MR is a good halfway house in the Abyss lineup, but you need to go up to TC to compete with Utopia, imo. The technicalities of MR are very good. TC are stunning.
I haven’t heard the TC but the MR is definitely not above the Utopia IMHO.
The MR excels at sub bass compared to Utopia, and matches at highs, but the mids are literally practically not even there in the MR, compared to Utopia which is just intense across the entire FR.
This is somewhere between the Utopia and the Final D8K I have - good treble and separation of the Utopia and nice thumpy bass of the D8K. I am driving it with the Bakoon HDA-5230 now and will try the Wandla + Oor + Hypsos stack after work later tonight, but this is much more demanding to drive than the two headphones mentioned above. Overall, happy with my purchase.
I haven’t heard the TC but the MR is definitely not above the Utopia IMHO.
The MR excels at sub bass compared to Utopia, and matches at highs, but the mids are literally practically not even there in the MR, compared to Utopia which is just intense across the entire FR.
I also tested the utopia vs the dtc... The punch of the utopia is really fun but for me that's about it on the positive side. Sound wise this headphone simply didn't work for me. (Like most of the headphones with an angled membrane.) I am missing out on some frequencies in the treble with this type of headphones (similar issues with the expanse). But even if it would sound great to my ears - the build quality for such an expensive headphone is so bad... I was immediately afraid it snaps when picking it up with one hand.
@walterboss: Can you maybe say something regarding DTC <-> Caldera? (Or have you already somewhere?)
What amp did you try with utopia? It's very picky. Just interested.
DTC Vs Caldera...caldera does basically everything very well, but for me DTC is more resolving, better imaging, and more interesting tuning.
I actually used to EQ it but stopped.
Caldera is the most 'yep, that's a nicely detailed, warmly tuned planar'. Nothing really stands out for me. Whereas dtc's positives are higher than calderas.
That said, I'd recommend trying because people who love caldera really love it. For me after a week trial there wasn't a single track I heard something interesting or moving unlike anything before.
@walterboss I used an ifi iCan Pro Signature for the Utoptia.
Thanks for your impressions. The Caldera is currently also on the top of my "want to listen to" list. Know someone in another forum who sold his beloved DTC basically immediately after trying the caldera which keeps me wondering. ^^ Is treble amount / tuning of the two on a similar level?
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.