[paradoxper]

I was able to hear the Stealth over the past year or so along it's way to the production version. Even from the earliest version a couple of things struck a clear chord with me.

The first was that Stealth was a game changer in the high end headphones arena. When most of us put on a new pair of headphones for the first time, we typically either have an immediate "hmm, this is pretty damn good," or "mmm....this is not really working for me." For me, the new tech and tuning for the Stealth was a home run. I was instantly smitten.

The second matter that struck me the more that I spent time with this headphone was that not only was it the best headphone from DCA, but was one of the best headphones that I'd ever heard. It's tough to make comparisons for headphones that you haven't heard in quite a while to something brand new that you're hearing for the first time. But one thing remains clear for me personally, I could be amazingly happy with this headphone as my one and only if it ever came to only owning just one. Congrats to Dan and the team!

Whole bunch of words that say nothing. Almost like semi-shilling. I know that's offensive.

Ok. Ordered. We'll see how good this thing actually is.

 

[Odin412]

This is a very interesting headphone - and very good looking too! The new meta-material technology looks very promising. Hopefully we'll get a chance to hear it at CanJam SoCal next month.

 

[SeEnCreaTive]

The device combines waveguide, resonators of multiple design, and diffusion elements. It's vastly different than damping and achieves an order of magnitude more than damping ever could...

Totally, and I feel like in my mind, it would have less losses as well. I remember thinking about something similar when ZGLISZCZ and I were doing our own T50RP waveguide projects at the same time. (I'm a bad CAD modeler mind you, hence why mine were so basic heh) I remember seeing his and thinking if you could vary the length of the tubes for different frequencies.

Once you posted the Open Alpha Cups I was toying with the idea of "hollowing" out the cup even more to make sound traps.

3D printing, opens up so many crazy possibilities with sound design. It's actually been the main driver of me really wanting to buckle down and learn CAD. The Stealth is a pretty big inspiration in that regard! Makes me want to pull out some spare T50RP drivers I have lying around and trying to model something like that (Mind you with a basic FDM printer I'm not sure if I could get the internal folded tubes to print without supports inside)

 

[phthora]

All that beautiful stitching on the underside of the headband? But then it's not visible the 99% of the time when it's either on the head or on the stand. I wonder if you could flip it over...

 

[gto88]

No doubt, it is a handsome headphone of all time. and its recess outer cover reminds me of HD820.
I see some have ordered, hopefully to hear the comparison soon.

 

[eskamobob1]

At this price, it is already more expensive than Luis Vitton luxury bags. Why are we not given a reasonable explanation why a "real leather" is not provided. I can understand if he says it about animal cruelty and all.

The reason has litteraly been given half a dozen times in this thread. Just read it

 

[Uebelkraehe]

The reason has litteraly been given half a dozen times in this thread. Just read it

Literally 3 posts above...

 

[gKalkin]

At this price, it is already more expensive than Luis Vitton luxury bags. Why are we not given a reasonable explanation why a "real leather" is not provided. I can understand if he says it about animal cruelty and all.

Leather just for the sake of making it "premium" doesn't serve a functional purpose when wearing a headphone. Yes, real leather can be pretty nice but it traps moisture and isn't optimal in humid environments. I'd much rather have a synthetic material if it solves that issue because I am wearing the headphone and trying to get lost in my music.

 

[RONJA MESCO]

Hyped!! How much do these cost?

waaaaaaaay too much for us regular plebes....

 

[Pashmeister]

I sincerely hope they sound like they are worth 4k usd. The website shows a photo of it driven by a mojo+poly. Looks like a proper travel-friendly and office-friendly TOTL. I got high hopes.

 

[someguyontheinternet]

After consulting Google up to page [I don't even remember the page no] I finally found a German shop that has the Stealth listed. The listing price is 4099€ which is about the same as ordering from DCA directly + import fees excluding shipping cost and converts to around 4800$.

 

[DuncanDirkDick]

After consulting Google up to page [I don't even remember the page no] I finally found a German shop that has the Stealth listed. The listing price is 4099€ which is about the same as ordering from DCA directly + import fees excluding shipping cost and converts to around 4800$.

Really? Do you remember the shop?

 

[someguyontheinternet]

Really? Do you remember the shop?

Better: I have the URL https://www.audiodomain.de/stealth?c=32

 

[szymonsays]

In my experience they don't last longer than 6 months of regular use.

I can understand the use of fake, vegan leather ear pads on bluetooth headphones (re. contraints to keep the price under a few hundreds dollars, so to save every single dollar),
but absolutely not on premium, so expensive headphones like the Stealth. And its is not even a question of vegan ideology since the headbands are said to be made from... leather (I understand genuine leather).

At this price point I expect genuine leather (or at least micro-fiber, but never fake, vegan leather!)
What a pity they saved money like this by using fake leather ear pads. I cannot accept expensive headphones whose ear pads quickly fall apart, so these are unfortunately a no-go for me.

Yup, I agree with your sentiment. Protein leather or synthetic leather is absolutely unacceptable at this price point. It doesn't matter how good the quality of synthetic leather is, it will not last long. It doesn't matter where I encountered synthetic leather, whether it be some sofa furniture or even some luxury cars it will eventually start to peel in small bits. It might not crack like leather that isn't conditioned well, but it will eventually peel. If you take care of leather well, it will last you generations.

 

[TMRaven]

Pleather pads on my Ether2 have lasted over 2 years now and look brand new..