Focal Stellia Review, Measurements, Interview - Head-Fi TV

[Resseh]

Thanks - never heard of them before so will add them to the list to look into

 

[noplsestar]

If noise isolation is important, give the AFC 2 a shot.

I was in the same boat. I was also considering the Focal Stellia for work headphones.

The Focal Stellia is better than the AFC 2 performance wise. But the AFC 2 has better comfort, weighs less, is more portable and better noise isolation. The AFC 2 is a much better headphone to wear 9+ hours in a day.

But if sound quality is the most important feature and are willing to trade in other qualities such as comfort and portability, the Focal Stellia cannot be beaten.

The only thing to also consider is that the AFC headphones are quite hard to drive (especially in comparison to the Stellia), so you will need enough juice to power that phones when on the go.

 

[ubs28]

That is absolutely true. The $3000 Sony WM1Z dap cannot drive the AFC 2 for example.

However the Poly + Mojo and Chord Hugo 2 handles the AFC 2 fine, which is how I use the AFC 2.

 

[Caruryn]

Arctic silver cable with the new carbon fiber copper rhodium plated connector in the house.That is one beautiful cable! Special thanks to Roy,he's been very communicative and helpful especially with the whole lockdown situation everywhere.Between this and the heimdall 2 usb for Arche,there is a lot of burn in to be had.Well,i'm gonna be indoors for atleast a month apparently so that won't be a problem.

Hopefully my sanity remains to write impressions after that time

 

[Caruryn]

Thanks for bringing the cable over and pulling out the big guns Ichos,appreciate it,stay safe.

 

[Ichos]

You too , i think you will be busy enough with the new stuff to play around.
BTW this looks like a very well build cable I hope it delivers sound to match build quality!!!

 

[Resseh]

I bought a pair of B&W P9 cheap so that I had something to compare to my cheaper pairs.
the pros. I can see the benefit in having a dedicated DAP over using my iPhone despite them being part of the made for iPhone program
Sound quality is better than anything I’ve had in the past. I love the bass and its cliche but I’ve already picked out details in songs I’ve never heard before

the big negative. They are so uncomfortable that they give me a headache.

Comfort is definitely my most important factor now when I’m looking at headphones. So the Stellia is still my dream headphone.

 

[noplsestar]

I bought a pair of B&W P9 cheap so that I had something to compare to my cheaper pairs.
the pros. I can see the benefit in having a dedicated DAP over using my iPhone despite them being part of the made for iPhone program
Sound quality is better than anything I’ve had in the past. I love the bass and its cliche but I’ve already picked out details in songs I’ve never heard before

the big negative. They are so uncomfortable that they give me a headache.

Comfort is definitely my most important factor now when I’m looking at headphones. So the Stellia is still my dream headphone.

Did you listen to the Stellia already? I had the B&W P9 on my head for about one minute. It´s absolutely no match with the Stellia. But that's no big news I guess. Save money and get you the Stellia and be happy for the rest of your life (or for the next 5 years or so)

 

[Resseh]

I’m not sure if I’ve heard them yet. I listened to a number of Focal headphones at the Naim stand at the Bristol hifi show and I loved them. The build quality, comfort, sound quality was all a massive step up from my B&W PX. It’s got me back into wanting a decent set of headphones.
In the past I had owned the sennheiser 800s but it didn’t seem to be worth the premium and convenience of my Bluetooth headphones.

I’m either going to buy a used Stellia or wait for CanJam.

 

[Gadget67]

So...I’ve owned the Stellia for almost three weeks. I purchased them as a closed back alternative to my Focal Utopia for times when ambient noise interfered; i assumed the sound would be very similar (it is with some minor caveats) and could be easily driven by my Sony WM1Z. I would still give a small edge to the Utopia, but the flexibility to use the Stellia in multiple ways makes it a winner as a one headphone alternative. I prefer the black color scheme of the Utopia, but the Stellia is definitely growing on me. Had I purchased the Stellia first, I still would have wondered if the Utopia was “better” so I’m glad I was able to experience both. If there is anyone following this thread who is considering either one, just get the Stellia and don’t look back. There is a great deal on the Stellia if purchased with the Focal Arche Headphone amp at Moon Audio and other sellers as well. I have no experience with the Arche but for $4000 for an end game headphone and (apparently) really good headphone amp with a stand, headphone case, and decent cables it just seems like a great purchase!

 

[noplsestar]

Does anyone know how is the synergy of the Stellia with the LPGT?

 

[Gadget67]

Does anyone know how is the synergy of the Stellia with the LPGT?

What is the LPGT?

 

[Gadget67]

What is the LPGT?

Never mind—figured it out. This article will probably answer any question you could have!
https://headfonics.com/2019/02/lotoo-paw-gold-touch-review/

 

[noplsestar]

Never mind—figured it out. This article will probably answer any question you could have!
https://headfonics.com/2019/02/lotoo-paw-gold-touch-review/

They didn't listen to the Stellia when reviewing this DAP, so alas, it does not answer my question

 

[Gadget67]

They didn't listen to the Stellia when reviewing this DAP, so alas, it does not answer my question

Send Marcus a tweet; there’s a link in the article.