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Focal Elegia

Printed From: Graham Slee Hifi System Components
Category: Headphone Audio
Forum Name: Graham Slee Headphone Amps
Forum Description: Questions, answers and product information zone for Graham Slee Headphone Amplifiers
URL: https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5494
Printed Date: 28 Mar 2024 at 12:31pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: Focal Elegia
Posted By: robbiec
Subject: Focal Elegia
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2022 at 12:49am
I seem to have a liking for Focal products, in the living room I have a pair of Focal Aria 906's, in the office a pair of Focal 706V's and I have a pair of Focal Elegia closed back headphones on the way. To drive these I have a GS Voyager (typically driving a pair of AKG headphones) and I recently picked up a GS Bitzie to sit between computers and incoming Elegia's.

Does anyone have experience of these headphones and could perhaps suggest a suitable Headphone Amp from Mr Slee's range? 


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Hang on tightly, let go lightly.

Voyager x 2 | Bitzie | Gran Amp 2 SE | Solo SRGII | PSU1 x 3 | Proprius x 2 | Majestic | Rega Planar 2 & Exact | Focal Aria & Elegia



Replies:
Posted By: robbiec
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2022 at 1:56pm
I've taken a punt and picked up a Solo SRGII with PSU1 to power it. Hopefully it and the Elegia will gel. 

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Hang on tightly, let go lightly.

Voyager x 2 | Bitzie | Gran Amp 2 SE | Solo SRGII | PSU1 x 3 | Proprius x 2 | Majestic | Rega Planar 2 & Exact | Focal Aria & Elegia


Posted By: lfc jon
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2022 at 6:26pm
Originally posted by robbiec robbiec wrote:

I've taken a punt and picked up a Solo SRGII with PSU1 to power it. Hopefully it and the Elegia will gel. 

I don't think your going to be unhappy with it, this little headphone amp will work with almost any headphone. Don't forget to burn them in, I found that out, as straight out of the box they didn't sound good at all but after around three day both headphones and amp sounded well better the difference was night and day and they got better over the coming weeks.


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Reflex M, Solo (both with PSU-1) CuSat50, Lautus, Spatia & Spatia links cables. Ortofon Bronze.


Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2022 at 6:27pm
Sorry Robbie. I didn't respond earlier to say any of the Solo models are really good and the green is a good move with rising energy costs. Happy listening!

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Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.


Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2022 at 7:47pm
35 Ohm impedance and 105dB/mW electrical sensitivity; Solo SRGII or ULDE is fine for such a load.

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We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.


Posted By: robbiec
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2022 at 8:23pm
Thanks all for your replies, appreciate it. The next few days and weeks will be fun for my ears I hope.
I have a separate power supply coming for the Bitzie / Lautus. Elegia should arrive at some stage this week followed by the Solo. Would I be correct in thinking that Dell XPS into Bitzie via Lautus / 5V PSU into Focal Elegia will be pretty good assuming the source digital files are of good quality. I should expect a potential step up if I go XPS - Bitzie - Solo - Elegia? 


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Hang on tightly, let go lightly.

Voyager x 2 | Bitzie | Gran Amp 2 SE | Solo SRGII | PSU1 x 3 | Proprius x 2 | Majestic | Rega Planar 2 & Exact | Focal Aria & Elegia


Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2022 at 9:18pm
Depending on the load but, in most cases, I highly doubt adding a Solo onto the Bitzie will provide any real benefit at all. Been there; tried that, with high impedance loads. The Bitzie contains a very capable headphone amplifier for the 5V. A higher purity power supply for the DAC would be a better choice than additional amplification IMO. Better yet, if you have a computer with PCIe slot access (Dell laptop probably has an M.2 slot for an NVMe SSD) then with an adapter cable, you could connect a PCIe USB soundcard with its own dedicated 5V supply to the computer and feed the Bitzie a super pure signal via Lautus PowerWire using same supply for Bitzie. Perhaps ignore the last suggestion as it isn't tidy.

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We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.


Posted By: robbiec
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2022 at 9:55pm
OK beginning to get it now. So really you're suggesting keeping it as simple as possible - 
I'll have a few options - 

Smartphone - (Mp3 / Flac / Wav) - Voyager - Elegia (very mobile) 
Laptop - (Mp3 / Flac / Wav) - Bitzie - Elegia (fairly mobile)
PC - (Mp3 / Flac / Wav) - Bitzie + Lautus + PSU - Elegia (static digital)

For the living room I have a P******t Debut III with an Ortofon Red going into a Onkyo 9010 into Focal Aria 906's - the Solo SRGII would allow me to have a dedicated Headphone output? while I work back and presumably look to go Majestic + Proprius into Aria 906 and think about something like a Rega 3 into a Era Gold V? 


-------------
Hang on tightly, let go lightly.

Voyager x 2 | Bitzie | Gran Amp 2 SE | Solo SRGII | PSU1 x 3 | Proprius x 2 | Majestic | Rega Planar 2 & Exact | Focal Aria & Elegia


Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2022 at 10:25pm
Only thing I would add onto the Bitzie is Proprius if driving speakers. I wouldn't personally bother with a separate headamp; I'd just buy a better headphone if not satisfied. That's just me, I might not be right. If I wanted to take Bitzie to the max, I would do this:

Computer> Pink Faun PCIe USB soundcard + Slee DAK 5V supply > Lautus PowerWire + Slee DAK 5V supply > Bitzie DAC/preamp > MySphere 3.1/3.2 (or Lautus phono-XLR>2xProprius>Mark Audio CHR-120)

Evil Smile


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We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.


Posted By: lfc jon
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2022 at 10:27pm
Robbie
 Keeping it simple IMO is best because if you don't get it right first time sound wise there is too many variables and it will start to get expensive.


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Reflex M, Solo (both with PSU-1) CuSat50, Lautus, Spatia & Spatia links cables. Ortofon Bronze.


Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2022 at 10:36pm
You don't need a lot for fantastic sound quality. Simplify where you can and preserve signal integrity from the earliest opportunity.

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We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.


Posted By: robbiec
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2022 at 11:04pm
Sorry, I think I've confused the issue. I've come at this in a way slightly unusual to most. I've had a GS Voyager for years and also a DAK Novo and DAK Genera so I recognise the Graham Slee sound while not going completely audiophile. I gave up smoking after 35 years, 4 weeks ago today and I've been giving myself some treats. 2 weeks ago it was a Bitzie, 1 weeks ago a pair of Focal Elegia's and today for being a good boy I found a GS Solo SRGII with a PSU1. 
The majority of my working day is either spent in an IT lab where I'll be joined at the hip to a laptop or if I'm at home joined at the hip to my main PC in my home office / games room attic. I'm fairly confident that a std USB Type C to Type B (0.5m) will suffice for main office / lab work. My main PC however is also my editing machine for my photographic endeavours and also my VR setup so I'm quite happy to have a static Lautus Power cable hanging off it. I might have a question separately for Ash as to why I might need a separate PCIe to USB card to feed Bitzie with data? 
Where I confused the issue was wondering if Bitzie + Solo => Elegia and Ash answered that perfectly. However I also do have an analog system in the living room which might benefit from a refresh in the source and amplification department. The Solo can stay in there for times when I'm not allowed to listen to Deep Purple at neighbourhood unfriendly volumes.
So I think I've sorted my listening via Headphones in a mobile / static manner :), now I'm planning the best way to make my Focal Aria's sing with my vinyl collection and possibly the TV and Xbox which would make the Majestic an obvious candidate alongside a duo of Proprius. 


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Hang on tightly, let go lightly.

Voyager x 2 | Bitzie | Gran Amp 2 SE | Solo SRGII | PSU1 x 3 | Proprius x 2 | Majestic | Rega Planar 2 & Exact | Focal Aria & Elegia


Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2022 at 5:57am
Using the PCIe interface of a computer, you can access the datastream of the CPU directly and combine it with improved voltage regulation, low electronic noise, a better clock and a power supply separate from the PC. This can only improve a DAC's ability to perform.

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We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.


Posted By: robbiec
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2022 at 9:52am
So its a €400+ filter? :D

I'm looking at my main PC, the motherboard is an Asus Crosshair VIII with a Ryzen R9 5950X powered by a Seasonic Prime 1000W Platinum PSU (arguably one of the better PSU's out there - with best in business ripple suppression and voltage regulation) and I know that 4 of the 12 USB ports on the back are directly connected to the CPU. The motherboard is also interesting in that the power delivery to the CPU is overkill with over specced VRMs so the CPU has a very stable and clean power delivery.

So my question is this, surely a USB port with a direct trace back to the CPU will have a cleaner data flow than an add in card that needs to handle the physical layer of the PCIe connection, filter the power from the MB, transverse through a Southbridge (as invariably a PCIe x4 lane is driven from a Southbridge) to reach the CPU and then resolve any micro / nano timing differences and then also handle the return and any extra noisy influences like BLE cards, Raid cards that will also be demanding time on the PCIe bus?


-------------
Hang on tightly, let go lightly.

Voyager x 2 | Bitzie | Gran Amp 2 SE | Solo SRGII | PSU1 x 3 | Proprius x 2 | Majestic | Rega Planar 2 & Exact | Focal Aria & Elegia


Posted By: robbiec
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2022 at 10:26am
Ash, pulling your leg a little :). Pricing of those cards seems to fall into the reassuringly expensive category but if you wanted an especially clean output to a DAC then they may very well do the trick. I am wondering though if they are trying to fix a problem that has already been engineered out in the last decade or so, especially in higher end PC's. 

-------------
Hang on tightly, let go lightly.

Voyager x 2 | Bitzie | Gran Amp 2 SE | Solo SRGII | PSU1 x 3 | Proprius x 2 | Majestic | Rega Planar 2 & Exact | Focal Aria & Elegia


Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2022 at 7:47pm
I guess it depends on the motherboard. Modern gaming motherboards tend to have very good sound considerations already. Maybe it is just marketing that I have bought into but I'm wiling to give it some consideration. No power is "filtered" from the motherboard; it is only the data lines that are connected. The power supply is external and separate from the PC.

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We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.


Posted By: robbiec
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2022 at 9:30am
I've disabled the sound card on my board and am using the Bitzie 'As' the de-facto sound card for my main PC and it works pretty well. For giggles I took the output from the Bitzie and piped that into a cheap mini amp that drives my Focal Chorus 706 speakers and the improvement was tangible.   

-------------
Hang on tightly, let go lightly.

Voyager x 2 | Bitzie | Gran Amp 2 SE | Solo SRGII | PSU1 x 3 | Proprius x 2 | Majestic | Rega Planar 2 & Exact | Focal Aria & Elegia


Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2022 at 8:08am
I guess a major advantage of such a PCIe card is that any computer can be permitted to produce fantastic sound quality, even those with older motherboards, electrically noisy components and poorer voltage regulation. I personally opted for a S/PDIF card so I could avoid USB completely and experiment with using small single board computers that can be used as streamers but are powerful enough to be a desktop PC and have the architecture to run Windows.

So any computer with PCIe hardware access can be compared on a level playing field.


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We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.


Posted By: robbiec
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2022 at 9:49am
Elegia's arrived yesterday - protective wrappers are still on the zip handles and the plugs of the cable. Is that an hi-fi headphone thing I wonder where they know that in reality they are only renting or ownership will be short term.  Quality wise, they are comfy and well made. 
Sound wise, the thing that jumps out for me is how revealing Bitzie and Elegia are. I have for the first time opened an account with Tidal to hear tracks at what they classify as Master level (2304+ kbps) because now I can hear the difference. The other thing is the temptation to turn Bitzie up :) if you're in a quiet location between 7 & 8 O'Clock on Bitzie is more than enough, throw on a high quality recording and you're at 12 because you're getting into it. Anything beyond 1PM and I think you're probably beginning to damage your ears even through the quality is fantastic. 
There is a 10 minute remaster of Child in Time on Tidal and at about 3 mins there is a massive opening of the soundstage as the band take off and you're tweaking Bitzie to 3PM :D,  


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Hang on tightly, let go lightly.

Voyager x 2 | Bitzie | Gran Amp 2 SE | Solo SRGII | PSU1 x 3 | Proprius x 2 | Majestic | Rega Planar 2 & Exact | Focal Aria & Elegia


Posted By: robbiec
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2022 at 9:58am
Originally posted by Ash Ash wrote:

I personally opted for a S/PDIF card so I could avoid USB completely and experiment with using small single board computers that can be used as streamers but are powerful enough to be a desktop PC and have the architecture to run Windows.

S/PDIF card in a primary computer linked to smaller secondary computers which work as streamers?


-------------
Hang on tightly, let go lightly.

Voyager x 2 | Bitzie | Gran Amp 2 SE | Solo SRGII | PSU1 x 3 | Proprius x 2 | Majestic | Rega Planar 2 & Exact | Focal Aria & Elegia


Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2022 at 12:59pm
S/PDIF PCIe card on my PC motherboard, with dual coaxial output, one of which feeds the Majestic DAC. Completely bypasses any USB layer.

The Focal Elegia is a low impedance, high sensitivity load. I'm not surprised that the Bitzie drives it loud with plenty of dial turn remaining.


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We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.


Posted By: robbiec
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2022 at 2:03pm
Understand now. That makes sense. A Pink Faun SPDIF bridge Smile perhaps?

PC with Flac | Lautus Power Wire | Bitzie | Focal Elegia and i'm a pretty happy camper. I get to listen to old favorites and discover them again anew.  

Off now to plan the vinyl side of the house. Proprius + Accession seems to be the route. 



-------------
Hang on tightly, let go lightly.

Voyager x 2 | Bitzie | Gran Amp 2 SE | Solo SRGII | PSU1 x 3 | Proprius x 2 | Majestic | Rega Planar 2 & Exact | Focal Aria & Elegia


Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2022 at 2:33pm
My system has been built around the Majestic-Proprius combination for several years because it provides all the sonic qualities I want. It is both precise and enjoyable. I don't really care about hifi; not really, I am motivated primarily by the music I like. 

Yes, I have a Pink Faun S/PDIF with dual coax out so in theory, I could have a double DAC system and do digital filters with speakers instead, to beat my very expensive but fantastic headphones. Or I could have one system for driving my reference headphone (no EQ) and the second system for independently EQ'ing the speakers. I am very happy with the S/PDIF card; it just works. A clear, transparent and expressive sound is achieved. If I were to choose USB as the digital interface and use the Pink Faun USB bridge, I would have to buy a Bitzie so I could split a single USB output into coax and optical outputs so I could double DAC with two Majestic. Would mean an extra product and cable and it wouldn't be any better than the S/PDIF bridge because Majestic converts USB back to S/PDIF before the D-A conversion.


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We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.


Posted By: robbiec
Date Posted: 25 Jul 2022 at 8:55am
I'm liking the sound of PC (primarily Tidal streaming) | Bitzie | Elegia via Lautus USB - Power wire. This is my ne plus ultra for sound at home right now. Interestingly enough, Dell XPS | Bitzie | Elegia via Ugreen Type C to Type A cable caused a cousin to start bawling while listening to a U2 song. Emotional involvement box ticked! :) 

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Hang on tightly, let go lightly.

Voyager x 2 | Bitzie | Gran Amp 2 SE | Solo SRGII | PSU1 x 3 | Proprius x 2 | Majestic | Rega Planar 2 & Exact | Focal Aria & Elegia


Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 25 Jul 2022 at 6:18pm
Bitzie and Majestic both carry forward a very neutral and emotionally engaging sound. I listen to a lot of audio on youtube as I am interested in covers of game/film music. There is a lot of raw footage with live real instruments that is skillfully mixed/mastered and my system really enhances my enjoyment. Some of us don't care about super hi-res audio even though we spend a lot on our equipment. I still haven't listened to a single 24-bit recording with my £3.5k MySphere 3.1 after almost four years of ownership. All my reference stuff is 16-bit 44.1kHz CD quality. Hi-res doesn't mean well mastered or enjoyable to listen to.

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We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.


Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 25 Jul 2022 at 7:16pm
Apart from unevenness in the dB SPL response of my latest CHR-120 speaker drivers, I am enjoying them more than my headphone. CHR-120 cost me about £165 for a pair whereas MySphere 3.1 with accessories cost me about £3700 in total. If one has a pair of Proprius, DIY speaker audio is so much better value for money than high-end headphones. Not to say MS 3.1 isn't an outstanding headphone (it is fantastic!) but if I sold it, I could splash out on an incredible DIY speaker arrangement. Like five CHR-120 full-range woofers per channel in a star arrangement, four of them for deep bass. I want to do it with a second Majestic-Proprius chain and really see how far speakers have come!!

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We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.



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