[Afghan Vet]

I know I could find the answer easily enough if I read through the thread for the Focal cans.....but in a nut shell.....what is the difference between the Utopia and Elear that makes the Utiopia cost so much more? 
 
If the Elear can be made to sound so extraordinary.......I could imagine the Utopia could be even better.......but 4x better? 

 

[TomNC]

A major difference is that the Utopia has drivers made of expensive (and poisonous if absorbed in human body) metal like that used in Focal top speakers while the Elear has drivers made of some aluminum alloy. Plus, some other material differences. Still, nothing can justify for the price difference except pricing based on marketing. And many customers are waiting for the Utopia to reach in their market. With the low manufacture output, don't expect the used prices of the Utopia fall quickly.

 

[j4ys]

I also expect Jay to have a full fledged Stax-009 and BHSE system ready for our eager ears.

 

 
I'll definitely have this setup before our Spring 2023 mini-meet. Maybe the BHSE's will be cheaper by then. Any earlier and you might have to settle for listening to 009s's with a secondhand SRM-007... or maybe just some old (by then) chipped-up HD800s and an aging LAu with a new DAC.
 
Fantastic meet though, good catching up with Otis and the local gang. Adding in dinner was an awesome idea too!

 

[TomNC]

Some pictures from my iPhone which was severely challenged and confused by the mixed indoor lights.
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

[vc1187]

Otis' enthusiasm kills me...

 

[smy1]

Any mini meet anytime soon?

I live in the clemmons area

 

[vc1187]

Any mini meet anytime soon?

I live in the clemmons area

Possibly within the next 2 months.
 
What does the rest of the gang say as far as availability?
 
I will want to hear that Utopia and Trafo 2

 

[TomNC]

Within 2 months sounds great. Do we expect the presence of Utopia? i want to experiment Jason's power conditioner and Aries with my DAC and amp to see how much differences those would make.

 

[Afghan Vet]

I certainly will be free for another meet in March or April (later in April - have the big car meet the 7th and 8th).

 

[Afghan Vet]

Another fantastic time yesterday! Thank you once again Vernon for hosting at your wonderful home. Thank you Anna for the snacks that were enjoyed (especially the Guac apparently). And thank you Vernon for the VR set up.....I will play it next time.....I was a weinie this time.
 
It was great to see Vernon and Anna.....Tom.....and John! We were missing Jay and Jerry - hopefully next time fellas. And.....I can't forget Otis! (the hackisac killer.....the lover of pillows and arms.....the official mascot of our mini-meets).
 
I really enjoyed listening to the HEK's - those are fantastic headphones! Probably the most comfortable headphone I have put on - could wear those all day with no issues. The had a beautifully lush sound - without any loss of detail (to my ears). Fantastic bass response and a wonderfully warm signature. As everyone mentioned - these are the type of headphones to put on to relax - just enjoy - especially after a day of work. They are still 'serious' headphones - top shelf sound completely! 
 
Thank you all for the feedback on the Utopia - of course I didn't write anything down for my review that I'm going to provide to Moon - and I can't remember anything (because of my advanced age) - so if you could type some memory joggers - that would be groovy. Thank you Vernon (and Tom) for listening to the stock cable versus the Black Dragon - and thank you for listening to the Focals on the ZDS with various tubes (Think we found a WINNER!).
 
Hopefully Tom you were able to evaluate your system hooked to my power conditioner thing, and you were able to evaluate your system with the Aries as the source.
 
Vernon - the Stratus was wonderful as always - so cool to be able to connect my FiiO directly to your DAC. And the VR system is amazing! I could spend (waste?) hours playing with that!
 
Thank you so much for making it John. I know your time is portioned out with everything that needs to be covered, but it is such a great time hanging out with you. I grudgingly loved the Trafomatic amp, and I look forward to the next time I can enjoy it (grudgingly

).
 
Dinner was excellent......even though I was the hardest to order and take my order.......and I got mine before everyone else It was a great time hanging out with you all!
 
Now some pics....until I remember that I forgot to mention something.
 

 
Vernon's desk space has increased!
 

 
With Tom
 

 
Without Tom
 

 
FiiO X5iii - fantastic little player!
 

 

 
Sort of with Tom
 

 
With Tom
 

 

 
I just want to be outside running.....and running.....
 

 
Why is this weird dude taking pictures of me?
 

 
A Longbowman! Dubbed 'The Assassin'

 

 

 
The 'Winning' Tube.
 

 

[vc1187]

Thanks for the excellent photos!  Also, it was great to see everyone and meet John.  The folding table helped a bunch! 
Three things that really stuck for me this meet:
 
1) The Utopia lives up to its hype.  My opinion on the dollar amount that I would personally pay for the Utopia is not a reflection of my opinion on the headphones, but rather my own personal limit on how much I'd feasibly spend on any top tier headphone at this time.
 
2) The Trafomatic Head 2 is an amazing amp.  I love the dynamics and how lively the music can sound when played from it.  To my ears it was very resolving and neutral.  I would easily pay what John paid if another were to pop up on the classifieds.
 
3) The HD800 and Utopia really benefit from aftermarket cables.  This was really evident in John's system, where everything was very neutral and slight tweaks to cables could be easily heard.  
 
Outside of these impressions, I was impressed with a lot of the music that was chosen for our listening sessions.  Props to Jason for his excellent taste in music.  
Also enjoyed talking with Tom about various impressions on each of the systems paired with different headphones as well as watching John go from 'first time VR player' to 'masterful archer'.
 
I'll post some more impressions on each individual headphone/system in the next few posts when I have additional time.

 

[TomNC]

It was another great meet with friends and having a taste of the Utopia. I had read much about the Utopia and really looked forward to this opportunity to have a listen to it with some of the familiar gear this group have.
 
The fast speed and high resolution of the Utopia was obvious the minute I put it on. These contributed to the high dynamic nature of these phones. For me, it surpassed my HD800 in both of these aspects. The Utopia’ sound was also very punchy, reminding me of the HE6 I used to own. Both of them gave me some aspects of listening to hi-fi speakers, such as the sense of power, authority and ironclad control. But the HE6 is less resolving than the HD800 and one more level lower than the Utopia.
 
I felt the sound of the Utopia was overall quite forwarding, a little over my comfort zone. But here I should add a cautionary note. This was the first time for me to listen to it and my experience may change over time should Jason let me have more time with it over several occasions. I recalled that the HE6 also sounded very forwarding the first couple times I listened to it but before long it ceased to sound like that to me. Assuming the forwardness was true for a minute, I thought it might be engendered by some emphasis on the mid-bass (tight and punchy), and some emphasis in the high-mid and in some treble bands. My ears were not good enough to pinpoint where exactly those emphases were.
 
I agree with Vernon who pointed out that the Utopia was free of the spikes present with the HD800s. Even with two types of mod and a Norne Draug 2 cable, my HD800 still has residual problems with the artificial treble spikes. In contrast, the Utopia had no such problems at all. It is a truly remarkable achievement considering how resolving the Utopia is and it does so without an exaggeration of the edges. This is also an indication that the HD800 might have a tendency to present false details manifested as some of those spikes.
 
With the above cautionary note, I do wish the Utopia could move a little towards the relaxing sound signature of the HEK. For instance, the mid-bass was very tight and impactful from the Utopia but the extension to the sub-bass was somewhat lacking. The HEK was much better in this aspect. I am very sensitive to the tightness of the mid-bass and prefer a tuneful bass range with a moderate level of energy. Another example was that while I like the aliveness and beautiful timbre of violins with the Utopia, I wish the sound could soften and darken a little for better conveying of mood states. The same thing could be said about cello sound. I prefer a little less bass energy to convey certain emotions which are supposedly at relatively low energy levels.
 
I read earlier that many felt the soundstage of the Utopia was on the small and close-in side. I think the size and shape of its soundstage were both decent. Plus the imaging and separation were very very good. One thing I want to mention was that with some tracks, I clear detected a spherical border of the soundstage: everything was clear and alive inside of the border; outside of it sounds abruptly disappeared. I thought this might be one of the reasons why some listeners perceived a close-in soundstage. In contrast, the HEK and HD800 did not create the impression of such a border. Sometimes, if I closed my eyes while listening to my HD800, the stage seemed to extend endlessly. Anyway, likely due to that I do not often listen to large orchestra works, the Utopia’s soundstage was not an issue to me. It has its own characteristics but not necessarily a shortcoming. The Utopia’s soundstage might help create an enhanced sense of realism and immersiveness.

 

[Afghan Vet]

Thank you Tom for those remarks - you all have given me good information to include in my 'review'. It also has given me good things to ponder as I'm listening - as a learning tool - not to 'verify' a negative aspect, but to get more of an understanding of some of these terms. I have heard guys mention 'brain burn in' as well, and I wonder if that forward sound could be one of those aspects - the more time you spent with it - the less forward it would appear. Tom - any issues with that music on the thumb drive?

Again - I really enjoyed our meet - one of the things I most look forward to during the year. There is a really good familiarity that has developed, and that enhances the enjoyment.

 

[TomNC]

Thanks for ripping those CDs. I have only listened to part of it and still detected some noises and distortions in a few tracks. This might suggest the problem is the CDs themselves rather than the ripping gear of ours. I suppose this is why CDs are getting obsolete due to quality issues even some CDs were bought from Amazon and should be fine.

 

[minibox]

Finally getting around to checking out this thread.
Thank you again Vernon for hosting and providing a perfect venue and atmosphere for listening and socializing. Food, drinks and music could not have been better.
This was my first head phone meet and I was able to glean a lot of new information from all of you fine people
I was impressed with all of the setups and the distinct character of each. Cable swapping and tinkering with equipment was fun and gave some ideas on how to improve my current gear (which I am extremely happy with, thank you Jason and Vernon).
This was the first time I heard the stratus, HEK and modded hd800's. Jason gave me some much appreciated time the other day with the focals. Needless to say, I was dumbfounded by their balance, transparency, detail and overall ability to just do everything well without any glaring weaknesses. They make it easy to pass from an analytical evaluation to pure enjoyment of the music. Coming from a car and home audio background, I am amazed that cans can come so close to replicating what multiple full size drivers do while providing even more with regards to detail and resolution.
Tom, your modded hd800s and nord cable sent me reeling after previously only listening to my stock setup. Needless to say, I'll be making similar mods in the near future.
Vernon, I didn't get much time with the hek's, but my initial impression was smooth, relaxing and extremely musical. The sound reminded me of listening to properly setup maggies, smooth and resolving without a hint of harshness. I now know why the DNA stratus is held in such high regard. Much like the utopias, it seemed to do everything effortlessly.
Thank you again for the VR experience. That machine is dangerous, as in I could spend untold hours playing and likely forget about the "real world." Or maybe that was the real world? BTW, a reoccurring question has plagued me since the meet: what is the matrix?