Focal - Stellia

I listen to dozens of headphones every month & have worked in audio/music for 30 years. Im immediately thinking that the Focal Clear MG (1500 USD), may be absolutely perfect for you. They're technically an open back, but I have headphones that are technically closed back which are more open. I recently sold mine but ONLY because I have a silly amount of headphones & I have individual headphones that can do exactly all the things that the Clear MG can, but better (but none are an all rounder and all are 3000-4000 except my HD800 which I use almost exclusively for gaming. That doenst mean they're a jack of all trades, master or none - they're a bloody good set of headphones and are extremely versatile. The ONLY issue with the MG (and this is more than likely a blessing in disguise) is that they will clip if you try & push them loud - esp with sub bass... but you/I/we shouldn't really be listening to music at that level anyway. They're *ridiculously* easy to drive. You absolutely do not need a dedicated dac/Amp - just plug them into anything with a headphone jack and bam, there you go... this is to point that you can even plug them straight into a Playstation 5 controller, and they sound great - you can't say that about many headphones! Great for gaming, great for music... NOT good for travel as music will leak out given they are open back. If you can stretch to 2500, you can get the Focal Stellia, which are usually 3000, but I know moon audio are selling them for 2500 USD right now. I did keep these... they are fully closed back & they are IMO significantly better. Some people still prefer the Clear MG. Good review of the Stellia from a a reliable source - https://youtu.be/WvewtNDXDaI?si=iHLSbhZU2k906ZOD I've never needed to see a review of the Clear MG, so I don't know of one I'd recommend.

Noise cancellation is not necessary if you have closed back headphones. They shield you from sound and they shield sound leaking out by design. Not perfectly, but they do shield you, especially if they have pleather pads (all-velour pads leak sound a little bit more then pleather sided pads). In my opinion, no wireless headphone exist, that matches sound quality of wired headphones. 1st compromise is Bluetooth codec that only recently became able to transfer relatively high quality audio (I am speaking of Aptx Lossless here). 2nd compromise is quality of internal dac and amp inside of the cans that rarely (never) matches quality of dedicated dac and amp inside external unit. 3rd is compromise in design due to weight reduction measures such as smaller cups, because they need to have literally everything (dac, amp, usb interface, wireless intefrace, battery, charging port etc.) fitted in the headphones itself and that adds weight. So, either wired headphones connected via wire to tabletop headphone dac+amplifier or the same wired headphones connected with short 1 meter cable to pocket BT receiver such as Fiio BTR17, that can do Aptx Lossless. Either way, choose balanced cable (short 4.4mm cable for Fiio BTR17 or long XLR cable for tabletop headphone dac&lifier). Openback headphones sound better then closedback headphones, but some top of the line closedback headphones challenge them and sound very well. Such headphones are Focal Stellia or Sony MDR Z1R, or consider very cheap(ly build) Fiio FT1 headphones. Stellia is best Metal, EDM, Hard Rock and Classical music closedback headphone there is period. We could argue about EDM, but not about anything with overdriven or distorted guitars. It has berillium (very very fast and precise) drivers, great punchy bass and very very energetic sound that will make you drop your jaw. And it sounds very well even from portable sources such as Fiio BTR17! All you need is Stellia, custom 1meter long balanced 4.4mm cable that lets you put Fiio in pocket, Fiio BTR17, and Usb dongle that lets your Mac, PC or Phone to transfer music via Aptx lossless. This dongle is Creative BT-W6. Sony MdR Z1R are also closed backs. Their sound presentation is more relaxed and lush, not as amazingly energetic and punchy and superfast as Stellia. Choose stellia. We are talking Under 5K price category here. But there is nothing above it. Stellia is expensive but the rest (cable, Fiio, Creative) is relatively cheap. Try Stellia first from your laptop or phone and then buy the accessories, that will enable wireless Aptx lossless transfer. See my thread on Fiio reddit for detailed BTR17 review. If you will decide against combination of BT transmitter + battery powered BT receiver (such as Fiio BTR17), you are left with 3 options: tabletop headphone dac+amp or high quality USB dac+amp dongle with or without internal battery. Internal battery is usefull for use with phone (so that you do not drain its battery), and it can be without battery if you listen to music only from laptop. Plenty of options here, f.e. Fiio KA17 (battery powered usb dongle with balanced output) or other similar (and more expensive) options that are mentioned in Headphonia or Headphonics reviews. Or usb dongles without internal battery for laptop use only. Or very expensive tabletop units. BTR17 is your best wireless pocketable option. Stellia does not need expensive aparat. It plays well almost from anything. Iphones with usb-c work great with USB-c dongles. Lightning port iPhones need to be used with Apple usb adapter. This way you get wired sound. BTR17 will work with iphone both wired and wirelessly (via AAC ), but with Creative btw6, you will get aptx lossless. With BTR-17 and Creative BTW6 you can be walking in office or your flat and listen to music or movies on Berillium driver headphones while cooking or working. The range is very good - tens of meters with no drop in sound in Aptx lossless. Crazy time we live in. https://youtu.be/iOsm6axnMQA?feature=shared 1 thing to note: Some recent reviewers tend to rank Stellia below other expensive closed back headphones due to their euforical and musically rich and fast music presentation and tint of metallic timbre and they place Stellia below these, not as technically capable headphones with more slow and relaxed (and boring) sound presentations. Why? Because 1, those reviewers are american and America is first, not France, as red cap says. Or 2, some of those headphones placed above Stellia are better in that regard, that they present sound in less excentric way and are sometimes more linerally (i.e. neutrally) tuned and they tend to not excell in anything to fit in a long range of forgetable but OK headphones (with their own little flaws). Stellia is not like that. It is like a ride in a sport car. It is neither SUV or cruiser. It is freakin Lamborghini. People usually agree, that they are unforgettable. You will forget sound of 99percent headphones including some very nice sounding flagships. You will not forget sound that you’ve heard from Stellia. And that is the issue: some people do not want that much excitement, they want true to life sound with a little twist. Not a big dose of excitement on top of true to life sound. Stellia delivers both at the same time.

I'll write you a long reply, hopefully you read it all :) If you haven't considered it, maybe look into the Sony MDR-Z1R. I've been absolutely enamored by them. I could probably write several paragraphs about just how odd they are but also how tremendously good and fun they are. They do things I've never heard any other headphone do. Bizarrely expansive and layered soundstage, great instrument separation (so easy to pick out bass guitar!), layered, deep and impactful bass. The bass, the layering, it's so unique. You get good extension in the sub-bass, but it remains distinct from the mid-bass, and mid bass doesn't bleed over into the mids. Mids are a tad recessed, but only slightly, and the treble has good energy and sparkle. Resolution wise, they're a cut above the Meze 109s for example. For reference, on the higher-end side of things I've owned Focal Clears, and still own the HD800S, LCD-X, and Meze 109 Pros (they're my wife's now). I recently wanted a closed back headphone with a fun sound signature the Z1Rs absolutely accomplish that. I actually haven't reached for anything else in weeks. The Sennheisers both feel like they're missing so much low-end by contrast, it's fucking with my brain and I don't consider myself a basshead. Besides the sound, they're built very well and can easily be worn all day. The sheepskin pads are plush, deep, and feel great. The one letdown is the headband is pleather, most people get a fabric cover to put over it to keep it from cracking. Otherwise, it uses titanium and wood, and feels super premium in the hand. The box is also nuts, if that matters at all to you. I wanted to up the "fun" even more and recently went from a JDS Labs Atom 2 stack to a Nitsch Pietus Maximus + Mesh DAC and oh boy, the Z1Rs got even better. It's made the bass a little thicker, the mids seem a bit more forward and lush, and treble sparkle is slightly reduced which maybe reduces some fatigue there. If I had to give a brief critique to what you've been considering: Focals; I've owned the Clears and auditioned the Stelias. Gosh, for the money, Focal needs to do more to not make them feel so cheap. They creak a lot. The Stelias did sound really good though. Kind of a big let down for the money. I don't know how to the MGs compared to the OG Clears, but I sold them because the treble was too fatiguing for me and I couldn't move my head without the creaking driving me nuts. As for Hifiman, I won't recommend them until they get their QC issues under control, they seem so grossly over represented when it comes to issues, so in spite of otherwise great technical performance, its a risk I just won't take. The Audeze LCD-X are great. Their bass can be tremendous with EQ (rattle your brain), but I never found the mids or highs to be all that impressive. They were/are best suited for Hans Zimmer or EDM tracks, everything else, meh. I also can't wear them for more than an hour or two before my neck hurts though. As for the Dan Clarks, I haven't tried the E3, but have tried the Noire X. Very impressive neutral tuning and good soundstage for a closed back, but definitely very reference oriented/more analytical. I had comfort issues with them as well, kind of made a pressure point under my ear near my jaw.

From my collection: HD620S, HD25, Amperior, ATH-M50X. I prefer open headphone to be transparent. Bluetooth ANC headphones are excluded from the list by design. Special mention to Focal Celestee (very good but a bit nasal/shouty in the 1kHz region, not sure they are worth their price because if that) and Focal Stellia (very very good but a bit too warm to be close To perfect, but enjoyable nevertheless). Outstanding Closed wired headphones are quite rare in my opinion, in contrary to open headphones.

Same experience for me, I'm not really convinced by any of the Focals, especially not the Stellia. I'm still extremely pleased with my DCA Stealth after about 2 years and don't see myself finding a replacement for them anytime soon if at all. The Expanse are exceptional as well, easily among the very best cans ever made.