Focal Stellia Top Review Headphone In 2023: The Most Beautiful Earphone We’ve Ever Evaluated.

The Focal Stellias are the latest model from the French audio company Focal, which is recognized for its extremely high-end, luxurious headphones with pricing to match.

You would have to be a dedicated audiophile to consider buying these closed-back, over-ear headphones given their exorbitant pricing.

After having the chance to try the headphones for a few weeks, we were astounded by the caliber of the sound and the design. But do they merit the hefty price being asked? Here is what we believed:

Design

The Focal Stellias are undoubtedly eye-catching, with an opulent “cognac and mocha” color scheme and brushed metal embellishments.

The headband and cups are made of full-grain leather, and the memory foam cushions in the cups are made to conform to the shape of your ears. This sumptuous appearance is matched by the high quality of the construction. (Because leather is used, these cans might not be popular with vegans or those who dislike using animal products.)

The Focal Stellias are meant to be looked at, thus their design is unlikely to appeal to those who prefer an audio device to have a more understated appearance. Moreover, their huge size may make them a little too cumbersome for use on a crowded commuter train.

Apart from that, we discovered that they were really comfortable to wear, even when listening for extended periods of time.

The metal yoke is also intended to conform to the contour of your head, claims Focal. It’s difficult to say whether the yoke truly changes much after extended usage, but it felt quite comfortable anyway, in part because of the plush and breathable cushioning.

Even the wires appear opulent since they are braided in the same color scheme as the headphones and are of high quality.

In fact, the Stellias are opulent in every way, even down to the leather-effect box they arrive in. There are user instructions and a leather-look wallet inside the durable woven carrying case that might pass for a premium purse.

Features

These headphones are jam-packed with high-end audio technology, including copper voice coils in pure 40mm Beryllium dome-style drivers.

They feature a wide frequency response of 5Hz-40kHz, an impedance of 35 Ohms, and a sensitivity of 106dB (typical headphones have a frequency response of 20Hz-20kHz).

A white paper published by Focal(opens in new tab) describing the creation of the headphones claims that the headphones maintain exceptional clarity even while listening at low volume levels.

There are several ways to connect the Focal Stellias; included in the package are an XLR lead, a TRS jack lead, and a jack to mini-jack converter. All of the cables have a lovely woven pattern that gives them a solid, well-made feel.

Performance

What does all that audio equipment sound like in practice? In conclusion, listening with the Focal Stellias is an utter delight.

Unlike some over-ear headphones, which can produce a sound that is fairly walled off and “inside your brain,” these headphones feature an incredibly wide soundstage that gives you the impression that you are in the same room as the performers you are listening to.

We listened to a wide variety of musical genres when evaluating the Stellias to see how they handled various timbres and frequencies, and we were impressed by everything we played.

Riders On The Storm by The Doors served as our introduction. The electric guitar was gutsy and detailed, while the cascading organ melodies were lovely and thunderous.

Yet, the Stellias’ imitation of the singing was where they really excelled. Jim Morrison’s voice really mesmerized us; it was clear and resonant, and it boldly occupied the front of the mix. The accuracy and delicacy applied to percussion were comparable.

We performed Edward Elgar’s The Snow, Op.26, No.1, and the choral singers sounded fantastic. The various harmonies sounded well-blended without seeming indistinct.

We listened to musicians like Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Janelle Monáe, and Billie Eilish because we wanted to try something a bit more bass-heavy and were equally impressed.

The bottom frequencies of Monáe’s Django Jane were warm and powerful, and her menacing singing sounded distinct and defined.

The violin and violas had a wonderful analogue sound before fading into sweeping synthesizers and digital disruption, while the snare drum beats were amusingly grainy.

We also listened to Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major since we were intrigued by the flavor of strings in that track.

Final judgment

The Focal Stellias provide outstanding audio quality. Each kind of music sounds fantastic because to their expansive soundstage and meticulous, precise sound engineering.

The Stellias’ perfect separation of the frequencies makes it likely that you will hear details you have never noticed before even listening to music you believe you know inside and out.

The flamboyant, sumptuous style of the Focal Stellias is definitely not to your taste if you want to keep things simple when it comes to headphones, and they can feel a little bulky to wear on the commute to work.

Nevertheless, if you like elegance, you might appreciate the full-grain leather cups, braided cables, brushed copper accents, and matching carrying bag.