- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- In the box
- Compared
- Conclusion
- Discussions
Focal Stellia
HEADPHONES REVIEW
Test Benches:
- 1.2: Winter 2018
- 1.1: Summer 2017
- 1.0: Winter 2017
- 0.9: Winter 2016
- 25% Critical Listening
- 25% Office
- 25% Commute/Travel
- 10% Sports/Fitness
- 9% Gaming
- 6% TV
- 80% Sound
- 10% Build Quality
- 7% Comfort
- 3% Breathability
- 24% Noise Isolation
- 14% Sound
- 11% Portability
- 10% Comfort
- 9% Build Quality
- 9% Battery
- 6% Wireless Range
- 4% Controls
- 4% Breathability
- 4% Leakage
- 3% Microphone
- 1% Multi-Device Pairing
- 1% NFC Pairing
- 24% Stability
- 23% Portability
- 11% Sound
- 10% Breathability
- 8% Comfort
- 6% Wireless Range
- 5% Controls
- 5% Battery
- 4% Noise Isolation
- 4% Leakage
- 24% Comfort
- 21% Sound
- 16% Noise Isolation
- 8% Leakage
- 7% Battery
- 7% Wireless Range
- 5% Breathability
- 4% Build Quality
- 4% Microphone
- 2% Controls
- <1% Multi-Device Pairing
- <1% USB Audio
- <1% PC Compatible
- <1% Latency
- <1% Analog Audio
- <1% Line In
- <1% USB Input
- <1% PC Compatible
- <1% Power Supply
- <1% Dock Charging
- 22% Sound
- 17% Comfort
- 15% Default Latency
- 10% Wireless Range
- 5% Breathability
- 5% Build Quality
- 4% Optical Input
- 3% Battery
- 3% Analog Audio
- 3% Leakage
- 2% Noise Isolation
- 2% RCA Input
- 2% Multi-Device Pairing
- 2% Line In
- 2% Line Out
- 2% Power Supply
- 1% Dock Charging
- 20% Sound
- 20% Default Latency
- 15% Comfort
- 12% Microphone
- 5% Breathability
- 5% Battery
- 5% Base/Dock
- 3% Build Quality
- 3% Wireless Range
- 3% Microphone Control
- 2% Channel Mixing
- 2% Wired
- 2% Volume Control
- 2% App Support
- 1% Bluetooth
The Focal Stellia are premium closed-back over-ear headphones that are outstandingly well-built. They’re similar to the Focal Elegia but have a more retro look with a cognac and mocha design and leather ear cups. They come with a great hard carrying case and detachable braided cables that include a 1/4" TRS adapter and an XLR cable. Like the Elegia, they’re a bit more versatile than the Focal Elear since their closed-back design isolates a bit more noise; however, they’re still bulky headphones that aren’t the best for use on-the-go, especially since they don’t have a microphone or any in-line controls. That said, they have a well-balanced sound and are comfortable enough to wear for long listening sessions, which makes them a good choice for critical listening.
| Design | 7.1 |
| Sound | 7.4 |
| Isolation | 6.3 |
| Microphone | 0 |
| Active Features | 0 |
| Connectivity | 4.8 |
- Premium design and build quality.
- Good audio reproduction.
- Comfortable fit.
- Bulky design.
- Bass delivery varies across users. Sensitive to glasses.
Check Price
Design
- 28% Comfort
- 5% Controls
- 10% Breathability
- 12% Portability
- 4% Case
- 29% Build Quality
- 12% Stability
The Focal Stellia are high-end wired closed-back over-ear headphones. They’re outstandingly well-crafted with a premium metal and leather build. The Stellia have a more retro look than the similarly designed Elegia, which makes them stand out a bit more. They have thick padding around the ear cups and headband and are very comfortable headphones. Like the Focal Elegia, the Stellia don’t have a very breathable or portable design but do come with a great hard carrying case for traveling. Although they don’t have an in-line remote with any controls, their closed-back design makes them a bit more versatile than the open-back Focal Elear, and they come with a 1/4” TRS adapter and an XLR cable for use with various forms of audio gear.
The Focal Stellia look great. They share the same design language as the Focal Elegia but have a more retro look with a cognac and mocha color scheme. The headband is well-padded and covered in full grain cognac leather. The yokes and back of the ear cups are also cognac in color but are made of metal. The ear cups are plush and densely padded with mocha leather covers. The Stellia are reminiscent of vintage leather headphones and have a design that stands out a lot more than that of the Elegia or the Elear.
The Stellia are very comfortable over-ear headphones. Their headband is well-padded and their ear cups are large and deep. They’re lighter than the Focal Elear and although they are a bit bulky, they don’t feel fatiguing to wear over long periods of time. The leather ear cups feel pleasing on the skin and seal a bit better than the fabric coating of the Focal Elegia, but they may not seal as well on everyone and can create gaps around the ears.
- 21% Ease of use
- 21% Feedback
- 14% Call/Music Control
- 14% Volume Control
- 10% Microphone Control
- 5% Channel Mixing
- 10% Noise Canceling Control
- 5% Talk-Through
These headphones do not have an in-line remote with controls.
- 100% Avg.Temp.Difference
Like most closed-back over-ear headphones, the Focal Stellia aren’t very breathable. Their leather ear cups are comfortable but also trap a fair bit of heat around your ears. They won’t be ideal for sports as you will sweat more than usual with these headphones on. It should be noted that these headphones fit somewhat awkwardly on our testing equipment, so we had to find a way to make them fit more tightly, which means the results may be warmer than what you would experience on a normal head with a normal fit.
- 20% Volume
- 80% Transmitter required
The Stellia come with a large hard carrying case that helps protect the headphones against scratches, water exposure, and physical damage. The interior is molded to snugly fit the headphones and technically fits the Focal Elegia and Elear as well.
The Focal Stellia are outstandingly well-built headphones. They are made nearly exclusively of metal and have very few moving parts, which makes them feel durable and solid. The ear cup padding and headband have full-grain leather covers, which lends a very high-end feel to the headphones. The cognac leather finish does stain easily, but this is to be expected of a natural leather product. The headphones come with a thick detachable braided cable that can be replaced if broken, but don’t come with extra ear pads like the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 PRO.
The Stellia have a stable enough fit to remain on your head during casual or critical listening sessions but won’t be ideal for sports, as expected. If you attempt to run or work out with these headphones, they are likely to fall off. They’re fine otherwise, though, so you shouldn’t have a problem with them wiggling around too much unless you’re making exaggerated movements.
Sound
- 21% Bass
- 20% Mid
- 19% Treble
- 5% Frequency Response Consistency
- 9% Imaging
- 20% Soundstage
- 6% Total Harmonic Distortion
The Focal Stellia are closed-back over-ears that sound satisfactory overall. They have deep, punchy bass, a well-balanced mid-range, and good treble. However, their bass delivery is inconsistent, especially if you wear glasses. Their mid-range is also overemphasized a bit, which brings vocals and instruments slightly to the front of the mix, and their treble sounds a little veiled. That said, their sound is still versatile for a wide variety of music genres and is particularly well-suited to more vocal-centric music.
- 90% Std. Err.
- 10% Low-Frequency Extension
The Focal Stellia have great bass. Low-frequency extension (LFE) is at 10Hz and low-bass is within about 1dB of our neutral target, which means these headphones have deep and extended bass with an appropriate amount of thump and rumble. This makes them suitable for bass-heavy music like hip-hop, EDM, and film scores. There’s a 3dB bump that begins in mid-bass and continues into high-bass, however, which can make these headphones sound a bit boomy and muddy.
However, it is worth noting that their bass delivery varies significantly across users, and is sensitive to the quality of fit, seal, and whether you wear glasses. This represents the average bass response, and your experience may vary.
- 100% Std. Err.
The mid-range is great. The response is even and flat throughout the range and is within about 3dB of our target curve. This suggests an overall clear and balanced reproduction of vocals and lead instruments, however, the slight overemphasis in the high-mids results in vocals and leads that may sound a bit forward.
- 100% Std. Err.
The Focal Stellia have good treble performance. The response is relatively well-balanced, which is important for producing accurate vocals and lead instruments. However, it is slightly veiled. The dip from 4kHz to 8kHz will have a small negative effect on the brightness and detail of the vocals and instruments. That said, not everyone experiences treble frequencies the same way so your listening experience may differ.
- 100% Avg. Std. Deviation
The Stellia have sub-par frequency response consistency. Their bass delivery is quite consistent across our human subjects, with the exception of the one who wears glasses. If you have a lot of hair between the headphones and your ear, or wear glasses, then you may experience a noticeable drop in bass. The maximum deviation at 20Hz is about 8dB for our human subjects. There’s also a fair amount of inconsistency in the treble range, with up to 10dB of deviation depending on the position of the headphones on our dummy head. This means that your treble response may change as the headphones move around on your head.
The imaging performance is very good. Weighted group delay is at 0.32, which is great. The group delay graph also shows that the entire group delay response is below the audibility threshold. This ensures a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. Additionally, the left and right drivers of our test unit were well-matched in frequency, amplitude, and phase. This is important for the proper placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video game effects) in the stereo field. However, these results are only valid for our test unit, and yours may perform differently.
- 15% PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
- 15% PRTF Size (Avg.)
- 30% PRTF Distance
- 20% Openness
- 10% Acoustic Space Excitation
- 10% Correlated Crosstalk
The Stellia have a poor soundstage. The PRTF graph shows that the response doesn’t follow our reference very closely. There’s a limited amount of pinna interaction and activation, and there is no 10kHz notch present either. Since creating a speaker-like soundstage is dependent on the amount and accuracy of pinna interaction, these results suggest the Stellia’s soundstage will be perceived as relatively small and located inside the listener's head. Also, because the Stellia are closed-back headphones, they will feel less open than the open-back Focal Elear.
- 50% Weighted THD @ 90
- 50% Weighted THD @ 100
The harmonic distortion performance is very good. The amount of THD produced is very low throughout the range. However, the peak around 1kHz could make these frequencies a bit harsh and impure.
Isolation
The Focal Stellia have mediocre isolation performance, which makes them less ideal for use during your daily commute or while traveling than noise cancelling headphones. They will let in the low rumbles of bus and plane engines since they don’t block lower frequencies. They can block a fair amount of ambient chatter if you get a decent seal around your ears, and results will be even better when playing music. However, people surrounding you might hear what you’re listening to in quieter environments. This shouldn't be too much of a problem in moderately loud situations, though, since the overall level of their leakage isn’t too high.
- 29% Bass
- 29% Mid
- 28% Treble
- 14% Self-Noise
The Stellia have mediocre noise isolation. These headphones don't have active noise cancelling and therefore don’t isolate in the bass range. This means they let in the deep rumbles of bus and airplane engines. They do alright at blocking out speech, isolating in the mid-range by about 15dB. They perform fairly well in the treble range, responsible for sharp sounds like S and T sibilants or A/C fan unit noises, isolating by about 28 dB.
Their leakage performance is unremarkable. The significant portion of their leakage is spread between 500Hz and 5.5kHz, which is a relatively broad spectrum concentrated in the mid and treble ranges. Therefore, their leakage will sound fuller than that of in-ears and earbuds, but not as loud and full as open-back headphones. However, the overall level of the leakage is not too loud. At 100dB SPL, the average leakage at a 1-foot distance was 43dB and peaked at 61dB, which is about the average office noise floor.
Microphone
- 50% Recording Quality
- 50% Noise Handling
The Focal Stellia are designed for critical listening and don’t have an integrated, in-line, or boom microphone.
- 20% LFE
- 25% FR Std. Dev.
- 30% HFE
- 20% Weighted THD
- 5% Gain
These headphones don’t have a microphone.
- 100% SpNR
These headphones don’t have a microphone.
Active Features
- 90% Battery
- 10% App Support
The Focal Stellia are passive, wired headphones that don’t have a battery nor a companion app.
- 60% Battery Life
- 25% Charge Time
- 10% Power Saving Feature
- 5% Audio while charging
These headphones don’t require a battery.
There is no companion app for the Focal Stellia.
Connectivity
The Focal Stellia are wired headphones that don’t support Bluetooth wireless, so you’re limited by their 4-foot long TRS cable or their 10-foot XLR cable. They can be connected to PCs and consoles with their 1/8” TRS connection, and they also come with a 1/4” TRS adapter. They have virtually no latency, which is great for watching videos or gaming without a microphone.
- 80% Multi-Device Pairing
- 20% NFC Pairing
The Stellia don’t support Bluetooth.
- 13% Analog Audio
- 9% USB Audio
- 26% PS4 Compatible
- 26% Xbox One Compatible
- 26% PC Compatible
The Focal Stellia have a 1/8” TRS connection that provides audio on consoles and PC as well. They also come with a 1/4” adapter and an XLR cable for compatibility with different amps, receivers, or other forms of audio gear.
- 5% Optical Input
- 22% Line In
- 5% Line Out
- 22% USB Input
- 4% RCA Input
- 9% PS4 Compatible
- 9% Xbox One Compatible
- 9% PC Compatible
- 2% Power Supply
- 13% Dock Charging
These headphones don’t come with a dock.
- 77% Obstructed Range
- 23% Line of Sight Range
The Stellia aren’t wireless headphones, so you’re limited by either their 4-foot long TRS cable or their 10-foot XLR cable.
- 34% Default Latency
- 33% aptX Latency
- 33% aptX(LL) Latency
Since the Focal Stellia are wired headphones, they have virtually no latency, which is great for gaming or watching videos.
In the box
- Focal Stellia headphones
- 4-foot 1/8” TRS cable
- 1/4” TRS adapter
- 10-foot XLR cable
- Carrying case
- Manuals with faux leather wallet
Compared to other Headphones
The Focal Stellia are remarkably well-crafted critical listening headphones that stand out thanks to the premium materials used in their build. They have a straightforward wired design and well-balanced sound but aren’t very versatile since they don’t block much noise and are a bit bulky. They look great, but may not provide as much value as other models in the Focal lineup. If you’re looking for other high-end headphones for critical listening, check out our recommendations for the best audiophile headphones. See also our recommendations for the best closed-back headphones and the best headphones for studio use.
The Focal Stellia and the Focal Elegia are very similar closed-back critical listening headphones. They’re both very well-built, comfortable headphones. The Elegia have a more understated design whereas the Stellia have a retro look that stands out more. Some people may find the leather ear cups of the Stellia more pleasing on the skin and they also come with an XLR cable, which is a nice touch. They sound fairly similar overall, but the Stellia’s bass is a bit punchier and their treble is slightly less underemphasized. Overall, it comes down to personal preference and taste; however, the Elegia provide better value for most. That said, if you’re looking for a more premium listening experience, the Stellia may be worth the investment.
The Focal Stellia are slightly better headphones than the Sennheiser HD 820. The Stellia are better-built and feel like more premium headphones. The Sennheiser are mostly made of plastic and, although they feel durable, they don’t feel quite as luxurious as the metal and leather build of the Stellia. Both headphones perform reasonably similar sound-wise, but the HD 820 sound a bit boxier. They’re similar headphones otherwise, so your decision will mostly come down to preference.
The Beyerdynamic DT 1770 PRO are better closed-back critical listening headphones for most people than the Focal Stellia. Their treble response is less veiled, and their bass response is slightly more balanced. They also come with additional ear cups and come with a longer, coiled audio cable. The Stellia do have a more premium look and feel, though, and come with a better carrying case. The Stellia are worth considering if you prefer their more premium design, but the DT 1770 PRO provide better value overall.
The Focal Elear are better critical listening headphones than the Focal Stellia, but the Stellia are a bit more versatile. The Elear are open-back headphones that produce a more spacious soundstage than the Stellia; however, they’re a bit bass-light. Although the Elear provide better value for use in a quiet listening room, the Stellia have deeper bass and also isolate more noise, which is better for use in environments with more ambient noise.
