[koven]

At the moment I have no idea what I'll land on. My current set up is SMSL SP200 THX 888 amp and Topping D50s DAC. I plan to upgrade to get more out of it but not sure what yet - open to suggestions.

Not looked much into what pairs well with this yet but I was looking at rme adi-2 or the upcoming topping a90 (with d90) which seems to measure well but isn't really out in the wild but I don't know. Ideally want to keep the pairing south of £1500 if buying in the near future.

I say wait for the Topping A90, that looks like a great unit. It should sound nice with the SP200 in the meantime.

 

[ubs28]

Kind of how I am. I want that Utopia sound whenever I can get it, but when I can go out and about again I absolutely must have a closed back headphone. What is better than the Stellia for that? Probably nothing at this point in time.

There are some songs that simply seem to be shine better on the Stellia. Most still sound best on the Utopia.

I disagree. If you prefer better portability, better comfort, better noise isolation and better build quality (the leather of the stellia will discolour over time), there are better closed headphones for way less money.

They say if something aint broken, don’t fix it. So I find it strange why they downgraded the build quality of the Focal Stellia. If the Stellia was a closed version of the Focal Utopia, I might have ignored the weight, comfort, lack of noise isolation and portability.

Hopefully with the Focal Stellia V2, they make it more aligned to the Focal Utopia.

 

[RHMMMM]

Hi all, I’m looking to get a desktop headphone amp for my Utopias preferably with both XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs, willing to go up to $6-7k but preferably closer to $2-4K. Could someone recommend a few amps I should look into that fall into this price range, have the XLR & RCA input options and work well with the Utopias?

Thank you!

 

[DaYooper]

GSX-Mini

 

[iamoneagain]

Not quite what you’re asking for but a used Chord Dave for under $7k. Only takes digital inputs but the dac/amp combo is amazing with the Utopia’s. So don’t need separate dac. It does have XLR and RCA outputs.

 

[strojo]

Hi all, I’m looking to get a desktop headphone amp for my Utopias preferably with both XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs, willing to go up to $6-7k but preferably closer to $2-4K. Could someone recommend a few amps I should look into that fall into this price range, have the XLR & RCA input options and work well with the Utopias?

Thank you!

Although it might be smidge large to qualify as "desktop," you can find the Simaudio 430HA for well within your budgets--used or new. It's what I use for my Utopias and couldn't be happier.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Hi all, I’m looking to get a desktop headphone amp for my Utopias preferably with both XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs, willing to go up to $6-7k but preferably closer to $2-4K. Could someone recommend a few amps I should look into that fall into this price range, have the XLR & RCA input options and work well with the Utopias?

Thank you!

My DSHA-3F sounds really good w/ Utopia, but doesn't have SE inputs. Liquid Platinum also pairs well, except for the volume/gain issue, and I do enjoy being able to tweak the sound a bit with tube rolls. I use a preamp with both, so those become non-issues (preamp attenuates input to LP, converts SE input to balanced to feed the DSHA).

Since neither of those are 'perfect' matches for your requirements. I will say that my (former) Violectric V280 does meet all your requirements. I did like it with Utopia, about the same as my Bryston BHA-1, but not as much as either the LP or the DSHA. Disclaimer, sold the V280 before either the LP or DSHA arrived, so all comparison are memory-based, meaning nearly worthless.

I did get to compare the LP and BHA-1 -- felt is was a bit of a side-grade with Utopia, but really liked the LP more with some of my other cans. Utopia w/ LP was preferred for me (vs BHA-1) because I find Utopia a bit sharp/demanding/fatiguing and the LP w/ the right tubes helped more than the BHA-1 did. But for those who don't share my feelings about Utopia might not prefer the LP -- BHA-1 is a fine amp.

LP, DSHA-3F & V280 all fit the 'desktop amp' form factor, Bryston ... not so much

Hope that's useful.

 

[koven]

Hi all, I’m looking to get a desktop headphone amp for my Utopias preferably with both XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs, willing to go up to $6-7k but preferably closer to $2-4K. Could someone recommend a few amps I should look into that fall into this price range, have the XLR & RCA input options and work well with the Utopias?

Thank you!

I think Utopia sounds pretty sweet w/ tube amps, like a WA33 or the Cayin 300B.

 

[SteveM324]

Hi all, I’m looking to get a desktop headphone amp for my Utopias preferably with both XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs, willing to go up to $6-7k but preferably closer to $2-4K. Could someone recommend a few amps I should look into that fall into this price range, have the XLR & RCA input options and work well with the Utopias?

Thank you!

Check out the Auris Nirvana. I think the Utopia goes best with tube amps. It's not a balanced amp but it has 1 pair of XLR inputs and 2 pairs of RCA inputs. It doesn't cost a fortune to roll tubes to get great sound. I spent $80 on a NOS driver tube. It has 5 selectable impedance settings. MSRP is $5700, I bought it brand new for a lot less from an authorized dealer in the USA. It has enough power to drive just about any headphone. Also, it will accept a 6.3mm plug, dual 3 pin XLRs or a 4 pin XLR headphone connection. Here's a link to a couple of reviews:

https://headphone.guru/auris-nirvana-tube-heaven-for-headphones/
https://www.headfonia.com/review-auris-audio-nirvana/

 

[Frozen Rat]

I disagree. If you prefer better portability, better comfort, better noise isolation and better build quality (the leather of the stellia will discolour over time), there are better closed headphones for way less money.

They say if something aint broken, don’t fix it. So I find it strange why they downgraded the build quality of the Focal Stellia. If the Stellia was a closed version of the Focal Utopia, I might have ignored the weight, comfort, lack of noise isolation and portability.

Hopefully with the Focal Stellia V2, they make it more aligned to the Focal Utopia.

1. I've had a lot of closed backs: Ultrasone, Mr Speakers Ether C Flow, Beyerdynamic T5p.2 (three times), Audeze Sine, Bose, Sony, Grado GR10 (IEMS) and others I've forgotten. None of them are as good as the Stellia. The little case fits in my computer bag almost as well as my old Ultrasone did, and weigh only a hair more. Not as light as the Beyers, but about the same as the Ether C Flows. The worst portable I ever had were the Mr. Speakers. They sounded decent, but I couldn't fit them in anything. The Stellia works splendidly from my Dragon Red DAC too. I haven't actually taken them out yet, but I will, and I'm not the least concerned about doing it. Everyone I've showed them to have thought they look very good. They will not garner as much attention as the Mr. Speakers did, of that I am confident. And you said they aren't comfortable? To me they disappear when I put them on my head.

2. Their noise isolation is about average. I can put them on and my overhead fan can still be heard, but just barely. That's about as good as I got with the Beyers and Ultrasone I just had. The Mr. Speakers isolated better.

3. I'm not sure what that means. They're pretty close already. I'll agree they aren't the same though. But nothing I've heard comes as close as these do.

Anyway, I don't mean to be the PR department for Focal here. There are people who hate the Utopia too.

 

[ubs28]

1. I've had a lot of closed backs: Ultrasone, Mr Speakers Ether C Flow, Beyerdynamic T5p.2 (three times), Audeze Sine, Bose, Sony, Grado GR10 (IEMS) and others I've forgotten. None of them are as good as the Stellia. The little case fits in my computer bag almost as well as my old Ultrasone did, and weigh only a hair more. Not as light as the Beyers, but about the same as the Ether C Flows. The worst portable I ever had were the Mr. Speakers. They sounded decent, but I couldn't fit them in anything. The Stellia works splendidly from my Dragon Red DAC too. I haven't actually taken them out yet, but I will, and I'm not the least concerned about doing it. Everyone I've showed them to have thought they look very good. They will not garner as much attention as the Mr. Speakers did, of that I am confident. And you said they aren't comfortable? To me they disappear when I put them on my head.

2. Their noise isolation is about average. I can put them on and my overhead fan can still be heard, but just barely. That's about as good as I got with the Beyers and Ultrasone I just had. The Mr. Speakers isolated better.

3. I'm not sure what that means. They're pretty close already. I'll agree they aren't the same though. But nothing I've heard comes as close as these do.

Anyway, I don't mean to be the PR department for Focal here. There are people who hate the Utopia too.

Not for me. The only thing the Focal Stellia did excel at is sound quality. All other area’s, the AFC 2 is better (better noise isolation, comfort, portability). The discolouring of the leather is just icing on the cake.

For a closed headphone that I have to use 10 hours in the office, I don’t see how the Focal Stellia is the best closed headphone on the market as comfort, noise isolation and portability are also important criteria’s. I even use my Bose NC 700, Sony WH-1000XM3 and QC 35 II in the office.

 

[ubs28]

If Focal wants $3000 from me, they have to:
1. Create Focal Utopia style Focal Stellia V2 headphone (in black with high quality materials that does not change colour over time).
2. Use the same connectors as the Focal Utopia as I don’t want to buy new high-end cables.

Then I am willing to accept the trade-offs of the Stellia.

 

[Frozen Rat]

If Focal wants $3000 from me, they have to:
2. Use the same connectors as the Focal Utopia as I don’t want to buy new high-end cables.

Most people have stated they prefer the more standard 2.5mm connectors that are on the Stellia opposed to the more esoteric Lemo connectors on the Utopia. There are a lot more cable options for the 3.5mm jack (edited for accuracy) than for the Lemo connectors. Do you want them to be Lemo on the Stellia so you can swap cables between them? Such as perhaps buying a single high end cable and using it on both?

As for the actual act of connecting them on the fly there isn't much difference though.

You're not alone on the color, that is a polarizing topic. I'd prefer black as it's more unobtrusive, so on that point I agree. It's no deal breaker though.

 

[thecrow]

If Focal wants $3000 from me, they have to:
1. Create Focal Utopia style Focal Stellia V2 headphone (in black with high quality materials that does not change colour over time).
2. Use the same connectors as the Focal Utopia as I don’t want to buy new high-end cables.

Then I am willing to accept the trade-offs of the Stellia.

Of course you want them to make cables with connectors that suit you and other utopia owners and not worry about what a lot of others (who don’t have the utopia) might prefer

maybe they could mould the head band to best suit your head shape and a colour that matches your eyes the best

 

[LCMusicLover]

Most people have stated they prefer the more standard 2.5mm connectors that are on the Stellia opposed to the more esoteric Lemo connectors on the Utopia. There are a lot more cable options for the 2.5mm jack than for the Lemo connectors. Do you want them to be Lemo on the Stellia so you can swap cables between them? Such as perhaps buying a single high end cable and using it on both?

As for the actual act of connecting them on the fly there isn't much difference though.

You're not alone on the color, that is a polarizing topic. I'd prefer black as it's more unobtrusive, so on that point I agree. It's no deal breaker though.

Actually, the TRS connector for Stellia (IIRC same for Elear, Clear and Elegia) is 3.5mm, not 2.5.