Thank you buddy!!
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the Reddit inquisitioners
While I appreciate Reddit (and Discord) for different reasons those two places are, to an extent, subject to a bit of group-think and hidebound by a certain orthodoxy of viewpoints. I appreciate this forum (and Head Fi for that matter) because there seems to be a wider range of acceptable opinion and people are freer to like what they like without having to justify it to, as you say, an inquisition.
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I will not use the term “End Game”, I will use “I am done spending money for now”,
Portable: Hiby R6 Pro, Tin T2, Tin T3, BGVP DM6
Desktop: RME ADI 2 DAC, Cayin HA-300
Headphones: HD800s, ZMF Aeolus, Hifiman XX, 58X Jubilees, K7XX
2 Channel: Matrix Audio Element X, Crown XLS 2502, Magnepan 3.7
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I think that’s the truth. End game doesn’t exist. It’d be like saying I’ve had the best pizza and I will only eat that pizza for the rest of my life. But we all like variety.
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Or as my friend in sales says:
“It’s a good thing that there are so many kinds of single malt. Otherwise, someone could try them all and say, ‘Well that’s whisky done. Now to find the perfect root beer’”
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Mmmm… Rootbeer…aaagggghhhhh🤤
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There goes that indeed, I appreciate your opinion more than you think because it is in fact the first time I hear someone voice it loud and clear without getting into overly esoteric specs to justify what needs no justification. I don’t attend collectors meets as often as I once did so I don’t come across many people who own both the Utopia and the Elear let alone the whole Focal high-end line! Personally I have yet to get the Elegia (done deal though), the Stellia and the Elex. The one I’m most curious about is the Stellia, will it be worth the premium over the Elegia? It’ll be for me to find out, which is one of my preferred aspects of building a collection.
Most people regardless of income tend to rid themselves of a previous product once they find one that they know they will always favour “what would be the point of keeping the lesser item, take the one you prefer and enjoy it”. From an audiophile point of view, the perfect answer. For a collector however…
The Utopia was the first Focal headphone I acquired and back then I honestly thought no other from that make that would eventually follow in its stately track would ever sound best lest it cost more but I do honestly prefer the Elear, though there is a caveat: in order to sound the way I like it the Elear has to be EQ’d either with True-Fi, Reference 4, or, for masterful individual customization, by some other DAW operated by more technically gifted individuals than I. On its own the Elear is too dark… and that from a dude who likes it dark-ish. While the Utopia, I fairly like it “as is”. I’ve heard some odd tales about the Utopia supposedly gaining on some (again, supposedly) slightly weakish low-end response by slapping Elear pads on it, which I thought was odd since the opposite is said to be to be the cool move. Tried both ways out of pure curiosity bu to no perceptible effect one way or the other.
If EQ is taken out of the equation then there are several of my preferences among my phones that would be shifted around. The same will likely happen once I upgrade my oldish Naim DAC. Aiming for the Moon… 680i so that may still be a long ways in the future. First I must make sure brand lure effect is no the main motivation, then win the lottery. Arche seems nice on paper but I had mishaps in the past with admittedly lesser Micromega products so I’m more hesitant.
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I personally do think an “end game” setup exist, but is very hard to actually find, and that is why it seems as if it is just a myth. When I first got into this hobby, coming from car audio, I had certain expectations of what I wanted from a headphone setup, and sadly most of my first headphone gear did not even come close to meeting those expectations. Then I found ZMF, got a better DAC and amp, and where I am at I am finally hearing a sound that has exceeded my expectations and I am super happy with . Honestly, I could stay with what I have and be done, but it is not quite “end game”, and has shown me what “end game” sound I am looking for. I know without a doubt, that with the improvements I will hear with my next setup, it will be my “end game”. This setup is Schiit Yggy > ZMF Pendant > ZMF Aeolus/ZMF Ori.
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Some observations on experiences of mine that suggest “end-game” may not be reachable.
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If I listen to music for a long period (say an entire workday), often I find that what sounded great to me at the beginning of the day sounds less so at the end. Is it boredom, fatigue, change in mood/tiredness? Who knows, but if a single thing doesn’t even manage to hold up well through a single day, can it be called end-game?
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When I started getting into headphones, I often listened to albums in their entirety and found that certain headphones paired well with certain recordings, so I could for example enjoy Tool’s Lateralus on a DT 1990 one evening and enjoy a recording of Bach Motets on an LCD2C the next. These days, I rarely get to spend an evening hour on focused listening, so my listening is dominated more by keeping my collection on shuffle while I work during the day. It turns out that this is a brutal test for headphones, as both the DT 1990 and LCD2C would sometimes sound flat out wrong/unpleasant depending on what song came up. I’ve got my Verum One tweaked to the point where it does quite well on shuffle, as do my JBL LSR305 studio monitors, but neither of them gives me those wow moments that I sometimes got with the more colored DT 1990 and LCD2C. So, what’s endgame? One headphone that does okay with everything, or a collection of headphones that have their individual weaknesses but collectively do phenomenally with most things?
EDIT - I forgot to mention my KZ ZS10 Pro. EQ’d and with crossfeed, it actually does well on a shuffle and can also deliver a “wow” experience when I do more focused listening. Unfortunately, being an IEM I don’t really get all-day wearing comfort from it.
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For me, it is TOTL tube amp, a TOTL dac, and a couple pairs of TOTL headphones. The tube amp allows for tube rolling and tweaking the sound, to keep things fresh, and the multiple pairs of headphones, have different sound sigs, to keep things fresh as well.
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Stellia is worth it over the Elegia. Elegia is a great headphone for the price. They are really different headphones and comparing them isn’t fair. Made by same manufacturer, closed back, and somewhat neutral, but similarities almost end there.
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I don’t consider myself a collector, at least not in any audio-related domain.
And I don’t keep things around that aren’t getting used, though usually I tend to find I sell things off a bunch at a time, rather than here and there/as it comes up. Which is part procrastination and part trying to be time-efficient.
Having all of the Focal headphones at the same time was something I did more to have them on hand, for reference when it came to doing reviews/comparisons, than because I was actually listening to all of them.
I don’t think the Elegia got used for my own listening for more than twenty minutes after the Stellia showed up. And today I just have the Stellia and the Utopia.
Of course, right now I’m putting together a complete collection of ZMF headphones … so … make what you will of that …
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I take that as I’m in the right as having ZMF as my endgame headphones 
them and a couple of Focals and the lovely SR1a!
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The Stellia and the Elegia are two very different sounding headphones so it completely depends on how you define worth for yourself. The Stellia for myself are one the top closed-backs in my personal opinion (I do need to spend some real time with the VC at some point) and do everything that I personally enjoy very well. They are extremely comfortable, their detail is close to being on par with the Utopia, and they have more emphasis on the low-end than the Elegia.
However, I owned a pair of Elegias myself for the better part of a year before I sold them and I think they are still one of the better closed-back options available in the under $2k range. The Elegia’s tonality is a lot closer to the Clears, leaning neutral bright with virtually no slam in the low-end but it still has a decent amount of punchiness.
For me, I think the Elegia and Stellia are both worth their asking price as they both perform very well in their price bracket and suit my preferences excellently. But worth is a term that’s hard to define since it’s really up to you at the end of the day.
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Just a brilliant post, @pwjazz. I can’t think of all day listening except when I attended music festivals years ago, or a rare day off alone in the right mood, and then it would be speakers. Some days real listening with my main speakers, or occasionally with Sonos playing throughout the house along with the mains via a Sonos Connect in the system.
Live always could supply the wow moment, although there was some change in sound as bands changed, even though the main festival amplification stayed the same.
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Thanks for your opinion, since I’m getting the Elegia very soon but waiting 'til next Xmas to procure the Stellia I welcome all input.In my collector’s eye it’s the Stellia’s decidedly distinctive looks that get most of my attention for the moment, SQ signature is of course a factor, but I am very curious to know what Focal can come up with using a closed back design sporting a rather hefty budget, while Elegia is the company least expensive offering at launch ever in the firm’s history of audiophile grade cans,and they appear to have some form of mobility built into them.
Apart from being good looking I admit I don’t have a clue regarding what to expect with the Elegia but you never know, I’ve been taken by surprise more than once before. The most recent occurrence of such a pleasantly unexpected encounter was with Hifiman’s Sundara, which came packed with almost everything you won’t expect from the most modest addition to your collection, price-wise. It’s just a general observation, obviously the Elegia and the Sundara have very little in common. That nitpicking-unfriendly Sundara ended up becoming one of my daily drivers and as such couldn’t remain in collection-grade condition forever so when I chanced upon a seriously discounted Sundara I snatched it without a second thought. That one is on display in its unpretentious but still nice looking satin-lined small box. “Respectable simplicity” is what I call Hifiman boxes, it’s almosy an art form with them. I expect the Focals of '20 will come in their usual foam-lined jumbo faux leather containers. Everything is so… commanding with Focal. Modesty is not a French word 
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Oh my, I don’t listen to all the headphones I collect because there are a lot of them I simply don’t enjoy at least not for listening. It’s like stamp collectors, you won’t find any that use their precious wares for mailing letters, Headphones from the 1930’s, for example, are utilitarian items that may sound bad but some have a story to tell, at least to me.
But that being said like you I have stuff I have little use for that I do sell in batches. I often buy in lots so I end up with items that I don’t collect, you wouldn’t believe how many wooden radios have passed through my hands. I don’t collect radios and Victrolas so I move them, lots of collectors for those, easy to sell since I don’t high-ball them. Apart from collecting headphones I restore mid-1970’s vintage receivers and those I flip a fair bit, it’s a sellers market these days so I keep busy. I focus exclusively on two brands, familiarity expedites delivery so to speak, It’s a passion more than a hobby really.
I don’t expect much SQ-wise from the Elegia either, I think it’s something Focal is doing in reaction to demand for mobile-friendly gear, not really their cup of tea but one has to bow to market I suppose, even though I sense a lack on enthusiasm on the part of Focal. Stellia OTH I have no trouble believing is more in line with what a manufacturer of that stature would be inclined to get into and the result is what I’m really more interested in: their first foray into high-end closed backs.
A complete collection of ZMF headphones uh? Be careful my friend, you’re threading a very fine line now
Extremely attractive product those are, the closed backs are visually among the most beautiful cans I have ever seen. I have the open back Verite in my sights though, haven’t set a goal for 2021 yet so who knows I might venture into the woods for a long walk. 
I have my end game Dac/Pre, Sonnet Digital Audio Morpheus.
I am leaning towards LX MIni’s for my end game speakers.
HE6SE and Verites are doing quite well for headphones. I don’t see me replacing these at all bu the dac is so good, who knows?
One of my very few gripes with the HE6SE is that for it to sign loud enough when low-end energy bursts require a healthy punch be delivered it drives my DAC-V1’s HP amp to a point where I can almost smell pancakes in the make. I have to resort to forward the output to a vintage receiver that can swing the volts.
Not that big of a deal deal but it’s inconvenient enough to limit my use of those cans. Iirc Dr Bian has admitted it is a design flaw, or at least an engineering approach he is not happy with. If such is the case then a fix must be on the way, in good Hifiman tradition. I recently read a reviewer state that the Susvara is a “fix” but at 5 times the price that would be ridiculous, someone on a $1.8k budget is not going to spend $8k to fix such an issue, at that rate they could simply get a seriously powerful HP amp instead. However research data gathered during the development of the Susvara could find its way to a bettered HE6 se, that could perhaps be “Dropped”, called HE6 seX and sell for less despite being augmented.
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I do use a speaker amp. I have used an Adcom GFA 535 and GFA 5500. Lots of grunt for the cans.
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