[DarginMahkum]

Just a reminder that Harman research found that there is a subgroup of 21% of listeners who preferred more bass than the Harman target provides. This cluster of people tend to be younger, male, less experienced, and, as Oliver says in the interview, more aggressive (“testosterone”). Basically, we have a minority of bassheads that, in my opinion, will appear more prevalent than they are thanks to the more assertive behavior that they display in audio forums. In short, they are a vocal minority that get somewhat aggressive about bass. But there’s nothing wrong with the Stealth not being tuned to the preference of that 21% of bassheads.

There could be that minority but for sure there is more going on than just being aggressive. For example, male and female head & body structure / sizes are different, which in turn means a different HRTF (head related transfer function). It could be that we have that minority of the minority here in the forums but how much of it relates to aggressiveness is a different thing. There are bass lovers among us that has never been impulsive and forward about their preference. I would highly recommend taking a look at this article trio:

https://www.headphonesty.com/2020/04/harman-target-curves-part-1/

 

[Alcophone]

Beta male says what?

 

[DarginMahkum]

Beta male says what?

Wow! He installed a Porsche under that speaker!

 

[carboncopy]

Wow! He installed a Porsche under that speaker!

That’s an Audi TT

 

[adrianm]

You said "i have no impulse to upgrade to the latest Meze flagships", but isn't that a Meze Elite in front of your Dave? Surely you can hear the superiority of the Elite over the Z1R. I tried a Z1R for a few days, and couldn't take its peaky treble.

I have them on loan for a weekend. Don't get me wrong ,it's not a dig at the Elite, it's the same with all others open backs I've heard. I love them so far. On par with the Utopia for #1 open backs at least for my personal preference. Haven't heard Susvara or Abyss yet though. But like all open backs i also hate them the moment i have the tiniest bit of background noise or start typing on my mechanical keyboard as I'm doing now . All of that extra microdetail just goes away and I'm left with a fatiguing listening experience which while better, isn't that much better.
If the Stealth isn't on par with the Elite, i might still end up getting a pair though, I can easily live with the Z1R as my closed back. Soundstage and imaging actually feel on par with the Elite and I do get why the peaky treble would bother you, I'm not that sensitive to it though. I only really notice it on some tracks.

 

[DarginMahkum]

It's easily up there w/ Stellia or VC though.

I wouldn't use Stellia and Stealth even in the same sentence. I had it and used it for two years exclusively. Replacing it with D9200 that costs half its price 10 seconds decision.

 

[adrianm]

I wouldn't use Stellia and Stealth even in the same sentence. I had it and used it for two years explicitly. Replacing it with D9200 that costs half its price 10 seconds decision.

+1 , i find the Z1R much better than the Stellia from all pov, except maybe if you like the tuning more.

 

[FYFL]

Beta male says what?

Blond would mistake it for a spare tire.

 

[DarginMahkum]

+1 , i find the Z1R much better than the Stellia from all pov, except maybe if you like the tuning more.

Z1R is one of those HPs that I didn't get I guess due to lots of badmouthing, mostly by the Focal fanboys. It probably has more thought process behind it than some of the more favored HPs.

 

[537778]

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.

Yes, you're right it shouldn't concern me whether you spend on Stealth or burn your money. I don't care. I also used the phrase 'may' so there are people who may not get on this hype bandwagon.

 

[Vyyy]

Amy words on Stealth vs Aeon2Closed?

 

[FullBright1]

As far as the macro-dynamics issue, I can kind of see the source of the complaints. This is a polite headphone, it's not going to punch you. Get a different headphone if you want that. These are smooth and natural sounding, tuned to give you a comfortable yet very refined listening experience.

-
Sounds like you are describing a very good audiophile headphone experience.

"smooth, neutral, refined"...

Ive yet to read or listen to a review where anyone says these dreaded words...."low mid hump/bump, + occasional sizzle in the treble".

So....That's the ticket.

 

[DarginMahkum]

-
Sounds like you are describing a very good audiophile headphone experience.

"smooth, neutral, refined"...

Ive yet to read or listen to a review where anyone says these dreaded words...."low mid hump/bump, + occasional sizzle in the treble".

So....That's the ticket.

That is pretty much the point: No echo chamber, resonances, peaks, spikes, unusual bumps. It is what it promises. No need for patching. Perfect platform that suits most of different types of music, especially with lots of mids detail. If it does not for any music or album, very easy to tweak, as there are no issues I mentioned before to worry about.

 

[rsbrsvp]

From those that have heard the Stealth and either the Susvara or the TC, are there any opinions that the Stealth matches either of the other two in detail, transparency, separation- what I call technical factors ONLY?

 

[ra990]

From those that have heard the Stealth and either the Susvara or the TC, are there any opinions that the Stealth matches either of the other two in detail, transparency, separation- what I call technical factors ONLY?

Yes, detail retrieval and textures, especially from the midrange are fantastic and may be better than both.