I’ve been back and forth with my Utopia and Stellia for a while. I wish I could mash them together into one - The Utopia is a breath of fresh air, it’s dynamic, but too much. It’s so dynamic it hurts. And the background ambience isn’t there - it’s a black void, very ‘hollow’, with the main elements punching through. A cool experience, but it gets annoying after a while. The treble is brutally sharp too, even with EQ.
The Stellia is far more musical than Utopia, with very rich ambience + reflection details. I absolutely love it. Plus the feeling of proximity effect, when I feel each sound travel closely around my head. But after a while, it starts sounding too “dry” and almost cloying. Slightly muddy and thick. Like too much acoustic foam in a studio. It’s so dry and doesn’t breathe. The Utopia brings that airy space back. But the downsides mean I’m selling the Utopia.
I love my HEKSE, but it doesn’t give me the ‘Magic’ both Focals give me. Now I’m curious about the Verite Closed. It’s often been compared with Stellia, but I can’t find a clear enough answer. There’s also the Empyrean, but I’ve heard conflicting thoughts. Can anyone help me with this?
My pairing will be HEKSE + (Stellia, Empy or VC). That will be my endgame! (I hope…)