The former Mr. Speakers has announced a huge new model for 2021. A closed-back planar, the Stealth is Dan Clark’s latest flagship product. This new headphone has been four years in the making, featuring a fourth-generation planar magnetic driver and a new acoustic metamaterial tuning system. With these new breakthrough systems, Dan Clark aims to set a new standard in performance.
Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS)
All headphones are subject to standing waves in the higher frequencies, and these can make the treble sound harsh, fatiguing, or synthetic.
AMTS is DCA’s patent-pending solution to this perennial problem. AMTS is an inline device placed between the transducer and ear. It integrates waveguides, diffusion control, quarter-wave, and Helmholtz resonators into one compact structure.
Diffusion elements system reduce some standing wave formation while resonators act as both precision and broad filters to smooth and shape the frequency response, reducing the amplitude of response peaks and troughs from the midrange through the highest frequencies.
Stealth’s all-new 4th generation planar-magnetic driver delivers the smoothest, richest, and most detailed experience we could create. Stealth’s driver is 20% larger than the E2 driver and uses our patented v-Planar technology to reduce THD and improve low-frequency extension.
Diaphragm tension is set on an all-new system for a more uniform and consistent tension, lower distortion, and better driver matching, while FEA and CFD optimized motor structures increase driver force uniformity and smooth acoustic paths to reduce distortion.
Stealth Mechanical Design Innovations
“We set out to make Stealth a real design statement,” said Dan Clark, Founder and CEO. “Made of stylish matte-black leather, carbon fiber, and machined aluminum, Stealth design takes its cues from Stealth aircraft and is finished to levels you’d expect in the finest of luxury cars.”
The top-grade black leather headband features fine red stitching to create a quilted head-strap that’s not only gorgeous but is also functional and comfortable. The elegant embroidered Stealth logo adds a dash of color to Stealth’s all-black aesthetic.
Dan Clark Audio makes some of the lightest headphones in the world and Stealth is no exception; at just 418g it’s one of the lightest super-premium headphones on the market.
Together our new vegan suede and “leather” ear pads, self-adjusting suspension, and lightweight chassis make Stealth so comfy you can just ignore it and “vanish into your music.”
If it’s Not Comfortable, Game Over
Dan has often said if the headphone is not physically comfortable enough to wear for extended listening sessions then the design is flawed. That’s why comfort is a top priority, and that’s why Dan Clark Audio has produced some of the lightest and most comfortable headphones in the industry, from the ultralight 280g Ether 2 to the groundbreaking ergonomics of the Aeon series.
The ergonomic and stylish outline of Stealth’s ear cups is a natural extension of Aeon 2 ergonomics, albeit they are larger. For storage or travel, we incorporated Aeon 2’s elegant folding gimbal structure into Stealth, neatly folding it into a compact custom-molded case that’s small and easy to stow.
Stealth Key Features and Benefits:
- Patent-pending Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS) delivers unprecedented high-frequency detail and clarity for the ultimate in smoothness, tone, and detail retrieval
- All-new 4th generation v-Planar driver with our largest planar diaphragm to date, delivering exceptional dynamics with vanishingly low distortion for a natural and “easy” listen
- Improved driver tensioning system creates a driver with incredible consistency across units
- FEA and CFD optimized motor structure increases driver motor-force uniformity and smoothes the acoustic flow
- All-new auto-adjusting suspended strap design makes Stealth hassle-free to wear
- Pre-formed ergonomic strap design spreads the weight evenly across the head for incredibly comfortable extended listening
- Strap quilting improves comfort and reduces heat buildup
- Composite synthetic suede and protein-leather pads offer a sung fit with minimal clamp, with a pleasant touch on the skin
- Carbon/aluminum bonded cup design yields maximum stiffness with minimum weight
- Folding gimbals allow Stealth to be packed in a compact case for safe and easy transport
- Stealth is designed and built by hand in San Diego, California, and is backed by quality and support you can count on
You can pre-order the Dan Clark Audio Stealth starting from $3,999 at Audio 46.
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