My Focal Clear. I lusted after these, but felt they were overpriced. I then got a good deal on a used pair. However, I’ve just scored a relative bargain on ex-demo Utopia (probably because of the new 22 model) which I spotted not long after getting my retirement lump sum, so happy days. Hopefully, I won’t lose too much if I sell the Clear.
I have the 800s and the same amp. You should try the Nordost Heimdall 2 headphone cable balanced to the amp. It makes a huge difference, highly recommended.
I thought these would have been more up your street! https://www.focal.com/en/partners/utopia-tournaire
I've enjoyed them on a number of systems. Only issue I had was the bar across the top of your head syndrome after a while. Could just be a case of improper adjustment, but I did try them on more than one occasion. Built like a Rolex, and great sound. @Ham Sandwich has written here about listening to them on a Chord Dave system.
I am not a big headphone guy but my friend bought Sennheiser HD-800s and I think they were the best I’ve heard. He was driving them with a separate Headphone I can’t remember which one.
Listening to Keith Jarrett Complete At The Blue Note, disc IV (of 6). It's superb (on the AKG K812s). Very high quality recording that simply imparts the trio's joy at playing to an audience. This is a must listen for everybody - defeats the anti-audiophile red herring of good recording/bad performance and vice versa in one (well 6 really) stroke.
My 404s are better at the frequency extremes but I really like the sound of the Sigmas with a small tube amp.
if you still can get someone to do a 404/Sigma hybrid, do it. A big improvement that extends both the top and bottom end of these wonderful headphones and really creates something spectacular, nearly as good as the rarer Stax Sigma Pro, which I also had.
How do you like the Utopia’s? I see they have them on headphones dotcom open box for $3199. is this a good deal? After reading the reviews there, someone stated that the open box are actually refurbished but still carry the full warranty. The sale ends today I believe. I own the Clears and really like them just wondering if the Utopia’s are that much better?
Ok, thanks, maybe that’s a good sign, so i’ll save my money for now and try and get out and listen to a pair before they are all gone (2020 version).
I have to admit that I have grown to love headphones. To me a lifelike (almost palpable) sound stage is very important. Took me quite a while to find a few headphones that not only offer lots of insight and an intimate sound, but also reveal layers in music and are able to give more than just a sense of the dimensions of a sound stage. For wireless I'm enjoying the Dali IO-4 and with the Marantz 30N as amp I love my Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro.
Unboxed the Focal Utopia and listened to it. Man, this is one smooooth headphone with superb dynamics. I'm not keen on anything too bright or too dull, and this skates a perfectly fine line. The best I've heard so far.
I understand the day starts earlier in Australia than here, but I hadn't realized it was actually Christmas Day! Glad you are enjoying your new toy!!
Almost exclusive headphone listener....can see the general setup in my profile pic. Since then I've added a GS-X Mini as well. I find that synergy is vital. I use the GS-X with Meze Empyreans. The Feliks Euforia 20th AE with Focal Utopias. Have tried rolling tubes but landed on the stock supplied driver tubes but swapped the power for Tungsol 5998's. Also likely to elicit some strong emotions but I have a pair of Danacable Lazuli Nirvana cables for each set of headphones. Insanely priced, but I bought the Utopia cable first used and found it to be worth it so immediate ordered a Meze cable from Danacables (as well as Nirvana RCA's for the Feliks). Worth the price of admission? Everyone's checkbook is their own guide. I use a Yggdrasil OG A2 Unison for DAC. I've run through a handful of headphones, climbing the ladder each time. It's the typical rule...the improvement achieved (flattens) to the price (hockey-sticks up fast) ratio each time. I used to read HeadFi in every spare minute - now I rarely look at it. I'm happy.
Two excellent systems! Since they are both costly set-ups, do you mind if I ask how you decide which to use at a particular time? What do you get from one that you don't get from the other?
My current system is the best I have heard for all around goodness. A GSX Mini and HD 800S. My other headphones (LCD-5) may offer more resolution but this system gives enough of that. The Sennheisers give more top end sparkle and I like that.
That's a great question, one that I probably don't have a real scientific answer for. Probably easier to describe the evolution on how I landed at each. Classic case of upgrade-itis, to be honest. My first high-end DAC was a RME ADI-2, which I used with Fostex TH900mkII headphones. A great combination, to be sure, but I was curious about something different. I came across The Cable Company's headphone lending program (pay something like 10% of the headphone cost to rent for a week; get that 10% in Cable Co credit towards a purchase). I demo'd three: Empyrean, Focal Clear, Audeze LCD-4z. I immediately liked the Empyrean and they were the most different from the others. The Clear and LCD4z sounded similar to me, or at least less different to each other vs the Empyreans. So I sold the TH900's and bought a pair of used Meze. Given I liked the sound of both the Clears and 4z's I read up on Focal's and Audeze, and ultimately curiosity got the best of me and I bought a used pair of Utopia's without even hearing them. They were as advertised when it came to detail and performance, but I found them a bit too sharp combined with the RME. Rarely listened to them. The Meze sounded great with the RME, by the way. So I looked into tubes to try to tame the sharpness and landed on a Monolith Liquid Platinum. Was better with the Utopias but still not enough to really wow me. So I sold it. Again the Utopia's just sort of sat around, with the Meze and RME getting most of the listening time. Eventually I started to be curious about a DAC upgrade ("upgrade" being relative, of course). I landed on the Yggy (sold the RME), again before even listening to it. Combination of price (bought used), reviews, etc....it lived up to expectations. I had a THX AAA 789 laying around that I started using with the Yggy and mostly the Meze. That combination sounded great to me. Eventually I figured I should either move the Utopia or figure out how to use them since they were just collecting dust. Started looking into tubes again, reading and doing research like crazy, and landed on the Feliks. Similar to the Yggy a combination of price to performance (again buying used). I found it a really good match for the Utopias. Tamed some of the "glare" that the sterile solid states I had used before brought out (at least to me). It's definitely "warm", having the tube sound....however you want to describe it. Once again go curious about a better solid state, and landed on the Mini after considering a Ferrum Oor or the like. It made the Meze even better than the 789 (not surprisingly). Except for the Empyreans I've purchased everything un-demo'd. And everything used. It's taken time for sure. So, to answer your initial question - how do I choose? The Meze/Emperian I use for all critical listening....comparing releases, listening for things I haven't heard before, etc. The argument could be made that the Utopia/GSX would be even better for that, but I find that the Meze are a better balance in general (both listening critically, but still enjoying the sound). If I want to just relax and listen or listen while doing something the Utopia/Feliks is more the go to. The presentation of the tubes pulls me back from the music a bit, which I often like. That presentation is why I only listen to the Utopia on the Feliks (the Meze are too far back) and the likewise the Meze on the GSX (the Utopia are too close on the GSX). I'm actually listening to the Utopia/Feliks as I write this. I could certainly live with either and be happy, but if I could only keep one it would be the Meze/GSX - and it'd be a pretty easy choice.
Finding the right headphone system sound and synergy for yourself is a journey. And you certainly took a journey to get where you're at. The big challenge is that the right headphone will depend on which amp and DAC are paired with it. The right amp will depend on which headphone and DAC are paired with it. The right DAC will depend on which headphone and amp are paired with it. Finding the right synergy for the whole system relies on luck with all three happening to be there at once for you to demo. Or on making your own luck by going to meets where others have already done the journey and have brought final destination synergy systems to the meet to try. And a variety of different such systems by different people so you get to try systems optimized around synergy for planars, dynamics, high impedance dynamics, low impedance dynamics, electrostats, and others.
