[DuncanDirkDick]

They are, EQ isn't really necessary. I just adjusted Noire to get the FR as close as possible before comparing. Noire is a bit more intimate, that's true as well. But the difference is not as big as, eg. hd800/utopia or susvara/utopia. More like susvara/hd800.

 

[801evan]

Tried out the Burson 3XR supercharger vs Hypsos mod vs Stock.

Hypsos mod comes out being the better of the 3. But I think supercharger will be better than a stock Hypsos since the stock hypsos has very weak blacks and not as smooth.

Conductor 3XR can drive the Stealth on low gain very well. With the Hypsos mod, what I thought was an ESS sound issue is gone with the way the uppers/vocals/timing was presented. I got my new occ silver cable for the Stealth and it made the benefits of the Hypsos mod more apparent. With the stock DCA cable, some etch would be heard and one would think it's the dac or what.

With that said, a better psu would be the ifi Elite 24v as the Elite is a better psu than Hypsos.

 

[MikeLa]

Has anyone tried the Topping NX7 portable amp with their Stealth? Does it have enough power?

So far, I've only tethered the Stealth to a Flux FA10 and want to build a transportable rig for it. I would marry the NX7 to a Lotoo 6000.

 

[DarginMahkum]

The hype is real after all. HPA4 is an excellent match for Stealth.

 

[Jimthecoffeeguy]

The hype is real after all. HPA4 is an excellent match for Stealth.

Welcome to the benchmark club, sir.
*Maximum hype engaged!!!*

Try the dac3 too, would be nice to compare with the aid2

 

[DarginMahkum]

Welcome to the benchmark club, sir.
*Maximum hype engaged!!!*

Try the dac3 too, would be nice to compare with the aid2

Thank you. I really like the HPA4, so clear sounding and so well designed in such a small package, with all inputs and outputs you would ever need and more. I would love to try the DAC3 but I use the EQ on the ADI-2.

I will test the HPA4 against the HA200 on the weekend and one will have to leave, but ADI-2 with HPA4 is such a versatile package that is hard to match.

 

[benjamind2012]

How would these sound with the pentaconn 4.4mm balanced jack out of a FiiO Q5s dac/amp. I own this amp and satisfied with how good it is through the SE jack. Though the max output is 530mW at 150mA max current with balanced output, I got plenty good sound and bass at around the 2'Oclock position on the SE output. Any more than that and my high pitched (~10kHz) "hissing/pipe leak" tinnitus in my left ear would temporarily spike for a few minutes before settling back down to baseline. This is without any EQ.

While it is true that these seem to lack bass at first, they really don't. But the upper midrange is definitely the strong suite on these. Anyone who loves holographic sound stage/depth and perfect imaging with solid black background would absolutely fall in love with these.

And that's why I ordered a pair. Right away I knew they would absolutely wipe the floor with my Audeze LCD-MX4s. Those are great headphones too.

I am reasonably confident I could literally cut a master on the DCA Stealth.

 

[DuncanDirkDick]

First thoughts on my Stealth and Noire side-by-side comparison.

Build quality and comfort: Stealth wins on build quality and feels more premium. The only point of concern is the single hinge construction that could need more of a distance between hinge and cup. Looking at demo units, I see some metal on metal wear over time. Otherwise, both are fine. Noire is more comfortable and lighter. I have to readjust Stealth to not press on my jar over time since it slides down, and I'm pressure sensitive in that area. The Noire's headband adjustment works better for me. Neither is overly sensitive to positioning on the head.

Sound: I like the Harman target a lot and tend to adjust it mostly in the bass region to my liking, but default is fine, too. My listening volume is usually around 75-80dB and I enjoy a flat bass response. All comparisons were done volume matched. Since I'm using 770 and hd800 (both EQed) for some time, I kind of got used to a small 5-6Khz peak as well, so the Noire's default FR isn't too offensive to me. The high frequency extension on the Noire was a bit too much for me, though (no filters). For further evaluation, I adjusted the Noire's FR to match the Stealth a bit closer.
The bass tuning of the Stealth would be the upper limit of what I'd call a neutral headphone. Definitely not lacking anything here for me. It slams and has a well-tuned, precise bass. Noire lacks in that regard, it feels a bit less authoritative. You can EQ it a bit, but I feel that you don't quite get there for higher volume. It gets close, though. For the rest of the FR, Stealth and Noire (EQ) are pretty similar. For me, the treble of Noire was still a bit much, and I think Stealth is more agreeable. Others might call it boring. Stage is noticeably wider on Stealth, not on HD800, he1000 or Susvara level of course, but comparable to some open backs. Noire is more intimate, Utopia comes to mind. Isolation wise they are similar, Stealth isolates a bit better.

In the end, I'm probably not going to keep either. Stealth is the best closed back I've heard, Noire isn't that much behind. It's the last bit of bass quality and maybe midrange coherence at really high volume that makes the difference, but in my book that's not worth the premium. Maybe closed backs are too much of a compromised design for me in general so that I can't see myself paying any significant amount of money for them.

 

[DarginMahkum]

Sunday on Stealth (Qobuz)...

 

[ubs28]

First thoughts on my Stealth and Noire side-by-side comparison.

Build quality and comfort: Stealth wins on build quality and feels more premium. The only point of concern is the single hinge construction that could need more of a distance between hinge and cup. Looking at demo units, I see some metal on metal wear over time. Otherwise, both are fine. Noire is more comfortable and lighter. I have to readjust Stealth to not press on my jar over time since it slides down, and I'm pressure sensitive in that area. The Noire's headband adjustment works better for me. Neither is overly sensitive to positioning on the head.

Sound: I like the Harman target a lot and tend to adjust it mostly in the bass region to my liking, but default is fine, too. My listening volume is usually around 75-80dB and I enjoy a flat bass response. All comparisons were done volume matched. Since I'm using 770 and hd800 (both EQed) for some time, I kind of got used to a small 5-6Khz peak as well, so the Noire's default FR isn't too offensive to me. The high frequency extension on the Noire was a bit too much for me, though (no filters). For further evaluation, I adjusted the Noire's FR to match the Stealth a bit closer.
The bass tuning of the Stealth would be the upper limit of what I'd call a neutral headphone. Definitely not lacking anything here for me. It slams and has a well-tuned, precise bass. Noire lacks in that regard, it feels a bit less authoritative. You can EQ it a bit, but I feel that you don't quite get there for higher volume. It gets close, though. For the rest of the FR, Stealth and Noire (EQ) are pretty similar. For me, the treble of Noire was still a bit much, and I think Stealth is more agreeable. Others might call it boring. Stage is noticeably wider on Stealth, not on HD800, he1000 or Susvara level of course, but comparable to some open backs. Noire is more intimate, Utopia comes to mind. Isolation wise they are similar, Stealth isolates a bit better.

In the end, I'm probably not going to keep either. Stealth is the best closed back I've heard, Noire isn't that much behind. It's the last bit of bass quality and maybe midrange coherence at really high volume that makes the difference, but in my book that's not worth the premium. Maybe closed backs are too much of a compromised design for me in general so that I can't see myself paying any significant amount of money for them.

Did you try to play with the filters to see if you can make the AFC 2 Noire sound closer to the Stealth?

 

[duranxv]

How many people in this thread have kept their Stealth so far? I've been seeing quite a few of them on the Classifieds selling at deep discounts and these headphones have only been out for a few months. Is it that the Stealths have a very niche sound that most people just don't prefer? This is not a bash on these headphones, I'm trying to see what I'm missing here especially at this $4k price point.

I'm wondering if I should bother getting them to compare vs my VC and Rognir.

 

[gKalkin]

How many people in this thread have kept their Stealth so far? I've been seeing quite a few of them on the Classifieds selling at deep discounts and these headphones have only been out for a few months. Is it that the Stealths have a very niche sound that most people just don't prefer?

I'm wondering if I should even bother getting them to compare vs my VC and Rognir...

I have kept mine! For me, the the sound quality and comfort just keep me picking these up over everything else I have. Just sold my LCD-R because I just never chose to use it over the stealth. I also have a Verite Open and Sony Z1R.

Another thing to consider with the deep discounts is that anyone who has purchased a DCA headphone before gets a 15% discount. So for a lot of us it was not a $4k set. If I ever listed mine I would go based on what I paid, not MSRP.

 

[JLoud]

I'm keeping mine as well. I'm begining to think the reason some are selling is the lack of distortion. As in, most people perceive the distortion common in even good headphones as detail or punch. The lack of distortion on the Stealth makes it seem less punchy. For me the Stealth is easier to listen to, especially at higher volumes. Just a theory anyways. Many find the 1266 TC to be very dynamic and punchy, and it has a fair amount of distorion according to measurements. No knock on the TC, I owned it and liked it. But it lends to my theory anyways.

 

[vonBaron]

Stealth are crap headphones compared to 1266, just another league.

 

[benjamind2012]

Stealth are crap headphones compared to 1266, just another league.

I've heard both and would happily take the Stealth over the 1266. Better comfort and better bass just to start with. I think the soundstage depth is also better on the Stealth.