No it does not. People use closed headphones in various situations. Not only in office or as transportable.
Instead of focusing on "nuclear power" I would rather look for seal problems.
As it is the biggest flaw of the Stealth/Expanse and exactly that is causing soft lacking bass presentation.
And while the Focal Utopia had pretty much a similar tuning, it had actually bass impact due to being more dynamic headphone. Seems all Mr.Speaker headphones I heard have bad dynamics which make it appear that they have weak bass, while the bass is actually on point.
Whether it's due to dynamics or the AMTS or whatever, I think the main issue many have is that there is simply a lack of visceral impact. The presentation is just softer. This is especially true for the Expanse, without question. Utopia, Caldera, Susvara, TC, etc. all have better overall impact. Subbass and quality of bass is not an issue. I'm sure a seal or an amp issue can exacerbate this, but I don't think it's the cause. I did think the Stealth was a bit better with this in a short audition with pretty good conditions.
However, the Expanse, and the Stealth also have really smooth tonalities. Which also feels like a likely positive in the tradeoff between impact. And overall, I found the overall presentation of the Stealth's bass to be just fine. Timbre was the only issue I had, and I do wonder if that would be corrected a bit in my actual system. But I'd expect a vendor to present their headphones in the most optimal conditions for obvious reasons, so I'm not sure that's the case.
Folks, note that Stealth is super transparent. It is very reflective of the source gear as well. I drive Stealth from the WA23 Luna and HM1 and have 0 issues with dynamics and impact. That isn't to say you need to go there to hear the Stealth. I think that the Ferrum stack and even the Topping A90 D can provide a good taste of what these headphones are capable of. It does hit relatively softer than most other headphones though. Some people need this visceral impact to get into the music, and Stealth aren't quite going to get you that. The mid-bass on the Stealth is a little tamed. You'll get more sub-bass. This is to my preference, but not everyone is going to like that.
For instance the ZMF Atrium hits so much harder that it scares me after coming from the Stealth.
What I disagree with on some of the previous discussion here is about timbre. Timbre on this headphone is not a weak point, it is one of its strengths. It produces exactly what is on the recording. I know this from a first hand experience being in a recording studio and hearing the playback afterwards through a myriad of headphones. At the time I had Susvara and Expanse. Stealth was absolutely spot on accurate with what I heard in the recording studio. The tonality is just top notch and you get the correct instrument color especially in the midrange. R10 is perhaps the only thing I have heard that beats or rivals the stealth in this arena.
Me personally A&K Sp3k and currently Cayin N30LE but if you look in this thread there are numerous more compact alternatives mentioned such as Chord Mojo2, Hugo 2 or Topping G5
I use the iFi Go Blu with the Stealth whenever I fly (just this morning, actually). It can't beat my desktop setup, of course, but it's perfectly passable for that application.
I'm always impressed by the bass quality I get from the Stealth. It's the feel it all over your body, down to my knees kind of impact, where I have to take my headphones off to make sure that the speakers aren't on. The Utopia is more punchy at lower volumes, but can't achieve the same kind of all over the body feeling of bass I get from the Stealth. I have zero complaints about bass from the Stealth.
If the Stealth requires a nuclear fussion reactor in order to have dynamics as good as a Focal Utopia, it kinda defeats the purpose of a closed headphone, as you are not going to bring a nuclear fusion reactor to the office.
sorry, that aint gonna drive the susvara or stealth properly..the stealth is almost as tough to drive as the susvara...I have the susvara and used to own the stealth
I almost never leave low gain on my a90 with the stealth and was always mostly in the mid gain section with a -5db pre-amp with the susvara. IMO its been extremely easy to drive and 300 gets you many amps with enough power.
I almost never leave low gain on my a90 with the stealth and was always mostly in the mid gain section with a -5db pre-amp with the susvara. IMO its been extremely easy to drive and 300 gets you many amps with enough power.
Stealth is only 23 ohms so it actually has a quite high voltage sensitivity. Don't mistake that for easy to drive, your amp is pushing a shitton of current through these cans even in low gain. For some reason many headfiers remain convinced that there is a relationship between how well an amp is driving headphones and the volume knob position. You need enough gain to get a satisfactory listening volume that's it. Whether the amp has enough juice is then only determined by the sound, is the bass limp and weak or impactful and authorative? does the sound get shrill or shouty at higher volumes or does it remain crystal clear and smooth? That's how I judge amps personally
Dan Clark has stated the minimum and ideal power requirements for amps to adequately drive the Stealths. No reason he’d not be honest or accurate with his information.
Bottom line is there are those that feel the Stealths need 160 WPC amps to drive properly— and that’s great. It doesn’t mean those who drive the Stealths with less power are necessarily missing out or enjoying music less.
I like certain genres with the Yggy OG->Folkvangr->Stealth. (impedance multiplier on, high gain). Amazingly holographic and realistic sound. Scary good.
Stealth is only 23 ohms so it actually has a quite high voltage sensitivity. Don't mistake that for easy to drive, your amp is pushing a shitton of current through these cans even in low gain. For some reason many headfiers remain convinced that there is a relationship between how well an amp is driving headphones and the volume knob position. You need enough gain to get a satisfactory listening volume that's it. Whether the amp has enough juice is then only determined by the sound, is the bass limp and weak or impactful and authorative? does the sound get shrill or shouty at higher volumes or does it remain crystal clear and smooth? That's how I judge amps personally
a90 can do 1.4amps and the stealth or any other HP will never ever use anywhere close to that. Bass sound great to me, I listen to everything on em. I average about 12o'clock and a bit more for classical and a bit less for modern. Its been crystal clear and smooth to me. So was the susvara. Only reason I'd ever up the gain is to have more precise volume control for quieter recordings.
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