[mainguy]

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).

interesting. I felt the celestee were like 50% of the Stellia. Have you tried them?

 

[AudioDuck]

interesting. I felt the celestee were like 50% of the Stellia. Have you tried them?

I have not. After reading that the Radiances had a warmer/more bass-heavy signature vs. the Celestees, I pursued those instead, and had them for a month or two before an unexpected gift allowed me to increase my budget and find a pair of used Stellias.

Please take all “percentage of this or that” with a LOT of scepticism. One person’s “50 percent” could be another person’s “65 percent” and so on.

As I had the Radiances in-hand for a day after receiving the Stellias, I did some comparisons. They were not in any way scientific (nor blind), nor were they extremely thorough. But they gave me a sense of comparative strengths and weaknesses. Not surprisingly, the Stellias were overall much better headphones to my ears- though there was likely some confirmation bias too.

To me, the impressive thing is how good the Radiances are for the money. This is why I consider them, and other accomplished headphones around the $ 1,000 USD price point, to be around the point of diminishing returns. I also see the Focal Elears the same way in the open-back category- but I’m sure I would also love the Clears (and perhaps the Utopias).

Fortunately for me, I was still easily able to discern the strengths of the Stellias over the Radiances (more balanced bass, more neutral midrange, more detail, airier soundstage) so I felt justified- this once, at least- to get an end-game component that I can treasure for many years and not look back.

Of note, I need closed-backs far more frequently than open-backs due to sound leakage, so that’s where I’ve invested.

 

[WaveTheory]

Here's the Focal shootout video I promised in my Stellia review(s):

 

[Malevolent]

I have not. After reading that the Radiances had a warmer/more bass-heavy signature vs. the Celestees, I pursued those instead, and had them for a month or two before an unexpected gift allowed me to increase my budget and find a pair of used Stellias.

Please take all “percentage of this or that” with a LOT of scepticism. One person’s “50 percent” could be another person’s “65 percent” and so on.

As I had the Radiances in-hand for a day after receiving the Stellias, I did some comparisons. They were not in any way scientific (nor blind), nor were they extremely thorough. But they gave me a sense of comparative strengths and weaknesses. Not surprisingly, the Stellias were overall much better headphones to my ears- though there was likely some confirmation bias too.

To me, the impressive thing is how good the Radiances are for the money. This is why I consider them, and other accomplished headphones around the $ 1,000 USD price point, to be around the point of diminishing returns. I also see the Focal Elears the same way in the open-back category- but I’m sure I would also love the Clears (and perhaps the Utopias).

Fortunately for me, I was still easily able to discern the strengths of the Stellias over the Radiances (more balanced bass, more neutral midrange, more detail, airier soundstage) so I felt justified- this once, at least- to get an end-game component that I can treasure for many years and not look back.

Of note, I need closed-backs far more frequently than open-backs due to sound leakage, so that’s where I’ve invested.

My friend, I recall you mentioning some time ago that, after achieving "end game satisfaction", you'd be spending time away from the forums.

It appears that the allure of Head-Fi, the pull of upgraditis, and enjoying chatter with your fellow audiophiles are aspects too great to ignore!

I jest, I jest.

 

[AudioDuck]

My friend, I recall you mentioning some time ago that, after achieving "end game satisfaction", you'd be spending time away from the forums.

It appears that the allure of Head-Fi, the pull of upgraditis, and enjoying chatter with your fellow audiophiles are aspects too great to ignore!

I jest, I jest.

Oh no, you’re right about the “enjoying chatter with your fellow audiophiles part”. I figured someone would bring it up soon, and rightly so.

While I have no upgraditis anymore, just enjoyment with the Stellias- and occasionally the Elears if no one is around- I find that the human contact means a lot these days. Yes, it’s written, asynchronous, virtual contact- but very valuable to me nonetheless.

So while I still peruse the classifieds as well (horrors! ), I actually feel no need to buy or trade- thankfully. But it’s fun to see what’s going on in the head-fi world… In the same way, I subscribe to The Absolute Sound and Stereophile, but haven’t added to the two-channel setup in a significant way for several years.

 

[Malevolent]

Oh no, you’re right about the “enjoying chatter with your fellow audiophiles part”. I figured someone would bring it up soon, and rightly so.

While I have no upgraditis anymore, just enjoyment with the Stellias- and occasionally the Elears if no one is around- I find that the human contact means a lot these days. Yes, it’s written, asynchronous, virtual contact- but very valuable to me nonetheless.

So while I still peruse the classifieds as well (horrors! ), I actually feel no need to buy or trade- thankfully. But it’s fun to see what’s going on in the head-fi world… In the same way, I subscribe to The Absolute Sound and Stereophile, but haven’t added to the two-channel setup in a significant way for several years.

Well, on the topic of upgrading, I think you can be happy with your Stellia for the foreseeable future. I have yet to try the Stealth - although opinions have been mixed - but in the closed-back side of things, the Stellia still retains its podium place as one of the best available options. In fact, I'd venture to say that within the TOTL price bracket, it's very much a game of minor trade-offs - for example, you sacrifice absolute detail for overall balance, or you remove a bit of top-end air and articulation for slight boost in warmth. Unless you're chasing that fabled end-game dragon, you can be satisfied with the Focal for years to come, I'd say.

And, yes, there's no better place to enjoy a nice discussion with like-minded folk than on moderate fora such as Head-Fi.

 

[Verificateur]

Has anyone paired at some point their Stellia with the Meze 99 Silver cable?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0822TWH29/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_PE7GZNJFAZ5PKF35ZX5C

I wonder how it fares…sonically?

As a side question, wonder if it’s worth getting the Arctic Signum cable for the Stellia; and how ergonomic/soft/flexible is it?

 

[Pitachu]

I just want to check the users experience here on reliability of the Stellia as I have heard there are some reliability issues with the Focal Utopia.
Anyone with problem with the Stellia?

 

[u2u2]

I just want to check the users experience here on reliability of the Stellia as I have heard there are some reliability issues with the Focal Utopia.
Anyone with problem with the Stellia?

Social media tends to overplay issues and I had the same question in regard to recent purchases of Stellia and Utopia... I put the question behind me as I have a very early set of Elear that have been fine and many other products I own attract the same type posts. So far the Stellia and Utopia are flawless. Best to enjoy the hobby and take comfort in Focal making good gear with a sound warranty should you need it.

 

[NCUS]

Social media tends to overplay issues and I had the same question in regard to recent purchases of Stellia and Utopia... I put the question behind me as I have a very early set of Elear that have been fine and many other products I own attract the same type posts. So far the Stellia and Utopia are flawless. Best to enjoy the hobby and take comfort in Focal making good gear with a sound warranty should you need it.

I've had zero functionality problems issues with my Stellia. It has some quirks, like the natural real leather staining easily and some creaking in the band I took care of with silicone lubricant, but nothing that affects how it sounds. This is fortunate, but it sounds awesome.

 

[sparkofinsanity]

I've had zero functionality problems issues with my Stellia. It has some quirks, like the natural real leather staining easily and some creaking in the band I took care of with silicone lubricant, but nothing that affects how it sounds. This is fortunate, but it sounds awesome.

I had some creaking as well, turned out to be my glasses that creaked. And thankfully mine have gotten a nice darker patina (with aid from a leather cream) instead of that stain others have gotten. Magic set of cans, love 'em!

 

[Mkoll]

I've had zero functionality problems issues with my Stellia. It has some quirks, like the natural real leather staining easily and some creaking in the band I took care of with silicone lubricant, but nothing that affects how it sounds. This is fortunate, but it sounds awesome.

My experience is exactly the same, along with the same intervention which fixed the creaking.

 

[chaz_flhr]

Well, on the topic of upgrading, I think you can be happy with your Stellia for the foreseeable future. I have yet to try the Stealth - although opinions have been mixed - but in the closed-back side of things, the Stellia still retains its podium place as one of the best available options. In fact, I'd venture to say that within the TOTL price bracket, it's very much a game of minor trade-offs - for example, you sacrifice absolute detail for overall balance, or you remove a bit of top-end air and articulation for slight boost in warmth. Unless you're chasing that fabled end-game dragon, you can be satisfied with the Focal for years to come, I'd say.

And, yes, there's no better place to enjoy a nice discussion with like-minded folk than on moderate fora such as Head-Fi.

One can always use a pro iCAN on tube with some bass+ to warm things up and add some meat to the bottom end.

 

[ozz007]

Has anyone paired at some point their Stellia with the Meze 99 Silver cable?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0822TWH29/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_PE7GZNJFAZ5PKF35ZX5C

I wonder how it fares…sonically?

As a side question, wonder if it’s worth getting the Arctic Signum cable for the Stellia; and how ergonomic/soft/flexible is it?

I have that cable, with a 4.4mm plug. I dont feel any difference compared other cables i used with it.

I dont used the stock cable cause it's, just to hard.

 

[TooFrank]

Has anyone paired at some point their Stellia with the Meze 99 Silver cable?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0822TWH29/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_PE7GZNJFAZ5PKF35ZX5C

I wonder how it fares…sonically?

As a side question, wonder if it’s worth getting the Arctic Signum cable for the Stellia; and how ergonomic/soft/flexible is it?

Not sure if you mean Signum or Signum+. I bought the latter and have never looked back. To my ears, it brings much more of everything. And it also goes very well with the Arya’s.