[mainguy]

As a recent new member of the WM1A community, I definitely recommend it as a good option with the Stellia. It’s pretty mind-bending to have a portable source you can carry around the house that is so high-quality.

The WM1A also plays very nicely with the Shure SRH-1540.

Stellia & the Ifi go blu is another insanely good option. Might even prefer it to the WM1a in some areas, but more electric and fun on the go blu, but more nuanced and detailed on the wm1a.

 

[Quadfather]

As a recent new member of the WM1A community, I definitely recommend it as a good option with the Stellia. It’s pretty mind-bending to have a portable source you can carry around the house that is so high-quality.

The WM1A also plays very nicely with the Shure SRH-1540.

I have not tried Stellia, but I love SRH1540 with the Sony DAPs.

 

[Malevolent]

Agreed. As a product marketing/marketing communications pro with some experience with product/product line naming and background strategies, I find Focal’s approach much more effective.

The cost and effort involved with unique/emotive naming is very high (geopolitical & trademark checks, among other things), for a small product line in an emotionally driven category it makes more sense.

And, if your product line is larger (like AT’s or parts of Sony’s business) a more brief and logical numbering structure is less confusing to consumers.

Yeah, I like the manner in which Focal markets its products - they don't flood the contemporary marketplace with too many options, and each product bears a distinctive name. Well, many other manufacturers tread the same path, but Focal does this best, IMO.

On the other hand, companies like Audio-Technica have convoluted naming strategies for their products, even the flagship ones. I understand not being able to brand each and every product in their vast stable, but what about the TOTL headphones and IEMs?

Just having a gander at the available options, these are some of the TOTL (closed) headphones - Stealth, Ether, AEON, Stellia, Celestee, Radiance, Rognir, Gjallarhorn, Cascade, Atticus, Eikon, Vérité, LIRIC. All brilliant one-word names that are easy on the tongue.

Heck, even within Audeze's catalog of headphones, the higher-numbered products are better (i.e. LCD-5 VS LCD-2). There's a logical flow to their product strategy.

Wow, what a rant!

 

[Malevolent]

I'm not sure when the tinnitus actually started but it does seem to be related to the TMJ. The TMJ I believe is a result of both me clenching my teeth and a broken cheekbone and resulting surgery to fix it back in the 90's. It was only a minor issue for a long time but when I moved towards IEM's is when I exasperated it to the point it became problematic. I can still remember the day. I was mowing the lawn and readjusted the IEM's I had in. I hit the bone or cartilage at the bend in my ear which caused a lot of pain at the time. Shortly after that, I got ear impressions done for custom JHA JH13's, that was excruciating and I never could get the them to fit right. I kept trying various IEM's but had to give up on them completely.

All the best, buddy. I can't say that I truly understand the issues that you're facing with TMJ, but I sincerely hope that you find a viable solution to the pain. Good luck, my friend!

 

[Malevolent]

I'm enjoying my Sivga SV021. I like the larger space inside the earpads as most other closed headphones are too small. Are there other closed-back headphones with large earcups you could recommend me? I don't want to pay too much.

What is your budget? And what is your preferred sound signature? This will help us narrow down the possibilities.

 

[helloh3adfi]

What is your budget? And what is your preferred sound signature? This will help us narrow down the possibilities.

Up to ~500 $. I prefer dark sound signature, but it doesn't really matter because I can use EQ.

 

[revolutionz]

Up to ~500 $. I prefer dark sound signature, but it doesn't really matter because I can use EQ.

If you're interested, I have a pair of Kennerton Magni's for sale that might fit your use case and would be close to your budget. PM me if interested, haven't had much traction on them in the classifieds yet.

 

[DeweyCH]

Copy-pasting a post I put in another thread comparing the Rognir with the Verite Closed:

OK, here goes... I'll be listening to both with the same amp (Mogwai SE) and the same cable (Forza Noir Hybrid with the Rognir's Soviet-era Litz XLR to 1/4" adapter). VC has hybrid solid Auteur pads, Rognir has the stock solid leather pads (with perforations inside and a small stretch of perforations on the front):

First song: "Surface Pressure" by Lin-Manuel Miranda (I have a 3-year-old so Encanto's soundtrack is stuck in my brain)

Rognir: bass is strong, kick drum has a nice thump to it. No congestion in any reasonably complex parts; I'm having no problem identifying all of the instruments. Attack and decay are fast. Maybe a little bit of warm bloom in the bass. Digs very very deep. Vocals are a little recessed behind the percussion and bass. Not enough to be annoying or anything. The finger cymbals (I think?) moving around the soundstage are hard to ignore. I don't think the bass "attacks" a ton, but I'm probably not all that good at describing what that means.

VC: bass is cleaner (so ignore everything I said in my first post). Crisper. Vocals are more forward. The soundstage is a little narrower, a touch more "closed" sounding. Percussion still has the crisp attack like the Rognir. Digs almost as deep bass-wise. It's a more relaxing sound, I think. I could sit back, close my eyes and lose myself in the song much more easily. Whatever those finger cymbal things are sound more like background, they move around nicely but don't demand your attention like they do with the Rognir. Overall, the sound is cleaner. Both are supremely detailed, but to your point, there seems to be less aggressive attitude in the song.

Second song: "You Make Loving Fun" by Fleetwood Mac

VC: again, very clean bass. Decay is again faster that the Rognir. Vocals are right in line with the instruments - not forward, not recessed. Soundstage is much more impressive in this than the cartoon soundtrack song. Hi-hat in the left ear is really nice - it's not coming out and screaming at you, but it is pulling attention. Rhythm guitar comes out way to the right and seems cleaner and more present than the lead. Lead guitar is relaxed and enjoyable. Very clear, very detailed, again, with both the kick drum and the bass line layering nicely into the song. Hits fast, decays fast, but doesn't jump forward. Treble is fabulous. When the guitar jumps up an octave or 2 for the "lead" lick, it's like the guitarist is wandering around the stage and you can hear him doing so.

Rognir: High-hat leaps out to start with. Like the other song, it's really forward - not enough to detract, but enough that you're kind of enraptured by it, and everything else is following it. Vocals are again recessed slightly behind the instruments - including the backup vocals, which didn't jump out to me on the VC but really come in hard on the Rognir. Lead guitar is sharper, crisper. Bass is way down there. Not leaping forward, and has a little warm bloom, but getting more of that bowel-vibrating element to it. Chimes (strangely) are less apparent than on the VC. I'm seeing this lending itself more to critical listening rather than relaxing. Lead guitar is now ahead of the rhythm guitar, and the rhythm guitar has lost a little bit of the cool "wow that's way over to the right, I notice you!" effect.

One more: "Make It Bun Dem" by Skrillex (for something way way different)

Rognir: It attacks. From the start, you're demanded to listen. Percussion is way there. The "squee squee squee" thing that he uses is piercing. I don't know what that is, I just know that it's assaulting my eardrums. Combination of a really aggressive track with fairly aggressive cans. Bass is kind of overwhelmed. I expected this to be a bass blasty song, but it's really mid- and treble-forward. I do not enjoy this combination. Might be I just don't like the song. I'm not really big into this genre. There is serious subbass - and it's rumbling my head despite not being particularly loud.

VC: Not nearly as aggressive out of the gate. It's... not bad. Percussion is less present and over the vocals. The "squee squee squee" thing isn't nearly so piercing, and the sub-bass is very obvious and balancing it much better. It's still not a mid-bass-blasty track, but the tuning feels like the sub-bass and the treble are making a song sandwich rather than the treble screaming at you while the sub-bass is just there. This is a listenable track on the VCs. I'm still not going to go out and listen to it again on purpose, but for the purposes of comparing these two, it's done its job.

One one more, since that was not fun: "Cara Mia Addio" by Aperture Science Psychoacoustic Laboratories (the Portal 2 soundtrack)

VC: I can hear like the resonating inside of a cello from the initial fake cello run. It's cool. Waiting on the bass to "drop," as the kids say... and it's pleasant. Not super forward, which is a little disappointing. But this is like a synth-opera song, so it's kind of laid back to begin with. I can hear the synth voices clearly like I never have before, and the little synth flute kind of falls back and seems less clear than I remember. I'm actually kinda excited to try this song with the...

Rognir: Seems a little clearer. This isn't a Master track, but the presentation of the initial upper mids is really quite nice and crystal-clear. Vocals are, again, recessed. Clear, but I wish they were a little more forward on this. Bass drop... not really any more attacking than the VC. It's a better overall presentation of the song, but the bass is similarly deep but polite. The low synth timbre is really lovely. Edit to add: the "resonating inside of a cello" in the beginning (listened again just now) sounds less natural, more like a synth cello that's just being held. Sounds great, but that resonance was really cool with the VC.

So, I don't know if I have a conclusion. Just some observations. Hope they're at least reasonably interesting.

 

[Shane D]

I am back into my Elegia's today. I was finally able to pick up a pair of Dekoni Ltd. Edition Stellia pads. So today is sheepskin vs Stellia Ltd. Edition shootout day.

I started out with the already installed sheepskins through the whole testing playlist.
Changing pads, I have to say that just two songs in I am very impressed with the Stellia pads. They seem a little more "open".

Further edit: these pads makes the Elegia's a nice all rounder. Tomorrow they go head to head with the T5's yet again.

I am going to respond to my own post by way of an update. For the last several days I have been comparing the Elegia's with Dekoni Stellia pads against the Beyer T5's. At first neither one was winning because each headphone reminded me of what the other one had. I did more long term listening (several hours to a full day with each) and it became clear to me. The Elegia's, with the Dekoni pads, have more range, soundstage and complete sound. The T5's sound muffled/veiled/restricted in comparison. Of course that is just my opinion and I am sure that many people feel the opposite.
Nice to be able to do comparisons with my my own equipment, my own music and with no pressure at all. I wish I had a local shop where I could test stuff out at, but I am not sure how effective it would be. If you can't use your own music source, your own DAC, your own amp(s) and are limited to an hour or less of time, it only gives you a very small glimpse into what the gear might be like in your home. Taking a few months to go through all of my toys is ideal and definitely helping me thin the herd.
I will be putting my T5's on sale this weekend.

 

[Malevolent]

Up to ~500 $. I prefer dark sound signature, but it doesn't really matter because I can use EQ.

At that price range, some of the best options would include the Shure SRH1540 and the E-MU Teak. Neither are dark headphones, but as you've mentioned, you can always use EQ to attenuate the treble response.

Both of these headphones are fairly engaging, with good resolving capabilities, especially considering their price tags relative to the $1,000-and-over options.

 

[Malevolent]

I am going to respond to my own post by way of an update. For the last several days I have been comparing the Elegia's with Dekoni Stellia pads against the Beyer T5's. At first neither one was winning because each headphone reminded me of what the other one had. I did more long term listening (several hours to a full day with each) and it became clear to me. The Elegia's, with the Dekoni pads, have more range, soundstage and complete sound. The T5's sound muffled/veiled/restricted in comparison. Of course that is just my opinion and I am sure that many people feel the opposite.
Nice to be able to do comparisons with my my own equipment, my own music and with no pressure at all. I wish I had a local shop where I could test stuff out at, but I am not sure how effective it would be. If you can't use your own music source, your own DAC, your own amp(s) and are limited to an hour or less of time, it only gives you a very small glimpse into what the gear might be like in your home. Taking a few months to go through all of my toys is ideal and definitely helping me thin the herd.
I will be putting my T5's on sale this weekend.

The T5 is a unique proposition on the current market - despite the asking price, it is unabashed in its quest to provide a sinful, bass-heavy, and utterly-dark sound. It's not the first name that comes to mind when you think of an "audiophile headphone", but it definitely stands apart form the crowd - and for that, I applaud Beyerdynamic for taking the road less travelled.

If you have not sold the T5 yet, good luck with your sale.

 

[mainguy]

Sunk enough hours in with Celestee to give some impressions i think (30-40hours of listening) and comparison to other closed backs I've owned (Elegia, P9 Signature).

I had the Elegia before, these are pretty different. They're a lot closer to the sound of the Clear than the Elegia, the bass has more punch and is much better overall. The Elegia bass to me was a little feeble, the Celestee sounds a lot more impressive in the low end, like the Clear, it's a punchy quality.

The Celestee is very detailed, vocals sound excellent. It has the focal timbre, and sounds less natural than the Clear, that is, the sound is more coloured by the Focal signature. At the same time, it's less coloured than Elegia.

The Celestee to me is a substantial upgrade over the Elegia, offering a better tonal balance and timbre.

The Celestee is also better than my other closed back, the P9 signature. It has greater clarity, detail, and a greater sense of depth and holographic placement.

Compared to the Stellia, the Celestee are actually a great value proposition. You get the same great build, a better colourway (I think). It's less detailed than Stellia, and a smaller stage for sure, but it goes far to justify it's 1k price tag.

The soundstage is small and reminds my of my campfire solaris IEMs. But its not a concern.

If the Clear is a 10/10 the Celestee is a 7/10 imo.

Oh and it's insanely good looking. It's the best looking headphone I've ever seen, Stellia included.

 

[Shane D]

The T5 is a unique proposition on the current market - despite the asking price, it is unabashed in its quest to provide a sinful, bass-heavy, and utterly-dark sound. It's not the first name that comes to mind when you think of an "audiophile headphone", but it definitely stands apart form the crowd - and for that, I applaud Beyerdynamic for taking the road less travelled.

If you have not sold the T5 yet, good luck with your sale.

I sold it last night within hours of listing. The list price in Canada is $1,299.00 and I sold it for $600.00, plus shipping.
Hard to believe how much they changed the sound from second gen to third gen. And I didn't care for either.

On the upside, I am finally making headway on thinning the herd. That is my third set sold in 5 or 6 weeks.

 

[Dawgfish]

I got these in on Monday. I've never really had a need for closed backs as I have my own office and can use open backs to listen at work. Thus there really hasn't been a need to spend on a decent closed back. After reading the reviews on the Atticus I was intrigued to hear them.

I have to say these have exceeded my expectations. I love the bass and overall tone. They are just so much fun to listen to. If I never get another closed back that will be fine because I enjoy these so much. Maybe I'll try the Verite Closed one day but I really don't feel the urge too. At least for now! Lol!

 

[helloh3adfi]

At that price range, some of the best options would include the Shure SRH1540 and the E-MU Teak. Neither are dark headphones, but as you've mentioned, you can always use EQ to attenuate the treble response.

Are the cups large enough? I need at least 70mm length inside the earpads. Maybe ZMF pads?