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Focal Stellia Review, Measurements, Interview - Head-Fi TV
Oct 26, 2021 at 1:22 AM Post #3,721 of 4,499
I have Focal Stellia as my only headphones.
I want to buy a desktop amp for it.
I read a lot and I made a short list with the following four amps:

Violectric V550
Benchmark HPA4
Feliks Euforia
Auris HA-2SF

All are on the same price range as for Benchmark I have a very good deal right now.
Unfortunately I cannot try any of them as I will buy online.

Any thoughts?
 
Oct 26, 2021 at 3:08 AM Post #3,722 of 4,499
It depends on your preference and your upstream equipment. For HPA4 it is perfectly neutral and colourless so what you heard is what your upstream such as DAC / streamer sounds. Output wise it can drive Stellia fully. Personally I love pairing my Stellia with tube amplifier (WA22 in my case) as I sometimes find the mid too forward with a bit of harshness, which was resolved after I got the WA22.
 
Oct 26, 2021 at 4:48 AM Post #3,723 of 4,499
lumdicks said:
It depends on your preference and your upstream equipment. For HPA4 it is perfectly neutral and colourless so what you heard is what your upstream such as DAC / streamer sounds. Output wise it can drive Stellia fully. Personally I love pairing my Stellia with tube amplifier (WA22 in my case) as I sometimes find the mid too forward with a bit of harshness, which was resolved after I got the WA22.
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Thank you for your kind reply.
For HPA4: I am listening now from an AK SP2000 balanced out. Do I understand correctly that if I connect AK SP2000, balanced line out, to HPA4 there would be no difference?

WA22: it was on my list and I don't remember why I remove it...I should add it again. :)

A lot of people are praising the pairing of Stellia with Feliks Euforia. However it doesn't have a balance input/output and this is why I am in doubt.
 
Oct 26, 2021 at 5:02 AM Post #3,724 of 4,499
ecobest said:
Thank you for your kind reply.
For HPA4: I am listening now from an AK SP2000 balanced out. Do I understand correctly that if I connect AK SP2000, balanced line out, to HPA4 there would be no difference?

WA22: it was on my list and I don't remember why I remove it...I should add it again. :)

A lot of people are praising the pairing of Stellia with Feliks Euforia. However it doesn't have a balance input/output and this is why I am in doubt.
Click to expand...
Sound signature of your SP2K will largely preserved with addition of HPA4 but background darkness, micro details, resolution and imaging will be significantly improved.
 
Oct 26, 2021 at 7:03 PM Post #3,726 of 4,499
ecobest said:
I have Focal Stellia as my only headphones.
I want to buy a desktop amp for it.
I read a lot and I made a short list with the following four amps:

Violectric V550
Benchmark HPA4
Feliks Euforia
Auris HA-2SF

All are on the same price range as for Benchmark I have a very good deal right now.
Unfortunately I cannot try any of them as I will buy online.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
While I am operating at a lower quality and price level, both my Violectric V200 and Feliks Audio Echo (mk I) work brilliantly with the Stellia.

The V200 is a great match with zero warmup time and a great sound signature (and blaaaack background!) across the board with the Stellias- but if the tube warmup time doesn’t bother you, the tube option gives you a lot more flexibility to tube roll as you see fit.

The NOS Amperex tubes in my Echo right now have INCREDIBLE bass slam and texture, coupled with a lovely midrange tone. The V200 has a smidge more midrange and treble detail, though.

Ultimately it comes down to what you value more- since I found a steal of a used V200, I picked that up, and am so happy with having it as the Echo’s stablemate. It’s a great 1-2 punch that addresses any of my moods or musical wants.

Best of luck in your search/choices!
 
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Oct 27, 2021 at 2:02 AM Post #3,727 of 4,499
AudioDuck said:
While I am operating at a lower quality and price level, both my Violectric V200 and Feliks Audio Echo (mk I) work brilliantly with the Stellia.

The V200 is a great match with zero warmup time and a great sound signature (and blaaaack background!) across the board with the Stellias- but if the tube warmup time doesn’t bother you, the tube option gives you a lot more flexibility to tube roll as you see fit.

The NOS Amperex tubes in my Echo right now have INCREDIBLE bass slam and texture, coupled with a lovely midrange tone. The V200 has a smidge more midrange and treble detail, though.

Ultimately it comes down to what you value more- since I found a steal of a used V200, I picked that up, and am so happy with having it as the Echo’s stablemate. It’s a great 1-2 punch that addresses any of my moods or musical wants.

Best of luck in your search/choices!
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I’ve been using the stellia with the echo2 but I only have stock tubes. I don’t know much about tube swapping. What tubes have you put in yours and where did you get them from?
Thanks
Gaz!
 
Oct 27, 2021 at 2:02 AM Post #3,728 of 4,499
Thank you for your opinions.
In the end I understand that all are great however different.

At the beginning I was looking to Euforia. But it does not have a balanced in and out. So I found Auris that has both.
Then Violectric V550 catches my eyes and I decided to buy it. However, my dealer made me an offer for HPA4 at the same price as for V550. So I am in doubt again.

Now I understand why you guys have so many different gears at the same time. :)
 
Oct 27, 2021 at 3:03 AM Post #3,730 of 4,499
gazzington said:
I’ve been using the stellia with the echo2 but I only have stock tubes. I don’t know much about tube swapping. What tubes have you put in yours and where did you get them from?
Thanks
Gaz!
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Hi Gaz,
I’m very much self-taught and don’t know much either. However, I’ve done a bit of research online to figure out:
1) what types of tubes are technically equivalent to the Echo stock tubes
2) which ones have what characteristics
3) what general prices are

I started out wanting to have spares in case the stock tubes failed. Once I had those (Gold Lions, which were not very expensive and purchased through Upscale Audio), I started learning more about equivalent types, quality etc. About $ 300 USD later 😂 I have four different additional sets, so I have tubes for years- all very good and with a bit different sonic characteristics. It’s been fun!

After buying via Upscale the first time (and knowing there is a bit of an upcharge for the service, tube testing etc.), I became more bold and purchased through the classifieds here, which was great. I may have also bought a pair through US Audio Mart, also a good alternative.

The key is to check with private sellers if the tubes are matched, how many hours are on them, and make sure through research if they are the ones you want/need.

The ones I’m using now in the Echo are new old stock (1960s) Amperex, I forget the model number offhand, but it’s below in my signature. I’m currently traveling, but please let me know if you’re curious about the others I have and I can post a list.
 
Oct 27, 2021 at 2:39 PM Post #3,731 of 4,499
Hey!

Recently got myself a beautiful pair of Stellia's and I'm really enjoying them. My specific pair is already well known here as it had quite the adventure regarding the headband's unwanted discoloration, but I'd have to take some pictures to show how they aged since, they really look beautiful with the right lighting. I'm excited to see how they will continue to age with time, seeing as I'm planning to keep them for a while if not forever. :dt880smile:

Sound-wise, they're the best Focal headphones I've heard overall, with only one big nitpick being the cymbals which sounds kind of weird, but that's far from a dealbreaker. I'm keeping my full impressions for later since I'm still getting used to them. One thing I'll say is that their bass is what surprised me the most, they combine the advantages of Focal's open-backs (really dynamic) with the closed-design which gives them their size and power. I've heard that the Radiance is even bassier, and that the Utopia is even more dynamic, but none of them seems to balance both worlds like the Stellia.

Build-wise, they're really well built as expected, and the materials (full grain leather) feels even more premium and durable (no microfiber) than my previous pair, the Clear MG (Which had better tolerances imo, but that may be due to the fact that they were brand new while the Stellia aren't). One issue I've encountered is the infamous headband creaking, which I managed to fix by using some PTFE spray. Now they're completely silent when moving them or stretching them, you can only hear the mechanism when you adjust the yokes which is normal.

If you'd like to do it yourself, I'm including a picture showing how I proceeded. I used some WD-40 PTFE dry lube, but any brand should do the trick.
 

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Oct 31, 2021 at 7:37 PM Post #3,733 of 4,499
I'm considering purchasing the Focal Stellia and noticed some people getting prices on these new for several hundred dollars less than MSRP. Are the places you are buying from negotiating off the MSRP or do you know someone who can get you the hookup? Please PM me if you are not comfortable posting this information.
 
Nov 2, 2021 at 11:50 PM Post #3,735 of 4,499
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