Stealth

I have a bias for closed back for low level details & micro dynamics that get lost in open backs unless you really crank the volume. Also sub bass roll off unless you EQ heavy. For me, the dca stealth + hugo2 has been perfect at conveying the entire mix as clean as possible. Unlike other closed backs(stellia) it presents objects in the mix as small & therefore occupying less space in the mix and hence creating a sense of space / openness. It kinda quells my need for an open back. The stellia on the other hand is more dynamic with bigger objects & more defined boundaries that occlude other tracks in a mix. It's intense & tiring, makes me want something that breathes. That said, i have been itching for an open back purely for technicalities that presents the stage in front of my face like the LCD X did. I wish audeze would drop a LCD 5 that isn't tuned as a hearing aid.

There's no such thing as a perfect headphone, just the one you feel most inclined to reach for. Each pair is its own experience, especially if you're not huge on EQing as you mentioned in another comment. With that said, have you had a chance to try the DCA Stealth? It's the only non-electrostat summit-fi headphone that's really wowed me so far. It's slightly warm with incredible detail retrieval, and comfortable enough to wear for hours. A good seal is extremely important for them though, so definitely try them first and make sure they fit your head well. Edit: Also these totl headphones retain value pretty well. You'll probably lose a little bit of money on the LCDs, but there's always someone on headfi looking to buy or trade for a high-end pair.

I have the CC but the DCA Stealth is better.

Went to an audio store to try out the 3 planars that I short listed after lots of trial and error. Tried everything from ZMF cans to Meze to Fostex and beyond. Ended up with head to head of LCD-X vs Arya Unveiled vs HE1000 Unveiled LCD-X Pros \- Great impactful bass (reminds me of my Audeze Maxwell 2 post EQ) \- Surprisingly vocals didn’t feel as recessed as FR would have you believe \- Sparkle up top \- Good low end, never felt muddy or boomy \- Planar that felt it was in between Planar and Dynamics \- Organic sound with body Cons \- Those 612 g destroyed my neck within half hour. And I already daily an Audeze Maxwell 2 which is 560 g almost \- Pads got hot \- Can be shouty for some higher pitched vocals \- Layering and separation was less than what I expected; I felt Audeze Maxwell 2 does it better \- Small soundstage Arya Unveiled Pros \- Amazing organic smooth sound \- Great warm vocals \- Beautiful timbre \- Bass is clean and fast \- Top end is fantastic and never fatiguing \- No comfort issues Cons \- Some tracks can get shouty \- Soundstage smaller than HE1000 Unveiled \- Piano black plastic \- Exposed driver (though not bad like Susvara Unveiled) HE1000 Unveiled Pros \- Amazing organic smooth sound \- Most resolving and (hot take) felt even better than Susvara to my ears \- Best timbre \- Vocals are lush and smooth \- Holographic stage \- Best imaging I have heard \- No comfort issues \- Mid was never shouty \- Top end is ethereal Cons \- Exposed driver \- Bass impact was slightly lower than Arya Unveiled (might be source also as it was Astell & Kern DAP) \- Price At the end of the day, I wish someone would make a can with bass of LCD-X, weight of Unveiled, price of Arya Unveiled, Mids and top end of HE1000 Unveiled and resolution of HE1000 Unveiled. Here are some pictures of the planar wars.

I tried Dan Clark products. I have tried E3 which I liked. But it didn’t have the detail, separation and layering I enjoy. I also tried Aeon 2 Flow Open which was OK. Felt overpriced for its offer. I tried Stealth. I liked it but it was not worth the money they are asking. In that money I would prefer other products to it - from Meze or ZMF. Had a treble peak as well for me. I also tried Noire XO and it was fine. Generally was too smooth. And bass was anemic.

I don't know man. Bathy's makes a pretty tight seal. I've taken them to many trips with my family and my wife can't hear a peep out of them. I have a Sony XM5 and that leaks more. Is it a volume problem or a seal problem? There is one headphone that doesn't leak sound at all from my experience and it's the DCA Stealth. It's not wireless but it is pretty portable for a closed back headphone.

For high energy music like pop and rock I prefer Utopia, for mellower stuff or music with deep subbass Susvara takes the cake. I'd say they are on par but depending on what you personally value I can see people preferring one or the other. Personally my DCA Stealth and since recently a Stax SR-007 mk1 get the most head time.

They both have superior resolution, with the Stax having the most being an estat. The Stealth has the best tuning with smooth vocals and treble and a lot of subbass, but is not super dynamic. The Stax has the best resolution, dynamics and staging, but a scooped out midrange and some treble peaks.  Again it depends on whether staging, dynamics, tuning or resolution is the most important to you, I wouldn't say either is strictly superior, at the flagship level it's all a matter of what fits your preferences most.

Endgame does exist, the LCD5 just wasn't the one for you? I could sell everything I have and be perfectly happy with either my Focal Utopia, DCA Stealth or Susvara, all terrific allrounders that work with any genre

Yes, very strongly prefer closed backs. This isn't a hard and fast rule (e.g., I prefer the LCD-X to the LCD-XC), but in general I reach for my closed backs most of the time. I prefer the Focal Radiance to Utopia, ZMF Bokeh Closed to Atrium/Caldera Open, MDR-M1 to MDR-MV1, Fostex TH900MK2/TH-X00 to the 9XX and 1X00 series open backs, FT1 to FT1 Pro, DCA Stealth to the Expanse (or the E3, Noire, etc.), the list goes on. This is mostly due to low frequency performance; some planars break this rule, like LCD-X and LCD-2, some of HiFiMan's sets. With a bit of EQ these sets can hit hard. My favorite set in the hobby is probably the Bokeh Closed; I bought one when they launched the Black Limba models, and it has pretty much overtaken every other set in my rotation. They need a bit of EQ to improve resolution/detail, but it's a damn near perfect headphone for the price.