The Utopia is a significant upgrade over the Clear. Whether it is a $4000 upgrade that will make your Clear redundant is a decision up to you. The Utopia has always scaled with the quality of the DAC and source. Without (And this is an exaggeration) it’s akin to drinking a $1000 wine out of a...

Not under warranty … but I think focal has a house rule of replacing failed drivers within 5 years of purchase for the utopia?

Focal Bathys. It is very forgiving of your source. It's bluetooth after all. It's TOTL ... for a bluetooth ANC headphone. #Justtrolling Something not too hard to drive ; and tolerates compensation for source deficiencies... perhaps LCD 4Z or LCD5? The LCD 5 will play most genre of music well. I...

++++++++ as above The stock cables are mostly 'fine'. Thicker gauge cables tend to add some richness to the sound. I was also a cable sceptic. I also kept the Danacable Lazuli Reference Plus and can consistently tell when I roll the cables what difference it makes. The 30 day guarantee is what...

#shrugs - they are better than my AirPods Pro Gen 2 and Bose QC35 from a sound quality perspective. Of course, that is my opinion. If you own the XM3 or XM4 you would have little reason to side-step to the Bathys. I paid $420US (equivalent) for the Bathys. That's roughly 10% (rounded up) the...

Convinced. It looks to be well researched and implemented technology. The hearing test seemed rather robust. Though a “best of three” may be more accurate. I understand a balance needs to be made with accuracy vs pragmatics. It correctly identified and compensated for (known) hearing changes...

I've been quietly impressed with the sound quality and versatility of the Bathys. It reminds me of the CFA Andromeda 2020 in tuning. Pleasantly detailed for the price point and relatively neutral ; although unlike the CFA Andromeda there is the presence of dynamic driver bass. I can see how mass...

That is absolutely stunning. What led you to forego the copper hybrid and go for the full silver? Looking forward to hearing your impressions when you finally get to spend time with the cable.

Interesting. Would be keen to read/see how it has evolved including changes over time for the LCD-5

If you kept your box, the serial is on the box also. Edit: the brown outer cardboard box

If you're used to neutral tuning without the generic warm mid/bass boost, the Bathys will appeal. They have lovely clarity and definition for an ANC headphone. They do lack the rich fullness of a more expensive headset. The material doesn't seem like something that would take well to sweat or...

God knows when Hugo3 is coming... but if it's sounding anything like the Chord TT2 which was absolutely amazing with IEM's (best ever I've heard) ... then I would be very impressed. I synergise the Hugo2 with the Cayin C9 at times ; but even on it's own - as long as you have a 4.4mm or suitable...

Congratulations!!! Dare I ask what the turnaround time was? I’ve avoided asking the question of Trevor as I wasn’t sure what etiquette was vs “are we there yet”

Charging doesn't occur in USB DAC mode. But it starts charging once you switch it off if it's still plugged into USB-C on my macbook. I was listening to the Bathys earlier today :) For the price of the A2A clearance, they're very capable.

That it can. But the utopia 2022 addresses that with a more rich, musical and warmer tuning.

Closed v open back? The Stelia is more claustrophobic. But focal open backs are not known for expansive sound. You’d have a little more space but lose out on technicality. I’d say it isn’t worth it.

They need to be powered on to work. So if you let the Bathys battery run flat. It won’t work. And I don’t think you charge and listen concurrently.

Magnificent. The Utopia 2022 is amazing with Hans Zimmer. The Utopia benefits from being driven properly. Adding the Cayin C9 added that extra dynamic punchiness. A portable set-up doesn't get much better than this. Waiting for the Norne Audio balanced Vykari cable... There's a lovely rich...

If you have a good relationship with your store you probably can pick up a pair ; and return the unopened new box when it arrives. Just check with them it's okay first. The Bathys is 'okay' but you have a lot of nice things to listen to! Unless you need the ANC or wireless capability, the other...

I was looking at ElisiX’s headphone list as the comparison. From comfort to sound. I’ve been around long enough to know it’s nowhere near fair. Sound quality on the Bathys wasn’t actually that bad. And the tuning whilst not perfect, rather acceptable. It’s not as warm as Utopia 22 which...

Let me know how you find the Bathys. Coming from the Utopia and Stellia you may find it lacking. I haven't spent all that much time with it. Doesn't quite have the drive, tempo or dynamics of the Utopia. I am slightly underwhelmed. Then again, you can't really drive the Bathys out of a...

Definitely prefer roon over tidal. Too much marketing jazz - from MQA to spatial audio with tidal. Roon allows ease or use. You can use your phone / laptop etc as your controller. Ergonomically less clunky and much better interface than the Naim app. Pricey though!

Well ... you may have missed out on the latest Australia excitement with grey pricing with a change of distributor. Just had a look - the trade in store locator is informing me Focal isn't being sold in my country lol

It’s “fine”. The empyrean isn’t as technically proficient as the Utopia. And the Naim also less so than the tt2. So fine for a relaxed listen. But if you’re used to better technical proficiency, I used to prefer the tt2. There was just something lacking with the HE with the empy’s. Once you’ve...

The utopia is very revealing of the source and tuned slightly warm. Synergy matters. But it really comes down to personal preference as to how it sounds. Utopia isn’t hard to drive so I’m going out on a limb and say it’s more about the tuning synergy. Any desktop amp will have enough oomph. I...