[Lx3A]

I agree with NCUS about the real leather being an issue for a lot of things that could occur outdoors. That's part of the reason I kept my Elegias. The materials they are made with are not as much as an issue for outdoor use.

 

[Solan]

3k still is insane!!

I thought so too. And then I bought the Stellias. And then I bought the 1266. Now everything else looks cheap to me! It's like having gone for a spin on the Autobahn and then be back on normal roads.

 

[Catharus]

I did see some comments about the Dekoni special edition ear pads for the Stellia that were lukewarm to put it mildly.

Using the original pads, I struggled with my earlobes touching the driver grill and causing soreness after long listening sessions. I have solved this with the Dekoni pads.

Sound quality seems to be fine still. Any minute changes are secondary to comfort issues. To my ears, the isolation is now better, soundstage is marginally larger, and treble possibly reduced in some areas, not overall though.

 

[ZekeAdebayo]

Personal recommendations for a quality single-ended aftermarket cable for the Focal Stellia? The one in the box is a little too short for my desktop setup. Please nothing crazy expensive. I just don't think the cables costing $300+ are justified, much less $1000.

 

[zolom]

Personal recommendations for a quality single-ended aftermarket cable for the Focal Stellia? The one in the box is a little too short for my desktop setup. Please nothing crazy expensive. I just don't think the cables costing $300+ are justified, much less $1000.

Happy with the Moon's Black Dragon cables connecting my Focal Stellia.
3 meters, balanced connections.

 

[Catharus]

Personal recommendations for a quality single-ended aftermarket cable for the Focal Stellia? The one in the box is a little too short for my desktop setup. Please nothing crazy expensive. I just don't think the cables costing $300+ are justified, much less $1000.

AudioSensibility has high quality copper cables for good prices. If you like your cables pretty stiff with low friction, as I do, these are great.

 

[Daniel Johnston]

Personal recommendations for a quality single-ended aftermarket cable for the Focal Stellia? The one in the box is a little too short for my desktop setup. Please nothing crazy expensive. I just don't think the cables costing $300+ are justified, much less $1000.

Hart audio cables

You can buy 4 ft xlr extensions and go as long as you want. He uses mogami mic cable. It’s not esoteric, but it’s good quality and transparent.

 

[ZekeAdebayo]

Thanks to all who responded, I have decided to give Hart Audio a shot. I do have one question though... Do interconnects degrade audio quality? For example a "balanced" to 1/4" interconnect vs just having the cable naturally terminated to a 1/4". The reason I ask is because my Hugo 2 doesn't have a 4 pin XLR balanced output. The interconnects would be coming from Hart Audio.

 

[Catharus]

Do interconnects degrade audio quality?

Not in my experience. I had a Hart Audio cable for a Sennheiser headphone and that was fine.

My problem with that cable was that it had lots of friction against my shirt collar. This made enough noise that I switched headphones.

 

[noplsestar]

Thanks to all who responded, I have decided to give Hart Audio a shot. I do have one question though... Do interconnects degrade audio quality? For example a "balanced" to 1/4" interconnect vs just having the cable naturally terminated to a 1/4". The reason I ask is because my Hugo 2 doesn't have a 4 pin XLR balanced output. The interconnects would be coming from Hart Audio.

If I were you I would look at arctic cables: https://www.arcticcables.com/

 

[ZekeAdebayo]

If I were you I would look at arctic cables: https://www.arcticcables.com/

What stands out about Arctic vs Hart audio sir? Also, which of their cables would you recommend for the Stellia? Arctic definitely seems to be quite pricy. I don't mind paying extra for a well made cable, but I'm seeing some of their cables at over $2000

 

[rangerid]

What stands out about Arctic vs Hart audio sir? Also, which of their cables would you recommend for the Stellia? Arctic definitely seems to be quite pricy. I don't mind paying extra for a well made cable, but I'm seeing some of their cables at over $2000

The big question you gotta answer for yourself is if you believe cables improve SQ, if answer is no, stick with Hart Audio. If yes, go with Arctic Cable, which also has lifetime warranty.

 

[Catharus]

The big question you gotta answer for yourself is if you believe cables improve SQ…

@rangerid puts it very succinctly.

My own cable journey has been:

1. OEM long cable. The long one is rigid and bent out of the box. The fabric clothing creates friction and microphonics that works itself into the closed back Stellia. Argh.
2. OEM short cable. Too short. But the low friction due to the plastic covering is great in my book.
3. Arctic Cables Magnus. Based on @noplsestar recommending the really high end silver cables I ended up trying the thick, all copper model. In my mind, this adds a jewelry dimension to the audiophile journey. It’s a very nice looking cable. My tin ears cannot pick out a difference in sound. The heat shrink at the earcups was loose so I got a clicking sound as I moved my head. I’m sure Arctic Cables would have fixed this. But I chose to wedge a matchstick in there instead.
4. AudioSensibility Impact. Since I am curious, I tried out this cable as well. Their website has all the right catchphrases: Ohno Continuous Casting, 7N copper, Furutech connectors, cryo treatment, and so on. I actually felt there was a sound difference with this cable. Bass is more prominent and detailed. It’s a small enough difference that I might be imagining. Ergonomics is ok. It’s a stiff cable but due to the low friction cover, that is ok
   
   
   
   

 

[ZekeAdebayo]

What is the exact spec of the Arctic cable that you like with the Stellia? How much would it cost? If it's on the pricy side, what alternative under $200 would you say is a good alternative?

 

[Daniel Johnston]

Thanks to all who responded, I have decided to give Hart Audio a shot. I do have one question though... Do interconnects degrade audio quality? For example a "balanced" to 1/4" interconnect vs just having the cable naturally terminated to a 1/4". The reason I ask is because my Hugo 2 doesn't have a 4 pin XLR balanced output. The interconnects would be coming from Hart Audio.

No.

I bought the multi connection kit as well. I use a 1/4" to the Woo WA8 and balanced to the Erzetich Medousa. I don't find it any more or less microphonic than my Nordost Blue Heaven or Norne Drausk. The mini XLR plugs are a little stiff and not as nice as say Neutrik, but it's a very minor issue.

I like the fact that the Hart is modular. ALO used to have the Green Line headphone cable with a similar system. I absolutely loved the modular feature with my LCD-2. It was far more expensive IIRC.

If you don't want to spend over $1000 on a cable, don't. Mogami copper is considered pretty good and transparent. He uses a pretty decent gold plated 1/4" connecter that unscrews to reveal a 1/8" plug. I can't say that the Nordost is 10x better than the Hart in terms of sound quality. Nor can I say it is much better made.

If you want to spend more and get cardas copper cables, Corpse cables makes longer cables that are not microphonic, uses better quality connectors, and is a better made. But, they'll be around $260. Norne makes great stuff too, but you'll easily spend $300-$1000. All three companies are well regarded to make good cables for good prices.