[paramac]

This is what my Stellia looks like now. At the beginning, when the discoloration began, a black edge formed on the headband in particular, compared to the original color, which looked terrible. Over time, the transition became more even and therefore more bearable. My initial thought was that it might be better to dye the entire leather completely black.

 

[sparkofinsanity]

This is what my Stellia looks like now. At the beginning, when the discoloration began, a black edge formed on the headband in particular, compared to the original color, which looked terrible. Over time, the transition became more even and therefore more bearable. My initial thought was that it might be better to dye the entire leather completely black.

Very very common. When it first started on my pair I used leather cream on it which at least made it uniformly dark brown. Looks fine and unless they know how it looked new, nobody can tell.

 

[TooFrank]

Very very common. When it first started on my pair I used leather cream on it which at least made it uniformly dark brown. Looks fine and unless they know how it looked new, nobody can tell.

FWIW: mine are similar. I chose upfront to use “grease” to make the discoloration even, And they do look very nice now (and the sound is still fantastic ) Just wondering: if you buy a delicate pair of for example leather gloves, would you then claim they were faulty, if/when the leather colour change with wear and time.?

 

[ChristoT]

FWIW: mine are similar. I chose upfront to use “grease” to make the discoloration even, And they do look very nice now (and the sound is still fantastic ) Just wondering: if you buy a delicate pair of for example leather gloves, would you then claim they were faulty, if/when the leather colour change with wear and time.?

You mean if you bought 3000€ gloves and they turned all by themselves from vivid mocha into almost generic black without a trace of the distinct character of their original color scheme, and that within a matter of a just few months? Damn right you’ll consider them faulty. Luckily we choose headphones mainly for their SQ. Still tho…

 

[Spawn300Z]

You could always protected headband with a headband cover. Was on mine from day one. Also had the added benefit of improving comfort. Also they have warped covers for sanitary purposes if you are that worried about it. But mine have aged well.

 

[TooFrank]

You mean if you bought 3000€ gloves and they turned all by themselves from vivid mocha into almost generic black without a trace of the distinct character of their original color scheme, and that within a matter of a just few months? Damn right you’ll consider them faulty. Luckily we choose headphones mainly for their SQ. Still tho…

…all by themselves…? So you didn’t use them?

 

[ChristoT]

…all by themselves…? So you didn’t use them?

I didn’t mean to be snarky. Just sharing that for me too, just like apparently for paramac, the change was too sudden, too drastic and took some getting used to. Especially since Focal made such a big deal around the mocha color in their launch campaign- how it was inspired by French Cognac and as such was meant to symbolize the distinct French spirit, etc. I actually think the problem would have been nonexistent if they had just advertised the Stellia as coffee brown right from the start, with a small added disclaimer that the leather will take a few months to reach its final intended colour. Anyways- it sounds great and that’s what’s important.

 

[paramac]

It is normal for leather to change or age over time, but this is a process that usually takes time.
For me, the changes occurred suddenly and only within a few months. In addition, I did not use the headphones every day, I use a full-fledged system and I do not use headphones all that often.
The discoloration of the leather is only one aspect of the Focal, but what happens when the leather is damaged? The manufacturer explained to me that nothing can be replaced, which is very disappointing and a (further) risk for the future. And as a reminder, all of the manufacturer's headphones up to the top model Utopia are built according to the same pattern.
But what I am also interested in in this context is what the situation is with other manufacturers, there are many models whose leather is sometimes even lighter in color, how do these change?

I like the Stellia, but I am afraid that at some point in the future it could just become an expensive disposable product

 

[paramac]

You could always protected headband with a headband cover. Was on mine from day one. Also had the added benefit of improving comfort. Also they have warped covers for sanitary purposes if you are that worried about it. But mine have aged well.

You can of course use a kind of hat to better protect the earpiece, but I have never seen anyone do that. The only exceptions are people who go outside with their Bluetooth earpieces in the winter.

I think it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to select materials that are more resistant to environmental influences and to build them in such a way that defective parts can be replaced if necessary, especially when it comes to such high-priced models.

 

[ChristoT]

You can of course use a kind of hat to better protect the earpiece, but I have never seen anyone do that. The only exceptions are people who go outside with their Bluetooth earpieces in the winter.

I think it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to select materials that are more resistant to environmental influences and to build them in such a way that defective parts can be replaced if necessary, especially when it comes to such high-priced models.

Or they could have at least recommend a proper way of maintaining the leather. By the way, earlier in this thread there was a mention of leather care products that I can’t remember right now, which manage to keep the color as brand new but, if I recall correctly, they have to be used preemptively, before the discoloration settles in.

 

[paramac]

Or they could have at least recommend a proper way of maintaining the leather. By the way, earlier in this thread there was a mention of leather care products that I can’t remember right now, which manage to keep the color as brand new but, if I recall correctly, they have to be used preemptively, before the discoloration settles in.

We have leather seating in the living room at home and therefore of course we need care products for cleaning and preserving it. According to the manufacturers, leather should be cared for regularly but not excessively.

Of course I tried it, but the original color never came back.

As I already wrote, I will not be buying any other color than black for headphones in the future.

 

[MarkParity]

We have leather seating in the living room at home and therefore of course we need care products for cleaning and preserving it. According to the manufacturers, leather should be cared for regularly but not excessively.

Of course I tried it, but the original color never came back.

As I already wrote, I will not be buying any other color than black for headphones in the future.

That's your choice, I do find it interesting that some place a lot of importance on the colour of things, its never really bothered me too much. For example when buying a used car some won't buy a certain colour, I prefer to look at features and mileage etc.

Over on the BTR17 thread lots of people are getting upset that Fiio puts a random case in the box so its possible to get a blue case with a black BTR17 and a black case with a blue BTR17, it really wouldn't worry me too much as long as the device worked well.

 

[paramac]

That's your choice, I do find it interesting that some place a lot of importance on the colour of things, its never really bothered me too much. For example when buying a used car some won't buy a certain colour, I prefer to look at features and mileage etc.

Over on the BTR17 thread lots of people are getting upset that Fiio puts a random case in the box so its possible to get a blue case with a black BTR17 and a black case with a blue BTR17, it really wouldn't worry me too much as long as the device worked well.

I think that's a bad example, because if I choose a color, then it should stay that way, at least for a certain period of time. I don't care about accessories, because they are usually easy and relatively cheap to replace, and with a used car there are certain limitations, and I personally wouldn't buy one in pink.
The Stellia is also a premium product, and I generally expected higher quality, not just in terms of the musical properties, but also in terms of workmanship and sustainability. So it doesn't just matter, and I draw conclusions from this experience for future decisions.

 

[zolom]

Black patina or not, for me the Stellia is the best closed back (with lesser outward sound leak) I had listened to.

 

[paramac]

Is that "patina" ???, that's what it looked like back then. Bought in spring and then in autumn of the same year this picture