Dan Clark Audio STEALTH
Dan Clark Audio STEALTH makes closed-back listening feel gloriously unconfined, pairing an open-like soundstage with pinpoint imaging, deep controlled bass and exceptional detail retrieval. HomeTheaterHifi and StereoNET United Kingdom highlight its airy, expansive presentation, while its light folding chassis adds all-day comfort and travel-ready polish. A powerful headphone amplifier unlocks its most authoritative dynamics.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
92/100
Comfort Fit
94/100
Build Quality
94/100
Features Usability
89/100
Value for Money
89/100
Pros
Remarkably wide, deep and precise imaging for a closed-back headphone, creating an unusually open and spacious presentation.
Exceptional transparency, separation and low-level detail without a harsh or etched character.
Lightweight, supremely comfortable construction and folding design make long sessions and transport unusually easy for a flagship headphone.
Cons
Low sensitivity means it needs a powerful dedicated amplifier to deliver its best bass control and dynamics.
Its neutral, detail-led balance can sound leaner and less dynamically forceful than warmer or more bass-emphasized flagship rivals.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100
The STEALTH is widely praised for unusually open, spacious and highly resolved sound from a closed-back design. Its neutral-to-slightly lean tuning favors clarity, imaging and technical insight over warmth, bass weight and effortless musical punch.
Bass
91/100
Reviewers consistently hear deep sub-bass extension, low distortion, speed and excellent textural definition. The low end is balanced rather than enlarged, however, and several listeners find it leaner and less punchy or sumptuous than some flagship rivals.
Midrange
90/100
Vocals and acoustic instruments are repeatedly described as clear, textured, realistic and free from obvious coloration. The presentation can favor upper-midrange presence and detail over harmonic richness, with some reviewers wishing for more body, warmth and fullness.
Treble
91/100
Treble is widely admired for its clean extension, air, smoothness and freedom from harsh sibilance. A few reviewers note some upper-mid/lower-treble emphasis or a slightly dry very top end, so the sound may not suit listeners seeking a softer, warmer presentation.
Resolution Detail
96/100
Detail retrieval is a major strength, with reviewers repeatedly calling the STEALTH transparent, revealing, highly separated and capable of exposing fine textures without sounding etched. HomeTheaterHifi called its extraction the best the reviewer had personally heard, while others highlight its natural handling of low-level information.
Soundstage Imaging
97/100
Multiple reviewers consider its spaciousness extraordinary for a closed-back headphone, with width and depth that can make it seem closer to an open design. Imaging, layering and placement are repeatedly described as exceptionally precise, though one reviewer found very complex material could reveal limits in stage depth or congestion.
Dynamics
84/100
The STEALTH is fast, controlled and capable of strong bass impact when properly amplified, with several reviewers praising its transient precision. But a recurring reservation is a softer macro-dynamic character: some find it less punchy, energetic or emotionally forceful than competing flagships, especially with less capable amplification.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Comfort Fit
94/100
Comfort receives unusually consistent praise: reviewers cite low weight, plush deep pads, a self-adjusting headband and excellent weight distribution. Several report wearing it for hours or an entire workday without hotspots, pressure or neck fatigue.
Build Quality
94/100
Reviewers describe a rigid, premium construction using carbon fiber, aluminum and nickel-titanium elements, with particularly positive comments on the pads, headband and overall finish. HomeTheaterHifi called it the finest-built audio product the reviewer had handled, while others found it remarkably strong despite its low weight.
Features Usability
89/100
Its folding design and small included case make this unusually compact for a full-size flagship, and reviewers also praise good isolation, cable-length choices and available balanced or single-ended terminations. It is demanding to drive, however, and several reviews stress that a powerful amplifier is needed to realize its best dynamics and bass performance.
Value for Money
89/100
At roughly $4,000, the STEALTH is unquestionably a major investment, but several reviewers consider its technical performance, comfort and closed-back spatial ability competitive with other summit-level models. HomeTheaterHifi explicitly calls it good value, while other reviewers say it is worth the outlay for buyers prioritizing its particular strengths; its leaner, less dynamic character makes it less universally compelling at this price.
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Manufacturer's Description — Dan Clark Audio
STEALTH is Dan Clark Audio’s closed flagship headphone, and its striking matte black and red design offers a teaser of its stunningly smooth, rich and spacious sound. STEALTH is a closed-back headphone that delivers great isolation, while our proprietary Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS) works with our all-new 4th generation driver to create a huge, wide-open soundstage. STEALTH features a self-adjusting headband and an emphasis on ergonomics that make extended listening comfortable. This is our most exciting project to-date, with novel technology never before seen on any audio market - ready to dive in?
Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS)
All headphones are subject to high-frequency standing waves which can make treble sound harsh, fatiguing, or synthetic.
AMTS is a patent pending inline device placed between the transducer and ear. It integrates waveguides, diffusion control, quarter-wave, and Helmholtz resonators into one compact structure.
Diffusion reduces some standing wave formation while resonators act as both precision and broad filters to smooth and shape the frequency response, smoothing the sound from the midrange through the highest frequencies.
AMTS renders high frequencies with a refreshingly smooth, accurate, and detailed delivery across all genres. OK, bad recordings are still bad, we’re not magicians!
Stealth's all-new 4th generation planar-magnetic driver delivers the smoothest, richest, and most detailed experience we could create. Its 20% larger than the E2 driver and uses our patented v-Planar technology to reduce THD and improve low frequency extension.
But we didn’t stop there! Diaphragm are made on an all-new system for a more uniform and consistent tension, lower distortion, and better matching.
Stealth Redefines "Detail"
Stealth’s planar driver delivers incredibly low distortion throughout the listening range with levels of detail heretofore found primarily in the top-of-the-line electrostatics. Unlike many headphones where “detail” is created through exaggerated high-frequency energy, Stealth’s AMTS delivers resolution free from the fatiguing emphasis on the top register users may be used to.
Stealth's 4th-generation driver and AMTS deliver an amazing balance of delicacy, nuance, and slam that will have you reaching for all your favorite recordings, and maybe staying up a bit too late.
And then there’s the soundstage; Stealth is all enveloping and can compete with even the finest open headphones in depth, width, and imaging.
It’s that effortless sense of space and instrument placement that lets Stealth “disappear” so you can simply relax into your musical experience. Everything, the headphones, the equipment, and yes, your daily stresses, just fall away.
Stealth Mechanical Design Innovations
Stealth takes its design cues from stealth aircraft, and is finished to levels you’d expect in the finest of luxury cars.
The leather headband's fine red stitching creates a quilted head-strap that’s not only gorgeous but is also functional and comfortable. The embroidered Stealth logo adds a dash of color to Stealth’s all-black aesthetic.
Gone are the mechanical sliders for fit adjustment; we’ve designed a “self-adjusting suspension system” that seats the headphone just right, with no muss or fuss.
If it's Not Comfortable, Game Over
If a headphone is not comfortable enough to wear for extended listening the design is flawed.
Stealth's ergonomic and stylish ear cups is a natural extension of Aeon 2 ergonomics with a more comfy fit and softer ear pads. Stealth weighs in at just 415g making it one of the lightest super-premium headphones on the market.
Throw in Stealth's new vegan suede and "leather" ear pads, self-adjusting suspension, and Stealth is so comfy you can just ignore it and "vanish into your music.”
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- Advanced MP3 Players — online and in-store — Musselburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (website)
- Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
- Alta Fedelta — online and in-store — Lombardia, Italy (website)
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- Audio 46 — online and in-store — New York, New York, United States (website)
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- Audio Domain — online and in-store — Stadtbezirke I, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (website)
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