[DMITRIY R]

Norne Skollvar is in. I think I know what I like most about these headphones now -- the midrange is powerful and intimate without sacrificing soundstage. Very TOTL Audeze-like.

Beautiful cable, harmoniously combined with the red stitching of the headband.
But! Holy saints, what do I see? The right earcup seems to be jammed. This needs to be fixed urgently.

Sorry, maybe out of place, but this reminded me.

Spoiler

 

[Spawn300Z]

Beautiful cable, harmoniously combined with the red stitching of the headband.
But! Holy saints, what do I see? The right earcup seems to be jammed. This needs to be fixed urgently.

Sorry, maybe out of place, but this reminded me.

I saw that also, that’s why I always store my Stealth/Expanse in the case using that ear cup separator/spacer that they were shipped with.

 

[DMITRIY R]

I saw that also, that’s why I always store my Stealth/Expanse in the case using that ear cup separator/spacer that they were shipped with.

Don't take my post above seriously. These are new headphones, the ear pads were slightly deformed during transportation. But they straighten out over time. The most important thing is to give them relaxation after listening. Those. use a stand on which the ear cups do not rest with increased pressure on them.

p.s.
When I took the new Stealths out of the box, the ear pads were also a little wrinkled, but now they are all right.

 

[DMITRIY R]

Stealth easily matches it in that arena while providing a more accurate and solid experience. Again, no lack of dynamics or realistic bass here -- my god this is fantastic for metal, listening to mid-period Immortal right now! It is EXTREMELY power-hungry, but I anticipated that and actually saw it as a feature, since I wanted to use it with the same amps and settings as my Abyss.

If you add a R2R DAC to your setup, the system will sparkle with new colors. Believe me, this is a serious step towards the absolute sound of the system.

 

[Stereolab42]

Hot Skollvar there! What is the XLR plug? Mine is eidolic rhodium, but yours seems different (Is it Furutech?).

Yeah, the Furutech. My other Nornes have the Eidolic so I wanted to mix things up. And I've seen all the controversial posts about earpad deformation on Dan Clark headphones over time, so we'll see what happens. I usually replace pads every few years anyways due to wear so it doesn't phase me. I mean, if you can afford $4k headphones you can afford new pads.

 

[ra990]

@mrspeakers I received the clamp force kit in the mail today. It is a couple of screws, a whole bunch of washers, etc, but I didn't find any instructions anywhere. Can you point me to some instructions to install this?

 

[alxw0w]

@mrspeakers I received the clamp force kit in the mail today. It is a couple of screws, a whole bunch of washers, etc, but I didn't find any instructions anywhere. Can you point me to some instructions to install this?

You should receive it in email as pdf attachment.

 

[ra990]

I received the instructions in the email and my Stealth in the mail yesterday. The replacement was pretty easy, although the longer screws protrude out quite a bit (pictured below)! The good news is I'm back in the Stealth club and this time without any complaints or issues about the clamp force. I really missed these since letting them go last time because I was constantly having to readjust them on my head. Listening to them now and they're just as great as I remembered them to be.

 

[ra990]

Thoughts after listening to the Stealth, CA-1a, and Utopia over the weekend -

How is the Stealth even better than I remember? The bass is so satisfying and hard-hitting, the soundstage and imaging are beautiful, details and textures are plentiful. Like the first time I owned it, I have zero complaints about the Stealth not having enough dynamics. It's nearly as dynamic and punchy as my '22 Utopia.

The Raal CA-1a is more spacey, it makes music sound like it's coming from further away from you. At the same time, it presents an impressive amount of detail and resolution in the treble region. The bass also extends linearly very low (with Mitch filters engaged). The treble does tend to get slightly more piercing and edge of sibilant for me at louder volumes though compared to Stealth and Utopia.

One complaint I have with CA-1a is that it doesn't reach out and touch you. It's lacking that physical impact that I get from both Stealth and Utopia. Stealth and Utopia also beat it at imaging. They both provide pin-point imaging and instruments are distinctly etched out, whereas the CA-1a has a bit more diffuse imaging in its bigger soundstage.

They actually make very good complimentary headphones. The CA-1a is great for music that needs a bit open stage, like classical or ambient, live music, etc. But, the Stealth and Utopia both provide a more intimacy and palpability that suits most other types of music.

 

[AstroCEO]

Dan Clark Audio Stealth:



Objective Score (1-10) – 8.92

My Score (1-10) – 9.50 (Get SnR) [Most Realistic & Airy Presentation]



Treble – Perfect, articulate sound that brings out every high frequency detail. (10/10)

Mids – Strong mids, but muddy sounding at times. (7/10)

Bass – Strong bass, but could definitely be a little fuller sound. (8.75/10)

Vocals – Outstanding forward-focused vocals. Perfectly produced with zero harshness. (9.75/10)

Soundstage – Wide, but not as wide as the Sennheiser HD 800S. (8.0/10)

Imaging – Superior. (10/10)

…
Directional Audio/Gaming – Clear direction at all times. Could provide a fuller and wider presence. (8/10)
Build Quality – The wire head band feels a bit fragile, but otherwise top quality. (8/10)
Comfort – Extremely light and comfortable. Perfect ergonomic pad shape. (10/10)

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Thoughts after listening to the Stealth, CA-1a, and Utopia over the weekend -

How is the Stealth even better than I remember? The bass is so satisfying and hard-hitting, the soundstage and imaging are beautiful, details and textures are plentiful. Like the first time I owned it, I have zero complaints about the Stealth not having dynamics. It's as dynamic and punchy as my '22 Utopia.

The Raal CA-1a is more spacey, it makes music sound like it's coming from further away from you. At the same time, it presents an impressive amount of detail and resolution in the treble region. The bass also extends linearly very low (with Mitch filters engaged). The treble does tend to get slightly more piercing and edge of sibilant for me at louder volumes though compared to Stealth and Utopia.

One complaint I have with CA-1a is that it doesn't reach out and touch you. It's lacking that physical impact that I get from both Stealth and Utopia. Stealth and Utopia also beat it at imaging. They both provide pin-point imaging and instruments are distinctly etched out, whereas the CA-1a has a bit more diffuse imaging in its bigger soundstage.

They actually make very good complimentary headphones. The CA-1a is great for music that needs a bit open stage, like classical or ambient, live music, etc. But, the Stealth and Utopia both provide a more intimacy and palpability that suits most other types of music.

I just noticed your set up, if you have chance, should try Hifiman EF600 with Stealth. I used to think D400EX + Singxer were great for the price (with medium/hard to drive planar). Till I tried EF600.

 

[ra990]

I just noticed your set up, if you have chance, should try Hifiman EF600 with Stealth. I used to think D400EX + Singxer were great for the price (with medium/hard to drive planar). Till I tried EF600.

Sure, I will if I ever come across it. The new Topping A70 Pro drives the Stealth like a champ. It has 17watts into 16ohm on tap. I also tried the Stealth with the Benchmark AHB2, but I couldn't tell a difference between the two amps. With the CA-1a, the AHB2 is clearly better suited and provides more headroom.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Thoughts after listening to the Stealth, CA-1a, and Utopia over the weekend -

How is the Stealth even better than I remember? The bass is so satisfying and hard-hitting, the soundstage and imaging are beautiful, details and textures are plentiful. Like the first time I owned it, I have zero complaints about the Stealth not having dynamics. It's as dynamic and punchy as my '22 Utopia.

The Raal CA-1a is more spacey, it makes music sound like it's coming from further away from you. At the same time, it presents an impressive amount of detail and resolution in the treble region. The bass also extends linearly very low (with Mitch filters engaged). The treble does tend to get slightly more piercing and edge of sibilant for me at louder volumes though compared to Stealth and Utopia.

One complaint I have with CA-1a is that it doesn't reach out and touch you. It's lacking that physical impact that I get from both Stealth and Utopia. Stealth and Utopia also beat it at imaging. They both provide pin-point imaging and instruments are distinctly etched out, whereas the CA-1a has a bit more diffuse imaging in its bigger soundstage.

They actually make very good complimentary headphones. The CA-1a is great for music that needs a bit open stage, like classical or ambient, live music, etc. But, the Stealth and Utopia both provide a more intimacy and palpability that suits most other types of music.

I had the chance to hear the Stealth at Canjam and have the other two mentioned here. I agree with much of what you're saying just off my own short listen. I originally had to level set with myself because of some of the talk of the Stealth being comparative to the TC bass wise, which I just don't agree with at all, but overall it had a really nice bass presentation. And seemingly a tad better than the CA-1a imo (with Star 8 cable and no filters on my end).

The CA-1a's spacing makes a pretty big difference between the Utopia and Stealth (and Expanse). The intimacy is a direct tradeoff with being closed in. However, both the Stealth and Expanse have an uncanny clarity that is really valuable, especially in the midrange. The Expanse a bit more. But I'm finding the CA-1a to be a slight bit more grainy/less clear overall despite how good it is overall. I think the DCA headphones have a clear advantage in this regard imho.

 

[vsg28]

FedEx decided to take STEALTH too literally by hanging on to it for a few extra days and dropping it off unannounced. But it's finally here:

First impression: Nice build quality, very handy portability, great comfort and isolation, sounds... correct.

 

[draytonklammer]

Sure, I will if I ever come across it. The new Topping A70 Pro drives the Stealth like a champ. It has 17watts into 16ohm on tap. I also tried the Stealth with the Benchmark AHB2, but I couldn't tell a difference between the two amps. With the CA-1a, the AHB2 is clearly better suited and provides more headroom.

I always appreciate this perspective.
Recently picked up with A70 Pro + D70 Pro.

What a stack. Easily competes with the extremely expensive stacks out there.