[TooFrank]

Hi fellow Stellia owners.
Just to reiterate how happy I am for this investment about 3 or 4 weeks ago. Sound wise very, very nice.
However today I discovered how frail and delicate the colour of the leather on the headband is. Take a look at the photo below and check the discolouration.
And no, they have not been in the gym.....But I don’t have much hair left (= bald) and haven’t worn a cap in my armchair.
Anyway, please bear this in mind if you wish to keep the looks (of the headband

)

 

[arielext]

Ouch! Got mine wrapped in one of those wool headband cushions; so far no discolour at all.

 

[Andrew DiMarcangelo]

Does anyone have tried the Stellia/Clear with the SPL Phonitor X or the ifi Pro iDSD?

I own both the Stellia and the Clear and looking for an « end game upgrade » from my Schiit Jotunheim/Massdrop CTH combo (which is not sounding that bad by the way).

First, does it worth the upgrade from the Jot & CTH?

Any comments about how these two pricey DAC/Amps sounds with the Stellia/Clear?

Just wanted to chime in and say that my experience with the Stellia and Pro iDSD has been stellar. In particular, I love the sound with solid state stage + Gibbs Transient Optimized filter.

 

[up late]

i don't recall seeing this posted in the thread but i always find @Torq's headphone reviews comprehensive and a worthwhile read: https://www.headphones.com/blogs/news/focal-stellia-flagship-closed-back-headphone-review

 

[AppleheadMay]

Got a demo Stellia in to compare with my HD820 during the next week with my new system.
Some phone pics:

 

[Beagle]

Nice. Looking forward to your opinion and comparison.

 

[koenoe]

Beautiful Luxman stuff. How's that amp and DAC?

 

[AppleheadMay]

Beautiful Luxman stuff. How's that amp and DAC?

Both the DAC and amp are more detailed and extended than whet I had with my Marantz DAC. Their sound is smooth overall, never bright in the highs and there is a bit of warmth in the mids which I like.
The speaker amp is really powerful, very clear and detailed without being bright, a slight warmth in the mids as well.
Vocals are amazing with this set but so are rock guitars.
I just had the whole set complete from half last week so I'm still getting used to it but man it's a big improvement.

 

[TooFrank]

Ouch! Got mine wrapped in one of those wool headband cushions; so far no discolour at all.

Thanks, didn’t know such cushions existed However, I wrote to focal about this and they (local distributor) quickly replied back:

The colour change on your Stellia headband is quite normal – leather in light colours WILL change when used, just like furniture with light leather colour or car seats. This is a function of the leather being a natural product. And being in contact with human skin will change the colour just like the armrest on a chair.

That being said I can tell You from several visits to the Bentley factory, that they use baby wipe’s without perfume to keep the leather in their cars as smooth and colourresistant as possible.

So I have decided, that my Stellia’s are keepers and I will see how the colours evolves over time.
They sound so sweet....

 

[Spedinfargo]

Thanks for suggestions, my 2nd pair work, which are for Mac work ie readers that focus a bit further away. My other pairs are indentical frames and they are varifocals, but are wider across the front. It’s not enough of an issue to worry about but when I replace my glasses it’s defintely something I’ll consider. Thanks for the suggestion though

I like this side-thread. After years of no glasses (Lasik) I unfortunately had to get bifocals recently. Luckily, my Lasik has still left me with kinda-monovision so I don't have to wear glasses at my work desk which is the only place I get to listen to my Elegias (soon-to-hopefully-be Stellias). So this is not a worry for me now, but I will add it to my list of future worries.

Have you thought of a nice pair of pince nez glasses as a potential workaround?

 

[emrelights1973]

You can always were one of these, put on when you pray or listen to stellia)

Good Solution for less than a dollar

 

[dawktah2]

I like this side-thread. After years of no glasses (Lasik) I unfortunately had to get bifocals recently. Luckily, my Lasik has still left me with kinda-monovision so I don't have to wear glasses at my work desk which is the only place I get to listen to my Elegias (soon-to-hopefully-be Stellias). So this is not a worry for me now, but I will add it to my list of future worries.

Have you thought of a nice pair of pince nez glasses as a potential workaround?

I tried one brand wouldn't stay on. Maybe I'll look into another brand.

 

[TooFrank]

FWIW: Still amazed - these guys are depriving me my sleep - I simply don’t want to take them off. I hear new nuances all the time.....

 

[Andrew DiMarcangelo]

FWIW: Still amazed - these guys are depriving me my sleep - I simply don’t want to take them off. I hear new nuances all the time.....

Yeah, the Stellia is awesome. I think it's my top selling headphone...universally loved.

 

[TheoS53]