Focal Stellia

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by daniellistens, Feb 12, 2019.

  1. Craigo

    Craigo MOT: Mage Audio

    Joined:
    May 3, 2017
    Likes Received:
    153
    Trophy Points:
    33
    Location:
    Raleigh, NC
    Holding out for the American “Schlitz” version.
     
  2. bFlat

    bFlat New

    Joined:
    May 9, 2018
    Likes Received:
    13
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    San Francisco
    Looks like a murder weapon to me....
     
  3. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2016
    Likes Received:
    3,988
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    United kingdomland of fish and chips
    I wonder if beyer would release a schnitzel coloured headphone.
     
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,778
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    I wish it wasn't called Stellia. Reminds me too much of LH Labs Stella, which every time I hear causes PTSD as if thousands of voices cried out after they got swindled.
     
  5. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,778
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    Socal Pho meet? Let me put something up.
     
  6. AllanMarcus

    AllanMarcus Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2015
    Likes Received:
    2,969
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Los Alamos, NM
    Home Page:
    Maybe I'm too old, but it reminds me of this:

     
  7. yvv

    yvv Acquaintance

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Likes Received:
    88
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    London, UK
    Spent around 2 hours today demoing the Stellia powered by the Focal Arche, A/Bing with the Utopia, Elegia and other Focals in a Focal's room at the Bristol Hi Fi show. The door was closed most of the time so relatively quiet . The choice of music was very limited .

    I'm not a great fan of anything metal in transducers and the Utopia makes me fatigued after 15--20 min. With the aluminium Focals it's even worse. My go to headphones are the HD650 and the Aeon closed, I am a classical music listener .

    The Stellia was a rather pleasant surprise. The sound signature is quite close to the Utopia but with a warm tilt which IMO alleviates the metallic timbre a bit and makes them more palatable and less tiring, I could not identify any glaring FR problems but, again, the music was unfamiliar. The unnatural timbre was definitely there, Jim Morrison and Sinatra sounded slightly metallicky and light. The soundstage is obviously smaller than in the Utopia but I am no expert in this because its not a priority as long as the frequency response and tonality are done right. A/Bing them I actually preferred the Stellia"s warmer sound.

    The resolution is very very good and not just for a closed-back. Good instrument separation, everything is clear. The sound is coherent and involving. The bass was just the right amount, couldn't identity any distortion or leakage into the mids, and it didn't feel detached. The vocals were still slightly underfed so it would be very interesting to see measurements. Still, coherent enough. Definitely an interesting headphone .

    My respect for the Stellia doubled when I went to the Sennheiser's stand and tried the HD820. Severely screwed FR, tonality and timbre. Even the HD800S that was next to it sounded not too bad tonnally after the HD820. Puzzling.

    Just my 2 cents.
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2019
  8. slankoe

    slankoe Tongue tastes of LH butthole

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2017
    Likes Received:
    397
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Edmonton, Canada
    Man the frequency response graphs regarding the tonal balance of Stellia are very interesting. This seems like a very pleasant sound signature reminiscent of Japanese tuning in products such as Fostex TH-X00 (Massdrop), which I am very much a fan of, but a little bit closer to reference tuning. All while wanting for less of that "metallic timbre," and getting a well-engineered product with excellent voicing. I will hear Denon D7200 at the EHE meet-up on Sunday, maybe it offers a similar sort of tonal character.

    As an owner of Focal Utopia, this Utopia headphone represents my absolute favourite overall manifestation of a product and the execution of this level of performance in a head-fi type of product. It's unique character is a "reference," type of tonality (perhaps deserving to serve as a studio monitor along side near-field speakers). It's neutral with a touch of romanticism.

    If you were to ramp up this "romantic," feature of Focal Utopia, in a Japanese-Fostex sort of way, I guess perhaps this is what Focal was going for when engineering the Stellia.

    To me, the potential result of this kind of tuning philosophy is very attractive. A closed back hesdphone, with Utooia levels of technical ability? I'll believe it when I hear it, and I really want to hear it.

    Edited for clarity​
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2019
  9. ogodei

    ogodei MOT: Austin AudioWorks

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,765
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Chicago
    Got the Stellia in this week. Have the Utopia, have never listened to any other Focals. Listening on so far on Stellaris (WE422A, EML Mesh 2A3s, mystery driver), Pinnacle 2 ( Sylvania 6SN7GT, EML Mesh 300Bs), PassLabs HPA1.

    Going to echo the thoughts of @yvv above: Very resolving, probably best I've heard in closed Much less fatiguing than Utopia, dynamic range is slightly toned, very pleasing over all. Cant say exactly what it is yet but these will be in heavy rotation.

    I've never been able to identify 'metallic timbre' in drivers ( or perhaps I can and just call it something else) but someone who claims he can was listening to these and said almost exactly what @yvv said above: the unnatural timbre was still there but was drastically reduced from the Utopia to the point where it was (almost) unnoticeable on the tube amps. Specifically he was very impressed with the headphone until listening on the PassLabs where he noticed it more. Also, he singled out listening to upright-bass versus electronic bass notes. I'll have to go back in to hear that.

    These are better looking IRL than in photos. Leather on them is fantastically soft, great feeling earpads, will see how they do for long sessions.
     
  10. yvv

    yvv Acquaintance

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Likes Received:
    88
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    London, UK
    I'll try to explain as best as I can:

    Aluminium coloration - adds hardness and sharpness to the sound that can be perceived as extra detail or brightness, caused by out of band ringing. Some implementations (Harbeth P3ESR, SHL5 ) can be quite good in terms of fatigue but the metallic timbre is always there. In practical terms it makes me not just tired but literally irritated and angry and there have been some occasions when I didn't know what drivers I was listening to so it's physical and repeatable.

    Beryllium coloration - quite pleasing to the ear, might actually be perceived as a refinement, adds these whooshing over-tones to high-hats and "sh- " sounds, making them a little bit over pronounced, more like "shhh" . The metallic timbre is less obvious . I can hear it in the Focal Grand Utopias, Solos so it's quite specific to the material. Still on the fence whether it contributes to the fatigue because the only prolonged experience I've had was with the Utopia that sounded slightly brightish and thinnish (but with excellent techicalities) in general and also the treble seemed to be rather uneven IMO.

    Anyway, IME, every driver material has a sound. I've never heard speakers or headphones without it. It's just a matter of finding one that works. At least we are not dealing with the crossover points here.

    Didn't notice any fatigue with the Stellia at the show in 2 hours. When I would switch to the Clear, Elegia or Elear in the same room I could only stand them for a very short time.

    Would definitely like to spend more time with the Stellia but not at this price. May be used, in a couple of years.

    I actually liked the color too. In reality it looked quite, well, noble and rather expensive.

    Just my 2 cents.
     
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2019
  11. saint.panda

    saint.panda Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2017
    Likes Received:
    538
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NYC / Berlin
    Briefly auditioned them at a local shop and bought a pair on ebay. Very promising. Having tried most of the closed back phones in recent years (Eikon/Atticus close but just not quite right, HD820 messed up tone, Aeon Flow closed immensely fatiguing), I almost gave up on listening at high volumes in the office but these are making me hopeful.
     
  12. Nordpol Anton

    Nordpol Anton New

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2016
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    8
    If there are others in the same room, they will probably hear what you are listening to. They leak quite a bit. I am also listening to higher volumes, that’s why I know. Other than that they are top notch.
     
  13. Bloom

    Bloom MOT: Bloom Audio

    Joined:
    May 5, 2019
    Likes Received:
    495
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NJ
    Home Page:
    Yeah, the Stellia doesn't have a very strong clamp (which I'm very happy about) and the pads are cushiony, so some sound leakage will happen. But I think it's a worthwhile tradeoff.
     
  14. saint.panda

    saint.panda Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2017
    Likes Received:
    538
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NYC / Berlin
    Had my Stellia for 2 weeks now. Finally a closed headphone I'm going to keep and use. My colleagues sitting next to me are thrilled.

    Key strengths: overall very little that sounds wrong. No tinnitus-inducing lower highs like Aeon closed, no midrange weirdness like HD820, and the tonal balance is more to my liking than ZMF Eikon/Atticus.

    Other strengths: Decent air for a closed headphone, good macro- and microdetail. Comfy.

    Weakness: bass could be more, midrange could be sweeter and overall sound less metallic. But no deal breakers.
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2019
  15. Nordpol Anton

    Nordpol Anton New

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2016
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    8
    That‘s exactly what my little concerns were as well. Considering I use the Stellias on the go with my Calyx M DAP, I thought why not going the extra mile and invest in a good portable hp amp. After a long research I bought the very good but pricey VorzAMP Duo II, which took care of the sub bass as well as making the midrange sweeter and the overall sound more analogue. In addition I can dial in an EQ for further bass/treble very nicely done (2-3 db) for EDM. So give the amp a try when you can!
     
  16. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2016
    Likes Received:
    3,988
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    United kingdomland of fish and chips
    I'll give these my top pick for a closed headphone. Didn't expect the low end to be so punchy and deep. Doesn't bleed into the mids at all. A nice sense of airiness similar to my HD250. Top end is still constricted as with any closed design but it's not obvious until compared to the Utopia. Couldn't say I heard metallic coloration and was surprisingly neutral and zippy.
     
  17. AllanMarcus

    AllanMarcus Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2015
    Likes Received:
    2,969
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Los Alamos, NM
    Home Page:
    Heard the Denon AH-D9200 by any chance? I'm curious how it might compare. It's probably closer to the TH900, but who knows.
     
  18. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2016
    Likes Received:
    3,988
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    United kingdomland of fish and chips
    I always wanted to hear a Denon but I haven't ever seen them at canjam London.
     
  19. E_Schaaf

    E_Schaaf MOT: E.T.A Headphones

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2017
    Likes Received:
    9,589
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Staten Island, NY
    Home Page:
    Here are some unsanctioned FR measurements for Stellia, plus the Atticus for a point of tonal comparison. I used EARS + SBAF comp curve (with a few tweaks). Just took the left channel but Focal tends to do a solid job of driver matching.

    Stellia -

    [​IMG]

    And here's the Atticus for comparison -

    [​IMG]

    Here are a few notes -

    1. The gentle upslope with Stellia from 250Hz-2kHz has a way of decluttering a congested mix on some problematic tracks, but also lacks a bit of body in the lower mids compared to Atticus, which has a downslope in that region as opposed to an upslope. Kind of reminds me of how the Tia Fourte does the bottom half of the midrange, even though there's more of an upper-mid emphasis on the Stellia.

    2. 100Hz bump is even more localized on Stellia than Atticus, giving it nice kick and differentiation from bass to mids, but this region also feels parsed (mildly disjointed?) on some content because of (1).

    3. Treble is smooth and oddly glossy with Stellia (not slightly metallic like Utopia) but some microdetail, slam, and dynamics feel a bit lost compared to Utopia or Atticus. Attacks on transients aren't quite as immediate and incisive.

    4. Stellia definitely has a more 'damped' and rounded dynamic presentation (not much cup-effect at all) which is closer to Eikon than Atticus. There's a lot of diffusion at play in Stellia's cups, giving it a soundstage with less localization than the ZMFs too, even though the width was greater than I expected.
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2019

Share This Page