Take the similarly priced Focal Clear, for example. It’s a techy solution for a familiar problem, Uber wants to patent a system that knows when you’re drunk. There’s even an awesome leather wallet for the paperwork, which I’d immediately adapt into a classy passport holder. I like them, for the most part, as they’re thick, durable, color-matched with the headphones, and just stiff enough to resist kinking and tangling. With dimensions of approximately 32 x 20 x 30cm, it looks like a high-quality hi-fi component and can actually be used as a preamplifier, thanks to the analogue outputs. To a great extent, Focal has taken the big demanding beast that was the Utopia and refined it down to a more humane offering. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. Another subtle but significant change from the Utopia: the cable connectors plugging into the Stellia have been simplified to standard 3.5mm plugs. The Hugo 2 was feeding the V281 (RCA) and from there two XLR cables fed the untouched signal to the Aurium. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. The Arche is Focal’s first source and amplifier offering for the world of audiophile headphone listening. UN aid agency for Palestine on the verge of collapse The UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees is on the verge of financial collapse after US President Donald Trump withdrew funding in 2018. Focal Stellia Review, Measurements, Interview - Head-Fi TV NOTE: If you can't see the embedded video above, please CLICK HERE to see the video. The headphones are largely built from metal, and that makes for a very premium look. However, the agency is hopeful that Joe Biden will reverse the decision. We’re living in a time when luxury and tech brands keep flirting with each other’s products, whether it’s $2,000 iPhones or even pricier Tag Heuer watches running Wear OS. To like these headphones, you’ll have to be a fan of the color brown — or “cognac and mocha,” in Focal’s words — because there’s no other option. But unfortunately after 15. As for the Focal Clear (2017), it wasn't able to earn a top spot in any roundups from trusted sources that conduct their own hands-on testing. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. With the Focal Stellia, much as was the case with the Focal Utopia before it, I hear rather than feel it. We take a look at Focal's new flagship closed-back over-ear headphone, the Focal Stellia. I have both and the Utopia is stunning ... but different. The level of clarity and treble becomes too much. Audiophile Headphones In Ear Headphones Range Cookers Stove Ranges Range Cooker The finest headphones you can plug directly into your phone’s dongle. Pieces of a … Given the performance contained within those glamorous cognac walls, I’d say Focal has done an amazing job of reducing the need for additional equipment to get the most out of the Stellia. The best term I can use to describe it is flavorless: like water, these headphones adapt to and represent the character of the thing they’re interacting with more than any peculiarities of their own. The noise isolation of the Stellia is good for headphones in their heavyweight class, but it’s still nowhere close to the passive isolation you get from, say, studio cans like the Sennheiser HD 380 Pro that were designed for the purpose. Headphone enthusiast, Audeze LCD4, Schiit Yggdrasil, Violetric V281 AMP, Intona Galvanic USB separator , Nordost Heimdall2 2m, 0.6m both XLR … Here’s the problem: the absolute best-sounding headphones, to my preference and that of many others, don’t sound perfectly flavorless. They are clear and open, but they do have more than a touch of that “things Nevertheless, it managed to impress reviewers at Head-fi, SoundGuys, The Verge, and Headphone Review enough to make it onto their respective shortlists. The best crossover between the two categories has always been headphones, which give manufacturers a lot of surface area to drape in premium leather and metal ornamentation while also raising the budget for exotic materials or production techniques. HomeFront’s Heartfelt Thanks For Keeping A Sense of Wonder and Hope Alive This Christmas. In the audio world, the notion of resolution means much the same as it does with visuals, referring to how much detail a certain device is able to reproduce. Seems like Focal has done a great product development on the Clear and for the price level its a winner! Focal calls these headphones reference-class, which signals the company’s aim for a purist sound that exaggerates or diminishes as little as possible. The Focal Clear may not be a name you’ve heard of, but if it’s pure quality you’re after, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with.. Switching from the Focal Clear to the LCD2C felt like a drop in a grade or two in the sound quality but I could listen to it for long hours. Impedance remains low, however, and these headphone can make do with less amplification than other headphones in this price range. In spite of my bass-loving ways, I gave the Stellia a fair chance and, over time, I grew to really appreciate and enjoy them. Clear is Focal's next evolutionary step in the realm of high-end, open-back reference listening headphones. It’s one of the best headphones on the market and my current reference. Turning to the main attraction of the Focal Stellia, I have to confess that their sound did not sweep me up on a magic carpet joyride upon my first listen — because it’s not meant to. Without a closed enclosure that creates unwanted reverberations inside the ear cup, an open-back headphone design can be focused on improving the acoustics pointed at the ear instead of fixing the problems created by the shell around it. “All those invested in an equitable and peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should see these projects as a clear declaration of Israel’s intent to further advance annexation, and the international community must intervene to halt such moves,” the report said. Focal lives up to the most exacting of standards with its Stellia: they’re dressed in full-grain leather, they have thick memory foam cushions that clamp your head into a vice of loveliness, and their aluminum yokes, woven cables, and contoured hard case just exude quality. Picking them up when I get settled in for a day’s work, even taking them out on the move when I feel particularly ostentatious, I get a reliably exciting and insightful performance every time. I listened to the Utopias for 2 weeks. Designed to sit in between Focal's Elear and Utopia models, Clear features the same aluminium magnesium alloy dome tweeter as featured in the Elear but supported by an innovative new frameless copper voice coil. Focal Clear Headphones - Review - HiFi and Music Source This is my review of the new Focal Clear open backed on ear headphones, retailing near £1,500 (UK, Jan ’18) these are a must listen if you are near this budget for a pair of high-end headphones. Nevertheless, reviewers from sites, such as Head-fi, SoundGuys, The Verge, and Headphone Review all gave it a spot on their list. Focal calls these headphones reference-class, which signals the company’s aim for a purist sound that exaggerates or diminishes as little as possible. Priced at an unapologetic $3,000 and available to buy right away from Focal and Amazon, the Stellia satisfy the demands of both luxury and tech enthusiasts. 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