Focal Elear vs Stellia

Which Headphones Are Better?

Products

Focal Elear
Focal Stellia

Tested using Methodology v1.4

Updated Jun 12, 2023 04:28 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.4

Updated Jan 28, 2022 03:43 PM

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B&H
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Our Verdict

Focal Elear

Focal Stellia

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.

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Variants

  • Elear
  • Stellia

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Standard
Elear
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Standard
Stellia
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Standard
Elear
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Standard
Stellia
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Standard
Elear
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Standard
Stellia
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Standard
Elear
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Standard
Stellia
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Standard
Elear
Focal
Standard
Stellia
Focal

Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 
 

5.1
5.5

Noise Isolation 
 

1.2
5.7

Leakage 
 

1.8
6.3

Passive Soundstage 
 

7.7
4.6

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Design Picture 2
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Open-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

No
No

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

8.0
8.0

Comfort Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Comfort Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Comfort Picture

Weight  

1.01 lbs
0.98 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1.1 lbs
1 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

0.0
0.0

Controls Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Controls Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

No Controls
No Controls

Ease Of Use  

No Controls
No Controls

Feedback  

No Controls
No Controls

Call/Music Control  

No
No

Volume Control  

No
No

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

No
No
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

6.7
5.6

Breathability After Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Breathability After Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

5 °C
7.8 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

5.2
5.2

Portability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Portability Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Portability Picture

 

7.5"
8.5"

 

8.5"
7.5"

 

4.1"
4.1"

Volume  

261.4 in³
261 in³

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

0.0
8.0

Case Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Case Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Case Picture

Type  

No case
Hard case

 

N/A
8.5"

 

N/A
9.5"

 

N/A
4.7"

Volume  

N/A
380 in³
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

9.0
9.0

Build Quality Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Build Quality Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

6.0
6.0

Stability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Stability Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Angled Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Angled Picture

Side Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Side Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Front Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Front Picture

Rear Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Rear Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Top Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear In The Box Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Frequency Response
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Frequency Response

Bass Amount 
 

-3.57 dB
-1.22 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-2.66 dB
-3.04 dB

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

8.2
5.7

Consistency L  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Consistency L
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Consistency L

Consistency R  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Consistency R
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Consistency R

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.35 dB
1.1 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Raw FR L
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Raw FR L

Raw FR R  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Raw FR R
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Raw FR R

Bass Accuracy 
 

7.3
8.5

Bass  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Bass
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Bass

Std. Err. 
 

3.44 dB
2.15 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

59.93 Hz
10 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

-6.71 dB
-3.2 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

-0.98 dB
0.99 dB

High-Bass 
 

2.12 dB
2.06 dB
Show Text 

Mid Accuracy 
 

9.2
9.0

Mid  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Mid
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Mid

Std. Err. 
 

1.09 dB
1.33 dB

Low-Mid 
 

0.9 dB
-0.7 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.23 dB
0.71 dB

High-Mid 
 

1.28 dB
1.64 dB
Show Text 

Treble Accuracy 
 

6.0
6.9

Treble  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Treble
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Treble

Std. Err. 
 

5.36 dB
4.16 dB

Low-Treble 
 

-2.59 dB
-2.29 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

-2.98 dB
-3.3 dB

High-Treble 
 

-6.1 dB
-9.39 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.3
7.6

Peaks/Dips Graph  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Peaks/Dips Graph
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks 
 

1.62 dB
1.52 dB

Dips 
 

1.76 dB
1.24 dB

Imaging 
 

8.7
8.1

Group Delay  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Group Delay
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Group Delay

Phase Response  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Phase Response
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Phase Response

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.17
0.32

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.34
1.13

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.06
2.19

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

5.71
5.18
Show Text 

Passive Soundstage 
 

7.7
4.6

PRTF  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear PRTF
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

4.39 dB
3.26 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

3.97 dB
2 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

10.24 dB
6.66 dB

Openness 
 

9.5
4.3

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

8.5
4.2
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Virtual Soundstage
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No App
No App

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.1
8.1

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Weighted Harmonic Distortion
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Weighted Harmonic Distortion

WHD @ 90 
 

0.240
0.230

WHD @ 100 
 

0.082
0.078

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

No Firmware
No Firmware

Power 
 

Passive
Passive

Connection 
 

Wired
Wired

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

No EQ
No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

1.2
5.7

Noise Isolation  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Noise Isolation
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Noise Isolation

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-2.52 dB
-13.77 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

-0.03 dB
0.41 dB

Mid 
 

1.19 dB
-14.82 dB

Treble 
 

-8.42 dB
-28.44 dB
Show Text 

Leakage 
 

1.8
6.3

Leakage  

 Preview Graph
Focal Elear Leakage
 Preview Graph
Focal Stellia Leakage

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

62.88 dB
43.49 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

No
No

Recording Quality 
 

0.0
0.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

Focal Elear Microphone Frequency Response
Focal Stellia Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech 
 

N/A
N/A

LFE 
 

N/A
N/A

FR Std. Dev. 
 

N/A
N/A

HFE 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD 
 

N/A
N/A

Gain 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

0.0
0.0

Speech + Pink Noise  

N/A
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise  

N/A
N/A

SpNR 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Type 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Continuous Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Additional Charges 
 

N/A
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
No

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

Passive Headphone
Passive Headphone

Charging Port  

None
None
Show Text 

App Support 
 

0.0
0.0

App Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear App Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia App Picture

App Name  

No App
No App

iOS  

No
No

Android  

No
No

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

No
No

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Android Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Non-Bluetooth Wireless 
 

0.0
0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-BT Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Wired 
 

9.5
9.5

Cable Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Focal Elear Cable Picture
Compare High-Res
Focal Stellia Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable  

Yes
Yes

Length  

10.4 ft
4 ft

Connection  

1/4" TRS
1/8" TRS

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

0 ms
0 ms
Show Text 

PC / PS4 Compatibility 
 

PC/PS4 Analog 
 

Audio Only (Not Included)
Audio Only

PC/PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Xbox One Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio Only (Not Included)
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
Show Text 

Check Price

Standard
Elear
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
Stellia
SEE PRICE
B&H
Standard
Elear
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Standard
Stellia
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
Elear
B&H
Standard
Stellia
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Standard
Elear
BestBuy.com
Standard
Stellia
BestBuy.com
Standard
Elear
Focal
Standard
Stellia
Focal

Focal Elear

Focal Stellia

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