[SlydZ]

The Stealth has a ton of bass.

Stealth = Green
Utopia = Red


You're probably not getting a good seal for some reason.
Mine hits nearly as hard as the TH900.

Comparing the bass of an open back to a closed back isn't a fair comparison. I think the comparision should be Stealth against Stellia:

The Focal Stellia has a lot of bass impact and rumble. The DCA Noire had in comparision almost no bass impact and sounded really flat in the bass department to me. Other headphones like Focal Radiance, Meze Liric lack in comparision to the Focal Stellia with bass impact/rumble, but had much more bass in quantity to the Noire.

Whats your impression of the dca stealth in terms of bass impact? The Aeon2 Noire should have much more bass in quantity from the FR.

Thats only my impression

 

[xirxes]

Wow, you picked it up in person or something? That was quick! Glad you enjoy them!

Just like with Stealth, I convinced your factory to let me pick them up!

 

[PointyFox]

Depends on what you're listening to and how loud

 

[Ciggavelli]

My Stealth slams almost as well as the TH900. Definitely more than the Focal Clear/Utopia/HD800S/Empyrean and all the previous DCA headphones.

I have both as well (th900mk2 and Stealth). I think the th900 has more slam though. Slam and quantity aren’t the same thing in my eyes. The th900mk2s have ample amounts of both, while the Stealths really only have good sub bass quantity. They don’t slam that much compared to dynamic headphones, in my opinion

 

[PointyFox]

Yeah the TH900 does have more slam, but I feel it's pretty close compared to other headphones.

 

[OneEyedHito]

I have both as well (th900mk2 and Stealth). I think the th900 has more slam though. Slam and quantity aren’t the same thing in my eyes. The th900mk2s have ample amounts of both, while the Stealths really only have good sub bass quantity. They don’t slam that much compared to dynamic headphones, in my opinion

I concur on the slam of others compared to but I will use another make/model for my analogy.

I use a pair of Dynaudio LYD7 at my desktop now having moved up from the LYD5 and I would equate the Stealth as the closest sound to the LYD5 in a headphone I have come across (having listened to many at this point). I would say for instance the 1266TC & Utopia are a bit more inline with the LYD7 which I am hopeful that the Expanse are more akin to also due to the 100-250 bump I am very looking forward to hearing (and feeling).

This is my most looked forward to headphone I have come across in a long while due to the enjoyment and appreciation I now have for the Stealth after owning it a few times and how much break-in improved it for my taste. I had only a very few complaints about that HP and this seems to hopefully fix all of them but one (efficiency/impedance).

 

[mrspeakers]

Just like with Stealth, I convinced your factory to let me pick them up!

Ah, hi! Yes, we are fine with local pickup... Have fun!

 

[xirxes]

Other impressions of first few songs:

The vocals are doing their sweet thing that open cans can do if implemented correctly, And I’m loving Nora Jones on the expanse. It sounds like she stepped out of the small well treated jazz lounge and onto a much larger music hall.

The more intimate and retained energy of the stealth now has another direction to head and vocals and strings are the first big winners here. Obvious improvements out of the box.

Ah, hi! Yes, we are fine with local pickup... Have fun!

Can you confirm a slight need for more power to achieve same energy out of these compared to Stealth that I am subjectively finding and that Amir at ASR found in measurement?

 

[Somafunk]

Having these orchestrated reviews is off putting.

That is how a product embargo works, companies release equipment before official product release to ensure there is information readily available to the interested end user from online/print reviewers and sometimes to get feedback before final product release.

I fail to understand why this is a problem, it can give a useful first impression and practically every single online reviewer states that as this is their first initial impression a further detailed review will be forthcoming.

 

[mrspeakers]

Other impressions of first few songs:


Can you confirm a slight need for more power to achieve same energy out of these compared to Stealth that I am subjectively finding and that Amir at ASR found in measurement?

Yes, it's 1-2db less efficient than STEALTH.

 

[duranxv]

Definitely interested in seeing more comparisons with Stealth!

 

[xenoVa]

That is how a product embargo works, companies releases equipment before official release to ensure there is information readily available to the interested end user from online/print reviewers and sometimes to get feedback before final product release.

I fail to understand why this is a problem, it can give a useful first impression and practically every single online reviewer states that as this is their first initial impression a further detailed review will be forthcoming.

The problem is, it is very hard if not impossible for those orchestrated reviews to be unbiased. Especially headphone reviews which involve a lot of subjectivity.
If Dan Clark calls me and asks me to arrange a review of upcoming Aeon 3 for example, I can't be unbiased as I'm inclined to keep a positive attitude.
But if I review it independently on my own, I can be unbiased and share the things I like and dislike. If I think it sounds like crap, I can honestly say it.

 

[xirxes]

The problem is, it is very hard if not impossible for those orchestrated reviews to be unbiased. Especially headphone reviews which involve a lot of subjectivity.
If Dan Clark calls me and asks me to arrange a review of upcoming Aeon 3 for example, I can't be unbiased as I'm inclined to keep a positive attitude.
But if I review it independently on my own, I can be unbiased and share the things I like and dislike. If I think it sounds like crap, I can honestly say it.

Thats why you have people like me!

 

[xirxes]

As a side not on my upcoming comparisons, many of my druthers are going to be centered on the fact that i have been closed back only for over 20 years, and that Expanse are already showing chinks in my PERSONAL ideal cans just based on what they let in/out. This is going to be average workaday stuff to anyone who owns open cans, even though, as i noted before i think these may be one of the better offerings on the market to attenuate bleed in at least.

At medium/high volumes i can hear the cans playing in a closed cup arrangement 9 feet away and through a closed hollow-core door as bleed-out. This is obviously not the case with Stealths. A/B'ing during gaming i can hear the highest octave of a fan in the room and every keystroke's highest registers, but in Stealth i hear none of these.
If i listened to music only in a sound treated/silent room then these would obviously be non issues, but for my use case, these are potentially insurmountable for me.

 

[dfiled]

That is how a product embargo works, companies releases equipment before official release to ensure there is information readily available to the interested end user from online/print reviewers and sometimes to get feedback before final product release.

I fail to understand why this is a problem, it can give a useful first impression and practically every single online reviewer states that as this is their first initial impression a further detailed review will be forthcoming.

I agree, I find these reviews to be very helpful. I also honestly trust Currawong to be fairly objective. Maybe not some others, Joshua Valour in particular.