[801evan]

That is exactly the problem with this chase of “wider soundstage”. The AFC 2 Noire and even the Sennheiser HD800S gets beaten by an average headphone like the AirPods Max. If you watch a movie, the direction of the sounds are completely off.

So I am always a bit hesitant when I hear headphone X or amplifier X has a wider soundstage so it is amazing.

A wise person, you are.

I can get the hd800s sound good and it sounds like a baby LCD4. And the soundstage gets much smaller. But the sound is full, the midbass bass quantity / balance is perfect. But at this level, it is creamed by planar. So anyone saying the soundstage of 800s is wide isn't driving it correctly.

 

[ubs28]

A wise person, you are.

I can get the hd800s sound good and it sounds like a baby LCD4. And the soundstage gets much smaller. But the sound is full, the midbass bass quantity / balance is perfect. But at this level, it is creamed by planar. So anyone saying the soundstage of 800s is wide isn't driving it correctly.

Well, it is quite easy. If I look at the screen in front of me, the sound should be coming from the direction that corresponds to the movie on the screen. The Apple AirPods Max does this correctly. Same with my speakers.

And I am driving it correctly as I hear no difference directly from Dave vs Dave + $10.000 interconnect cables + Taurus Mk2. Even my 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro (yes, a laptop) drives the Sennheiser HD 800S without problems.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Well, a few more days with the CMA 15 and Stealth...dare I say it seems to throw a better/more open stage than the TT2? I've had to remove them from my head a couple times just to check that I don't have my speakers on. Haven't done that since driving them out of the TT2. I don't have the TT2 with me anymore, so I can't directly compare. I was worried after selling the TT2 because I thought I'd lost the magic I had heard from the Stealth. Very similar to how Zeos described plugging them into various amps that should do well on paper, but don't bring out the magic in the Stealth. Happy to confirm that the CMA 15 is a great match and brings out the best in the Stealth. It's also a really solid piece of gear that just exudes quality from every angle. Thanks for introducing me to this @Nomax. At half the price of the TT2, it's a bargain.

I have been Questyle fanboy since 2016 (CMA600i, then CMA12 Master). Last year move up to Chord TT2, and few weeks ago I got home loaned CMA 15.

Definitely good value for the price, especially in term of transparency, detail, black background, and clean impact/bites. However on my set up that time (meze elite, zmf verite open and audeze lcd-5) I prefer TT2 due to more fluid feeling, smoother presentation, even better detail and black background, combine with more proportional of soundstage (especially depth).

CMA 15 is more energetic and brighter (not thinner) than TT2, I can imagine LCD-5 owner may prefer to it to "lighten" up the treble response. I haven't tried Stealth though, so can't comment on that.

 

[ra990]

CMA 15 can drive 1266?

I just sold the 1266 (will be trying LCD5 next). I have no doubt it would be able to drive them well because they were very close to the Stealth in how hard they were to drive. With the Stealth, I'm never past 2'oclock on the volume dial, so I estimate at max, I would just need to push the volume a bit further for the 1266. I wish had the chance to try the combination, but wanted to get the 1266 to the new owner ASAP.

 

[ra990]

I have been Questyle fanboy since 2016 (CMA600i, then CMA12 Master). Last year move up to Chord TT2, and few weeks ago I got home loaned CMA 15.

Definitely good value for the price, especially in term of transparency, detail, black background, and clean impact/bites. However on my set up that time (meze elite, zmf verite open and audeze lcd-5) I prefer TT2 due to more fluid feeling, smoother presentation, even better detail and black background, combine with more proportional of soundstage (especially depth).

CMA 15 is more energetic and brighter (not thinner) than TT2, I can imagine LCD-5 owner may prefer to it to "lighten" up the treble response. I haven't tried Stealth though, so can't comment on that.

TT2 reigns supreme with it's almost unlimited power on tap and ability to be to completely isolated via battery and toslink. But, for the price, this CMA fifteen would be my new all-in-one recommendation for anything less than Susvara/HE6 level loads. I am not usually a fan of the ESS dacs, but this one sounds very organic and meaty, likely thanks to the current mode amplification.

 

[bearcatsandor]

How well would the Stealth's perform as a full stack (recording and mixing monitoring, mastering) headphone in a studio. I'd like to use one as my headphone for such endeavours. Any drawbacks to be considered?

 

[801evan]

How well would the Stealth's perform as a full stack (recording and mixing monitoring, mastering) headphone in a studio. I'd like to use one as my headphone for such endeavours. Any drawbacks to be considered?

Stealth is the way to go. Every other headphone has ear pad resonance that can mess with your judgement. It needs a bit more current that not all amps can provide.

 

[ra990]

How well would the Stealth's perform as a full stack (recording and mixing monitoring, mastering) headphone in a studio. I'd like to use one as my headphone for such endeavours. Any drawbacks to be considered?

Excellent for mixing and mastering, but not ideal for tracking due to it's weight, cables on both sides, and positioning impacting the sound. I use it frequently in post, but not while recording.

 

[Nomax]

Stealth is the way to go. Every other headphone has ear pad resonance that can mess with your judgement. It needs a bit more current that not all amps can provide.

My words in the past ...no reflections inside the cups

NOMAX

 

[Nomax]

I have been Questyle fanboy since 2016 (CMA600i, then CMA12 Master). Last year move up to Chord TT2, and few weeks ago I got home loaned CMA 15.

Definitely good value for the price, especially in term of transparency, detail, black background, and clean impact/bites. However on my set up that time (meze elite, zmf verite open and audeze lcd-5) I prefer TT2 due to more fluid feeling, smoother presentation, even better detail and black background, combine with more proportional of soundstage (especially depth).

CMA 15 is more energetic and brighter (not thinner) than TT2, I can imagine LCD-5 owner may prefer to it to "lighten" up the treble response. I haven't tried Stealth though, so can't comment on that.

I agree...Cma 15 is much more brighter and sounds much more livelier as the TT2

And the Master12 to dark and to much body

The Stealth needs an powerful Amp that provides brightness to illuminate the room/cups without tending to sharpness paired with the right dose/quantity
in the low end

( A Chord Dave with much more power would be interesting)


NOMAX

PS.Bassheads should take the master 12

 

[Nomax]

I'll bite in my ass if Dan Clark manages to build some kind of stealth which has an efficiency of at least 98-102db
(What will definitely not work to the extent is an open back stealth,other acousticians from the competition that i know have already told me that)

NOMAX

PS.Then he can immediately start thinking about where he makes them
( much more units)

 

[bearcatsandor]

Excellent for mixing and mastering, but not ideal for tracking due to it's weight, cables on both sides, and positioning impacting the sound. I use it frequently in post, but not while recording.

Stealth is the way to go. Every other headphone has ear pad resonance that can mess with your judgement. It needs a bit more current that not all amps can provide.

Thank you both. I'm building up a portable studio for ambisonic/binaural soundscape recording. I'm wondering how robust the Stealths are, and whether they'd stand up to a light rain.

 

[duranxv]

It's incredible how well the DCA Stealth handles EQ. It's definitely the AMT tech it's using because it handles big bass boosts like a champ without getting overwhelmed. I've boosted the bass quite a bit, and can even get them rumbling almost like a Fostex TH900 at this point. Of course, nothing will match the TH900 in the bass department, but for a planar, the Stealth is damned impressive on how handles bass.

 

[deuter]

It's incredible how well the DCA Stealth handles EQ. It's definitely the AMT tech it's using because it handles big bass boosts like a champ without getting overwhelmed. I've boosted the bass quite a bit, and can even get them rumbling almost like a Fostex TH900 at this point. Of course, nothing will match the TH900 in the bass department, but for a planar, the Stealth is damned impressive on how handles bass.

I wouldn't do that if I was you, you don't want to make the drivers try and produce a signature they were not designed to.
Check with the manufacturer if its safe for you to boost the low end to match your bassy headphones on the bass department.

 

[alxw0w]

Damn listening to electronica/trance like music is fun again.
"Make electronica great again" - are these Dan's words?

ps. I missed days when I used to listen that kind of music. But with almost all high end headphones something was missing. Not anymore.