[xirxes]

delete

 

[Tugbars]

An engineer may not even spend $2500 and he would know he still can get 'quite similar' sound signature at way lower price point since he knows the concept of 'diminishing returns'.

so engineers who make test equipment(like audio analyzer APX555b) shouldn't try too hard and make something *quite similar* to previously available equipment because there is a concept of diminishing returns? Some engineers just enjoy venturing into the unknown and discover new things & improve what already is available. And there are people who are eager to pay for it... I don't understand why this concerns you so much.

 

[adrianm]

imagine how many susvara's they would sell at 3 grand...or how many mercedes they would sell at 20 grand etc

Imagine in some parts of the world you can actually get them for close to that price

 

[rsbrsvp]

Would the Stealth be considered the OPPOSITE of the Utopia in terms of presentation in that the Stealth is ultra smooth and the Utopia is sharp and incisive?

 

[newworld666]

Would the Stealth be considered the OPPOSITE of the Utopia in terms of presentation in that the Stealth is ultra smooth and the Utopia is sharp and incisive?

+1 ... very interesting question which needs some answer

 

[rsbrsvp]

You now, I have found this thread very very interesting.

We head-fiers are crazy picky and I find our perspectives to be very unstable.

Until this very headpone- the stealth, there have been so many complaints about how unbalanced the frequency response is of flagship headphones. Finally we have a headphone that got it so so so close to right, and we complain that it has no slam. Well of course it doesn't, it is not stressing one frequency over the other and evenness equals smoothness.

I remember when the Susvara first came out, for quite a while there were multiple criticisms of it's poor build quality, yet people complain how heavy and strange looking the TC is. So how do we want it? Do we want a light but perfectly durable frame like the Susvara, or do want want something for certain sturdier but crazy heavy and quite weird looking like the TC frame? There is no right answer- but we are all so sensitive about these issues.

We can all review this discussion 1000 times, and I bet we will but bottom line is-- do we want v shaped responses, or W shaped which offer excitement and fun due to discrepancies in frequency response, or do we want a frequency response which is as even and balanced as possible and is smooth but less punchy? We cannot have it all in one headphone.

I love the TC, and no question- it is highly COLORED;- but it is fun and sounds incredible. I love the Susvara, and it is less colored than the TC, less punchy, but smoother and perhaps more realistic. I think the Stealth is taking the Susvara FR one step further from what I am reading here in the evenness direction which means less coloration and more balance.

My tastes are evolving over the years. For quite a while I preferred the TC to the Susvara- and I do listen to modern genres which fit the exaggerated TC bass response better. However- I am in recent months leaning to the Susvara- even for rock. Less slam, less soundstage, but more correct, more balanced, more even keeled, smoother. I am really thinking about going one step further with the Stealth. My hunch is that the FUN headphones which shock us with their hard hitting nature are going to get a much better first response than the smoother counterparts but that after careful listening over time, the latter will become more favorable. Long term appreciation of the beauty of music vs slam me in the face immediate shock..... That is the question.

 

[xirxes]

You now, I have found this thread very very interesting.

We head-fiers are crazy picky and I find our perspectives to be very unstable.

Until this very headpone- the stealth, there have been so many complaints about how unbalanced the frequency response is of flagship headphones. Finally we have a headphone that got it so so so close to right, and we complain that it has no slam. Well of course it doesn't, it is not stressing one frequency over the other and evenness equals smoothness.

I remember when the Susvara first came out, for quite a while there were multiple criticisms of it's poor build quality, yet people complain how heavy and strange looking the TC is. So how do we want it? Do we want a light but perfectly durable frame like the Susvara, or do want want something for certain sturdier but crazy heavy and quite weird looking like the TC frame? There is no right answer- but we are all so sensitive about these issues.

We can all review this discussion 1000 times, and I bet we will but bottom line is-- do we want v shaped responses, or W shaped which offer excitement and fun due to discrepancies in frequency response, or do we want a frequency response which is as even and balanced as possible and is smooth but less punchy? We cannot have it all in one headphone.

I love the TC, and no question- it is highly COLORED;- but it is fun and sounds incredible. I love the Susvara, and it is less colored than the TC, less punchy, but smoother and perhaps more realistic. I think the Stealth is taking the Susvara FR one step further from what I am reading here in the evenness direction which means less coloration and more balance.

My tastes are evolving over the years. For quite a while I preferred the TC to the Susvara- and I do listen to modern genres which fit the exaggerated TC bass response better. However- I am in recent months leaning to the Susvara- even for rock. Less slam, less soundstage, but more correct, more balanced, more even keeled, smoother. I am really thinking about going one step further with the Stealth. My hunch is that the FUN headphones which shock us with their hard hitting nature are going to get a much better first response than the smoother counterparts but that after careful listening over time, the latter will become more favorable. Long term appreciation of the beauty of music vs slam me in the face immediate shock..... That is the question.

I think what you are noticing is, as you say in my opinion, arriving closer to the term Refinement. I think that the FUN of the Stealth is letting all of the musicality of an audio performance really wow you with its reproduction in a very “true to live room” experience, vs the FUN of other cans in terms of adding a level of energy for higher impact layered on top of every performance.

Let’s look to a high end auto show to highlight the sound signatures of these headphones: call TC the Pagani Zonda, the Susvara would be a Ferrari, and let’s have Stealth roll in as a Bentley. All gorgeous and form fitting a different use case.

 

[elira]

Stealth roll in as a Bentley.

Due to the technical excellence of the Stealth I would consider it more like a McLaren. A Bentley sounds more like a ZMF.

 

[Jimthecoffeeguy]

Hi all, got a few questions from a noob to the pros.
I've ordered a set of DCA Stealth and waiting impatiently for them to arrive currently.

I currently own and love a pair of DCA Aeon2 opens, and run them happily with a schitt magnius/modius stack via balanced xlr dummer cable.
I use the headphones for listening to almost anything I can think of. Rock, hip hop, classical, jazz, r&b, edm... you get the idea. And also... (gulp) gaming. Although I'm not sure if I'd be able to bring myself to use stealth for gaming.

Question 1) How would the Stealth compare with the Aeon2 open?

Question 2) are there any areas or aspects I should listen to specifically for differences between the two?

Question 3) should I consider upgrading the dac/amp to get the most out of stealth, is my existing stack more than enough, or will it be a case of diminishing returns?
I'd love to hear any recommendations for a suitable "upgrade path" for these if applicable.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts suggestions or feedback!

 

[xirxes]

Hi all, got a few questions from a noob to the pros.
I've ordered a set of DCA Stealth and waiting impatiently for them to arrive currently.

I currently own and love a pair of DCA Aeon2 opens, and run them happily with a schitt magnius/modius stack via balanced xlr dummer cable.
I use the headphones for listening to almost anything I can think of. Rock, hip hop, classical, jazz, r&b, edm... you get the idea. And also... (gulp) gaming. Although I'm not sure if I'd be able to bring myself to use stealth for gaming.

Question 1) How would the Stealth compare with the Aeon2 open?

Question 2) are there any areas or aspects I should listen to specifically for differences between the two?

Question 3) should I consider upgrading the dac/amp to get the most out of stealth, is my existing stack more than enough, or will it be a case of diminishing returns?
I'd love to hear any recommendations for a suitable "upgrade path" for these if applicable.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts suggestions or feedback!

1) No clue no experience

2) As to Open vs Close to start I recommend Clapton MTV unplugged as it will showcase a very tailor built experience in the Stealth, as for others, look for layering of imaging, soundstage expanse for closed, and increased weight and separation of instruments.

3) Your system will have enough power, my guess is that you may hover 75-85% max gain to get these humming (I’d love to hear feedback on this as it’s a popular stack for reference), and as always it’s okay with the toys you’ve got until you go into ruinous debt for new toys. I would say that you may be at the 80-85% of full Stealth experience with that setup, but the last 15-20% is always expensive, and it comes down a lot of times to taste/preferred flavor of dac/amp as well.

let us know your experience when you get them!

 

[adrianm]

Question 3) should I consider upgrading the dac/amp to get the most out of stealth, is my existing stack more than enough, or will it be a case of diminishing returns?
I'd love to hear any recommendations for a suitable "upgrade path" for these if applicable.

I think it's safe to say you can throw as much money as you want at electronics (the right ones) without worrying about diminishing returns due to headphones. Case in point :

My electronics are worth 10x more than the 2k headphones on the left, and while open back, i have no impulse to upgrade to the latest Meze flagships. I'll probably get the Stealth once i've had a chance to audition them. I still need to hear Susvara+AHB2 and the Audeze CRBN+ WES before dropping open back curiosity for good. While better in some respects, i genuinely hate how fatiguing open backs are with even the tiniest background noise. Of which i have plenty. Even in perfect silence i don't find them much better, let alone 2x the price.
No regrets on the electronics + mains filter though. Heard a solid upgrade that justified the cost every step of the way. And i've used those headphones with everything from a Chord Mojo up to the current setup.

 

[Jimthecoffeeguy]

1) No clue no experience

2) As to Open vs Close to start I recommend Clapton MTV unplugged as it will showcase a very tailor built experience in the Stealth, as for others, look for layering of imaging, soundstage expanse for closed, and increased weight and separation of instruments.

3) Your system will have enough power, my guess is that you may hover 75-85% max gain to get these humming (I’d love to hear feedback on this as it’s a popular stack for reference), and as always it’s okay with the toys you’ve got until you go into ruinous debt for new toys. I would say that you may be at the 80-85% of full Stealth experience with that setup, but the last 15-20% is always expensive, and it comes down a lot of times to taste/preferred flavor of dac/amp as well.

let us know your experience when you get them!

Thanks, the aeons run 50-60% max on high gain so I'd guess the Stealth's not too far away from that power wise. Great to know I'm already most of the way there performance wise too!
Will definately check out Clapton mtv, and also let you know how I find the stealth etc when they arrive

 

[Jimthecoffeeguy]

I think it's safe to say you can throw as much money as you want at electronics (the right ones) without worrying about diminishing returns due to headphones. Case in point :


My electronics are worth 10x more than the 2k headphones on the left, and while open back, i have no impulse to upgrade to the latest Meze flagships. I'll probably get the Stealth once i've had a chance to audition them. I still need to hear Susvara+AHB2 and the Audeze CRBN+ WES before dropping open back curiosity for good. While better in some respects, i genuinely hate how fatiguing open backs are with even the tiniest background noise. Of which i have plenty. Even in perfect silence i don't find them much better, let alone 2x the price.
No regrets on the electronics + mains filter though. Heard a solid upgrade that justified the cost every step of the way. And i've used those headphones with everything from a Chord Mojo up to the current setup.

Sorry, to clarify I meant diminishing returns in terms of sound/sonics to cost ratio.

 

[xirxes]

Thanks, the aeons run 50-60% max on high gain so I'd guess the Stealth's not too far away from that power wise. Great to know I'm already most of the way there performance wise too!
Will definately check out Clapton mtv, and also let you know how I find the stealth etc when they arrive

These are a wholly new, larger power hungry driver. I think you will be surprised at how much the Stealth shrink your headroom on amp.

 

[adrianm]

Sorry, to clarify I meant diminishing returns in terms of sound/sonics to cost ratio.

You're already deep in the wild after going higher than the Aeon 2 closed