ELEGIA "OPEN" MOD (a warm 109Pro?)
The increased clamp force using the Chinese "Audeze type" headband caused an unwanted boominess and veiled presentation.
In my attempt to get my project phones (see above) a bit brighter without resorting to EQ, I bit the bullet and made my an opening in the centre of the cup.
I carefully drilled into the wedge shaped soft plastic. I had to be very careful not to push the bit too far, and finished off the opening with a Dremel. Followed by a good vacuuming. This mod is reversible:
- WIN11 > FiiO K7 >Meze "silver" 4.4mm cable > Open Elegias with stock velour pads.
- Compared to Meze 109Pro with Meze copper 4.4mm cable.
- Test Track Easy Money by Ricky Lee Jones (Tidal MQA)
- Hearing profile: older ears, with a dip at 6.5Khz and nothing audible above 12Khz.
Test results:
Isolation - obviously they have lost a lot of the isolation. To be expected.
Bass - a big improvement... the boomy and veiled bass is replaced by a warm bass. The 109s present a tighter more realistic tone on the close miked acoustic bass. I get an image of fingers plucking on the strings.
Winner: Meze.
Mids/Vocals: the open Elegias present a slightly warmer mid range. Ricky's voice is very enjoyable. The 109s are slightly more forward, but present a brighter, actually sibilant tone.
Winner: Elegias.
Treble: The "open" Elegias are warmer. The 109s do a great job of presenting the snare brushes and tambourine cymbals in fine detail. The 109's sibilance is still evident.
Winner: draw. It is a personal preference depending how bright you like your phones.
I feeI can pause on this project for now, as the Elegias are now pleasant to listen to.
I don't think I would have modded my expensive (I paid $1,108 CAD five years ago) Focals, but having to replace the headband opened up my curiosity. A fun project.
EDIT: I reversed this mod using a patch of adhesive vinyl. It's a shiny surface and I believe I have squeezed out a bit more brightness.
BTW, I found the Focal designed vent; it is a small rectangular opening (on the left side), covered in fabric. It vents trough a tube to the back opening.