Focal Stellia Closed Back Headphones

Stellia integrates a new generation of exclusive electrodynamic speaker drivers, capable of working at low acoustic load while offering an extremely extensive frequency response (5Hz – 40kHz).

Focal Stellia Headphones

COMFORT AND ELEGANCE

Stellia uses the headband and yoke mechanical features originally developed for the Utopia headphones. The consistent curve between these two elements offers flawless comfort, regardless of the shape and size of the listener’s face and head.

Stellia boasts two more impressive key features: its soundproofing capacity, which has been further enhanced by its closed design; and its comfort, guaranteed by the high-resilience memory foam used in the earpads. Each component has been developed with optimal acoustics in mind, without compromising on style. The two cognac and mocha finishes truly showcase each element and are testament to the meticulous attention paid to each and every detail.

BEAUTIFUL, INSIDE AND OUT

For high-end headphones, a high-end pack. Stellia is presented in a faux-leather case, in the same cognac and mocha colour scheme. A storage case houses two high-quality cables with the same materials and finishes. The first cable measures 101/8 feet (3 metres) and is ideal for use at home on a high-end amplifier. The second is designed to be portable: measuring 33/8 feet (1.2m) with a 1/8″ (3.5mm) stereo jack, it is the perfect solution for connecting Stellia to a portable audiophile player.

The rigid travel case, in cognac and mocha woven finishes, provides effective yet stylish protection for Stellia when you are on the move.

THE EARPADS, OR THE ACOUSTIC TREATMENT OF THE ROOM

The ideal acoustics for a listening space, beyond its dimensions, lies in its reverberation time controlled by the quantity of its absorbent materials (acoustic foam, etc.). The Stellia earpads are a perfect illustration of this: 50% of their height is designed to diffuse sound through a non-perforated full-grain leather; 50% absorbs the audio signal through an acoustic cloth which covers the memory foam. This solution also provides a linear frequency range, between 1 and 10kHz.

The full-range speaker driver is a concentration of innovations that lies behind this incredible listening experience, never before seen in closed-back headphones. Its frameless voice coil, combined with the properties of Beryllium, provides a moving part that is unparalleled in its lightness. This results in the reproduction of the tiniest details, in the unconditional respect of the dynamics whilst delivering uncompromising tonal balance.

OVERVIEW

• Reference closed-back headphones for home and on-the-go use
• Exclusive full-range speaker drivers with an ‘M’ shape pure Beryllium dome (patent pending)
• Uncompromising tonal balance, reproduction of the tiniest sound details at both very high and very low frequencies
• Incredible dynamics within a pair of closed-back headphones
• Excellent performance when connected to a portable audiophile player
• Very good ambient noise soundproofing
• Comfortable and ergonomic
• High-quality materials used

A LISTENING EXPERIENCE WORTHY OF THE BEST LOUDSPEAKERS

Focal Stellia integrates a new generation of exclusive speaker drivers, capable of working at low sound levels while offering an extremely extensive frequency response (5Hz- 40kHz). Thanks to the numerous signature Focal technologies incorporated within these speaker drivers (frameless 100% copper voice coil, ‘M’-shaped pure Beryllium dome, etc.), Stellia delivers extreme sound precision, in both bass articulation and treble details. The voice realism is quite simply astonishing.

EXCEPTIONAL SPEAKER DRIVERS

The Stellia concept is simple: the adaptation of the Utopia headphones to create a closed-back version. Unfortunately, acoustic laws dictate that a transducer’s design depends very heavily on the associated load type and inner volume of the headphones. Stellia therefore integrates a new generation of exclusive electrodynamic speaker drivers, capable of working at low acoustic load while offering an extremely extensive frequency response (5Hz – 40kHz). The new 110-micron NBR surround offers low compliance and a geometry that is developed entirely in relation to its inner volume. The elongation of the moving part is thereby preserved and ensures exceptional dynamics for closed-back headphones.

CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY

Simultaneously, the frameless 100% copper voice coil (exclusive to Focal) offers an extremely reduced mass which, combined with its magnetic coupling to the motor, is able to reproduce the tiniest nuances with great precision, whether bass articulation or the highest frequency details.

The crowning glory of these exceptional speaker drivers is the ‘M’-shaped pure Beryllium dome. Focal’s signature innovation, this cutting-edge technology offers three major benefits. Its very low mass (seven times lighter than titanium of identical rigidity) enables an extraordinary acceleration factor to be obtained, ensuring unfailing adherence to the original audio signal. Its rigidity ensures both impressive elongation and a high sound level, while preventing distortion of the dome. Finally, the damping level provided by the Beryllium lends it a flawless neutrality, for voices and trebles of astonishing realism…

THE PUREST SOUND

Loading a speaker driver into an small inner volume makes it highly sensitive to its environment. The Stellia’s full-range speaker driver therefore includes a vent to control the balance between the bass and the midrange. A second vent, located at the back of the ear cup, picks up the rear wave coming from the centre of the motor to avoid any compression and extend the frequency response of the speaker driver. How? By ensuring the connection between the centre of the motor and the outer part of the ear cup located beneath the logo. The speaker driver’s response in the bass-reflex acoustic loudspeaker is thus extended to the lowest frequencies while providing remarkable linearity and bass articulation, all without any dynamic compression.

As for the higher frequencies, these are absorbed through an EVA foam pad inside the ear cup, behind the speaker driver. Finally, the presence of acoustic diffusers inside this ear cup achieves two objectives: they break up standing waves by uniformly diffusing residual energy throughout the space.

The diffusers are also an additional material, making the “cabinetry” even more rigid and, as a result, inert. As such, only the speaker driver generates the sound reproduction, without interfering, adding or removing information from the sound signal.

SPECIFICATIONS

Type

Circum-aural closed-back headphones

Impedance

35 Ohms

Sensitivity

106dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHz

THD

0.1% @ 1kHz / 100 dB SPL

Frequency response

5Hz–40kHz

Loudspeaker

1.6″ (40mm) pure Beryllium “M” shape dome

Weight

0.96lb (435g)

Cables provided

• 1 x 4ft OFC 24 AWG cable with 1/8″ (3.5mm) TRS Jack connector
• 1 x 10ft OFC 24 AWG cable with 4-pin XLR connector
• 1 x Jack adapter, 1/8″ (3.5mm) female – 1/4″ (6.35mm) male

Carrying case provided

9.8″x9.4″x4.7″ (250x240x120mm)

What the press is saying:

“The finest headphones you can plug directly into your phone’s dongle”

“The Focal Stellias combine high-quality craftsmanship with a stunning open soundstage, and they sound mind-blowingly good – but that $3,000 price tag could be a tad excessive.”

That being said, the Stellia does offer some depth to its sound – even if that sound remains fairly inside-your-head. This will never be the perfect headphone for grand, sweeping symphonies or spacious jazz ramblings. But for hip-hop, rock, pop, and electronica, as well as most other genres – the sound is roomy enough to lend a sense of realism and intimacy to anything you throw at it.

“Simply the best closed-back headphones we’ve heard, with an appropriately aspirational price tag”

“The most exquisite headphone we’ve reviewed to date”