[Coopauto]

Hi All. I have searched around a bit before posting but could not see a recent post similar that would help me. I am not new to Quality Audio reproduction but I am new to listening via reasonable quality headphones. My current listening is:

Tidal and a local lossless audio collection on a Synology NAS unit.

DAC is an old Cambridge Audio Stream Magic. It has twin Wolfson DAC's. I will replace this in time.

Amplification is a Topping A90.

Headphones. Focal Stellia and Focal Clear MG. I was very unsure about the Stellia as I have read many mixed reviews. I bought them second hand at less than half the purchase price. The set was only 9 months old.

Listening using the above with the Focal Clear MG I am contended with them for now. They are a bit clinical via the Topping A90 but I am okay with that.

The Focal Stellia, using the above is unimpressive. I have run-in the headphones to around 200 hours as I know that owners have stated that they need a while to bed in. I was slightly concerned before purchasing to see so many Stellia's for sale at low prices after maybe 6-9 months of ownership. I do intend to persevere with the Stellias but would like to understand where to go with Amplification options. I am not a rich man but recognise that some investment may be needed to get the best out of the Stellia's. Using stock cables with xlr to xlr between the DAC and Amp.

Many thanks in anticipation for your help.

 

[GREQ]

The Stellia is designed to run off EVERYTHING.
I would start by plugging it into your mobile phone or DAP.
You might be very pleasantly surprised.

 

[Monsterzero]

As was stated above, the Stellia is an easy headphone to drive. The Topping amp can sound a bit on the clinical side, so perhaps you prefer a little more warmth in the sound?

You have not listed a budget, but perhaps look into a Violectric amp or an AGD R2R 11, both of which are on the warmer side.

 

[Coopauto]

Thanks for the pointers.

I use an ifi hip dac for portable listening. Again Tidal via IPad which I enjoy. The Stellia is easy to drive. Gain is on low through the Topping. I am looking at around £1,000 gbp and I am okay with the used marketplace.

Many thanks.

 

[Coolmoose]

Thanks for the pointers.

I use an ifi hip dac for portable listening. Again Tidal via IPad which I enjoy. The Stellia is easy to drive. Gain is on low through the Topping. I am looking at around £1,000 gbp and I am okay with the used marketplace.

Many thanks.

Stellia sounds good from basically anything, including the A90. But if you really want something new to play with, you can try fiio K9 pro which is an dac/amp combo or a Chord mojo 2 if your looking for something portable.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Thanks for the pointers.

I use an ifi hip dac for portable listening. Again Tidal via IPad which I enjoy. The Stellia is easy to drive. Gain is on low through the Topping. I am looking at around £1,000 gbp and I am okay with the used marketplace.

Many thanks.

RME ADI-2 DAC FS is you like to twist knobs and would like to play with EQ etc, otherwise +1 for Audio-gd, you could consider the R-28 or the R2R-11 Mk2 that @Monsterzero recommended. The RME will drive your Focals well and does a great job with Audeze planars, but needs help from an outboard headamp if you go for high impedance dynamics (Sennheiser, Beyer, ZMF).

Among the advantages of the R-28 is that it has a lot of power and can drive most headphones if you decide to add to the stable. But it is quite large and is not desktop gear.

The R2R-11 Mk2 is a real upgrade on a previous model, it's smaller than the R-28 but still large for a piece of desktop gear.

 

[TimTam]

Hi All. I have searched around a bit before posting but could not see a recent post similar that would help me. I am not new to Quality Audio reproduction but I am new to listening via reasonable quality headphones. My current listening is:

Tidal and a local lossless audio collection on a Synology NAS unit.

DAC is an old Cambridge Audio Stream Magic. It has twin Wolfson DAC's. I will replace this in time.

Amplification is a Topping A90.

Headphones. Focal Stellia and Focal Clear MG. I was very unsure about the Stellia as I have read many mixed https://sharpedgeshop.com/collections/japanese-knives/nakiri. I bought them second hand at less than half the purchase price. The set was only 9 months old.

Listening using the above with the Focal Clear MG I am contended with them for https://spartan-agency.com. They are a bit clinical via the Topping A90 but I am okay with that.

The Focal Stellia, using the above is unimpressive. I have run-in the headphones to around 200 hours as I know that owners have stated that they need a while to bed in. I was slightly concerned before purchasing to see so many Stellia's for sale at low prices after maybe 6-9 months of ownership. I do intend to persevere with the Stellias but would like to understand where to go with Amplification options. I am not a rich man but recognise that some investment may be needed to get the best out of the Stellia's. Using stock cables with xlr to xlr between the DAC and Amp.

Many thanks in anticipation for your help.

Welcome to the forum! It sounds like you've done a lot of research already and you seem to have a good handle on your setup. It can be tricky to find the right balance between the headphones, DAC, and amp. It's definitely worth investing some time and money in finding the right equipment that suits your needs. You mentioned the Stellia's have mixed reviews, so maybe it's worth looking into some other options that might give you the sound you're looking for. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions you have!

 

[Coopauto]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions folks. I am definitely interested Audio-DG kit. Going to research those in a little more detail.

One difference that I have noticed, more so using the portable ifi hip dac2 is detail resolution. The Stellia, in comparison with my Clear MG that is. For the lower registers using the Hip Dac2 I am finding that the Clear MG has a little more punch. This was unexpected. Don't know why. Just assumed that closed back would provide more punch.

 

[KPzypher]

Hi All. I have searched around a bit before posting but could not see a recent post similar that would help me. I am not new to Quality Audio reproduction but I am new to listening via reasonable quality headphones. My current listening is:

Tidal and a local lossless audio collection on a Synology NAS unit.

DAC is an old Cambridge Audio Stream Magic. It has twin Wolfson DAC's. I will replace this in time.

Amplification is a Topping A90.

Headphones. Focal Stellia and Focal Clear MG. I was very unsure about the Stellia as I have read many mixed reviews. I bought them second hand at less than half the purchase price. The set was only 9 months old.

Listening using the above with the Focal Clear MG I am contended with them for now. They are a bit clinical via the Topping A90 but I am okay with that.

The Focal Stellia, using the above is unimpressive. I have run-in the headphones to around 200 hours as I know that owners have stated that they need a while to bed in. I was slightly concerned before purchasing to see so many Stellia's for sale at low prices after maybe 6-9 months of ownership. I do intend to persevere with the Stellias but would like to understand where to go with Amplification options. I am not a rich man but recognise that some investment may be needed to get the best out of the Stellia's. Using stock cables with xlr to xlr between the DAC and Amp.

Many thanks in anticipation for your help.

May I ask what makes you think the amp is holding you back WRT the Stellia? Stellia is the only Focal HP that I ended up selling. I've tried it with many different AMPS/DACS/DAPS, and just couldn't get myself to like it. I even had the Arche, which is Focal's own HP amp that comes with unique presets for each of Focal's HP model. And I still didn't like its sound presentation. Like many have stated, Focal HPs are easy to drive. Like you, I much prefer the MG Clear, or even the Elegia and Celestee over Stellia. Instead of buying another amp you don't need, why not just sell it and buy something that you like out of the box? Looks like you purchased it used, so I doubt you'll lose much in resale. Just my 02 cents. Happy hunting!

 

[Mario1962]

Hi all, I am a new member and like to share my experience with the Stellia. I am using it with the chord hugo tt2 dac/ chord mscaler/ Aries streamer combo, and am very happy with it, I certainly can recommend this combination for use with the Stellia. This set is in my living room, and I use it when my family is watching TV.
I also own Meze Empyrean for use in my office, connected with chord anni/chord qutest/MacBook Pro. Different sound, but also a great combo. The Stellia on the chord anni/chord qutest/Mac also performs very good.

 

[Tex Irie]

The Stellia also sounds very engaging when paired with the HeadAmp GS-X Mini. It may cost a little more second hand but it will sound slightly warmer and the resolution is top notch.

I'm planning on picking up a pair of Stellia on the weekend. I'm also rather familiar with the pairing.

Just another suggestion if you haven't considered adding an Amp like the GS-X Mini.

 

[Coopauto]

May I ask what makes you think the amp is holding you back WRT the Stellia? Stellia is the only Focal HP that I ended up selling. I've tried it with many different AMPS/DACS/DAPS, and just couldn't get myself to like it. I even had the Arche, which is Focal's own HP amp that comes with unique presets for each of Focal's HP model. And I still didn't like its sound presentation. Like many have stated, Focal HPs are easy to drive. Like you, I much prefer the MG Clear, or even the Elegia and Celestee over Stellia. Instead of buying another amp you don't need, why not just sell it and buy something that you like out of the box? Looks like you purchased it used, so I doubt you'll lose much in resale. Just my 02 cents. Happy hunting!

Hi KPzypher. Thanks for your comment.

Since creating the post I have invested another 100 hours or so of listening with the Stellias. I am still struggling to find a reason to like these headphones. At first I considered that the detail resolution was a strong feature of the Stellia but again comparing with the Clear MG I don't think the difference is always noticeable. I find the sound stage, depth and width to be inferior to the Clear MG.

I am going to persevere with them for now. I will be investing in an aftermarket cable as I find the stock Stellia cable to be horrible. I find I am fighting the noise of the stiff cable even under a small head-movement. I have read a number of posts about the Stellia cables so have a reasonable understanding of choices available.

I have also listened and watched a number of reviews of the Stellia. 2 experienced reviewers both stated that when they first reviewed the headphones (both already run-in) they were not great and placed them to the side to consider again at some point in the future. Both reviewers then followed up with new reviews of the headphones after experimenting with Amp & Dac combinations and both were able to give much stronger reviews after that experimentation. I am going to hold-off further investment for a while. (Other than the cable).

Many thanks again for all the help..

 

[KPzypher]

Hi KPzypher. Thanks for your comment.

Since creating the post I have invested another 100 hours or so of listening with the Stellias. I am still struggling to find a reason to like these headphones. At first I considered that the detail resolution was a strong feature of the Stellia but again comparing with the Clear MG I don't think the difference is always noticeable. I find the sound stage, depth and width to be inferior to the Clear MG.

I am going to persevere with them for now. I will be investing in an aftermarket cable as I find the stock Stellia cable to be horrible. I find I am fighting the noise of the stiff cable even under a small head-movement. I have read a number of posts about the Stellia cables so have a reasonable understanding of choices available.

I have also listened and watched a number of reviews of the Stellia. 2 experienced reviewers both stated that when they first reviewed the headphones (both already run-in) they were not great and placed them to the side to consider again at some point in the future. Both reviewers then followed up with new reviews of the headphones after experimenting with Amp & Dac combinations and both were able to give much stronger reviews after that experimentation. I am going to hold-off further investment for a while. (Other than the cable).

Many thanks again for all the help..

If you already own the HP, why rely on reviews? Judging HPs by the reviews you see online is probably the worst thing you can do. But hey, whatever floats your boat. Enjoy your listening.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

If you already own the HP, why rely on reviews? Judging HPs by the reviews you see online is probably the worst thing you can do. But hey, whatever floats your boat. Enjoy your listening.

He had his own opinion of them and it wasn't favorable, then he went back online and checked with reviews to see if maybe his other gear are might be why he's hearing what he's hearing.

Ya know...kind of like if you get an RTX 4070 but even if it generally looks good it seems to not perform as expected so you go online and see how people are doing at the same res and graphics settings to see if your 4070 is a dud that can't hit 2400mhz or if you need to replace that 8600K with a 5800X3D or 12700K as on the test rigs and gaming machines that generated those benchmarks.

At worst he should have been more thorough before buying them, but in this case I don't see anything wrong with checking reviews.

 

[Coopauto]

Thanks again folks for responding. Mario1962, I am not in that investment category unfortunately for Hugo and M-scaler. Would love to be although I do have some competing hobbies that takes care of any cash left over.

Now, this is stupidly subjective, but due to the fact that I acquired the Stellia's second-hand for a shade under £1,500 with less than 100 hours use, they don't owe me anything and I will be keeping them regardless. If I had paid RRP, personally I would have been disappointed. This is subjective though and I am sure that thousands of audio enthusiasts who paid RRP love their Stellia's. I am using the Stellia's as I type this trying out some Tidal Masters and Dolby Atmos Tracks. Not to sure about Masters and Dolby Atmos but that's a rabbit-hole I am avoiding going down at the moment..