Hey man, good to see you. I am still discovering the Stealth. How do you like them for metal? My first impressions: very different to anything else I own. A little lean down low and forward in upper mids. But for now I'm thinking of these as complementary..
The Stealths are alright with metal, but not outstanding. I definitely grab other headphones for that. The Stealths aren’t number one for hip-hop either, but they are still good. I think the Stealths add a different flavor to my collection of headphones, and that’s why I’ve kept them. But nowadays, I listen to about 40% Shangri La Sr, 40% TCs, 20% other.
The Stealths are alright with metal, but not outstanding. I definitely grab other headphones for that. The Stealths aren’t number one for hip-hop either, but they are still good. I think the Stealths add a different flavor to my collection of headphones, and that’s why I’ve kept them. But nowadays, I listen to about 40% Shangri La Sr, 40% TCs, 20% other.
I use them for modern pop or alternative rock. Stuff that might not be mastered the absolute best or is mastered with elevated treble. For me the Stealth is smooth up top. Very detailed but they don't add any distortion in the treble that makes some stuff to hot for me. Just my two cents.
I don't think that it is really genre specific, it's recording specific. They're very revealing headphones. If the album was well mastered then it will sound amazing on the Stealths. If the quality of the album isn't so great then the Stealths won't really flatter it. I've found that blues/jazz sounds quite good with the Stealths. Such as a bit of Jiro Inagaki
I really love Stealth with the Burson 3XP GT with SIL-994 op-amps in the voltage gain stage while keeping stock op-amps at the other two position. Adds like 5% more bass punch and the mids more up-front but not too in your face, while retaining the spaciousness of the stock V6 Vivid op-amp config. This amp pairing is fun, while still allowing high resolution, plus the increased sense of stereo/instrument separation in true balanced mode is why I prefer it over the TT2, unless I am looking for the utmost treble realism. The TT2/HMS smokes the other amps when it comes to treble detail. Both get an A from me.
The Formula S / Powerman combo was also quite good. Slightly warm-ish amp with excellent bass handling (the best I've heard with Stealth honestly) compared to TT2. The stage is not as deep, and the treble is a hair subdued as well. Both the TT2 and 3XP GT had better separation and sense of clarity to my ears.
On a tipping point of buying the Noire vs the Stealth. Kinda newbie in the audio world, but what i hear a lot is tuning the LCD-XC so it compensates for the lack of bass. Why not do that for the Stealths as well? I listen mostly to Hip Hop and House music. Felt that (a not burned-in) Stealth lacked bass compared to the Noire, but had a wider stage and more clarity. Why i would spend more then double compared to the XC is ‘cause its portable/looks better/is waaaay more comfortable to me. Just wondering why nobody talks about eq-ing while with the Audeze everyone is talking about eq-ing it.
I use my Stealth for EDM and add 4db shelf at 80Hz and it works well. I think the Stealth has good sub bass but not overly emphasized in mid bass or 40-50 Hz. At least in comparison to what you may want for EDM or hip hop. A little EQ dials it in for me. And I agree they are way more comfortable than Audeze. And I own 6 different Audeze headphones.
Well, since there are two threads on this headphone, I guess I will ask my questions here.
I paired the Stealth with the Woo WA8 and get audible distortion from the bass and sub bass in the rest of the spectrum. The WA8 should have 14V+ Vrms which should be plenty to drive the Stealth cleanly. I don't listen at high levels (78-82 according to the apple Headphone Accommodations app). I'm taking this as an impedance mismatch/inability of the Woo to drive the Stealth.
I use my Erzetich Medousa (fully balanced 12Au7/SS hybrid) which is about 335mw into 32ohms and I can drive the stealth very cleanly. Same with the Hugo 2/2go. No issues there.
I can't believe that a product that Is portable/transportable that a portable/transportable DAC/amp or DAP can't drive these things.
Well, since there are two threads on this headphone, I guess I will ask my questions here.
I paired the Stealth with the Woo WA8 and get audible distortion from the bass and sub bass in the rest of the spectrum. The WA8 should have 14V+ Vrms which should be plenty to drive the Stealth cleanly. I don't listen at high levels (78-82 according to the apple Headphone Accommodations app). I'm taking this as an impedance mismatch/inability of the Woo to drive the Stealth.
I use my Erzetich Medousa (fully balanced 12Au7/SS hybrid) which is about 335mw into 32ohms and I can drive the stealth very cleanly. Same with the Hugo 2/2go. No issues there.
I can't believe that a product that Is portable/transportable that a portable/transportable DAC/amp or DAP can't drive these things.
It seems like Woo WA8 has problems with low impedance headphones. Low impedance headphones need more of a current than voltage swing.
According to wa8 official page:
As you can see output power is the highest @ 50 ohm. On 32 ohm it's already falling down. With stealth 23ohms its probably less than 200mW (closer to 150 or 100 mW).
So you probably need more power to your listening levels (even though these are not high, 78-82db)
p.s Mind you, on bass heavy tracks (or lets call it dark/bassy music without much sounds in treble area) you can be indeed listening much louder. Our ears can tolerate low frequency sound at much much higher levels.
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, but they just sound super clean to me.
