[MacedonianHero]

Can’t judge Utopia, having never listened to one. I just know that Stellia is like heaven to me, but I come from cans belonging - let’s say - to a level three layers below, so my judgement is what it is.
The only thing that matters is that for me this is it!

I agree with you on the Stellia headphones. On the overall portrayal from either headphone, one does detail extraction slightly better (Utopia), and the other offers a more natural FR and wider soundstage (Stellia).

 

[up late]

while i'm a fan of the stellia, i wouldn't describe it as sounding any "more natural" than the utopia. i can understand how someone might find its warmer presentation more appealing, however. i associate "soundstage" with loud speakers but not with headphones. some headphones do have more spacious presentations ime and the hd800 immediately comes to mind as one, but i don't count the focals that i've heard amongst them. the stellia's presentation didn't sound noticeably more spacious than the utopia's to my ears when i've compared them - ymmv.

 

[SupperTime]

while i'm a fan of the stellia, i wouldn't describe it as sounding any "more natural" than the utopia. i can understand how someone might find its warmer presentation more appealing, however. i associate "soundstage" with loud speakers but not with headphones. some headphones do have more spacious presentations ime and the hd800 immediately comes to mind as one, but i don't count the focals that i've heard amongst them. the stellia's presentation didn't sound noticeably more spacious than the utopia's to my ears when i've compared them - ymmv.

I definitely enjoyed the signature of the stellia over the utopia, even though the utopia could catch Slightly more detail and higher resolution. To me.. 5%.....a small price to pay to get those ear bleeding highs the utopia had. Definitely will upgrade from ether flow C 1.1 to the stellia.... Even though... The ether flow C 1.1 was not all that far from stellia as far as detail and imaging goes.
But stellia is nice and about as friendly as you can get in a sound signature to please most tastes, yet super revealinf
I think it's a true winner!

 

[MacedonianHero]

I definitely enjoyed the signature of the stellia over the utopia, even though the utopia could catch Slightly more detail and higher resolution. To me.. 5%.....a small price to pay to get those ear bleeding highs the utopia had. Definitely will upgrade from ether flow C 1.1 to the stellia.... Even though... The ether flow C 1.1 was not all that far from stellia as far as detail and imaging goes.
But stellia is nice and about as friendly as you can get in a sound signature to please most tastes, yet super revealinf
I think it's a true winner!

I wouldn't say the treble on the Utopia are bleeding, but not as natural as they are with the Stellia, but YMMV as they say. Throw in the wider cast sound stage with players seeming further out in that sound scape; I'm thrilled to finally have a pair of closed-back headphones that I don't have to sacrifice SQ for noise isolation.

 

[up late]

I definitely enjoyed the signature of the stellia over the utopia, even though the utopia could catch Slightly more detail and higher resolution. To me.. 5%.....a small price to pay to get those ear bleeding highs the utopia had. Definitely will upgrade from ether flow C 1.1 to the stellia.... Even though... The ether flow C 1.1 was not all that far from stellia as far as detail and imaging goes.
But stellia is nice and about as friendly as you can get in a sound signature to please most tastes, yet super revealinf
I think it's a true winner!

"ear bleeding" is not a descriptor that i would use for the utopia's treble. i prefer "refined" but as i keep saying "ymmv". i do think that the stellia is a fabulous closed-back headphone.

 

[SupperTime]

I wouldn't say the treble on the Utopia are bleeding, but not as natural as they are with the Stellia, but YMMV as they say. Throw in the wider cast sound stage with players seeming further out in that sound scape; I'm thrilled to finally have a pair of closed-back headphones that I don't have to sacrifice SQ for noise isolation.

Couldn't been said better! You nailed it.
Don't have to sacrifice Sq for Boise cancelation.
I found the utopia to be rather heavy and shocker... The stellia being more comfortable and lighter.
All In all, I perceive stellia to be superior (overall) to the utopia.
I used it with rme adi-2 dac!

With that said. Ether c flow 1.1 is not too far off from stellia, and the thing is getting some age on it. I would say stellia is a 15/20 percent more resolving, detail, imaging over the ether c flow 1.1, but that about all, the c flow is absolutely not harsh at all, I am one to suffer from sibilance and peaky highs and the flow doesn't have that (tested with poopy Spotify tracks)
But the stellia... It's just magic. It doesn't it all just right and leaves you not wanting anything extra.
Other than more time to listen!
Hopefully by end summer it will be 2.5k or 1.8/1.7k used market

 

[SupperTime]

"ear bleeding" is not a descriptor that i would use for the utopia's treble. i prefer "refined" but as i keep saying "ymmv". i do think that the stellia is a fabulous closed-back headphone.

Refined and hyper detailed and max resolution, it was impressive with the utopia truly. But I had to squint my eyes and brace myself for the pesky sharp highs.... Scratch peaky.... Just straight up bright. Picky with recordings in the sense of, you needed only good recordings for the highs to not offend! So if all you do or most of what you do is having quality recordings with a darker amp it must be just right perfect. But if you want to discover music on the cheap (like Spotify /Tidal/ect).... Even with a darker amp... Brace yourself... Squint your eyes and clench your jaw for when that treble splashes you sibilance fatigue...
Because of that solely... Stellia to me wins. And stellia feeds you so much detail and resolving (yes... Not as high as utopia) that it doesn't leave you wishing for more at all.

At least not me.

 

[up late]

Couldn't been said better! You nailed it.
Don't have to sacrifice Sq for Boise cancelation.
I found the utopia to be rather heavy and shocker... The stellia being more comfortable and lighter.
All In all, I perceive stellia to be superior (overall) to the utopia.
I used it with rme adi-2 dac!

With that said. Ether c flow 1.1 is not too far off from stellia, and the thing is getting some age on it. I would say stellia is a 15/20 percent more resolving, detail, imaging over the ether c flow 1.1, but that about all, the c flow is absolutely not harsh at all, I am one to suffer from sibilance and peaky highs and the flow doesn't have that (tested with poopy Spotify tracks)
But the stellia... It's just magic. It doesn't it all just right and leaves you not wanting anything extra.
Other than more time to listen!
Hopefully by end summer it will be 2.5k or 1.8/1.7k used market

i also found the stellia more comfortable than the utopia and it is slightly lighter in weight as well. these are all welcome improvements imo but on sound quality alone, i still give the nod to the utopia.

Refined and hyper detailed and max resolution, it was impressive with the utopia truly. But I had to squint my eyes and brace myself for the pesky sharp highs.... Scratch peaky.... Just straight up bright. Picky with recordings in the sense of, you needed only good recordings for the highs to not offend! So if all you do or most of what you do is having quality recordings with a darker amp it must be just right perfect. But if you want to discover music on the cheap (like Spotify /Tidal/ect).... Even with a darker amp... Brace yourself... Squint your eyes and clench your jaw for when that treble splashes you sibilance fatigue...
Because of that solely... Stellia to me wins. And stellia feeds you so much detail and resolving (yes... Not as high as utopia) that it doesn't leave you wishing for more at all.

At least not me.

that's not been my experience with the utopia and the music that i listen to, which covers a variety of genres - ymmv and obviously does.

 

[noplsestar]

Couldn't been said better! You nailed it.
Don't have to sacrifice Sq for Boise cancelation.
I found the utopia to be rather heavy and shocker... The stellia being more comfortable and lighter.
All In all, I perceive stellia to be superior (overall) to the utopia.
I used it with rme adi-2 dac!

With that said. Ether c flow 1.1 is not too far off from stellia, and the thing is getting some age on it. I would say stellia is a 15/20 percent more resolving, detail, imaging over the ether c flow 1.1, but that about all, the c flow is absolutely not harsh at all, I am one to suffer from sibilance and peaky highs and the flow doesn't have that (tested with poopy Spotify tracks)
But the stellia... It's just magic. It doesn't it all just right and leaves you not wanting anything extra.
Other than more time to listen!
Hopefully by end summer it will be 2.5k or 1.8/1.7k used market

As I read you, you‘d like to have the best possible resolution but without peaks because you seem to be very treble sensitive. I urge you to buy a used Stellia and for the saved money you should definitely think about ordering the Arctic Cable silver upgrade cable, because this cable extends the highs but at the same time does not highlight them. Also I found that some peaks were completely gone. It is a win win situation (of course not for our wallets). It’s an option you should think about if ordering the Stellias but wanting to maximize resolution without harshness in sound. In the contrary, with this cable the sound seems more balanced than with the stock cable. I wish you good luck with your journey and hope that it will end there (at least for the next few years)

 

[Picard7]

But it sounds so much better with DAPs and mid-tier gearon the Stellia. I do prefer them overall to the utopia

Can't comment as I don't use DAPs or 'mid-tier gear'.

 

[Picard7]

Couldn't been said better! You nailed it.
Don't have to sacrifice Sq for Boise cancelation.
I found the utopia to be rather heavy and shocker... The stellia being more comfortable and lighter.
All In all, I perceive stellia to be superior (overall) to the utopia.
I used it with rme adi-2 dac!

With that said. Ether c flow 1.1 is not too far off from stellia, and the thing is getting some age on it. I would say stellia is a 15/20 percent more resolving, detail, imaging over the ether c flow 1.1, but that about all, the c flow is absolutely not harsh at all, I am one to suffer from sibilance and peaky highs and the flow doesn't have that (tested with poopy Spotify tracks)
But the stellia... It's just magic. It doesn't it all just right and leaves you not wanting anything extra.
Other than more time to listen!
Hopefully by end summer it will be 2.5k or 1.8/1.7k used market

Not great synergy with Utopia/RME. I too found it a bit unpalatable. Changing the DAC/Amp helped.

 

[subguy812]

I have spent the morning A/Bing the VC and Stellia, using the same Arctic Cable Silver, same source (Kann Cube balanced). While everyone pushes for a comparison, I think it is a tale of two different headphones. The obvious question in your mind is if I had to have just one, which would it be. The answer is quite difficult. The Stellia is easier driven, not a major factor because I seek out DAP's capable of driving any gear I have. Just when I feel the Stellia nudges ahead, I crank up the volume a bit more on the VC and it sounds sublime. Most of my listening time is more conducive to IEM's so at some point I will select one of these two headphones, which are at the pinnacle of closed back nirvana.

I will say that the Stellia has a more dynamic feel to it and with the Arctic Silver adds a touch more air around notes and separation in the stage. The VC is a warm friend, but detailed as well.

You just can't go wrong with either headphone, I have stated ad naseum thus it is in my signature, it might just depend on the signature you are seeking. Both have a wide stage, the Silver cable has a positive impact on both hp's.

 

[Hoegaardener70]

just can't go wrong with either headphone, I have stated ad naseum thus it is in my signature, it might just depend on the signature you are seeking. Both have a wide stage, the Silver cable has a positive impact on both hp's.

Thank you very much, comparing the two is always interesting.

I want to add regarding my experience with the Stellia, using a silver cable, they perfectly synergies with the ifi micro black label. The ifi’s 3D function (which does not lead to good results with all my other headsets) is pure magic with the Stellia. The same goes for Stellia and the ifi pro iCan using the 3D circuit, it is a perfect pairing.

 

[TooFrank]

Just a happy-mail: Has been away from my Stellia's for a week, while still reading this thread...Oh man, forgot how good they sound. Pre-Box S2 -> Graham Slee Solo ULDE -> Arctic Silver Cable -> Stellia's with Billie Eilish...... Best wishes for a nice Sunday to you all

 

[boxster233]

Thank you very much, comparing the two is always interesting.

I want to add regarding my experience with the Stellia, using a silver cable, they perfectly synergies with the ifi micro black label. The ifi’s 3D function (which does not lead to good results with all my other headsets) is pure magic with the Stellia. The same goes for Stellia and the ifi pro iCan using the 3D circuit, it is a perfect pairing.

Agreed. On my xdsd, love the 3D and sometimes bass with Stellia.