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Showing 1 of 11 conversations about:
Focal Stellia: A Closed Back Utopia
By
jaydunndiddit
SpeleoFool
675
Feb 13, 2019
And epic timing this was, too. Just last night I finally broke down after days of deliberating and ordered the Elegia. I’ve been listening to Fostex Ebonies at work, and they’re fun, but they’re nothing like my Utopias. So I thought, well, the Elex signature is at least in the same family, even if they’re not as refined. A closed-back version of that Focal house sound is what I really want—I should just do it.
Did it, went to bed happy, then woke up to email announcing Stellia. Doh!
BTW, Jay, I’m blaming you for my recent Elegia obsession. Somewhere else on this site I recall you praising the Elegia as one of your best purchases of 2018, or something like that. I’ve been trying to hold out for my Ether CX to ship, telling myself that new and improved closed-back cans are just days away and I *don’t* need any more headphones, but then I remember “but Jay said...” and I’m right back to wanting closed-back Focals. :-)
The irony is that I could choose to be upset and say that if I’d only waited one more day I’d have saved myself a chunk of change, but the reality is that I’m thinking if I’d waited one more day I’d have probably missed out on the Elegia.
ludachris
314
Feb 14, 2019
SpeleoFoolGlad you got them because I prefer the elegia over the elex in most song genres. Elex can sometime be too bright for me so I might end up selling in the future for lcdx. I would stay away from the uptopia and stellia because most of the money goes towards marketing, manufacturing and research. The high value cost doesnt make the headphone stellia sound a lot better than the elex, elegia or clear at all. Its just a different sound signature closer to elegia at hype train cost.
SpeleoFool
675
Feb 15, 2019
ludachrisSo, the Elegias came in today and I had a problem with them: I'm working from home today and was expecting another delivery that required a signature, but these cans are so damn good that I didn't want to take them off. And their isolation is good enough that there's no way I was going to hear the doorbell while listening to them. :-)
I got my package, though, so all is good. Back to listening....
My current desktop playback chain is full of little compromises (SE connection on Aune X1s, fed by analog out from my monitors through a mixer). Despite the non-optimal chain, I'm thrilled with these first few tracks. They're delivering everything I hoped they would: decent isolation? check! compromised sound signature due to closed-back design? nah, not really. That Focal house sound? Oh, hell yes.
Too late to stay away from Utopias--I already own them. I did a quick A-B with my reference chain: Utopias via balanced connection to Astell & Kern AK380 and, yeah, going back to the Elegias I can hear the mud now. Still, it wasn't an entirely fair comparison.
Cable swap, and I'm now listening to the Elegias on the same AK380 playback chain as the Utopias. Clarity is improved, but we're still not up to the "effortless to infinity" presentation of the Utopias. Is it the drivers or the closed back design holding the Elegias back? I'll be honest--I don't care.
For the purpose I bought them, the Elegias knock it out of the park. It takes a direct A-B comparison to notice the differences between the two, and they're both obvious enough to easily declare the Utopias superior and minor enough that I'll never give a second thought to them while I work.
After all this, I've gotta admin, I remain intrigued by the Stellia. Do I need them? No way. There's no missing capability in my current lineup of headphones that needs to be addressed. No real problems that need "fixing." My best justifications for wanting them are to satisfy my own curiosity about whether Focal has managed to combine the best bits of Elegia and Utopia into one package, and because, well, my AK380 is also an awkward shade of "upscale brown," so, fashion statement? Lol.
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