[teknorob23]

I tried them and did extensive back and forth testing and I have to disagree. The midbass definitely improves but you lose some clarity in the subbass, it also adds its own additional warmth which muddies clarity in the mids and smooths them over a bit too much. You get a sound character similar to the Eikon which for me is not what I was looking for. The beauty of these is their clarity and amazing detail at their price point able to compete with more expensive open backs. They’re pretty good pads and are comfortable and cool but I think they tilt the sound characteristic too warm.

I agree. I’ve tried these and aswell as others including Stellia pads on elegias and vice versa. IMO nothing works as well as the stock pads on any of the focals I’ve owned and the elegia are no exception. I found initially certain areas seem better but there’s always a negative trade off. I’m not surprised by this considering the emphasis focal put on pad design being integral to the overall design and consequently the performance of their headphones. If I felt the need to change the sig with pads I’d probably go for a different headphone.

 

[hikaru12]

Tonally they’re slightly more mid-centric than the elegia. The elegia has a lovely tone which maybe a tad more natural, but t

Could you speak on this more? I’ve been combing through the thread and looking up comparisons between the Elegia and Stellia. I love the mids on the Elegia. They have this ability to sound forward without obscuring the mids detail (similar to the Elear which sounded a bit more airy) and they do this without adding warmth. I want that same forwardness or more if I were gonna go with another can without sacrificing vocal and micro detail. The HEKs sounds like that but the mids aren’t as forward as I like and they’re too airy for my liking - sounds unnatural. I think that’s a common trait with HiFiman in general - they go for airy vs rich.

From the reviews I’ve seen on YouTube it sounds like the Stellia is more V shaped with the bass being it’s most pronounced feature. Is there any truth to this?

 

[teknorob23]

Could you speak on this more? I’ve been combing through the thread and looking up comparisons between the Elegia and Stellia. I love the mids on the Elegia. They have this ability to sound forward without obscuring the mids detail (similar to the Elear which sounded a bit more airy) and they do this without adding warmth. I want that same forwardness or more if I were gonna go with another can without sacrificing vocal and micro detail. The HEKs sounds like that but the mids aren’t as forward as I like and they’re too airy for my liking - sounds unnatural. I think that’s a common trait with HiFiman in general - they go for airy vs rich.

From the reviews I’ve seen on YouTube it sounds like the Stellia is more V shaped with the bass being it’s most pronounced feature. Is there any truth to this?

To my ears the stellias are pretty neutral. The bass is ever so slightly elevated and both the treble and mids are just north of neutral. They’re no where near v-shaped unless that is you draw your v’a as a horizontal strait line with slight upward ticks at either end i think sometimes reviewers aren’t clear about the parameters of comparison or frame of reference, because yes maybe compared to the most neutral Totl hps they are slightly less so, but compared to the majority of headphones they’re closer to neutral.

If you like the elegia’s, which I do too, then you should like the stellias. The greater resolution and pace take the performance up a significant notch across the board. It won’t be a case of ABing repeatedly to pick up subtle differences, you’ll hear significant difference immediately. They’re not tonally identical and arguably the elegias might just be that bit more natural but everything else about the stellias is just quite a bit better than not just the elegia but every other CB on the market except perhaps the Zmf VCs. The later weren’t my favourite of the two but I know I’m in the minority here and they’re a lot more V or shallow W shaped, stunning in a lot of departments, except mids and pace which is why i sold them and came back the stellias.

obviously I’d recommend hearing them for yourself, but if you like the stellias, I think there’s more chance you’ll like them than not. Most of the people who’ve come I stuck buying them blind appear to have come from very different headphones not the elegia or other focals

 

[hikaru12]

To my ears the stellias are pretty neutral. The bass is ever so slightly elevated and both the treble and mids are just north of neutral. They’re no where near v-shaped unless that is you draw your v’a as a horizontal strait line with slight upward ticks at either end i think sometimes reviewers aren’t clear about the parameters of comparison or frame of reference, because yes maybe compared to the most neutral Totl hps they are slightly less so, but compared to the majority of headphones they’re closer to neutral.

If you like the elegia’s, which I do too, then you should like the stellias. The greater resolution and pace take the performance up a significant notch across the board. It won’t be a case of ABing repeatedly to pick up subtle differences, you’ll hear significant difference immediately. They’re not tonally identical and arguably the elegias might just be that bit more natural but everything else about the stellias is just quite a bit better than not just the elegia but every other CB on the market except perhaps the Zmf VCs. The later weren’t my favourite of the two but I know I’m in the minority here and they’re a lot more V or shallow W shaped, stunning in a lot of departments, except mids and pace which is why i sold them and came back the stellias.

obviously I’d recommend hearing them for yourself, but if you like the stellias, I think there’s more chance you’ll like them than not. Most of the people who’ve come I stuck buying them blind appear to have come from very different headphones not the elegia or other focals

Good to hear your impressions - they sound similar to the Auteurs in that regard forward but relatively neutral across the board. Tonality is usually my most important trait across the board and too neutral is boring for me (hence why I sold the Auteurs) so definitely if the mids are similar than I’d be satisfied. My favorite mid cans have been the LCD 2s, 650s, Atticus but they’re all way too warm and claustrophobic sounding despite some of them being open.

I actually didn’t mind the Utopias mids. I found their ability to dig deep into the layers of the music superb. That would be an interesting thing to hear if the Stellias are similar. I got an audition to hear them at my local audio shop next week!

Also thanks for the bit about the VC. I love Zachs work but good to see someone who actually owned one and thought their might be better out there. The driver is still PEN which still limits its capabilities.

 

[teknorob23]

What is the issue with the bass on the Elegia? It’s punchy clear and it doesn’t smear into the other frequency especially the mid frequencies. I do recommend a proper gain structure not uncomfortably loud per say. But loud enough if you were on an airplane the noise wouldn’t be a distraction and you can focus on your music.

they’re much closer to the utopia then the auteurs, well to my ears at least, especially in respect of digging deep into detail. They can’t quite match them but i found the utopias too much, almost brutal in the pursuit of detail retrieval and i Usually managed about 90 mins before I had to take them off whereas I’ll happily keep the stellias on all evening. I look forward to hearing how your demo goes

 

[marcus2704]

I had Beyerdynamic T5Ps and they were a shade too big for portable use, I wondered how would these be for a daily commuting use, in terms of size, comfort, isolation and bass response?

 

[CTR640]

How's the treble on this one? I mean the sibilance. I'm thinking to get one but this one doesn't seem to have a lot of good reviews. The price is probably because of the design and materials?

 

[Beagle]

There is sibilance, for sure.

 

[hikaru12]

There is sibilance, for sure.

No there isn’t. It has a 3-4K dip so if anything it could use more prescence in that region. This has one of the smoothest trebles in Focals lineup only outdone by the Stellia.

 

[CTR640]

Pretty difficult for me to go for it or not.

 

[ev666il]

Are you going to use EQ with it? If yes, then you can easily make it sound the way you want and go for it based on other factors, such as build quality or aesthetics.

 

[Zojokkeli]

I had Beyerdynamic T5Ps and they were a shade too big for portable use, I wondered how would these be for a daily commuting use, in terms of size, comfort, isolation and bass response?

For commuting you'd need to swap out the stock cable for sure. Comfort is good, isolation is OK at home and at the office, haven't tried them outside. Bass is lacking IMO.

 

[shane55]

No there isn’t. It has a 3-4K dip so if anything it could use more prescence in that region. This has one of the smoothest trebles in Focals lineup only outdone by the Stellia.

Yup... and that dip seems to suck out any possibility of 'sibilance' (as well as a bit of detail).

 

[CTR640]

Are you going to use EQ with it? If yes, then you can easily make it sound the way you want and go for it based on other factors, such as build quality or aesthetics.

Probably no, I won't be using EQ. I guess I'll just stick to my T5p then.

I am sensitive to sibilance and regret the DT880.

 

[pilgrimbilly]

As much as I love my Nightowls, I can't stop thinking about buying these. I auditioned them about a year ago, loved them, but couldn't justify the price.

Now my left ear tinnitus means I must sell my IEMs, I haven't got any monetary excuse any more.

Curse you hobby!