The brand goes "beyond" - it creates designer objects and champions a way of life. And Elegia is no exception to this rule. With its well-mastered geometry, the headband molds perfectly to the head, providing optimal grip for on-the-go use. The memory foam microfibre earpads as well as the yoke, which also molds perfectly to the wearer's face shape, are both key contributors to the headphones' supreme comfort. All of this is topped off by the sophisticated, noble materials used, such as leather, microfibre fabric, and solid aluminum, which give Elegia style, design and timelessness. And because Focal oversees the quality of every detail, a thermoformed, rigid carrying case in the shape of the headphones is also provided. Practical for storing and carrying Elegia, this carefully-finished case also provides excellent protection.

Focal has always strictly overseen every stage in the creation of its high-fidelity products, from the development process to industrialization. With Elegia, the extreme light weight of the moving part composing the full-range speaker driver means it is necessary to strictly control the quantities of glue used on the surround-dome/dome-coil connections. A new robot was developed to implement this priority, as well as bringing exceptional repeatability and stability to the production process. This is a manufacturing process where every detail matters, and at the end of it the headphones can boast speaker drivers that provide identical frequency response curves of +/- 0.5 dB. Acoustic performance, excellent soundproofing, optimal comfort - Elegia is becoming the key reference in closed-back audiophile headphones for under €1000. €899 to be precise. Info and photos by Focal.