Thank you so much.
I am definitely going to try and take the output of the DMS-700.
The specs are considerably better:
Frequency Range: 2 Hz – 100 kHz
Dynamic Range: 124 dB
Signal-to-Noise Ratio:127 dB
Single Ended Audio Output Level: 2.0V RMS (220 Ω output impedance) for Volume at 0.0dB
Single Ended Audio Output Level: 3.0V RMS (220 Ω output impedance) for Volume at +8.0dB
Thank you both.
Any thoughts that if I borrow my friends older Auralic Taurus MkII class A HA it would be a good unit to test with?
It’s very capable. A bit dry for my tastes, but technically very good.
I prefer to run Focal headphones on warmer amps and tubes. I have no experience with the Auralic, but be aware that more warmth may change your view of the Stellia.
Thanks again I just purchased the Stellia’s.
I plan do some testing after they get a little broken in.
Please let me know of any amp recommendations that you might have.
I literally cannot think of any amplifier I’ve not enjoyed the Stellia with, absent situations with silly OI or “real” OTL tube amplifiers (which generally do not play well with low-impedance headphones).
Everything from the USB-C → 3.5mm Apple dongles, various dongle DAC/amps, almost every DAP I’ve ever tried, and certainly with more serious stuff, they’re just completely on-point.
They’re hard to go wrong with.
I agree with @Torq , the Stellia has worked well with almost almost every amp I’ve tried, and since it’s the headphone I take to shows like CanJam, I’ve tried it on a lot of amps.
Having said that, the one time I impulse bought an amp at CanJam was an LTA MZ3, because of the synergy with the Stellia. My taste and preferences so YMMV. The MZ3 is above your budget, but the LTA Velo is pretty close, and is worth auditioning if you are able to go to CanJam or Axpona.
I disagree with @generic’s recommendation to pair it with a warm amp because it doesn’t need warming up IMO. I’m assuming @generic’s comment is based on his experience with the Focal Clear and Utopia OG, which have a different tuning than the Stellia.
I’ll defer to your judgement. I’ve heard many other Focal models too, and they all sounded better to me with warmth. I personally didn’t like the LTA amps when I demoed them – they had a Focal but I don’t recall which one. Also, I’ve never been able to use any closed-back for more than 1-2 hours. Take it for what it’s worth.
