elisiX_ Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 Yeah when I was testing the Utopia at A2A they had this Cardas cable which looks like the Elegia cable in that it's a braided black and while design, but it was stunning. So nice. I was thinking about buying one with the custom Lemo connectors for the Utopia but there's no point. Stock Utopia cable is awesome. Stock Elegia and Stellia cables are horrible.
sakabatou Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 Just now, elisix_ said: Yeah when I was testing the Utopia at A2A they had this Cardas cable which looks like the Elegia cable in that it's a braided black and while design, but it was stunning. So nice. I was thinking about buying one with the custom Lemo connectors for the Utopia but there's no point. Stock Utopia cable is awesome. Stock Elegia and Stellia cables are horrible. 2 separate cables cinched together? That's a Cardas Clear
JulesOz Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 39 minutes ago, elisix_ said: Actually I might buy one too. I'm not sure I want to sit the Utopia on a stand all the time and have it collect dust. I don't want to put it back into its box though, so the carry case is ideal. That's what I did. Look on Gumtree, a lot of people went for the Elegia deal (elegia+dragonfly+case) and are selling the cases (and the dragonfly). Same case for Elegia, Utopia and Stellia.
JulesOz Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 26 minutes ago, zxSwifty said: The Utopia stock cable is actually a god send compared to all their other headphones. It reminds me of the T1 gen 1 cable, thick and a little heavy. I'm eyeing that Nordost Heimdall 2 cable, used it in the shop while auditioning the Utopias and it was a nice looking a and feeling cable. Oh I'm not saying it's a "bad" cable. It's just not very flexible and can be annoying to use
Esoterica Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 Got some real high rollers in here 3k for some headphones... no big deal 1
deafenears Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 30 minutes ago, Esoterica said: Got some real high rollers in here 3k for some headphones... no big deal You probably haven't been to the other subforums - speakers or components. 3k is nothing...
Bengineer Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 Yeah, basically. I almost bought that used, slightly frayed, $10,000 speaker cable the other day. Then thought to myself nah, rather buy Utopia, Stellia, TOTL Dac/Amp and then blow $1000 on the claw game at a local arcade trying to get that Toy Story 4 plushie. 1
Swifty Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 3 hours ago, Esoterica said: Got some real high rollers in here 3k for some headphones... no big deal 3k does seem like a lot but then you go to the speakers guys section and they spend that on a turntable easily or a cd player.
Esoterica Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 I think you guys misinterpreted my sentiment, which is always a chance on the Net. If you’ve spent thousands on headphones and enjoy them and think it was worth the cost, more power to you. I’m just jealous I don’t have that sort of disposable cash Btw, I also think some of the asking prices on cables etc are crazy. I can’t even find a decent, reasonably priced replacement for the Elegia cable, other than Hart. They’re all hundreds. Speaking of that, why is it so hard to find 2 into 1 - 3.5mm cables?! I was looking on minidisc and amazon and found nothing.
Swifty Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 11 minutes ago, Esoterica said: I think you guys misinterpreted my sentiment, which is always a chance on the Net. If you’ve spent thousands on headphones and enjoy them and think it was worth the cost, more power to you. I’m just jealous I don’t have that sort of disposable cash Btw, I also think some of the asking prices on cables etc are crazy. I can’t even find a decent, reasonably priced replacement for the Elegia cable, other than Hart. They’re all hundreds. Speaking of that, why is it so hard to find 2 into 1 - 3.5mm cables?! I was looking on minidisc and amazon and found nothing. I totally understood what you meant 3k on headphones is insane. Most people don't even know headphones that much exist. 2
Swifty Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 12 minutes ago, Esoterica said: I think you guys misinterpreted my sentiment, which is always a chance on the Net. If you’ve spent thousands on headphones and enjoy them and think it was worth the cost, more power to you. I’m just jealous I don’t have that sort of disposable cash Btw, I also think some of the asking prices on cables etc are crazy. I can’t even find a decent, reasonably priced replacement for the Elegia cable, other than Hart. They’re all hundreds. Speaking of that, why is it so hard to find 2 into 1 - 3.5mm cables?! I was looking on minidisc and amazon and found nothing. What's a reasonable price for a cable to you? I got some cables from artic cables for my Stellia and they were about 90USD each. To me this is a fair price for a well made and lightweight cable. There should be cheaper options out there than that though if that is too high. I went with artic cables as they were the only ones I could find offering brown cables.
Bengineer Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 46 minutes ago, Esoterica said: I think you guys misinterpreted my sentiment, which is always a chance on the Net. If you’ve spent thousands on headphones and enjoy them and think it was worth the cost, more power to you. I’m just jealous I don’t have that sort of disposable cash Btw, I also think some of the asking prices on cables etc are crazy. I can’t even find a decent, reasonably priced replacement for the Elegia cable, other than Hart. They’re all hundreds. Speaking of that, why is it so hard to find 2 into 1 - 3.5mm cables?! I was looking on minidisc and amazon and found nothing. AliExpress. I'll PM you link when I get to a PC and find it. 2
Swifty Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 48 minutes ago, Bengineer said: AliExpress. I'll PM you link when I get to a PC and find it. Could you PM me too please
Esoterica Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 1 hour ago, zxSwifty said: What's a reasonable price for a cable to you? I got some cables from artic cables for my Stellia and they were about 90USD each. To me this is a fair price for a well made and lightweight cable. There should be cheaper options out there than that though if that is too high. I went with artic cables as they were the only ones I could find offering brown cables. I suppose up to $100. I don’t expect to keep my headphones forever, so wouldn’t want to spend a lot, but while I’m still using them, I need a cable that not stiff as a board lol.
elisiX_ Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 Impressions on Stellia in comparison to Utopia. Immediately you can detect more bass than Utopia Needs a good seal but seems ok with my glasses Seems to have a more cohesive sound than Utopia No single element sticks out like Utopia More musical than Utopia due to this Not quite the same level of detail as Utopia Feels 20%-30% lighter on the head than Utopia Thank god, cause this is an all day headphone To me, feels like sound signature more aligned to Clear More detail and separation than clear Sounds warmer than Utopia on acoustic music Utopia is a scalpel - Stellia is a wooden mallet Can tell that it's closed vs. open with Utopia Less bright than Utopia (treble rolls off more) I am so glad I have chosen this as my daily driver. The Stellia is so universal, covers everything, asks for nothing. So much less temperamental than Utopia with treble. This is impressive and definitely more commercial than Utopia. If any of you are considering Utopia or Stellia, i'd say generally go Stellia. If you are adding something as part of a collection (like I did), Utopia. 1 1
elisiX_ Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 In a general sense, the Stellia is better than the Utopia I would say. If you want soundstage, micro detail, increased clarity, go with Utopia. Utopia seems to be more specific like 'I'm going to listen to x'. Stellia is like 'I can listen to ANYTHING'. 1
Swifty Posted June 25, 2020 Posted June 25, 2020 6 minutes ago, elisix_ said: Put a nsfw warning for pornography because damn that's a sexy photo What camera did you take this with looks professional.
mugwampjism Posted June 26, 2020 Posted June 26, 2020 On 25/06/2020 at 11:20 AM, elisix_ said: As for Elegia, I’ve seen a man A2A demo's get cleaned up quite nicely. They said they used water, rubbed it, dried it and it looks like the above Elegia example. All the massive clumps of ‘lint’ are gone. Yeah in hindsight, a bit of sweat is hardly a berry jù. Warm water would be the smart first step. Luckily, leather and suede conditioner is plentiful in my house, so my headphones get the tlc they deserve there +1 my vote for the lambskin ZMF pilot pad, reckon it would look pretty sick actually
Swifty Posted June 26, 2020 Posted June 26, 2020 (edited) 23 minutes ago, mugwampjism said: Yeah in hindsight, a bit of sweat is hardly a berry jù. Warm water would be the smart first step. Luckily, leather and suede conditioner is plentiful in my house, so my headphones get the tlc they deserve there +1 my vote for the lambskin ZMF pilot pad, reckon it would look pretty sick actually You treat your leather headphones? What brand and products would you recommend. I don't know anything about leather care and want to look after my stellia. So if yourself or anyone else reading this has any suggesting please let me know. Edited June 26, 2020 by zxSwifty
mugwampjism Posted June 26, 2020 Posted June 26, 2020 Ever since my toddlers took a liking to my Chesterfield sofa, leather damage has been a constant issue for me. At the moment, I am using the last of a leather care kit from Rodd & Gunn. I don't really use the 'cleaner'. I usually use a wet towel for stains. I do use the conditioner on almost all my leather, not just from the R&G kit but from previous kits too, never rub it in just dab it on really gently so as to avoid disturbing the colour of the leather. Maybe once or twice a year, or as needed when it gets a bit dry, if it sees a bit of sunlight, gets wet, or if an errant child leaves it outside for days, that kind of thing. After hitting the suede with detergent is an excellent example of when conditioner will help. The soap dried it out, conditioner replenishes that supple feel a bit. I would 100% spot test three times on a pair of Stellia with a cotton bud, tiny little bit on a seam somewhere, at the corner or where I don't have to look at it much. I got my Elegia for $400 so I'm a bit gung-ho with those, so do as I say not as I do, soz. Black leather seems to hold its colour better too, I find browns and blues lose a good deal of the tan when they receive their initial treatment, so only do it if you have to. It's not like a belt or a boot, the leather doesn't need to flex much, so it won't crack until it's obviously dry.
Swifty Posted June 26, 2020 Posted June 26, 2020 (edited) 27 minutes ago, mugwampjism said: Ever since my toddlers took a liking to my Chesterfield sofa, leather damage has been a constant issue for me. At the moment, I am using the last of a leather care kit from Rodd & Gunn. I don't really use the 'cleaner'. I usually use a wet towel for stains. I do use the conditioner on almost all my leather, not just from the R&G kit but from previous kits too, never rub it in just dab it on really gently so as to avoid disturbing the colour of the leather. Maybe once or twice a year, or as needed when it gets a bit dry, if it sees a bit of sunlight, gets wet, or if an errant child leaves it outside for days, that kind of thing. After hitting the suede with detergent is an excellent example of when conditioner will help. The soap dried it out, conditioner replenishes that supple feel a bit. I would 100% spot test three times on a pair of Stellia with a cotton bud, tiny little bit on a seam somewhere, at the corner or where I don't have to look at it much. I got my Elegia for $400 so I'm a bit gung-ho with those, so do as I say not as I do, soz. Black leather seems to hold its colour better too, I find browns and blues lose a good deal of the tan when they receive their initial treatment, so only do it if you have to. It's not like a belt or a boot, the leather doesn't need to flex much, so it won't crack until it's obviously dry. Do you do leather ear pads as well? Take them off the headphone, use a wet towel and the conditioner? I'll look into that kit and if I get some I'll make sure to spot test. Thank you for the detailed response, appreciate it a lot Edited June 26, 2020 by zxSwifty
mugwampjism Posted June 26, 2020 Posted June 26, 2020 41 minutes ago, zxSwifty said: Do you do leather ear pads as well? Take them off the headphone, use a wet towel and the conditioner? I should say a very slightly damp towel. Less is more with leather care. I would if I had leather pads like on the Stellia. Feel it before you wipe it off, if it feels a little stiffer or drier after wiping it down, a little conditioner is the go. I have a synthetic micro suede with both Elegia and Elear, so I just rub it and let it dry slowly. I would say go for it especially with the pads, wipe your filth off them whenever you're feeling especially dirty. The un-replacable headband is the big concern, tread lightly there Maybe an Etsy type artisan could make a colour match zmf pilot pad for the Stellia
Swifty Posted June 26, 2020 Posted June 26, 2020 34 minutes ago, mugwampjism said: I should say a very slightly damp towel. Less is more with leather care. I would if I had leather pads like on the Stellia. Feel it before you wipe it off, if it feels a little stiffer or drier after wiping it down, a little conditioner is the go. I have a synthetic micro suede with both Elegia and Elear, so I just rub it and let it dry slowly. I would say go for it especially with the pads, wipe your filth off them whenever you're feeling especially dirty. The un-replacable headband is the big concern, tread lightly there Maybe an Etsy type artisan could make a colour match zmf pilot pad for the Stellia I try and keep myself as clean as possible before wearing them, putting them on other people's heads is the biggest concern. The Etsy thing is a great idea.
elisiX_ Posted June 26, 2020 Posted June 26, 2020 (edited) I'd be up for something leather. I am not putting a knitted wooly strap cover on my Stellia for the office lol Edited June 26, 2020 by elisix_
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