[DarginMahkum]

It is going to be a tough fight Stealth vs Rögnir. Or maybe they should just be brothers. I am currently listening to Rögnir out of DX300MAX and it still surprises me with its open and clear sound. Does everything well from (well recorded) death metal to flamenco to fusion to many others. One thing for sure: I don't like syrupy, warm, bloated tunings. Neutral and fast is my "musical" signature.

 

[adrianm]

Not sure about that. The stabilised VC batch from a few days ago - each selling for 3k - sold out within minutes, so I don't think demand is going anywhere.

That's just the Head-fi effect

 

[thecrow]

That Stealth has a folding mechanism was a bit of a head scratcher. Do people usually carry or travel with $4,000 headphones? I rather they had focused on making them comfortable.

These two do.

But you should get matching attire to the headphones, or you might get noticed by others. Luckily the stealth is black so it shouldn’t be too hard

 

[Alcophone]

That Stealth has a folding mechanism was a bit of a head scratcher. Do people usually carry or travel with $4,000 headphones? I rather they had focused on making them comfortable.

I absolutely would like to take them with me when I visit my family, both to wow them as well as to relax here and there, assuming the micro iDSD does well enough with the Stealth.

But the swivel mechanism introduced with the ÆON 2 didn't change the existing headband design, so I wouldn't say this portability feature has anything to do with how comfortable the Stealth is.

 

[gearocdguy]

Darn, initially I was deciding between Stellia and VC for instrumental / piano / vocals, and it seemed I saw more comments saying VC is preferred, though both are great. Then I was looking at VC vs Stealth, but now I'm back at VC vs Stealth vs Stellia. all great, but so hard to decide

I don't know about the VC. But for instrumentals, piano, and vocals - I don't think there is a ton of difference between the Stellia and the Stealth. The Stealth's superpower is zero distortion which creates this amazing sense of separation, space, and detail.

I just spent about 2 hours listening to Bella Fleck on both and it was six of one, half dozen of the other. For instruments, piano, and vocals I really want speed, detail, and a bit of warmth which the Stellia has in spades. The Stealth's separation allowed me to hear things I hadn't picked up on before and if they were the same price. I would say go the Stealth. But, you can pick up a used Stellia in excellent condirtion for half the price of a Stealth.

 

[DarginMahkum]

I absolutely would like to take them with me when I visit my family, both to wow them as well as to relax here and there, assuming the micro iDSD does well enough with the Stealth.

But the swivel mechanism introduced with the ÆON 2 didn't change the existing headband design, so I wouldn't say this portability feature has anything to do with how comfortable the Stealth is.

I took the Stellia to countless trips; plane, train, car, or local office. Especially open office environments. Random and continuous human noise annoys me big time while working. Never had any issues. But I never wore them open air like these two.

 

[gearocdguy]

These two do.

But you should get matching attire to the headphones, or you might get noticed by others. Luckily the stealth is black so it shouldn’t be too hard

Matching attire for the Stealth

 

[xirxes]

How does it sound with a fast paced bass like this? Are the bass line clearly separated and kicks punchy and fast? Piece: Amaliya / Artist: Karim Ziad / Album: Ifrikya (My Stealth will arrive hopefully in a couple of days).

i can pick out every note clearly, very little bleed, even though it is mixed very low volume and presence in the track.

 

[Brahmsian]

I took the Stellia to countless trips; plane, train, car, or local office. Especially open office environments. Random and continuous human noise annoys me big time while working. Never had any issues. But I never wore them open air like these two.

I guess that’s two votes for portability (even if not al fresco). The portability makes sense to the extent that Stealth are closedback (though not noise canceling, which people will prefer on airplanes). I might be odd man out since I hardly ever listen to headphones outside the house, while I imagine most people listen to speakers at home and headphones/earbuds/in-ears away from home. My use case is pretty specific: I listen to music somewhat late into the evening after work. Speakers would be too loud while the minimal noise openbacks make don’t pose a problem. I’m looking for closedback headphones mostly to keep out ambient noises such as faint traffic sounds and air conditioning.

 

[Icenine2]

Got my FedEx #. Should be here Thursday

 

[04gto]

I think the arya is more punchy than th900.

This is a very bold and somewhat shocking statement. It caught my attention because I am considering an Arya and/or HE1000 V2 at the moment and I was concerned about lack of 'punch'. I have a large head which I think contributes to better seal and bass response/impact on a lot of headphones. Is your head also on the large side? Before seriously considering the Stealth or any $3k plus headphone I would need at least Stellia levels of bass impact/slam or 'punch'

 

[xirxes]

This is a very bold and somewhat shocking statement. It caught my attention because I am considering an Arya and/or HE1000 V2 at the moment and I was concerned about lack of 'punch'. I have a large head which I think contributes to better seal and bass response/impact on a lot of headphones. Is your head also on the large side? Before seriously considering the Stealth or any $3k plus headphone I would need at least Stellia levels of bass impact/slam or 'punch'

Per your signature and having sat with both I’d take my Ether CX with bass EQ over LCD4 all day.

if you did not like CX then careful, as I consider the Stealth’s the CX elite. Everything there is to love about CX is improved on and the metamaterials give a unique sound stage and imaging to closed cans.

 

[markel]

Got my Stealth today. Here are my initial reactions, after listening to them on my DX300MAX for a few hours.

I’ve been an audiophile for about 20 years. Most of that time, I’ve focused on two channel systems, with tube amplification and vinyl, to get a three dimensional sound and detail. When everything sounds perfect, I can close my eyes and listen and the speakers disappear and I’m immersed in the music. To me, soundstage, detail, smooth (as opposed to harsh) sound are most important things to focus on. With IEMs or headphones, the same things are important, plus comfort is a major factor. A comfortable headphone disappears as much as possible. I’m usually laying down relaxing while I listen to headphones or IEM’s. When I’m doing something, I generally like to listen to a two-channel speaker system.

I took the Stealth out of the box/case. I didn’t take the cables out yet. I used some Audio Sensibility silver cables I had made for my Ether 2’s. I put the Stealth’s on, and they just fit. I think they are more comfortable than my Ether 2’s and, at least on my head, which I think is about average size, they are a perfect fit. They feel really light and I like the fit of the cups on my ears. The sound right away has detail and soundstage that reminds me of when I get my turntable set up just right and get a good pressing of one of my favorite LP’s. The Stealth’s are resolving and sound better with better source recordings, but I also listened to BBC Radio One streaming at low quality MP3, and it still sounded really good, just lacking the smoothness that you get with better resolution.

If you like detail and soundstage, you will love these. I saw some comments about bass, and I listened to various tracks with bass. I think the bass sounds good. It is clean, detailed bass. You can distinctly hear the low end, but it doesn’t overpower everything else and you can still hear all the other details.

I’ll follow up with more comments after I’ve had a chance to compare other amps and headphones.

 

[xirxes]

Got my Stealth today. Here are my initial reactions, after listening to them on my DX300MAX for a few hours.

I’ve been an audiophile for about 20 years. Most of that time, I’ve focused on two channel systems, with tube amplification and vinyl, to get a three dimensional sound and detail. When everything sounds perfect, I can close my eyes and listen and the speakers disappear and I’m immersed in the music. To me, soundstage, detail, smooth (as opposed to harsh) sound are most important things to focus on. With IEMs or headphones, the same things are important, plus comfort is a major factor. A comfortable headphone disappears as much as possible. I’m usually laying down relaxing while I listen to headphones or IEM’s. When I’m doing something, I generally like to listen to a two-channel speaker system.

I took the Stealth out of the box/case. I didn’t take the cables out yet. I used some Audio Sensibility silver cables I had made for my Ether 2’s. I put the Stealth’s on, and they just fit. I think they are more comfortable than my Ether 2’s and, at least on my head, which I think is about average size, they are a perfect fit. They feel really light and I like the fit of the cups on my ears. The sound right away has detail and soundstage that reminds me of when I get my turntable set up just right and get a good pressing of one of my favorite LP’s. The Stealth’s are resolving and sound better with better source recordings, but I also listened to BBC Radio One streaming at low quality MP3, and it still sounded really good, just lacking the smoothness that you get with better resolution.

If you like detail and soundstage, you will love these. I saw some comments about bass, and I listened to various tracks with bass. I think the bass sounds good. It is clean, detailed bass. You can distinctly hear the low end, but it doesn’t overpower everything else and you can still hear all the other details.

I’ll follow up with more comments after I’ve had a chance to compare other amps and headphones.

Definitely give the included Vivo cable a try too. It’s no bargain bin slouch, in fact it may be the best stock cable of ANY headphone currently available.

 

[vonBaron]

For DCA headphones only WyWires cables, way better than VIVO.