[rangerid]

One of my friends was interested in getting into the next level of the headfi hobby, forgive him for he knows not what he does . He has a few sets of headphones, DT880s and I think he has some 6XX, and several gaming headsets given his job, but hadn't even really experienced higher price tiers of headphones or clean sources (or both together). After giving him some of my opinions after he told me what he was looking for (he already knew most of the stuff like what open vs. closed is, dynamic vs. planar, some DAC and AMP experience, etc.). Anyway, instead of kind of working his way up to flagships, he just dove in headfirst and picked up a Fiio M11+ and a pair of Stellias. So unlike those of us that took small steps up over a long period of time to get to these cans, he went straight from driving a nice Civic to a Ferrari, so his first impressions and experience was fun to watch. This was streamed live... and the chat seemed to enjoy it too.

Yep, I really enjoy the Stellias as well, they are the best all around cans I have ever owned. Before I got them I already had and commonly use HD800s (outstanding for gaming, and some music on tube amp), HD660s, Elegias, LCD3s, etc., so while the Stellia was a nice step up, it wasn't anywhere CLOSE as dramatic as if I were upgrading from DT880 or a set of Corsair gaming headphones. I wonder... if I spend a couple of weeks/months only listening to the worst headphones in my collection to allow for brain burn in, and then switch back to the Stellias, can I get that same amazing wow feeling again? I think this is what Madonna's "Like a Virgin" song was really about .

Stellias were my first pair of full sized headphones after returning to headfi after a 7 year hiatus at the end of 2020. I had similar impressions lol. I used to only listen to IEMs so full sized headphones were already different enough, and I was running them off my iPhone.
If you've already had experience with higher end headphones you're probably already used what high end headphones sound like. Also he's a streamer, they tend to overhype things a bit...

Your friend is Kyle? Nice.

The Stellia is a top-notch headphone, actually, When I tried them with a Hugo 2 during my first couple of auditions, I wasn't very wow-ed; they were good, but I found the cheaper Vérité Closed better in a couple of key areas. However, in my subsequent runs with the Stellia, I used them with different equipment (e.g. Hugo TT 2 + Hugo M Scaler), and I realized just how good they can actually be. In a sea of $3,000 to 4,000 flagships, the Stellia holds its own very well.

The Rögnir bests it in sheer clarity, the MDR-Z1R has better bass, and the Vérité Closed has lusher, fuller mids. However, the Stellia presents a fine balance in its signature that is, ultimately, greater than the sum of its individual parts. A very find headphone, indeed.

Stellias scale very well with better source gear. There are a lot of headphones that are overpriced but I feel Stellias are worth price and def competes with its competition.

 

[zolom]

I pair the Hugo 2 with the iFi Pro iCan. The outcome SQ via the Stellia (balanced) is sublime!

 

[Malevolent]

Stellias scale very well with better source gear. There are a lot of headphones that are overpriced but I feel Stellias are worth price and def competes with its competition.

Yeah, I learned that first hand. The Hugo TT 2 (with the Hugo M Scaler) helped to deliver a stellar (no pun intended) listening experience. I had lukewarm encounters with the Stellia prior to the aforementioned audition; my subsequent ones have been nothing but positive.

I pair the Hugo 2 with the iFi Pro iCan. The outcome SQ via the Stellia (balanced) is sublime!

And that's probably the issue - with better amplification, the Stellia well-and-truly shines.

 

[chaz_flhr]

Thanks for sharing this! It was fun to watch the reactions (both chat and your friend’s) both to the unboxing and the listening session.

While my reaction was not as strong going from Focal Radiances and previously Audeze LCD-XCs, I still grinned and laughed in a similar fashion. The Stellias are- to my ears, at least- that good, and so very enjoyable to listen to.

Congratulations to him on the Stellia ownership!

I pair the Hugo 2 with the iFi Pro iCan. The outcome SQ via the Stellia (balanced) is sublime!

Although the Pro iCAN is overkIll power wise I do love the tube or tube +mode with a little bass+ when I want a little more bottom. I drive my iCAN with the Pro iDSD which also powers the balanced Stellia quite well. They just came out with a signature line For both pro models.

 

[mainguy]

I pair the Hugo 2 with the iFi Pro iCan. The outcome SQ via the Stellia (balanced) is sublime!

The Stellia absolutely sing on Chord gear imo

 

[rangerid]

Yeah, I learned that first hand. The Hugo TT 2 (with the Hugo M Scaler) helped to deliver a stellar (no pun intended) listening experience. I had lukewarm encounters with the Stellia prior to the aforementioned audition; my subsequent ones have been nothing but positive.


And that's probably the issue - with better amplification, the Stellia well-and-truly shines.

The Stellia absolutely sing on Chord gear imo

I agree, I really liked it on Chord stuff, actually anything that's on the brighter side and a bit more forward as I do find the mids/treble on the Stellia a bit too relaxed for my taste

 

[AudioDuck]

I agree, I really liked it on Chord stuff, actually anything that's on the brighter side and a bit more forward as I do find the mids/treble on the Stellia a bit too relaxed for my taste

As someone who prefers “detailed but lush” sound without too much treble emphasis, I’ve found the Violectric V200 to be a great solid-state match with the Stellias. Much more so than the Audeze LCD-XCs, to my ears.

(I’ve come to realize that I’m somewhat treble-sensitive as I get older)

While I’ve only used the V200 with them, I would expect the V281 and other Lake People electronics (such as Niimbus) to be good combinations as well. That is, unless you are after strong focus on treble detail.

 

[rangerid]

As someone who prefers “detailed but lush” sound without too much treble emphasis, I’ve found the Violectric V200 to be a great solid-state match with the Stellias. Much more so than the Audeze LCD-XCs, to my ears.

(I’ve come to realize that I’m somewhat treble-sensitive as I get older)

While I’ve only used the V200 with them, I would expect the V281 and other Lake People electronics (such as Niimbus) to be good combinations as well. That is, unless you are after strong focus on treble detail.

I feel ya. I enjoy the detailed but lush type of treble too. Have you tried a tube amp with the Stellias? It really smooth out the treble and give that tube bloom/lush euphonic character throughout

I am lucky that I am not sensitive at all to treble. Actually when I first got into headphonesI didn't think I'd care so much about the sparkle/air in highs, I mostly listen to EDM/Techno/Synth so I mainly cared about bass first, but I found if treble didn't have enough sparkle/air it made that type of music seem dull and lacking in energy

 

[AudioDuck]

I feel ya. I enjoy the detailed but lush type of treble too. Have you tried a tube amp with the Stellias? It really smooth out the treble and give that tube bloom/lush euphonic character throughout

I am lucky that I am not sensitive at all to treble. Actually when I first got into headphonesI didn't think I'd care so much about the sparkle/air in highs, I mostly listen to EDM/Techno/Synth so I mainly cared about bass first, but I found if treble didn't have enough sparkle/air it made that type of music seem dull and lacking in energy

Thanks- yes, I also have a Feliks Audio Echo with some excellent tubes in it, and it’s really nice with the Stellias too. With the NOS Amperex tubes I have in place, the bass impact is pretty stunning.

I often use the V200 until the tubes have warmed up and switch to the Echo.

 

[WaveTheory]

I have a written review up for the Stellia:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/focal-stellia.25457/reviews#review-26889

and also a YouTube video:



Enjoy!

 

[AudioDuck]

I have a written review up for the Stellia:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/focal-stellia.25457/reviews#review-26889

and also a YouTube video:



Enjoy!

Nice review! Good job on thoroughly examining the different aspects of the Stellia.

I see you have the Focal Radiance- also an excellent set of cans, and arguably even more comfortable than the Stellias with that awesome set of pads. Do you find the Radiance to be a bit more bass-forward and perhaps a tad warmer through the midrange?

 

[WaveTheory]

Nice review! Good job on thoroughly examining the different aspects of the Stellia.

I see you have the Focal Radiance- also an excellent set of cans, and arguably even more comfortable than the Stellias with that awesome set of pads. Do you find the Radiance to be a bit more bass-forward and perhaps a tad warmer through the midrange?

Oh, for sure! The Radiance has my favorite tuning of the Focals I've heard easily. I also think it's an excellent value. It's not as technically capable as Stellia in resolution or staging, but it's also not all that far behind and it has more natural timbre through the mids than Stellia, IMO. I have review of Radiance, too: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/focal-radiance-bentley-edition.25292/reviews#review-26371

 

[chaz_flhr]

Nice review! Good job on thoroughly examining the different aspects of the Stellia.

I see you have the Focal Radiance- also an excellent set of cans, and arguably even more comfortable than the Stellias with that awesome set of pads. Do you find the Radiance to be a bit more bass-forward and perhaps a tad warmer through the midrange?

+1 I find both Stellia and Radiance to be excellent can’s just different flavors although I do lean toward the Radiance tuning for fun and it is my travel HP. I add a little warmth and bottom end to my Stellia with my iFi pro stack using tube or tube+ on both with a touch of x bass and the GTO filter, Very tuneable DAC and amp set for getting just the sound you like.

 

[AudioDuck]

Oh, for sure! The Radiance has my favorite tuning of the Focals I've heard easily. I also think it's an excellent value. It's not as technically capable as Stellia in resolution or staging, but it's also not all that far behind and it has more natural timbre through the mids than Stellia, IMO. I have review of Radiance, too: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/focal-radiance-bentley-edition.25292/reviews#review-26371

Yup, I really liked the Radiances as well, though to my ears, they are a little too warm/bass-heavy with my warm-sounding amplification.

That said, I would have been happy to live with them… However, when I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy a Stellia, I did it and have been thrilled.

Agreed on the value- the Radiances are 80-85 percent of the Stellias, IMHO (if you can quantify such things) at less than half the price. Focal has really nailed their mid-priced part of their lineup (and with the Elear, they won at the entry point too).

 

[AudioDuck]

+1 I find both Stellia and Radiance to be excellent can’s just different flavors although I do lean toward the Radiance tuning for fun and it is my travel HP. I add a little warmth and bottom end to my Stellia with my iFi pro stack using tube or tube+ on both with a touch of x bass and the GTO filter, Very tuneable DAC and amp set for getting just the sound you like.

Holy moly- I’d love to have Radiances as my travel headphones. Talk about great sound and comfort on the go!