Dan Clark Audio STEALTH Closed-Back Headphones with VIVO cable

I absolutely love the Stealth cans. Everything about them is top notch. They are beautifully made with outstanding materials. The way they sit perfectly on your head when you put them on is just genius, and it comes without having to fidget with the left and right adjustments. The way they fold up for on-the-go listening is incredible. And the sound… truly outstanding. The lows can be a bit soft with certain recordings but I have no qualms with EQ’ing. Regardless, the lows still manage to be warm and detailed. I have owned quite a few sets of high-end (Audeze, Senns, etc) closed back cans and these take the cake. Perhaps my only gripe is that the case doesn’t have a spot for the wires. Bottom line: perhaps you’re not getting $1500-2500 worth of acoustic improvements from them compared to something like the Sennheiser SD 820s, but you are getting a significant improvement in the headphone experience and the build quality is truly second to none.

Best Closed Cans I’ve Ever Heard

I am astonished at just how amazing these closed back cans sound. I have always had closed back cans. Everything from Audeze to Senns. I like them all for one reason or another, but the BCA STEALTH are simply the best all-around cans I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. If I had to make one complaint it would be that the pressure is a bit on the light side. I noticed if I push the cans against my head just slightly, that the sound is even more amazing. I’m sure Dan Clark had his reason for leaving them on the loose side, and maybe I’ll realize what that is at some point, but at the moment I feel like he could have perfected an already close-to-perfect pair of cans by adding a little more pinch to them. One thing people should know is that these are definitely not easy to drive if you want any volume to them. I thought my Schiit gear would have no trouble with them, and technically they don’t, but they do require me putting the volume up pretty high to get the sound I want out of them. I have replaced my Schiit tube amp with a McIntosh tube headphone amp, and the sound is just sublime. Now that I’ve heard the best closed-back cans I am itching to hear the Expanse. Just have to figure out a way to get the purchase by my wife… haha!

I am quite satisfied with Stealth

I have also Meze Empyrean with an upgraded silver-plated cable. The sound character is quite different between Stealth and Empyrean. The tone of Stealth is a little bit bright, while that of Empyrean is a little bit dark. In terms of sound clearness, Stealth is better than Empyrean. I can trace sound of each instrument part of complex orchestral works more easily via Stealth. In terms of phase, Empyrean seems more accurate than Stealth, because Empyrean can show the difference of sound stage of sound source more clearly than Stealth. Anyway, Stealth is much better than other DCA headphones in terms of sound naturality. Before Stealth, I never want to buy DCA ones because I felt a kind of exaggeration from their sounds. But I am quite satisfied with Stealth now.