[S-O8]

I presume both Stellia and Utopia to have a similar house sound?

Yes, they do.

 

[Facta]

More rounded. Where I find the Utopia a bit too expressive the Stellia are more controlled and restrained ... but manage to express the music as I like it. The only way os to try them both but obviously my impression is based out of the TT2 which will add it's own take on affairs no matter how neutral. My view is that the Stellia is a tighter Utopia. Not as expressive but an easier listen in many ways without losing the real sound and signature of the Utopia which sits on my amp with the Stellia despite having numerous headphpne options to try.

More specifically, is anyone here running their Stellia purely with an RME ADI-2 Pro FS R?

Me. I am underwhelmed for $$$ that Stellia took. ADI-2 Pro FS R in balanced mode isn't at fault -it made the $169 beyerdynamic DT-150 (with its new extended bass response, 5Hz-30,000Hz) sing like a $1000 ToTL open-back, DT-1770 sound its best-ever and Focal Clear Professional sound like my end-game. Wish I had opted for ZMF Verite or LCD XC or Ether Flow C for my closed-back needs, instead of Stellia. Or, at least, acquired another well-proven open-back like Utopia or Empyrean. Just my personal impressions, YMMV.

 

[Facta]

Don't know how to describe scientifically or frequency-wise but my 3-week new Stellia sounds a lot thinner and less musical to my ears when compared with the old Clear Professional. I would even dare say, less resolving, risking ire from all of you who are aware of the fact that Stellia is accepted to be as resolving as Utopia with its beryllium driver. Stellia sounds a bit choked while Clear Professional sounds like nothing is inhibited. And it's not just that open-back vs closed-back feeling. Something a lot more. Clear Pro sounds very organic. Stellia sounds like a distant cry from a damsel in distress. Clear Pro sounds like a pure soul while Stellia sounds like it has has to live with a lot of scars from past. Clear Pro's imaging is real like a hand drawn picture while Stellia's is like a digital approximation that faltered on many levels. Clear Pro sounds like a story telling of a good story as regaled by someone who uses simple but good English vocabulary in short and well-defined sentences while Stellia sounds like a similar story told by someone who uses a lot of French words thrown into his bad-accented English narration that I might have trouble following all the time. Clear Pro sounds like a brother. Stellia sounds like a cousin. (Both used via balanced cables from ADI-2 Pro DAC/Amp.)

 

[FenceFurniture]

Facta, did you find that your Clear Pro's sound changed after 10-20 hours (or whatever running time)?

 

[knivek]

I am now wondering if it is not the Mjolnir2/Bifrost2 holding back some warmth I am missing. God I really need to get to a Canjam to demo stuff...

 

[Hoegaardener70]

Don't know how to describe scientifically or frequency-wise but my 3-week new Stellia sounds a lot thinner and less musical to my ears when compared with the old Clear Professional. I would even dare say, less resolving, risking ire from all of you who are aware of the fact that Stellia is accepted to be as resolving as Utopia with its beryllium driver. Stellia sounds a bit choked while Clear Professional sounds like nothing is inhibited. And it's not just that open-back vs closed-back feeling. Something a lot more. Clear Pro sounds very organic. Stellia sounds like a distant cry from a damsel in distress. Clear Pro sounds like a pure soul while Stellia sounds like it has has to live with a lot of scars from past. Clear Pro's imaging is real like a hand drawn picture while Stellia's is like a digital approximation that faltered on many levels. Clear Pro sounds like a story telling of a good story as regaled by someone who uses simple but good English vocabulary in short and well-defined sentences while Stellia sounds like a similar story told by someone who uses a lot of French words thrown into his bad-accented English narration that I might have trouble following all the time. Clear Pro sounds like a brother. Stellia sounds like a cousin. (Both used via balanced cables from ADI-2 Pro DAC/Amp.)

ouch. Clearly, the Stellia aren’t for you. Sell and recover your losses, and send us your impressions of the VC compared to the Stellia. Saying that, I’d at least ONCE compare your Stellia pair with one at a shop, just to make sure there is no technical fault. I know the clear quite well, and I own the Stellia, and I cannot replicate.

 

[Facta]

.

 

[Facta]

Facta, did you find that your Clear Pro's sound changed after 10-20 hours (or whatever running time)?

ouch. Clearly, the Stellia aren’t for you. Sell and recover your losses, and send us your impressions of the VC compared to the Stellia. Saying that, I’d at least ONCE compare your Stellia pair with one at a shop, just to make sure there is no technical fault. I know the clear quite well, and I own the Stellia, and I cannot replicate.

I listened to Stellia without burning for an hour or two a day, for a few days, since purchase 10-15 days ago. I just started burning them in, with hope, in a dedicated set-up: running them 20 hours straight out of the headphone port of Tivoli Model One radio at max volume per day, which isn't too loud when I checked headphones on ears; am thinking 5 days = 100 hours in total. Instead of pink noise. Is this safe? Might the Stellia grow on me after 100 hours? I really wish this pair gives me an end-game closed-back fairly-neutral-signature solution for both mixing/mastering 2nd reference after studio monitors as well as movie watching. Hate to put it on sale and lose $$.

 

[FenceFurniture]

Facta, did you find that your Clear Pro's sound changed after 10-20 hours (or whatever running time)?

I'm not asking that with any reference to the Stellias - I'm curious to know if the Clears changed after you first ran them for 10-20 hours (because I know someone who had this happen just recently).

 

[Facta]

I'm not asking that with any reference to the Stellias - I'm curious to know if the Clears changed after you first ran them for 10-20 hours (because I know someone who had this happen just recently).

Oh. Sorry. My memory of Clear Pro's early impressions during burn-in isn't very good. I was very impressed right from Day-1 without burn-in. And, after hundreds of hours, it still feels like a very very good investment and I feel Clear Pro have nothing lacking in them, frequency and imaging and resolution-wise. I chose it over HD-800 S in the last minute, on the day I pulled the trigger and I now feel good about it, despite never having heard HD-800 S. I was hoping Stellia would offer a similar satisfaction, if not a lot more for the extra $$ it commanded and for the beryllium driver's magic it received acclaim for, albeit with a mildly different signature from Clear Pro's, but in the 40-50 hours I might have used it in the last 10-15 days after opening the box, I am just as underwhelmed now as I was on Day-1. Started doing a dedicated burn-in today.

 

[FenceFurniture]

Ok thanks for that. If you have already run them for 40-50 hours - and if there is any basis to burning in - I think you would have already made a significant change (in other words don't get your hopes up too much for a big change). I would think that the greatest effect of burning in would be the earlier hours of running, not the latter hours.

The fella I know said he noticed a very large change in his Clear Pros after about 10 hours.

 

[Facta]

Not a burn-in believer myself but I surely noticed a 5%-10% improvement in the perception of sonic quality of the <$1000 headphones I used after 40-50 hours of use. Yet, I can't help hoping Stellia would spring back to surprise me in a week or two. On the other hand, my $169 beyerdynamic DT-150, right out of the box, connected to the same ADI-2 Pro, sounded so profoundly natural, organic, lush and all-encompassing in whatever my ears allowed me to listen in its 5Hz-30,000Hz range. Maybe my life is so pedestrian in its soul that I don't deserve >$1500 gear. Maybe I should marry a simple Amsih girl instead of asking out Upper East Side women for a date for my lifelong happiness.

 

[noplsestar]

Don't know how to describe scientifically or frequency-wise but my 3-week new Stellia sounds a lot thinner and less musical to my ears when compared with the old Clear Professional. I would even dare say, less resolving, risking ire from all of you who are aware of the fact that Stellia is accepted to be as resolving as Utopia with its beryllium driver. Stellia sounds a bit choked while Clear Professional sounds like nothing is inhibited. And it's not just that open-back vs closed-back feeling. Something a lot more. Clear Pro sounds very organic. Stellia sounds like a distant cry from a damsel in distress. Clear Pro sounds like a pure soul while Stellia sounds like it has has to live with a lot of scars from past. Clear Pro's imaging is real like a hand drawn picture while Stellia's is like a digital approximation that faltered on many levels. Clear Pro sounds like a story telling of a good story as regaled by someone who uses simple but good English vocabulary in short and well-defined sentences while Stellia sounds like a similar story told by someone who uses a lot of French words thrown into his bad-accented English narration that I might have trouble following all the time. Clear Pro sounds like a brother. Stellia sounds like a cousin. (Both used via balanced cables from ADI-2 Pro DAC/Amp.)

Not a burn-in believer myself but I surely noticed a 5%-10% improvement in the perception of sonic quality of the <$1000 headphones I used after 40-50 hours of use. Yet, I can't help hoping Stellia would spring back to surprise me in a week or two. On the other hand, my $169 beyerdynamic DT-150, right out of the box, connected to the same ADI-2 Pro, sounded so profoundly natural, organic, lush and all-encompassing in whatever my ears allowed me to listen in its 5Hz-30,000Hz range. Maybe my life is so pedestrian in its soul that I don't deserve >$1500 gear. Maybe I should marry a simple Amsih girl instead of asking out Upper East Side women for a date for my lifelong happiness.

Are you an author? You do know you have very good writing skills, do you? Please carry on with your analogies (although, after comparing the Clear with the Stellia, I can’t support you with regards to content)

 

[knivek]

Yea Facta I feel you... after admitting myself twice for self harm and attempted suicides, I can’t fathom trying to explain to my spouse yet again wanting to swap more headphones. Money is not short here but I am so... whipped to the point of wanting no return.

 

[walakalulu]

Maybe those complaining about the Stellia not living up to expectations should look more carefully at the source equipment. I find it works best with tubed amps but ymmv of course.