Dan Clarke Audio (DCA), which was previously known as MrSpeakers, has announced a new flagship planar magnetic headphone, the STEALTH. Uniquely for a flagship, the STEALTH is a closed back headphone, with technology drawn from DCA’s experience designing the AEON Closed and Ether C headphones.
In a video interview with Jude Mansilla of Head-Fi, Dan Clarke explained that the driver design for the STEALTH was completely new, featuring their lightest diaphragm to date. This coupled with 15 magnets still only results in a pair of headphones only 415 grams in weight.
The drivers are built using all new in-house technology that accurately tensions the diaphragms. This, coupled with driver matching equipment, results in extremely accurate driver pairing and design consistency.
The STEALTH integrates a new, patent-pending system called AMTS. This consists of a highly complex waveguide between the driver and the ear that, using carefully created sound channels, integrates waveguides, diffusion control, portawave and helmholtz resonators, allowing DCA to control resonances and shape frequency response, allowing for precise tuning of the headphones.
Dan Clarke explained that every aspect of the design of the headphones was carefully considered. While the look and shape is based around the AEON headphones, and includes their folding cup system. The Nitinol-wire headband system, first made famous on their Ether headphones, has a widened design, with the sliding adjustment system for the headpad having been replaced with elastic, allowing an instant fit without the need for adjustment.
The design also goes as far as ensuring that the headphones are not visible in your peripheral vision while wearing them, with carefully angled cups.
The Dan Clarke Audio STEALTH headphones are available immediately for US$3999.
For more details, and the full interview, check out the video from Head-Fi.
