[revolutionz]

I managed to pick up a set of Stellia used at a great price last night off the forums here. Coming from an Elegia I can't wait to hear these.

Does anyone pair theirs with a Burson unit? If so, what are your thoughts and have you tried them with different opamps? I have a Conductor 3 Reference and a Playmate 2 I'll be using them on.

 

[user4404]

Can anyone talk to the fit of the Stellia, specifically versus the Radiance? I have tried the Elegia and Radiance. While the Elegia fit really well, the Radiance did not. I could likely attribute it to the thicker pads but wasn't sure if there was just overall less clamp as well. Anyway, wondering if the Stellia is closer to the Radiance or Elegia in that regard. Thanks!

 

[Lx3A]

Can anyone talk to the fit of the Stellia, specifically versus the Radiance? I have tried the Elegia and Radiance. While the Elegia fit really well, the Radiance did not. I could likely attribute it to the thicker pads but wasn't sure if there was just overall less clamp as well. Anyway, wondering if the Stellia is closer to the Radiance or Elegia in that regard. Thanks!

I don't have experience with Radiance, but I don't feel my Stellia had any more clamp than Elegia when I got it. The Stellia pads are like butter on the sides of your head, but to me they feel about the same comfort-wise after long listening.

 

[AudioDuck]

I don't have experience with Radiance, but I don't feel my Stellia had any more clamp than Elegia when I got it. The Stellia pads are like butter on the sides of your head, but to me they feel about the same comfort-wise after long listening.

I have used both, but focused on sonic comparison as I found both to be very comfortable. I likely have a smaller head size (I’m 5’6”/165 cm tall) though, so clamp force is usually not excessive when I wear headphones… but the padding on the Radiance is exceptional, especially the ear pads.

That said, as I have not tried the Elegia, but found Radiance/Stellia to feel similar, they are more likely to be closer to one another. My Elears definitely have more clamp force than the Stellias…

 

[user4404]

Thanks @Lx3A and @AudioDuck. I had a feeling the Stellia might be closer to the Radiance based on the pad type. The Elegia for me stayed on almost perfectly whereas the Radiance slid around on my head. Appreciate the insights.

 

[crmiller]

I have both Stellia and Radiance. Stellia are my desk set and Radiance are my nightstand set. The fit is very similar. I’d say the pads on the Radiance feel nicer, but mine are 18 months newer than the Stellia, so it may be an age/wear difference. Between the two if someone made me pick based only on comfort I say the Radiance is better, but we’re not talking game changing differences.

 

[Slim1970]

I joined the Stellia club today. I haven't started listening to them yet, but I will in the coming days. It should pair nicely with my Cayin C9 and Mojo 2

 

[noplsestar]

In case anyone of you guys are looking for an upgrade cable in mint condition for the Stellia, have a look here:
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds...le-encryption-series-for-focal-stellia.20242/
I am parting with this cable because I also had to part with my Stellia ...

 

[RRos]

Can anyone talk to the fit of the Stellia, specifically versus the Radiance? I have tried the Elegia and Radiance. While the Elegia fit really well, the Radiance did not. I could likely attribute it to the thicker pads but wasn't sure if there was just overall less clamp as well. Anyway, wondering if the Stellia is closer to the Radiance or Elegia in that regard. Thanks!

I ended up with the Stellia because of the fit. More specifically, because I really liked the sound from the Radiance over the Elegia, but couldn’t get comfortable even for short periods in the shop. And I assume the test headphones were fairly broken in, since this was recent and the Radiance have been available for quite a while now. So I started trying other Focal, and unfortunately put on the Stellia and just couldn‘t go backwards. Seriously, the sound is so much better from the Stellia that if you have the means, they have to be the top recommendation of any closed-back headphone. In terms of comfort, they fit me as well as the Elegia (which had actually felt ok - just wasn‘t crazy about the sound signature and level of detail). And now i can use them for hours without issue.

 

[RRos]

The ultimate bedside system? I think so...
Focal Stellia
Prion4 Double Helix
NAGRA Tube DAC

There’s an old saying about road bikes, that the ideal number of road bikes to own is the number of bikes at which your wife will leave you, minus one. I feel like that reading your post and wondering whether a table DAC in addition to the kit I currently have (portable DACs, but more than 1 for sure) will be the straw, and then feeling I need to at least give it a try... By the way, what’s your source? You’re streaming off an iphone or ipad (given those chargers in the back, I assume you are all-in Apple). Tidal?

 

[AudioDuck]

There’s an old saying about road bikes, that the ideal number of road bikes to own is the number of bikes at which your wife will leave you, minus one. I feel like that reading your post and wondering whether a table DAC in addition to the kit I currently have (portable DACs, but more than 1 for sure) will be the straw, and then feeling I need to at least give it a try... By the way, what’s your source? You’re streaming off an iphone or ipad (given those chargers in the back, I assume you are all-in Apple). Tidal?

Holy moly, that’s a pretty end-game setup for bedside gear! It should inspire sweet dreams-

 

[revolutionz]

These came in last night. Coming from the Elegia, these are... amazing. Take everything the Elegia does right and it's just... better.

Definitely the Focal house sound if you like that... smaller soundstage than my Kennerton's but not small for a closed back by any means. Great precision in imaging and layering. All the detail you could ever want. Mostly neutral to slightly warm leaning.

Everything I read seems accurate, these will complement my Rognir Dynamics quite well I think, I may be at my end game.

 

[AudioDuck]

These came in last night. Coming from the Elegia, these are... amazing. Take everything the Elegia does right and it's just... better.

Definitely the Focal house sound if you like that... smaller soundstage than my Kennerton's but not small for a closed back by any means. Great precision in imaging and layering. All the detail you could ever want. Mostly neutral to slightly warm leaning.

Everything I read seems accurate, these will complement my Rognir Dynamics quite well I think, I may be at my end game.

Congratulations! Nice setup with the Burson, as well.

 

[THGM]

These came in last night. Coming from the Elegia, these are... amazing. Take everything the Elegia does right and it's just... better.

Definitely the Focal house sound if you like that... smaller soundstage than my Kennerton's but not small for a closed back by any means. Great precision in imaging and layering. All the detail you could ever want. Mostly neutral to slightly warm leaning.

Everything I read seems accurate, these will complement my Rognir Dynamics quite well I think, I may be at my end game.

Congrats on your new addition to the family! I must admit, you nearly had me when you said you may be at your end game...

 

[revolutionz]

Congrats on your new addition to the family! I must admit, you nearly had me when you said you may be at your end game...

Well, I don't own any open back cans at the moment....