[plumpudding2]

No burn in, but great first impressions. I might be in the Expanse camp. Weirdly enough I find the top end a bit more extended on the Stealth atm. Though that might just be because of the relationship with the low end.

Oh no, you were one of the last Stealth holdouts. I've seen most Stealth fans in the Stealth thread switch to Expanse.. I guess I'll have to demo it too at some point

 

[alxw0w]

Oh no, you were one of the last Stealth holdouts. I've seen most Stealth fans in the Stealth thread switch to Expanse.. I guess I'll have to demo it too at some point

From a time perspective I would say that I preferred Stealth.

 

[adrianm]

Oh no, you were one of the last Stealth holdouts. I've seen most Stealth fans in the Stealth thread switch to Expanse.. I guess I'll have to demo it too at some point

Well I hadn't heard the Expanse yet, and it's still early days, no burn in.... but It does deliver on what I expected. A slightly airier and ever so slightly more tactile experience. I do like that it has a fuller lower end, but do feel it comes at the expense of a bit of clarity in the lower mids. The HM1 also made up for quite a bit of the difference in soundstage, do the point where it's not such a big deal. I might also use it to tame the bass a bit.
Fiance says i'm way less excited about these than I was after hearing the Stealth so there's that. They aren't going anywhere because I have a need for closed backs at times, but when I don't, it will probably get less head time. It's a bit disheartening how similar they are to each other, but hey, that's what I was after since I haven't heard better.

 

[HONEYBOY]

I'm still a Stealth man, though Expanse is one of the few headphones I regret selling. Owning both seemed a little redundant at the time. Expanse to me had richer body and a more corporeal sound with a slightly warmer tonality, a more readily apparent mid bass and slightly bigger sound stage. Stealth to me had a more apparent sub-bass, a closer to neutral tonality and a smidgeon more incisive within its more confined space. They are both in my view two of the best headphones in current production today when driven well.

 

[ThanatosVI]

No burn in, but great first impressions. I might be in the Expanse camp. Weirdly enough I find the top end a bit more extended on the Stealth atm. Though that might just be because of the relationship with the low end.

The top end is a little more subdued on the Expanse.
Together with the Midbass increase, those are the two main differences in tuning.

I favor the Expanse

 

[adrianm]

I'm still a Stealth man, though Expanse is one of the few headphones I regret selling. Owning both seemed a little redundant at the time. Expanse to me had richer body and a more corporeal sound with a slightly warmer tonality, a more readily apparent mid bass and slightly bigger sound stage. Stealth to me had a more apparent sub-bass, a closer to neutral tonality and a smidgeon more incisive within its more confined space. They are both in my view two of the best headphones in current production today when driven well.

Agreed on all points. So much so that they make me curious about the Corina .
@ThanatosVI care to pitch in? What are you driving it with?

 

[ThanatosVI]

Agreed on all points. So much so that they make me curious about the Corina .
@ThanatosVI care to pitch in? What are you driving it with?

The Expanse or the Corina?

 

[number1sixerfan]

I'm still a Stealth man, though Expanse is one of the few headphones I regret selling. Owning both seemed a little redundant at the time. Expanse to me had richer body and a more corporeal sound with a slightly warmer tonality, a more readily apparent mid bass and slightly bigger sound stage. Stealth to me had a more apparent sub-bass, a closer to neutral tonality and a smidgeon more incisive within its more confined space. They are both in my view two of the best headphones in current production today when driven well.

This was pretty much my exact take after trying the Stealth. In your other recent post in the Stealth thread, which also resonated with me, you mentioned the timbral accuracy point in favor of the Stealth (not necessarily in comparison to the Expanse). At the time of listening, I was using the Expanse as a reference point and saw it as a bit more accurate with the slight additional body. I own the Expanse, but had a good amount of time with the Corina (which I thought was good definitely overall across the board, not groundbreaking, but def good), Expanse and then Stealth--in that order at the Chicago CanJam, in a room practically with me as the only listener.

The Expanse was also a quite bit airier and more open, which is to be expected though. I do want to give the Stealth another chance on my particular system. I enjoy the Expanse a lot, and they are definitely redundant, but mainly in good ways.

 

[HONEYBOY]

Agreed on all points. So much so that they make me curious about the Corina .
@ThanatosVI care to pitch in? What are you driving it with?

Corina is a different beast. I have only heard it in Can Jams. I would never advise anyone to assess a DCA headphone based in a Can Jam like setting, but I think I am in alignment with @number1sixerfan, and as he surmised it is not "groundbreaking", at least not in the same way I think of the Stealth as a closed back headphone. It's an intentional departure from the typical e-stat sound. I think even Dan alluded to this being positioned to sound uniquely different from the other e-stats thereby carving out its own space. It's actually quite bassy and rich which are almost terms antithetical to e-stat headphones. I am not sure, I liked it due to my biases, but definitely one to hear again.

This was pretty much my exact take after trying the Stealth. In your other recent post in the Stealth thread, which also resonated with me, you mentioned the timbral accuracy point in favor of the Stealth (not necessarily in comparison to the Expanse). At the time of listening, I was using the Expanse as a reference point and saw it as a bit more accurate with the slight additional body. I own the Expanse, but had a good amount of time with the Corina (which I thought was good definitely overall across the board, not groundbreaking, but def good), Expanse and then Stealth--in that order at the Chicago CanJam, in a room practically with me as the only listener.

The Expanse was also a quite bit airier and more open, which is to be expected though. I do want to give the Stealth another chance on my particular system. I enjoy the Expanse a lot, and they are definitely redundant, but mainly in good ways.

Right on man. I think that's fair if someone views the slightly meatier sound of the Expanse as more accurate. Due to the purity of the Stealth's sound I have built a system around it to maximize its traits and strengthen its shortcomings (which are few). In my experiments I have tried a ton of amps with the Stealth and unfortunately it sounds the best with these which are crazy expensive: WA23 Luna, HM1, Riviera AIC10, ampandsound Red October. Not saying it doesn't sound great with anything else, but with those it's more jaw on the floor kind of vibe lol. Also, don't forget the source, this headphone, more than any other I have tried is very revealing of the DAC or upstream components. I'd be curious to hear if you try it with the CFA3.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Hey guys, I'm thinking of selling my Ether 2 to fund an upgrade to a DCA Stealth OR Expanse (leaning toward expanse since it's open backed).

Anyone able to briefly describe what Stealth vs Expanse sounds like for those who've owned both? Also would love to know how you feel the Ether 2 compares to the Expanse. I'm assuming it's a step up but would love to hear some general thoughts on whether it's an upgrade/ side grade / tuning difference etc.

I plan on using this on a Schiit Lyr+ .. I'm hoping this will be a good amp pairing with the DCA Expanse.. Anyone out there try this combo? If so, how was it?

Thanks!

I have no experience with Stealth or Lyr+, but I’ve had Expanse since June and Ether 2 for many years — actually wore out the original stock pads.

Overall, I’d say Expanse and E2 are close relatives. E2 is less refined, and has some roll-off at the highest frequencies. This is the most noticeable difference, and it’s pretty obvious in a direct A/B comparison. I would call Expanse somewhat more linear/referency. Sub-bass might come through a bit more from E2, but that could also be an artifact of E2’s more subdued treble.

Expanse headstage is a bit more open/3d and also somewhat more precise (which finding surprised me as I’ve always admired the E2 stage/image).

That said, I enjoy my E2 very much, and they’ve always been my ‘nighttime/in bed listen’.

So, bottom line, I do hear Expanse as an upgrade, but certainly not a ‘night-and-day’ improvement. On the other hand, if your biggest criticism of the E2 is the highs, then Expanse will be a worthy upgrade.

Also, while Expanse isn’t uber-light like the E2, I do find them very comfortable.

 

[XGeneX88]

I have no experience with Stealth or Lyr+, but I’ve had Expanse since June and Ether 2 for many years — actually wore out the original stock pads.

Overall, I’d say Expanse and E2 are close relatives. E2 is less refined, and has some roll-off at the highest frequencies. This is the most noticeable difference, and it’s pretty obvious in a direct A/B comparison. I would call Expanse somewhat more linear/referency. Sub-bass might come through a bit more from E2, but that could also be an artifact of E2’s more subdued treble.

Expanse headstage is a bit more open/3d and also somewhat more precise (which finding surprised me as I’ve always admired the E2 stage/image).

That said, I enjoy my E2 very much, and they’ve always been my ‘nighttime/in bed listen’.

So, bottom line, I do hear Expanse as an upgrade, but certainly not a ‘night-and-day’ improvement. On the other hand, if your biggest criticism of the E2 is the highs, then Expanse will be a worthy upgrade.

Also, while Expanse isn’t uber-light like the E2, I do find them very comfortable.

Thank you! I actually enjoy the treble on the Ether 2. I like its smooth nature but feel the technicalities could be slightly improved. They’re a bit dark sounding to my ears and a tad less detailed & resolving as a result. Is the Expanse similarly tuned or are they really not a “dark” sounding headphone at all?

 

[alxw0w]

Thank you! I actually enjoy the treble on the Ether 2. I like its smooth nature but feel the technicalities could be slightly improved. They’re a bit dark sounding to my ears and a tad less detailed & resolving as a result. Is the Expanse similarly tuned or are they really not a “dark” sounding headphone at all?

Expanse is different than Ether 2.
I had both Ether was close to Meze OG in it's darker tonality, mostly because of whole midrange elevation and slight subdued upper midrange and treble area.

Expanse is way more linear and not as dark/murky like Ether is.
But on the other hand 'highs' are not as elevated as for example the ones from Hifiman offerings.

 

[XGeneX88]

Expanse is different than Ether 2.
I had both Ether was close to Meze OG in it's darker tonality, mostly because of whole midrange elevation and slight subdued upper midrange and treble area.

Expanse is way more linear and not as dark/murky like Ether is.
But on the other hand 'highs' are not as elevated as for example the ones from Hifiman offerings.

Ah ok ty. Expanse sounds like what I’m looking for. Appreciate all the input from everyone!

 

[LCMusicLover]

… Is the Expanse similarly tuned or are they really not a “dark” sounding headphone at all?

Expanse is brighter than E2.

Expanse is different than Ether 2. I had both Ether was close to Meze OG in its darker tonality …

I agree, but I would put Ether 2 about halfway between Meze Empyrean and Expanse tonality-wise.

… Expanse is way more linear and not as dark/murky like Ether is.
But on the other hand 'highs' are not as elevated as for example the ones from Hifiman offerings.

Yep, my HEKse is definitely brighter than Expanse.

 

[adrianm]

TLDR, best way I can summarize the Expanse experience so far is "a more epic sounding Stealth". Bass might be a bit overdone, but it's up there with the most satisfying i've heard (Behind LCD-4 and D8k Pro Le, maybe even Utopia), but while keeping all the AMTS goodness. Curious to see if they will change after burn in.