[Beagle]

Different strokes....

 

[Harphy]

For anyone who is interested in free one week loaner of stellia:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-stellia-loaner-program-ttvjaudio-com.902822/

 

[noplsestar]

The Utopia I use single end connect to my Dave. But with the Stellia I had terminated to 4.4 balanced to my Sony players. I would say after swapping the cable the bass sounds a bit better and vocal and treble are smoother but overall not a huge different. The stock cable is good enough if you don’t mind the microphonic effect on it. As the main improvement after I swap to axios is removing the microphonic effect.

when going from se output to balanced with a new cable, it‘s of course gonna sound different. Most balanced outputs of the DAPs have a different sound, I think only the LPGT‘s outputs have the same sound. So I guess that the differences you hear are not because of the cable itself. But it’s good to hear that the microphonics are eliminated.

 

[SilverEars]

when going from se output to balanced with a new cable, it‘s of course gonna sound different. Most balanced outputs of the DAPs have a different sound, I think only the LPGT‘s outputs have the same sound. So I guess that the differences you hear are not because of the cable itself. But it’s good to hear that the microphonics are eliminated.

I don't know. For me it's DAPs that don't sound different with balanced from SE. My experience is, DAPs are weak for proper movement of drivers for the strong movement of air or bass.

You'd expect to better response out of balanced due to more power out of DAPs, but for full-sized, they still sound lacking juice to drive properly. iems are ok.

I generally do not notice differences from SE to balanced, but for couple amps that I have tried, and both were desktop amp for full-sized. I think real benefit for balanced is something needs the extra power on a amp that the amp can provide through balanced, but the amp can also be designed with high power single-ended with a gain switch.

 

[noplsestar]

I don't know. For me it's DAPs that don't sound different with balanced from SE. My experience is, DAPs are weak for proper movement of drivers for the strong movement of air or bass.

You'd expect to better response out of balanced due to more power out of DAPs, but for full-sized, they still sound lacking juice to drive properly. iems are ok.

I generally do not notice differences from SE to balanced, but for couple amps that I have tried, and both were desktop amp for full-sized. I think real benefit for balanced is something needs the extra power on a amp that the amp can provide through balanced, but the amp can also be designed with high power single-ended with a gain switch.

But shouldn’t the problem to drive the drivers properly be eliminated with the Stellia‘s 35 Ohm? At least compared to, let’s say, the HD800 etc.?

 

[SilverEars]

But shouldn’t the problem to drive the drivers properly be eliminated with the Stellia‘s 35 Ohm? At least compared to, let’s say, the HD800 etc.?

That's what I initially expected, but in the end it didn't turn out to be the experience. When I tried the Sony 1Z, it didn't sound as good as my desktop setup. By the way, 1Z balanced doesn't seem all that different with single ended with the Z1R. I tried a more powerful transportable, and then finally a couple desktop setups, and in the end a desktop setup with most power ended up sounding the best.

 

[Art Garfunkel]

I was just imagining the wonderful turntable I could buy for the same asking price as the Stellia. Really makes one think.

 

[Automata]

That's what I initially expected, but in the end it didn't turn out to be the experience. When I tried the Sony 1Z, it didn't sound as good as my desktop setup. By the way, 1Z balanced doesn't seem all that different with single ended with the Z1R. I tried a more powerful transportable, and then finally a couple desktop setups, and in the end a desktop setup with most power ended up sounding the best.

Z1R is a headphone that require lots of juice and power compared to Stellia. With the 1Z Stellia sounds great from balanced output but the Z1R sounds so bad from my ear. It require a proper desktop gear to drive it to satisfied level, unlike the Stellia.

 

[teknorob23]

I was just imagining the wonderful turntable I could buy for the same asking price as the Stellia. Really makes one think.

But on the other side I’d have to spend getting on for 7-10k on a pair of speakers that could match their performance and then remove all the furniture and build my living room into a perfect child free sound deadened cube. Swings and roundabouts

 

[emrelights1973]

But on the other side I’d have to spend getting on for 7-10k on a pair of speakers that could match their performance and then remove all the furniture and build my living room into a perfect child free sound deadened cube. Swings and roundabouts

and a phono stage and interconnects and washing machine for the records and a solid rack and gloves/brush/anti static gun/cleaning liquid and record shelfs......

without getting into pre/power/speakers/racking/cables.....

it can be all done for 3000$ maybe or you may end up paying it just for a interconnect.....

3000$ you have the best closed back headphone, sounds great, build great.....

 

[Beagle]

But on the other side I’d have to spend getting on for 7-10k on a pair of speakers that could match their performance and then remove all the furniture and build my living room into a perfect child free sound deadened cube. Swings and roundabouts

and a phono stage and interconnects and washing machine for the records and a solid rack and gloves/brush/anti static gun/cleaning liquid and record shelfs......

without getting into pre/power/speakers/racking/cables.....

it can be all done for 3000$ maybe or you may end up paying it just for a interconnect.....

3000$ you have the best closed back headphone, sounds great, build great.....

But if you had a good room setup like that, you'd toss your headphones in the trash real quick..

 

[DarginMahkum]

That is for me the ultimate portable setup. Sold some more gear and got the Cayin N8. I don't like having to go for balanced cable and the SE Nutube output of N8 with Stellia is a dream.

This week I also took the Stellia on the plane and the sound isolation was great.

 

[QueueCumber]

But if you had a good room setup like that, you'd toss your headphones in the trash real quick..

Don’t know about that. I have an excellent 2-channel setup, with some surrounds added for ambience, and I still love listening to headphones also.

 

[teknorob23]

Don’t know about that. I have an excellent 2-channel setup, with some surrounds added for ambience, and I still love listening to headphones also.

same, or at least i did have until my two boys (3 and 2 years old) came along in quick succession, since the all bets are off and many acts of audiophile sacrilege have been committed... speakers wall mounted, etc :-0

 

[Beagle]

Yes, and many people don't have the room or the space to set up a full fledged speaker system. But if you can, it's unbeatable, or if you get to hear one in an audio salon, it's quite the revelation. But I'm in the same camp, and headphones are the easiest and least expensive (sometimes) way to high-end sound.

I'm imagining the day when you go to a concert and they hand out headphones to everyone instead of hearing it live or through amps/speakers. How awful that would be. Instead of enjoying the performance, everyone would complain about the soundstage of the headphones.