[CANiSLAYu]

FiiO M15 in headphone overdrive mode. I use the combo and find it great.

Second this. I find the M15 to be a nice pairing as well. Stellia is very easy to drive so I don't find the portable solution misses anything from my desktop stack (Topping D90 MQA/A90), which uses the same DAC chip, which is the same as the SP2000 as well. And yes, I know the DAC chip isn't the end all, be all relative to the rest of the chain and the implementation, etc. Just pointing out the similarities.

 

[NeoDiNardo]

I just ordered the Woo Audio WA11, some extra WA11 cables including a very short double right angle USB-C to USB-C for Android smartphone use, and the WA11 desk stand. Now I just need to get a headphone upgrade cable for my Stellia. It’s all coming together!! I’m in love with the looks of the Kimber Kable Axios copper so I will get that with a 4.4mm Pentagon plug. At the moment I don’t have a particular reason to get another cable instead. Any thoughts on how long I should get? It’s for desktop and transportable use. I am thinking 1.5 or 2.0 meters. Not too long for on the go, but not too short for my PC desk.

Edit: I emailed Kimber Kables for a price on a Axios copper headphone cable for my Stellia that is 1.5 meters long terminated by a 4.4mm pentagon male connector, then a second cable that is 2.0 meters long with a 4.4mm pentagon female connector to a 4-pin XLR male connector. That way I can just keep my Stellias short mobile cable plugged in and I can then easily transition to a long desktop cable. That gives me 4.92 feet or 11.48 feet of reach. Not a bad two cable setup right? And that way it’s possibly less wear and tear on the Focal Stellia connectors.

Edit: or I could do 1.75 meters on both cables to even it out.

 

[iFi audio]

The Micro BL is a better all-round device than the HipDAC. Not to take away from the HipDAC, but the Micro BL is superior.

micro iDSD BL sits way above hip-dac, so it's fair to label the BL as superior. But hip-dac turned out very nicely considering its cost

 

[up late]

Gee I have no idea there. I barely understand independence on headphones much less amplifiers.

indeed

 

[up late]

I had the WA8 in the past, and it does sound very nice generally, and has plenty of oomph. And it's on the warm side for sure.

However, one time I brought it to the audio shop to hear it with the Elegia, and the Elegia sounded bloated and kind of wrong. In contrast, the Elegia sounded okay out of a WM1A DAP.

The reason why I bring this up is that I suspect due to the bass bloat I heard that the WA8 + Elegia makes for a poor impedance match, and the Stellia has the same low impedance rating as the Elegia. So it makes me wonder. Sorry to raise possible doubts based on partial speculation, but this is something I'd watch out for. It may well be that it sounded off with the Elegia for reasons unrelated to impedance mismatch. Or that it would sound alright with the Stellia regardless. But if anyone knows the output impedance of the WA8, I think that would be helpful (Woo has a tendency to, um, downplay output impedance specs on their tube amps, which is a huge pet peeve of mine).

i've noticed that too.

the utopia has higher impedance than the stellia and i found that pairing it with a set tube amp with a relatively high output impedance altered its tonal balance. i would avoid doing the same with the stellia, which already has a warmer sound to my ears.

 

[ozz007]

The fiio m15 it's very nice set up with the stellia.

 

[hikaru12]

Can someone who has the Stellia demo a song for me? I have the Aryas and their 5k peak is bothering me for poorly mastered or sibilant songs. I immediately have to turn down the volume. I want to know if the Stellias run into this same issue. Below is the most sibilant song I can think of so if they can make that song sound even somewhat passable then they’re a win in my books.

Iggy Azalea - Fancy

 

[Malcolm Riverside]

Have you already tested the Stellia with the Niimbus US4+?

Oh yes! They are really a match made in heaven. Similar to the Utopia, the US4 pushes the soundstage of the Stellia to its limits, but retains a robust, dynamic sound with really satisfying amounts of bass. I mean I can feel the whole diaphragm of the Stellia rumbling at times to the music like a well-tuned sports car engine. And the Niimbus/Stellia has detail to spare but is still a fun, easy listen.

 

[NCUS]

Can someone who has the Stellia demo a song for me? I have the Aryas and their 5k peak is bothering me for poorly mastered or sibilant songs. I immediately have to turn down the volume. I want to know if the Stellias run into this same issue. Below is the most sibilant song I can think of so if they can make that song sound even somewhat passable then they’re a win in my books.

Iggy Azalea - Fancy

I listened to the Iggy Azalea song you referenced on my Stellia. The sibilance (mostly from what sounds like artificially produced claps or finger snaps) is annoying, but I am guessing they recorded it that way because the bass is super clear as an offset. This track sounds like it was mixed for blasting over a car stereo. Anything that smooths out this track is going to make other music sound strange, in my opinion.

 

[noplsestar]

Oh yes! They are really a match made in heaven. Similar to the Utopia, the US4 pushes the soundstage of the Stellia to its limits, but retains a robust, dynamic sound with really satisfying amounts of bass. I mean I can feel the whole diaphragm of the Stellia rumbling at times to the music like a well-tuned sports car engine. And the Niimbus/Stellia has detail to spare but is still a fun, easy listen.

Oh man, I envy you! Have fun listening to that dream combo

 

[noplsestar]

@Malcolm Riverside do you also have the V281? If so, is there a sound upgrade with the Stellia between the V281 and the US4?

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Can someone who has the Stellia demo a song for me? I have the Aryas and their 5k peak is bothering me for poorly mastered or sibilant songs. I immediately have to turn down the volume. I want to know if the Stellias run into this same issue. Below is the most sibilant song I can think of so if they can make that song sound even somewhat passable then they’re a win in my books.

Iggy Azalea - Fancy

While this song definitely not the smoothest out there, but I still able to enjoy quite well with zmf verite (pheasantwood). Note that I don't usually listen loud, my volume is around 60-70 db for casual listening.

Agree on hifiman part though, I can't stand Arya upper mid/ low treble, too sharp.

 

[KPzypher]

Can someone who has the Stellia demo a song for me? I have the Aryas and their 5k peak is bothering me for poorly mastered or sibilant songs. I immediately have to turn down the volume. I want to know if the Stellias run into this same issue. Below is the most sibilant song I can think of so if they can make that song sound even somewhat passable then they’re a win in my books.

Iggy Azalea - Fancy

With Arche/Stellia, although I didn't find it unbearable, the overall song structure is just unpleasant. But I would still say passable.

From Pendant/Verite, that same song was sonically ugly too but more from the lower range.

From A90/T1.2, the vocal sss and the fake snap/clap sound similar to what you're describing on the Arya.

Overall, I just find the song more annoying than anything. It's just an ugly song.

 

[Jstn01]

What are people's thoughts on schiit gungnir and Mjolnir?

 

[elisiX]

What are people's thoughts on schiit gungnir and Mjolnir?

Too old and terrible on Utopia was my experience at A2A. Too bright.

There are far better options from what I can tell trying a number of amps.

H2/Qutest or RME with a V281 or BHA-1 for example.

H2 is particularly good with Stellia in my transportable office setup.