[adrianm]

Simply put, they are on par with the very best open-backed headphones that I've owned. I cannot say that for any other pair of closed-back headphones...period. Their level of transparency is almost there with the Utopias (which is saying a LOT), but add a touch of warmth/bass and openness that really sets them apart. Pretty much all other closed-back headphones have something "funky" with the frequency response and so many come off as "U" sounding like the TH-900 and to a lesser extend the Z1R. Neither of these two Japanese closed-back headphones can attain the overall level of transparency and detail retrieval (though I do like them quite a bit and enjoyed owning them...though I no longer own them anymore).

I know, you're enthusiasm towards the Z1R + a few other members back when they first came out made me think that maybe there are what i'm looking for and audition them/buy them a few months later.Most of you seem to have moved on to other gear and seem to change stuff a lot,which is fine,but all this excitement made me pretty curious about the Stellias.
Yesterday when auditioning a Dave vs my Sony TA i thought i'd throw them into the mix as well and was left pretty disappointed after all the praise for them.I honestly couldn't find one thing they do better than the Z1R's.I would put them on the same level overall with a more neutral tuning for the Stellias and better imaging and soundstage for the Z1Rs.Different strokes for different folks.
I know you have experience with a ton of gear so people stock in your opinion than other's but in this case i don't get why people keep calling the Stellia better than the Z1R. Not just different.Clearly better.I find them anything but.
As a result of all this excitement it kinda seemed to me like a lot of the people on the forum who are unable to test them rushed out to buy them because of the hype only to end up selling them.You see tons of relatively new pairs being sold for the second or third time.
So clearly a lot of people felt the same way as me and others after getting them.
It seems to me like the Stellias launch is the opposite of the Z1R's
Like people started saying that the Z1R's are trash after Tyll's review debacle.And then people said his hearing isn't what it used to be.And then other people picked up the pitchforks.And a few months later he retired because "his hearing isn't what it used to be ".I know,there were also measurements involved.Fun times.

 

[adrianm]

I have a friend in Britain who hears the same way. One reviewer described the FR of the Z1R as "M-" versus "U-" shaped.
Maybe the Utopia/Stellia pairing will be the open/closed dynamic endgame for me, too, but meanwhile the Z1R are due today from UPS.

Unfortunately most reviewers are just hype machines , i think the most they should impact your decision is whether or not you audition something.I'd put more stock in actually listening for yourself.

 

[Umwelt]

The Z1R is so satisfying to me that I don't even have an interest in auditioning any other closed back HP, with one single exception, the Victor HA-WM90-B, after experiencing the Victor IEM flagship. I'm guessing no one here has listened to one of those, since they're really rare outside of Japan (and even over there). If anyone has listened to them please share impressions, especially compared to the Z1R.
The only reason why I'd like to listen to them is because I know I won't buy them at that price range

 

[MacedonianHero]

I know, you're enthusiasm towards the Z1R + a few other members back when they first came out made me think that maybe there are what i'm looking for and audition them/buy them a few months later.Most of you seem to have moved on to other gear and seem to change stuff a lot,which is fine,but all this excitement made me pretty curious about the Stellias.
Yesterday when auditioning a Dave vs my Sony TA i thought i'd throw them into the mix as well and was left pretty disappointed after all the praise for them.I honestly couldn't find one thing they do better than the Z1R's.I would put them on the same level overall with a more neutral tuning for the Stellias and better imaging and soundstage for the Z1Rs.Different strokes for different folks.
I know you have experience with a ton of gear so people stock in your opinion than other's but in this case i don't get why people keep calling the Stellia better than the Z1R. Not just different.Clearly better.I find them anything but.
As a result of all this excitement it kinda seemed to me like a lot of the people on the forum who are unable to test them rushed out to buy them because of the hype only to end up selling them.You see tons of relatively new pairs being sold for the second or third time.
So clearly a lot of people felt the same way as me and others after getting them.
It seems to me like the Stellias launch is the opposite of the Z1R's
Like people started saying that the Z1R's are trash after Tyll's review debacle.And then people said his hearing isn't what it used to be.And then other people picked up the pitchforks.And a few months later he retired because "his hearing isn't what it used to be ".I know,there were also measurements involved.Fun times.

I still am a very big fan of the Z1R. But in terms of my preference, I look for ideally balanced, neutral and transparent...I can literally throw any genre at them and come away with a big smile on my face. The Z1R's were limited in that regard due to their unbalanced (relatively that is) frequency response. I would avoid them with acoustic music and classical for instance. Meanwhile, the Stellia literally shine with everything I've thrown at them. No way I would say the Z1Rs are trash...great cans for sure and in my top 3 closed-backs of all time!

 

[adrianm]

The Z1R's were limited in that regard due to their unbalanced (relatively that is) frequency response. I would avoid them with acoustic music and classical for instance.

This is what i feel about using them with the ta-zh1es, which is what made me want to return it.Too much sony house sound.But using them with a more neutral dac such as the Dave just hit the spot for me.Maybe i would've liked the Stellias more on the TA,or some tube amps.But i figure it's better to start with a more neutral source than keep buying headphones to compensate for it.
Now i'm curios what you were using the Z1R's with that made you come to that conclusion.

 

[Umwelt]

This is what i feel about using them with the ta-zh1es, which is what made me want to return it.Too much sony house sound.

Totally opposite impression here. I use the Z1R+TA for classical music and it makes me feel like I'm in the concert hall when I close my eyes, no particular "Sony house" comes through, so a lot of this just comes down to individual ears I guess

 

[nc8000]

I’ve had my Z1R for 3 1/2 years now and have had no inclination what so ever to even try any other full size.

The IER-Z1R I’ve had for close to 1 1/2 years now and again no inclination to even try another iem.

Same with the TA and 1Z.

Total end game for me for many years to come.

 

[Bobdonut123]

Would a different amp than my thx 789 make a significant difference in sound for the z1r? I don't want to get rid of them without having heard them to their fullest. My budget is ~$1000

 

[MacedonianHero]

This is what i feel about using them with the ta-zh1es, which is what made me want to return it.Too much sony house sound.But using them with a more neutral dac such as the Dave just hit the spot for me.Maybe i would've liked the Stellias more on the TA,or some tube amps.But i figure it's better to start with a more neutral source than keep buying headphones to compensate for it.
Now i'm curios what you were using the Z1R's with that made you come to that conclusion.

Mainly the Chord DAVE, Hugo2 and the various amps/DACs that I've reviewed over the past few years. Plenty of different setups with very similar results. The DAVE is as neutral as I've come across FWIW. Again, I still really like and highly regards the Z1Rs, so I hope no one is hoping that I am putting them down, but it is all relative as they say.

 

[adrianm]

Would a different amp than my thx 789 make a significant difference in sound for the z1r? I don't want to get rid of them without having heard them to their fullest. My budget is ~$1000

Honestly i've spend the last month testing them with everything from my Sony TA-ZH1ES (designed for them) to Hugo 2, Hugo TT2 + M-scaler and Dave.Also auditioned some Auralics,nothing to see there.
Their fullest is Dave i found it to be quite a bit above anything else.The next best thing is the Sony TA for considerably less than the rest i've tested.Especially if you like a more "musical sound ".I agree that for classical i'd go for a more neutral dac, but for everything else (acoustic music included) i loved them with it.

 

[adrianm]

Mainly the Chord DAVE, Hugo2 and the various amps/DACs that I've reviewed over the past few years. Plenty of different setups with very similar results. The DAVE is as neutral as I've come across FWIW. Again, I still really like and highly regards the Z1Rs, so I hope no one is hoping that I am putting them down, but it is all relative as they say.

No worry ,i probably still have ptsd from the original Z1R thread that ended nuclear, just recently returned to head-fi. People are passionate about what they love ,but some of them just crap all over it once they move on to the next "flavour of the month " item.Makes it hard to take any of their recommendations seriously.

 

[Bobdonut123]

I will probably be keeping them both for the next month or so, even though the Stellia is my main headphone for now.

 

[MacedonianHero]

I will probably be keeping them both for the next month or so, even though the Stellia is my main headphone for now.

That solution is ideal IMO...though not the cheapest.

 

[pataburd]

Every time I think I want to sell the Utopia, I put them back on for a "farewell" listen, then decide not to sell them.

 

[Malevolent]

I know, you're enthusiasm towards the Z1R + a few other members back when they first came out made me think that maybe there are what i'm looking for and audition them/buy them a few months later.Most of you seem to have moved on to other gear and seem to change stuff a lot,which is fine,but all this excitement made me pretty curious about the Stellias.
Yesterday when auditioning a Dave vs my Sony TA i thought i'd throw them into the mix as well and was left pretty disappointed after all the praise for them.I honestly couldn't find one thing they do better than the Z1R's.I would put them on the same level overall with a more neutral tuning for the Stellias and better imaging and soundstage for the Z1Rs.Different strokes for different folks.
I know you have experience with a ton of gear so people stock in your opinion than other's but in this case i don't get why people keep calling the Stellia better than the Z1R. Not just different.Clearly better.I find them anything but.
As a result of all this excitement it kinda seemed to me like a lot of the people on the forum who are unable to test them rushed out to buy them because of the hype only to end up selling them.You see tons of relatively new pairs being sold for the second or third time.
So clearly a lot of people felt the same way as me and others after getting them.
It seems to me like the Stellias launch is the opposite of the Z1R's
Like people started saying that the Z1R's are trash after Tyll's review debacle.And then people said his hearing isn't what it used to be.And then other people picked up the pitchforks.And a few months later he retired because "his hearing isn't what it used to be ".I know,there were also measurements involved.Fun times.

I, too, was somewhat disappointed in the performance of the Stellia. I found them to be great at technical aspects such as detail retrieval, but they were considerably devoid of musicality, IMO. I can agree that it has its objective strengths, and what it does well, it does really well; however, my predilection for a colored sound constantly steers me away from the Focal headphone.

For context, I shy away from neutrality and absolute clarity. I'm a (huge) fan of a bass-heavy sound; a recessed midrange is not as frowned upon in my book. Now, I understand that this is personal preference is quite the antithesis of the general audiophile's desired target - a balanced, neutral signature.

This is why I love headphones like the Z1R, the TH900 Mk2, the Cascade, the HP-3, and others within the same vein.