Fantastic review, @Resolve! Thank you for the hard work and polish you put into it all.
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Some great impressions shared here, thank you
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Wouldn’t all this be visible in linearity measurements and step response?
Every step in audio is bandwidth limited to ~20kHz, no?
Not necessarily. They can be informative but impulse measurements are still essentially derived from a static measurement. Fluctuations in level and frequency as dynamic and numerous as in musical waveforms will cause much more complex interactions than most test tones can represent.
I do find then useful to a point though and wish more reviewers did them. One thing I miss from the Tyll days is a suite of measurements presented that includes things other than just FR.
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It’s too bad black and red is the theme. Looks a bit too gamery, especially at that price point. Otherwise great to see a closed back that checks so many boxes.
That’s been my take and why I dismissed stealth. And I’m an everyday gamer.
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But it doesn’t have RGB galore and a terrible microphone bundled with awful sound, so it can’t be “gamery.” 
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What a headphone looks like (ergonomics being equal) is literally the last thing that I consider. I don’t see them when they’re on my head. Other people don’t look at me when I’m wearing them (at my desk) either. Sound, comfort, price, warranty, all way more important for me.
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Going to have to respectfully disagree here, though I realize it’s purely a matter of opinion - I’d argue when you’re spending thousands on something it better look the part and not remind you of gamer hundred dollar pairs of headphones, particularly when you’re competing with very sonically capable art pieces like ZMF headphones or the Rad-0s (which are significantly cheaper to boot!). I’d argue a lot of us are somewhat obsessive given our hobby of choice and the chase for the pinnacle of headphone based sound, which is reflected in our DACs and amps, but also in our spaces, as reflected by the numerous “listening spaces”/“current setup” threads on hifi forums. You may not see it when it’s on your head, but you certainly will when it’s not and it’s interacting visually with the other items in the aforementioned space.
All that to say, the Stealth would have to be a top 5 headphone open or closed for me to consider it given it’s gamer aesthetic at it’s 4k price point. As it is, I find it incredibly hard to look past the red stitching and STEALTH with a red letter in it on the head band - incredibly tacky to my tastes. But again, that’s just my subjective opinion on the subject. I’d probably be better off being able to look past the superficial! 
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Yeah, audio involves several parallel cultures and all must find their own path. I’m fully on board with the role of appearance in speakers setups, but not so much for headphones. Headphones are small, have a shape dictated by the head, and suffer from wear and abuse per close contact with skin, hair, and sweat. They are thereby primarily functional to me. I’d spend $4K on speakers without concern, but $4K on headphones…???
My reaction to ZMF and Rosson is different from yours, as I’m imagining the ease of production processes. It’s extremely easy to produce circles with machines, as the most fundamental machine is a turning lathe.
Easy-to-make circular headphone designs are used by Grado, Audeze, ZMF, Rosson, HiFiMan, Beyer and many more. Using an oval cup alone suggests that additional and more complex engineering was involved.
With ZMF in particular, I imagine an effort to replicate products that could be produced with 19th Century lathe technology.
Rosson…adding circular rings made from colored resin to a standard product…brings to mind mass produced art a la Andy Warhol. Pouring colored resin into a circular mold and polishing it isn’t hard at all.
I’d give the Stealth equal consideration versus other headphones in the price category. Headphones live or die based on performance, comfort, and durability. I’d never even consider HiFiMan per their shaky quality and durability.
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Very interesting take. I feel completely the opposite. As red/black are my favorite colors, Stealth aesthetics were spot on and I was so close to purchasing just because of the looks. I don’t think it looks gamery at all. The matte black was an excellent finish choice and the slight bit of red was a nice pleasing touch. Wished the stitching or red was more prominent on the outside, maybe would’ve made my decision easier too. Wood finishes are atrocious and gaudy. Reminds me of the terrible wood in my dad’s old Benz and that looks tacky and just old to me. Not classy or modern in any way. In the end, I decided on the terrible tortoise shelled acetate of LCD 5 because I always wanted to try an Audeze headphone but was turned off by the weight. I knew Audeze wouldn’t steer me wrong with a long awaited flagship having loved my i4. I was curious to punch further beyond it to explore the possibilities of the full open back experience and not be limited by the closed back shortcomings. I am giving the acetate a pass because I hope it will be the better at around the same price.
Stealth is easily my first choice in the closed back area if I ever need closed. But, this will be probably a long time as I can’t afford both.
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We can never be friends.
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You mean fake wood finishes?
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Posted some brief impressions of my time at canjam at the canjam socal thread. Here’s what I thought of the Stealth…
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Finally, someone said it. It’s nice when wood looks modern and contemporary, but what most headphone companies do is not that. ZMF headphones look like they were designed in the 70’s. Then every review of something with wood accenting it’s commented to be glued on.
Heyhey hey I’ve been beckoned!
Totally not a zmf thread but I do want to clear some stuff up:
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Our headphones are made of solid wood, there is no “wood finish,” its just how the wood we use looks. If you don’t like wood, then no worries! There are plenty of awesome companies making plastic headphones and headphones from other materials that are all awesome!
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We don’t use a lathe for anything. All our designs are actually completely asymmetrically designed (within each individual cup) and could never be cut on a lathe. We own two 5 axis CNC machines which I will introduce to you in upcoming videos. Our intent is to make headphones that look like they were designed with age old aesthetics but with modern technical designs.
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I totally understand if you don’t like how our headphones look, but I promise they are not easy to make, and many times I wish we had done injection moulded or non wood designs that would be easier to assemble and easier to train our technicians to make. But then I realize how much I love wood and the challenges it brings and I get back to work.
Thank you for the mentions, flattered as always and carry on! Always happy to answer any questions in any of the zmf threads if you guys are interested or confused about how we make our stuff.
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Someone grab me a Pokeball. A wild Zach appeared.
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This Guy is so ……hmmm interesting:
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Received my Stealth last week from headphones.com. I had some trouble with the initial pair I received (the paint on the aluminum had a chip on it), but both headphones.com and DCA were incredibly responsive in addressing the issue and shipping out a replacement pair. Thank you!
I’ve very impressed with these headphones so far. They’re well built and feel like a premium product. The imaging and separation is outstanding. The treble is slightly relaxed for my preference and it takes a few minutes to adjust to for me, but once I’m adjusted, it’s wonderfully pleasant to listen to. A few people have mentioned the lack of impact/slam, but I think it’s fine. It’s not really a quality I index too much for, and given the right songs, the Stealth shows that it has the ability to slam…for my tastes anyway. For a closed-back headphone, this is a great achievement and I would struggle to pick another closed back that I like over this (ignoring cost, anyway). I’ve tried both the Stellia and the LCD-XC 2021, and I would pick the Stealth over them.
One thing I was curious to learn a bit more about is a small round opening on the outside of each ear cup. I haven’t heard anyone mention them yet, so I was wondering if someone in the community is knowledgeable about their purpose.
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Congrats for your purchase.
I’ve had the opportunity to hear the Stealth this week and I found them extremely impressive.
Great build, wonderful FR for my tastes.
Headphones.com and DCA are great problem solvers and I’m happy for your positive experience.
The holes you show in the picture are venting holes: on the Aeon 2 Closed and Noire they were on the back bottom of the headphones.
Given the meta material used on the Stealth and their function of distributing air flux DCA decided to place the in the upper part.
They are one of the elements that helps avoiding sound/air pressure excess and contribute to prolonged comfort.
Enjoy your great headphones.
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