[Kmikko91]

Don't think that the cause is a loose pad, I reattached the pad twice and the rattling remains. Actually I just noticed that If i gently shake the headphone I can hear quiet noise coming (like a loose part of some small object in) from the right cup. Seems like it is time for RMA...

 

[noplsestar]

Can anyone else hear audible rattle from their Stellia when listening to the track "2049" from Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack? The low frequencies at the very start of the song (and some other LF parts throughout the song aswell) produce rattle on the right cup of my Stellia. Wondering if I received a faulty unit or if the song just have too much LF for the stellia... EQ'd HD800S plays the track flawlessly.

Also no rattling at all here. And I listened very loud! You definitely should send it back to your dealer for repair.

 

[Jukka]

Don't think that the cause is a loose pad, I reattached the pad twice and the rattling remains. Actually I just noticed that If i gently shake the headphone I can hear quiet noise coming (like a loose part of some small object in) from the right cup. Seems like it is time for RMA...

Have you checked that there isn't anything stuck on top of the driver? I once had rattling noise on my T5P's and it was a hair that was stuck agaist the driver and that created resonance. Have you removen the earpad and checked if there's anything inside the grille that protects the driver?

 

[Jukka]

And just checked myself, no rattle, just intense low end that is really satisfying. Thanks for tip for the soundtrack, didn't remember how good it is.

 

[Kmikko91]

Have you checked that there isn't anything stuck on top of the driver? I once had rattling noise on my T5P's and it was a hair that was stuck agaist the driver and that created resonance. Have you removen the earpad and checked if there's anything inside the grille that protects the driver?

I did remove the ear pad and tried to eye out for any kind of anomalies, but everything looks OK to me. Of-course there could be something deeper in the unit but I'm not brave enough to remove the mesh covering the driver let alone fiddle with the driver itself.

Glad you like the soundtrack, it is incredible!

 

[noplsestar]

I did remove the ear pad and tried to eye out for any kind of anomalies, but everything looks OK to me. Of-course there could be something deeper in the unit but I'm not brave enough to remove the mesh covering the driver let alone fiddle with the driver itself.

Glad you like the soundtrack, it is incredible!

you should not remove anything else or you will probably lose your warranty. Send it to your dealer, that’s the best you can do right now.

 

[noplsestar]

Focal Stellia is Stereophile’s „Headphone product of the year of 2020“
https://www.stereophile.com/content/stereophiles-products-2020-headphone-product-year

Enjoy

 

[judomaniak57]

Focal Stellia is Stereophile’s „Headphone product of the year of 2020“
https://www.stereophile.com/content/stereophiles-products-2020-headphone-product-year

Enjoy

and it beat out some heavy hitters,zmf verite closed, abyyss phi tc

 

[Jukka]

That's pretty amazing from a closed back headphone. I love mine and glad that I chose these.

 

[Jeweltopia]

Hey everyone! I just wanted to pose a question and wonder if anyone has had similar experiences to mine.
I somehow find that the Stellia sounds better, for me, off of cheaper and entry level gear. It sounds good off of a humble Schiit Modi 3 / Magni 3 or Heresy stack, or even out of some dongles that I have. I was listening to the Stellia on my very, very humble TempoTec Sonata dongle all day today and completely fell back in love with the Stellias. It even sounds good on a Rupert Neve, albeit, it can add a touch of brightness but still sounds very musical.
I've tried running it on more dynamic setups. Headamp GS-X Mini, the amp/dac combo of RME ADI-2 FS, Schiit Modius / Magnius, etc.
I'm supposed to be getting a Schiit Bifrost 2 / Asgard 3 in the mail either later today or tomorrow, so I'll compare.
I've sold off some other amps such as THX ones.
I find that the Stellia was designed to be very portable and easily driven, and, I have enjoyed it very much off of amps/dacs that weren't too dynamic. I'm in several audiophile groups and I casually mentioned that I actually love my Stellia on cheaper gear vs some of my more expensive $1,000+ stuff, and people told me that I was making them cringe by pairing these with such cheap setups.
I own the Meze Empyrean, Focal Stellia, Focal Clear, Sennheiser HD800S, and Sennheiser HD650. These are, hands down, my favorite headphones that I have ever owned. I prefer them to the Empyrean. However, I can easily pair the Empyrean with a lot of my much more dynamic and "high end audiophile" amps/dacs, while the Stellia is a bit tricky for me because if the synergy is off, I will start to hear some shrillness and glaring splashiness on certain setups. Someone in one of my audiophile groups suggested that I enjoy it on "slower" and "more lazy" gear such as lower end Schiits and dongles because they can already be a bit aggressive. I do enjoy my Stellia on my Rupert Neve RNHP but it definitely sounds fuller and more rich on a nice Schiit Modi 3 / Heresy stack. I was even surprised at how full and lush it sounded on the TempoTech Sonata dongle. My spouse was taking over my main desk setup, where I have all of my amps/dacs hooked up, so I took the time to test out my brand new TempoTec Sonata dongle with my phone while running Tidal and found myself being unable to tear myself away from my Stellias.
I'm hoping the Schiit Asgard 3 / Bifrost 2 combo will be a good combination with these as well. I have amps and dacs that are technically "better" and cost a ton more, and they work wonders on a lot of my current headphones, but for some reason the Stellia is just one that I quite enjoy with cheaper gear.
The Stellias are also my longest owned hi-fi pair of headphones. I've been collecting mid-fi headphones (such as old school 600 and 500 model Sennheisers) since high school, which was over ten years ago. The Stellia was my first real hi-fi upgrade and I started out on a humble amp/dac setup. I've upgraded my setup since, and am still nowhere near finished. I don't have nearly as many amps / dacs that I would like. I've found lots of my other cans benefiting from setups that were more resolving and fast while the Stellia honestly was one of those that was tricky for me. I often found myself going back to the cheap stuff to enjoy it with.

What are some pairings that you guys found that did not exaggerate harshness / brightness and kept it sounding it's nice and warm lush self?

 

[Roasty]

@Jeweltopia

Stellia + tube amp = sweetness for days.

 

[rangerid]

Focal Stellia is Stereophile’s „Headphone product of the year of 2020“
https://www.stereophile.com/content/stereophiles-products-2020-headphone-product-year

Enjoy

That's pretty amazing from a closed back headphone. I love mine and glad that I chose these.

That's awesome, I absolutely love my Stellia. I purchased these blind after almost 7 years away from Headfi. Sound aside, I honestly think these are the best looking headphones in the audiophile world and was a major reason in deciding. I researched a bunch of other headphones and really couldn't bring myself to buying any of those because they just look so... weird. No doubt everything sounds on par more or less but damn, some these other companies need to take note from Focal and make headphones that don't look like something out of a 80s dollar store.

 

[Barndoor]

What are some pairings that you guys found that did not exaggerate harshness / brightness and kept it sounding it's nice and warm lush self?

I'm streaming Tidal hifi from my laptop to my $60 E1DA PowerDac v2 and the Stellia sound amazing.

 

[noplsestar]

Hey everyone! I just wanted to pose a question and wonder if anyone has had similar experiences to mine.
I somehow find that the Stellia sounds better, for me, off of cheaper and entry level gear. It sounds good off of a humble Schiit Modi 3 / Magni 3 or Heresy stack, or even out of some dongles that I have. I was listening to the Stellia on my very, very humble TempoTec Sonata dongle all day today and completely fell back in love with the Stellias. It even sounds good on a Rupert Neve, albeit, it can add a touch of brightness but still sounds very musical.
I've tried running it on more dynamic setups. Headamp GS-X Mini, the amp/dac combo of RME ADI-2 FS, Schiit Modius / Magnius, etc.
I'm supposed to be getting a Schiit Bifrost 2 / Asgard 3 in the mail either later today or tomorrow, so I'll compare.
I've sold off some other amps such as THX ones.
I find that the Stellia was designed to be very portable and easily driven, and, I have enjoyed it very much off of amps/dacs that weren't too dynamic. I'm in several audiophile groups and I casually mentioned that I actually love my Stellia on cheaper gear vs some of my more expensive $1,000+ stuff, and people told me that I was making them cringe by pairing these with such cheap setups.
I own the Meze Empyrean, Focal Stellia, Focal Clear, Sennheiser HD800S, and Sennheiser HD650. These are, hands down, my favorite headphones that I have ever owned. I prefer them to the Empyrean. However, I can easily pair the Empyrean with a lot of my much more dynamic and "high end audiophile" amps/dacs, while the Stellia is a bit tricky for me because if the synergy is off, I will start to hear some shrillness and glaring splashiness on certain setups. Someone in one of my audiophile groups suggested that I enjoy it on "slower" and "more lazy" gear such as lower end Schiits and dongles because they can already be a bit aggressive. I do enjoy my Stellia on my Rupert Neve RNHP but it definitely sounds fuller and more rich on a nice Schiit Modi 3 / Heresy stack. I was even surprised at how full and lush it sounded on the TempoTech Sonata dongle. My spouse was taking over my main desk setup, where I have all of my amps/dacs hooked up, so I took the time to test out my brand new TempoTec Sonata dongle with my phone while running Tidal and found myself being unable to tear myself away from my Stellias.
I'm hoping the Schiit Asgard 3 / Bifrost 2 combo will be a good combination with these as well. I have amps and dacs that are technically "better" and cost a ton more, and they work wonders on a lot of my current headphones, but for some reason the Stellia is just one that I quite enjoy with cheaper gear.
The Stellias are also my longest owned hi-fi pair of headphones. I've been collecting mid-fi headphones (such as old school 600 and 500 model Sennheisers) since high school, which was over ten years ago. The Stellia was my first real hi-fi upgrade and I started out on a humble amp/dac setup. I've upgraded my setup since, and am still nowhere near finished. I don't have nearly as many amps / dacs that I would like. I've found lots of my other cans benefiting from setups that were more resolving and fast while the Stellia honestly was one of those that was tricky for me. I often found myself going back to the cheap stuff to enjoy it with.

What are some pairings that you guys found that did not exaggerate harshness / brightness and kept it sounding it's nice and warm lush self?

Sounds interesting. May I ask which cable you use? Because I found that with the stock cable the Stellia could sound ever so slightly harsh in the upper mids. I think it’s what you Talk about when pairing it with high end gear. I suggest getting a occ silver upgrade cable. Makes the Stellia so nicely smoother as well as extends the highs/lows and brings out the other technicalities (imaging, layering etc.) that are somewhat hidden with the stock cable IMO. Take a look here if you want. They are not as pricey as other cable manufacturers but deliver (as many Stellia owner also can tell)
http://arcticcables.com/Catalog.asp?T1=1&T2=8

Edit: I‘d go straight to the Signum+ Series. Unless you have too much money lying around in your house. In this case take the Palladium and don’t look back

 

[Barndoor]

I don't have funds for a premium cable at the moment, but even found a relatively cheap cable provided an improvement over the stock cable:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001332193976.html