I promised @Ermos a short review… The Stealth is on duty for a couple of weeks now. No way am I going back to the Focal Utopia - it will serve honorary duty on long trips. First I was a bit hesitant as the Stealth did not transport what I would dub colors of music. It was like looking through glass. The Utopia is good at rendering colors. By that I don’t mean yellow or red. It’s more an analogy or concept to describe an undescribable listening experience.
After reading all the enthusiastic posts here I was underwhelmed by the upgrade from Bartók + Vivaldi Clock to Vivaldi Clock + Upsampler + DAC. Not anymore.
I received the adapters for the Double Helix Prion4 balanced headphone cable so the Focal connector becomes one suited for the Stealth. Now that this is (re-)burning in … I’m really excited. Sonic and musical bliss. Things are still stumbling over each other somewhat, but that goes away with more burn in.
Listening with the Stealth at times borders on spooky. The music is just there - no coming into being.
The music fills the whole skull. Previously I was used to a rather flat plane between the ears. And then the ever evolving structure of the music becomes so readily apparent. The inner meaning remains beyond words but becomes comprehensible. All the musical texture gets palpable and musical timing - which is so important - is excellent and maybe a bit too precise as in strict. But then I came from an endgame Naim system and timing was their forté. The presence of the music is quite in your face without becoming bothersome. This is what I like and strive for - being immersed in the music. If one prefers the observer perspective - maybe this is the wrong headphone.
The closed design is great for bass which for my musical taste is important. Its punch is maybe not as organic as the Utopia but it reaches deeper.
One quibble - wearing the headphones can uncomfortably press on the head after a while. The cans are not too heavy but the padding is thin.
I know the Utopia very well. And in this setup it was the bottleneck (and the digital cables which were Van Damme, are Oyaide now and will be Black Cat Tron soon). All our tastes and dispositions are different as our thread with the images of the dCS gear at home shows so nicely. That said I don’t recommend the Stealth outright. It is definitely worth the effort to arrange a test listen.
Right now I’m using the Abyss 1266 TC for rock and electronic music, and the HiFiMan Susvara for everything else. Both are amazing. I sold my Focal Utopias which I found to be too neutral/dry (like a studio monitor).
I just wish the TCs were more comfortable on my head because they are so fun to listen to.
One commentator on headphones has pointed out that irrespective of sonic merits any headphone that is not comfortable to wear will end up never being listened to. This is sadly correct.
I agree with the caveat that it is not a binary thing - both the cause for discomfort and the perception of it. I passed on the Abyss, because my perceived discomfort was too high. We will see with the Stealth. With it my perceived discomfort is at the low end of the scale and at other times no such feeling arises.
That describes it perfectly. I’m new to the DCA Stealth on the Bartok and I’ve been trying to come up with a description for what I’m hearing: they are effortless – they have an effortless ease to them – the music is just there.
I have not listened to headphones this much in a long while. Every album is engaging; digging deep into the archive.
Previous headphones were the HEDDphone, which are also very, very good, but different and not as comfortable. I also had the RAAL SR1a, which I’ll be selling – fast and detailed, but lacked the bottom depths of bass. The Stealth is similar in detail, but more accommodating and better bass. Less front row, but still the music is right there.
I saw your other comments on Black Cat cables. I’ve been using DNM cables for years. They work great and don’t cost much, but I’ve always been curious to learn about other options.
Back to the point, the Stealth has been a revelation.
I’m happy to hear Andrew @andrewt! We seem to hear the same when it comes to the Stealth’s performance. There are areas of my rig I might upgrade in the next year. The Stealth is such a great piece that I see no reason to look around for quite a while. Maybe in a couple of years when technology reached a definite new level of refinement. A quibble I had earlier - wearing comfort - has subsided. I got used to wearing them and long sessions are all fine now.
The cables the Stealth comes with are very good. They are far better than other stock cables I have encountered. My Stealth is connected with Double Helix Prion4 cables which take the headphone another noticeable step forward. But that’s a lot of money compared to the headphones and I don’t know whether the other cables from Double Helix will be better than what is provided.
The closed design appears to help with bass. And a well rounded lower end it is too. Headphones will probably never deliver the bass punch of proper speakers, but it is good enough in any case. Possibly the front row perception could depend on the source. With the Vivaldi it’s not a front row / observer perspective but I feel being right inside the music. Quite astonishing from a headphone system.
I never had the chance to listen to a DNM amp neither to their cables. Their approach is unique. I know the acrylic housed amp crossed my path many years ago however nothing came of it. With cables IMHO it’s both about what one is looking for in sound signature and what suits the system well. I really enjoy what the Black Cat cables do in my system. More music, more directness, more pleasure.
@anon30536008 appreciate the comments. I use the stock Stealth cable, but the Bartok is also connected to a Luxman integrated amp and Harbeth speakers. It’s there that I use DNM cables. I used to have (still have) a Resolution Audio Cantata system. The owner had a connection to DNM and recommended DNM cables for matching voicing. I kept them with the transition because I’d lost interest in chasing cables. But there’s a part of me that wonders if changing cables could offer an improvement; it’s the one component I have not upgraded or changed in ages.
Things are still stumbling over each other somewhat, but that goes away with more burn in.