[Slim1970]

Stellia responds really well to the nuanced differences in Solid State and Tube amp options of the C9.

I’m using the Stellia’s with a Mojo 2/C9. I agree that the C9 is brilliant with them regardless of source.

 

[fiascogarcia]

The same applies to firmware changes/upgrading (courtesy of @MrWalkman ) to the WM1A- and I would presume so for the WM1Z as well.

Yes indeed!

 

[EarFatigue]

I’m in the process of evaluating the Stellia head to head with the Meze Lyric. It’s still too early to come to any conclusions. Just wondering if anyone else here has done this comparison already?

 

[mainguy]

I’m in the process of evaluating the Stellia head to head with the Meze Lyric. It’s still too early to come to any conclusions. Just wondering if anyone else here has done this comparison already?

CMA is posting a comparison of those two soon. He gave the Stellia 5/5 and Liric 4/5 though. I think theyre in different pricr brackets so you'd expect Stellia to be better, but perhaps taste will factor in too

 

[botmann]

I recently got (Wednesday morning) the FiiO K9 Pro (ESS version). I'm coming from using straight from the source--PC, Samsung Note 20--and FiiO BTR5. Very similar sounds to the BTR5. It's more open, separation and clarity. Of course a lot louder is possible. Overall, it makes the Stellia sound better.

I did some quick comparisons of cables between the Focal cables and Meze Classic 99 upgrade cables that have the silver lining: 3.5mm vs 3.5mm, 3.5mm to 6.5mm adapters received from Focal vs FiiO, and 4.4mm (Meza) vs XLR (Focal). The Focal and Meza cables had similar volumes. No difference in the 3.5mm to 6.5mm adapter, which was expected. The Focal cables sounds good. The have worse microphonics though. The XLR and Meze balance cable have microphonics from the headphone to the y-junction. It's louder in the Focal. I find the Meze cable to be more airy. They give the impression of a slightly wider sound stage. Although it's not. The focal sound darker or muffled (still very clear and articulate). I put the Focal cables back in the Focal Stellia box because I prefer Meze sound characters.

I did order some GUCraftsman cables--16 strands 7N single-crystal Copper/Silver mix and 6N Single Crystal Silver. Going to see if there is a sound different from a more pure silver cable or mix compared to the silver-lined. I suspect it'll be minimal, but may be something I like more.

 

[AudioDuck]

CMA is posting a comparison of those two soon. He gave the Stellia 5/5 and Liric 4/5 though. I think theyre in different pricr brackets so you'd expect Stellia to be better, but perhaps taste will factor in too

Fair point about price, but in the used market (where Stellias are surprisingly common; Lirics are not) the price difference is usually $500 or less.

 

[AudioDuck]

I recently got (Wednesday morning) the FiiO K9 Pro (ESS version). I'm coming from using straight from the source--PC, Samsung Note 20--and FiiO BTR5. Very similar sounds to the BTR5. It's more open, separation and clarity. Of course a lot louder is possible. Overall, it makes the Stellia sound better.

I did some quick comparisons of cables between the Focal cables and Meze Classic 99 upgrade cables that have the silver lining: 3.5mm vs 3.5mm, 3.5mm to 6.5mm adapters received from Focal vs FiiO, and 4.4mm (Meza) vs XLR (Focal). The Focal and Meza cables had similar volumes. No difference in the 3.5mm to 6.5mm adapter, which was expected. The Focal cables sounds good. The have worse microphonics though. The XLR and Meze balance cable have microphonics from the headphone to the y-junction. It's louder in the Focal. I find the Meze cable to be more airy. They give the impression of a slightly wider sound stage. Although it's not. The focal sound darker or muffled (still very clear and articulate). I put the Focal cables back in the Focal Stellia box because I prefer Meze sound characters.

I did order some GUCraftsman cables--16 strands 7N single-crystal Copper/Silver mix and 6N Single Crystal Silver. Going to see if there is a sound different from a more pure silver cable or mix compared to the silver-lined. I suspect it'll be minimal, but may be something I like more.

If you can stretch your budget, Norne Audio has amazing cables for the money. Silver is expensive at the moment, but Norne has a much-acclaimed Vygarde silver/copper combination cable for about $400.

I’d recommend reading in the Norne forum here and considering them.

 

[ptrv]

Hi there,

Welcome to the “Stellia club”!

@AudioDuck

Please excuse the late reply, it's been a busy week and thank you so much for your elaborate answer, very informative indeed.

I'm pleased to hear that I am not abusing my new headphones with Dolby Atmos - Apple Music magic. And yes, I'm aware that things can only get better from now on, with better digital analog converters, balanced cables and better audio files, et cetera. To me, it makes the journey extra interesting knowing that I'm not using the cans at their highest potential already. Things can - with a bigger budget - only improve further from the day of purchase

I have also tested the television sound through the headphones and watched the first half of a soccer match with the Beats Solo and the second half with the Stellia. The sound came from the TV through a Bluetooth aptX Low Latency transmission via a Marmitek BoomBoom 100 and even then the difference was quite noticeable. During the second half it felt like I was in the stadium and at the same time the voice of the commentator was also much clearer with strongly improved audibility without having to pump up the volume. So far, I'm very pleased.

And also a quick thank you to everyone who contributed in this long thread, I have learnt a lot from all your writings

 

[botmann]

If you can stretch your budget, Norne Audio has amazing cables for the money. ...

I had read about them in various threads and forums. They were mentioned a lot. Arctic Cable see to come up quite a bit too.

Unfortunately, they're a little more than I'm willing to pay at the moment. I way overspent recently for Stellia and K9 Pro ESS. I'm actually pretty happy with Meza Classic 99. The GUCraftsman is more to see if there is much of a sound difference that I will like over the Meze cable. Also, curious if the little bit of microphonics from the headphone to the y-junction on the cable will be eliminated. It's not much, especially compared to the stock cable. It's possible I may return the GUCrasftman cables because it's not enough "improvement" for the price. The Meze cables were only $120US.

 

[Slim1970]

I thought I'd bump this thread since talks have cooled down about the Stellia's. I pulled out my set and paired them up with the Mojo 2 and C9. I can't imagine it getting any better than this for sound on the go.

 

[AudioDuck]

I thought I'd bump this thread since talks have cooled down about the Stellia's. I pulled out my set and paired them up with the Mojo 2 and C9. I can't imagine it getting any better than this for sound on the go.

Stellias are my go-to with WM1A around the house (with a balanced Hifi Ninja cable); the Violectric V200 is great for stationary listening with the Focals (single-ended with the amazing Norne Drausk).

It’s really cool to have near-reference level sound on the couch while my better half is watching TV undisturbed!

 

[mainguy]

I thought I'd bump this thread since talks have cooled down about the Stellia's. I pulled out my set and paired them up with the Mojo 2 and C9. I can't imagine it getting any better than this for sound on the go.

Not so sure, I've been using them with the Mojo, and also the Hugo 1. I must admit the Hugo is a big, big upgrade with them and pairs much better with Stellia, just my opinion of course!

The Hugo sound is a lot more open, noticably so. You also get a more subtle sense of detail. Feels like a big upgrade, to the point where I'm almost always reaching for Hugo over Mojo, even if its a bit less convenient size wise. Maybe the amp makes the difference here, I've not tried the C9, but for whatever reason I think there are much better DACs for the Stellia than Mojo. Incidentally, the convince me audio guy says the same in his review and downright recommends even an ifi go blu over a mojo for stellia lol! Not sure if I'd go that far.

 

[Slim1970]

Not so sure, I've been using them with the Mojo, and also the Hugo 1. I must admit the Hugo is a big, big upgrade with them and pairs much better with Stellia, just my opinion of course!

The Hugo sound is a lot more open, noticably so. You also get a more subtle sense of detail. Feels like a big upgrade, to the point where I'm almost always reaching for Hugo over Mojo, even if its a bit less convenient size wise. Maybe the amp makes the difference here, I've not tried the C9, but for whatever reason I think there are much better DACs for the Stellia than Mojo. Incidentally, the convince me audio guy says the same in his review and downright recommends even an ifi go blu over a mojo for stellia lol! Not sure if I'd go that far.

I’m waiting on the Hugo 3, which hopefully comes with EQ. The Hugo 2, which I owned previously, is the better performing overall unit. But and a big but is when taken as a whole the Mojo 2 is the better package. It’s been made to sound a lot better and performs close to the Hugo 2. What gives the Mojo 2 the edge is EQ. It’s a game changer for me. I‘m willing to sacrifice a tiny bit of sound quality to get my headphones to sound better overall by boosting or cutting certain frequencies. That’s something the Hugo 2 can’t currently do.

That’s just the benefits of having the Mojo 2 in the chain. I haven’t even mentioned the goodness the C9 adds to the sound of Stellia’s

 

[iFi audio]

Incidentally, the convince me audio guy says the same in his review and downright recommends even an ifi go blu over a mojo for stellia lol! Not sure if I'd go that far.

Although I haven't tried Stellia with Mojo, one chap at our office had a go at these cans with Go blu and said it was better than he initially expected, especially given its size. So who knows, maybe there's something there

 

[Slim1970]

Although I haven't tried Stellia with Mojo, one chap at our office had a go at these cans with Go blu and said it was better than he initially expected, especially given its size. So who knows, maybe there's something there

I also really like the Utopia's and Stellia's on my Zen stack (Zen Can/Zen Dac V2). They sound excellent with xBass and 3D+engaged