The Closed-Back Headphone Thread (Plus Comparisons & Reviews)

[cantcacheme]

When I tried headphones like Susvara, LCD 4 & 5, Meze Lyric, Elite, and Empyrean, Focal Utopia, and others from Kennerton, Rosson, ZMF, Hifiman, Focal, etc I heard a lot of great headphones, but I didn't hear one that felt made for my preferences, that immediately captured and held my listening attention until I heard the Stealths. They have some special synergy with my ears such that from the moment I first put them on I knew that I needed to own a pair. The point being that currently the best headphone in the world for me is in fact a closed back! Blasphemous, right?

Hey, I've always been interested in the stealths, but so many reviews I read/watch said it was just a boring, sterile headphone which needed a lot of power. How would you say they sound like when properly driven, and what did you drive them with? I would assume that, given its folding design, fancy carry case and somewhat gamer aesthetics it would have a strong focus on easy drivability and portability ..

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Hey, I've always been interested in the stealths, but so many reviews I read/watch said it was just a boring, sterile headphone which needed a lot of power. How would you say they sound like when properly driven, and what did you drive them with? I would assume that, given its folding design, fancy carry case and somewhat gamer aesthetics it would have a strong focus on easy drivability and portability ..

They do require a lot of power. I just purchased the Ferrum Oor to drive them, but I drove them with my Burson Timekeeper 3i before that and either one works quite well as both the Oor and the TK3i have a lotnof power on tap.

I personally don't find the Stealths to be boring at all. They are a highly analytical pair of headphones that resolve massive amounts of detail. I loved their articulate, agile low end that renders even the busiest tracks with detail and separation. The mid range is absolutely great for lending a very natural timbre to vocals and providing plenty of separation for instruments. The treble extends well and shows plenty of shimmer and micro details with zero harshness or sibilance. As a professional drummer I can tell you that the Stealths make drums and particularly cymbals sound absolutely realistic and keeps them super well defined in any mix which is one of my favorite things about them.

I guess I would say that the Stealths are either going to be perfect for you or not what you're looking for and nothing in between and I think the reviews reflect that. I find them to be very immersive and engaging, not to mention their ability to be listened to for hours upon hours without fatigue. I tried literally every TOTL headphone I could get my hands on and the Stealths were the only pair that I immediately clicked with from the jump. I heard many, many great headphones, but these were the best for me and I couldn't be happier.

 

[cantcacheme]

They do require a lot of power. I just purchased the Ferrum Oor to drive them, but I drove them with my Burson Timekeeper 3i before that and either one works quite well as both the Oor and the TK3i have a lotnof power on tap.

I personally don't find the Stealths to be boring at all. They are a highly analytical pair of headphones that resolve massive amounts of detail. I loved their articulate, agile low end that renders even the busiest tracks with detail and separation. The mid range is absolutely great for lending a very natural timbre to vocals and providing plenty of separation for instruments. The treble extends well and shows plenty of shimmer and micro details with zero harshness or sibilance. As a professional drummer I can tell you that the Stealths make drums and particularly cymbals sound absolutely realistic and keeps them super well defined in any mix which is one of my favorite things about them.

I guess I would say that the Stealths are either going to be perfect for you or not what you're looking for and nothing in between and I think the reviews reflect that. I find them to be very immersive and engaging, not to mention their ability to be listened to for hours upon hours without fatigue. I tried literally every TOTL headphone I could get my hands on and the Stealths were the only pair that I immediately clicked with from the jump. I heard many, many great headphones, but these were the best for me and I couldn't be happier.

I think, the problem is they designed it to be this cool folding thing that you could toss in a bag and bring anywhere, but then it can't be driven properly by anything less than the sources you mentioned. Did you try to drive them off your xDSD gryphons, and if so, how did it go? I have the micro iDSD signature which have a decent amount of power (4w balanced), perhaps it could be sufficient?

 

[JAnonymous5150]

I think, the problem is they designed it to be this cool folding thing that you could toss in a bag and bring anywhere, but then it can't be driven properly by anything less than the sources you mentioned. Did you try to drive them off your xDSD gryphons, and if so, how did it go? I have the micro iDSD signature which have a decent amount of power (4w balanced), perhaps it could be sufficient?

The Gryphon will get the Stealths loud, but the sound isn't properly filled out and the articulation and speed aren't at their best. I don't know why DCA built them this way and I don't really care. I didn't buy them with the intention of using them in a portable situation anyways. I use IEMs and earbuds when out and about. I will say that the build makes the Stealths much easier to pack in and amongst other gear when I am going to the recording studio, touring, or travelling and since I am on the road upwards of 200 days per year that's a pretty cool added bonus.

The Stealths are almost as difficult to drive as the Susvaras when it comes down to it. The build also makes them pretty light in comparison to most of the other flagship headphones I tried out. The light build and nice pads make them one of the most comfortable pairs I have ever tried. I also think the whole carbon fiber aesthetic is pretty neat looking, but that's secondary when you're purchasing a headphone for sound alone.

 

[Lickumms]

Here I'm and you know that you and your little daughter are very welcome here My children love to "play" with little babies, with a lot of care... I will create an EDM playlist in my foobar for you

I was tempted with the TH 900s but I think that the enormous treble peak will destroy my ears... I suppose that in EDM would be not as noticeable...

From the headphones of my past avatar, I only sold the Sony Z7s, the other three remain at my house

BTW, I hope to don't forget about that "long-term surprise" I promised to you... Maybe this afternoon

I own the TH-900 and preferred the Denon 9200 over the TH900 in every way besides sound stage. The 9200 has better, tighter, faster, harder hitting, and deeper bass. Since the 9200 isn't as violently V shaped as the TH900 its highs aren't as peaky. Though they still do get up there so if you are really sensitive to treble I could see it, possibly, still bothering you. I actually prefer the Gjallarhorn GH50 JM MK2 over both of them but its bass isn't quite as tight, maybe 5-10% less than the 9200, but has more impact and reaches even deeper. JM MK2 has a massive sound stage and is pretty warm sound over all. So the highs wouldn't be a problem at all. The JM MK2 is pretty much my go to for my closed back bass needs... Well, besides the Rognir.

 

[Terriero]

I own the TH-900 and preferred the Denon 9200 over the TH900 in every way besides sound stage. The 9200 has better, tighter, faster, harder hitting, and deeper bass. Since the 9200 isn't as violently V shaped as the TH900 its highs aren't as peaky. Though they still do get up there so if you are really sensitive to treble I could see it, possibly, still bothering you. I actually prefer the Gjallarhorn GH50 JM MK2 over both of them but its bass isn't quite as tight, maybe 5-10% less than the 9200, but has more impact and reaches even deeper. JM MK2 has a massive sound stage and is pretty warm sound over all. So the highs wouldn't be a problem at all. The JM MK2 is pretty much my go to for my closed back bass needs... Well, besides the Rognir.

I have learned to use the 9200s at a lower volume, because the treble issues I had with them were because these two things:

- The Denons have an impactful character, like other headphones I have read here (for example, the TH 900s or Focal Clear), and if I'm not in the mood for an impactful experience, I find them not as enjoyable.
- At high volume, the treble focused albums drilled my ears... For example, I'm listening right now to this album with them with no issues and enjoying a lot, but my first experience with this album and the 9200s was horrible. Everytime I put the 9200s on my head, I have to wait a few minutes to get acustomed to their register, after that and matching the volume with each album, I enjoy a lot the experience.

 

[cantcacheme]

The Gryphon will get the Stealths loud, but the sound isn't properly filled out and the articulation and speed aren't at their best. I don't know why DCA built them this way and I don't really care. I didn't buy them with the intention of using them in a portable situation anyways. I use IEMs and earbuds when out and about. I will say that the build makes the Stealths much easier to pack in and amongst other gear when I am going to the recording studio, touring, or travelling and since I am on the road upwards of 200 days per year that's a pretty cool added bonus.

The Stealths are almost as difficult to drive as the Susvaras when it comes down to it. The build also makes them pretty light in comparison to most of the other flagship headphones I tried out. The light build and nice pads make them one of the most comfortable pairs I have ever tried. I also think the whole carbon fiber aesthetic is pretty neat looking, but that's secondary when you're purchasing a headphone for sound alone.

May I ask, what you pair the stealths with while you are travelling? Do you just take your big desktop amp everywhere you go?

 

[chaz_flhr]

I love the Focal sound as in my Elex's. I will likely upgrade eventually to the Clear's. I like my Elegia's, but am Radiance curious. I like warm amps and fun headphones. I am in no way an audiophile.

The Radiance sounds very enticing, but is pretty pricey, landed in Canada. We'll see.

IMHO the Radiance is worth checking out.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

May I ask, what you pair the stealths with while you are travelling? Do you just take your big desktop amp everywhere you go?

I'm talking about touring for months at a time where I am essentially living in a tour bus and hotel rooms and already hauling significant amounts of gear. Bringing a pelican case(s) with my combo or stack in it is no big deal and lets me feel a bit more at home. I also have used them with the Gryphon on occasion, but I have other great headphones that run much better driven off of my various portable sources so I mostly don't use the Stealths if I need to be using a portable combo.

 

[Shane D]

IMHO the Radiance is worth checking out.

I am thinking the upgrade is probably worth it. I like my Elegia's, but...

 

[chaz_flhr]

I just bought a set of Elegia's, and have had them for three days. Following my Audeze IEMs (LCD i3's), this is my second properly Hi-Fi headphone, and I haven't heard a lot of high end headphones otherwise (I don't have any friends in the area who are into this sort of thing), so I don't have too much to say in terms of points of comparison. That said, a few impressions:

* Stock tuning is a bit wonky, in a way that's hard to describe. Not bad by any means, and probably fixed by the Dekoni Stellia pad swap everyone mentions (which I plan to do myself). But even mild EQ really wakes them up.
* They are easy to drive--my Qudelix 5K can easily get them to uncomfortably loud levels. Likewise they respond to EQ very well with no distortion I can hear.
* For a closed back, they have an amazing sense of space. There is a faint, but noticeable, echoing effect from the cups that gives the sense of listening in a concert hall or large room. You really can hear all the different instruments in complex pieces coming from different places around your head. It's a nice contrast to my Audeze IEMs-- those are just as immersive, but give more of a sense of "living in sound" where the music seems to come from everywhere all at once. The Elegia's on the other hand really feel like being in the same room as the musicians.
* Because of this, your favorite singers tend to to sound really good.
* Detail retrieval is superb, you hear every tiny bit of information. Truly exceptional. However, if your track is poorly recorded, or you're listening to old poorly compressed music, you're going to hear all that too. For instance, listening to the same song back to back, you can tell the difference between Youtube videos (free, not the paid music service) and high quality AACs downloaded from iTunes.
* They are very large. Not particularly heavy, and they're quite comfortable-- and I have a very large head. But like most headphones, to get them to sound right they need to make a perfect seal, and this is made a bit harder because they're pretty big. The bass really suffers if you need to wear glasses with them, for instance. I can imagine for some people getting the right fit could be hard.
* Build quality is excellent and they feel "premium" aside from the odd choice of cloth for the pads and the weirdly stiff stock cable. But if you plan to do the pad swap anyway that's not an issue. And I immediately replaced the stock cable with a $20 balanced cable from Amazon to get better sound from the 5K.
* Some people complain about the bass as being weak, but I wouldn't say that's true. What I'd say instead is that they aren't a bass-prominent headphone; if a track has loud, deep bass, you're going to hear it well, but in a busy passage with lots of different instruments at once higher frequencies (e.g. vocals, guitar or violin) are going to dominate it. You can of course EQ up the bass a bit to compensate and they get pretty punchy with a few dB added down low. But it isn't really what they're tuned for. I'd say if you listen to primarily EDM or hip-hop there are probably better choices. EDM is still enjoyable on them of course (I'm listening to Juno Reactor as I type this and it's quite nice), but just from my own very small collection the Audezes I have are better for that genre.
* Sound isolation is pretty good, and sound leakage is minimal.

All in all for $400 they're an amazing deal and I am very happy with them. The level of detail and soundstage are so compelling. And the Celestee and Radiance have identical or nearly identical drivers (same dimensions, material, impedance and frequency range quoted in the specs); I imagine differences between them come down to the cups and pads, and that's the sort of thing that's easy to make up with a pad swap and/or EQ. I haven't heard either but from the other comments on this thread that doesn't sound like it's at all worth 2.5 - 3x the price (also recall these were $900 when they first came out). The Stellias have a different driver setup but are also $3k new and I can't imagine one would cross-shop them given the price differential.

Diminishing returns always apply. While I am listing to the Radiance everything sounds great not one regret, much better than my OG Aeon closed but also 400$ more. When I switch to the Stellia I once again notice differences in several areas wether the difference is worth the additional cost always depends upon the individual.
This is a very subjective and expensive hobby I find my Radiance very enjoyable, I find my Stellia magical yet there are some who don't like them.

 

[chaz_flhr]

question to the group.

i have been searching for a closed headphone for DAP use and the Focal Celestee seems promising, but i have read conflicting reports about sound leakage -- some say it leaks a great deal (similar to open-backed) and others that it does not leak at all. i need a headphone that does not leak (or very little). does the focal meet this standard or not.

thanks

There is some Leakage and the amount of Leakage is also dependent upon listening level.

 

[chaz_flhr]

I am thinking the upgrade is probably worth it. I like my Elegia's, but...

It's always the but that gets the pain in the wallet.

 

[Mhog55]

I think, the problem is they designed it to be this cool folding thing that you could toss in a bag and bring anywhere, but then it can't be driven properly by anything less than the sources you mentioned. Did you try to drive them off your xDSD gryphons, and if so, how did it go? I have the micro iDSD signature which have a decent amount of power (4w balanced), perhaps it could be sufficient?

Yeah, this never made much sense to me either. I really wish he would produce a more efficient Aeon, maybe even to dynamic. I think they're one of the coolest looking and best designed cans I've seen.

 

[Mhog55]

Diminishing returns always apply. While I am listing to the Radiance everything sounds great not one regret, much better than my OG Aeon closed but also 400$ more. When I switch to the Stellia I once again notice differences in several areas wether the difference is worth the additional cost always depends upon the individual.
This is a very subjective and expensive hobby I find my Radiance very enjoyable, I find my Stellia magical yet there are some who don't like them.

Bingo - Absolutely