When I have people listen to Utopia & Hugo2 I have stopped telling them the price. It spoils everything. I let them listen and ask them to put a dollar value to the sound. So a coworker that doesn't know about audio and had a Bose something came to my office and I let him have a listen. After...

So I was doing the same thing, trying to catch up with the posts. And you do have a point. Reaching consensus on many things is not possible. Example: cables. However, there is way way more into this sort of cacophony of opinions. It is who says what. So if you keep track of who says what...

You do have a point and this is an important issue but I wonder if this general rule has so many exceptions that cannot be cast as a rule. For example suppose you have a budget of about $3000. What would you choose? a)Mojo + Headamp GSX Mk2 b) Yggy and a Headamp Gilmore Lite Mk2 (the new one...

I auditioned the viva egoista 845 last weekend from a Naim DAC V1. Wow. Just wow. The Utopia soundstage was vast. The dynamics something else. The ferocity of a full scale orchestra playing in full swing came across better than ever before. Not an incremental upgrade but an experience at a...

You do have a point here. And it is often a fine line for @TSAVJason to walk on. Personally, I find the vast majority of TSAVJason's posts informative and adding to the collective knowledge of this thread without being self serving. Of course, there is a difference between announcing a product...

+1. I too feel that after a few hours of constant playing the focals become more open, energetic and articulate. Do the mechanical parts get sort of warmed up? It is a notable difference. Crazy? I don’t know unless I get one more headphone to do A/B testing. I first noticed it with the Elear but...

I had the chance to listen to the 009 and Utopia from the same R2R DAC. Utopia was paired with the GSX and the Stax 009 with a Blue Hawaii. This was last year at a meet so I will just convey my impressions from memory. In terms of personal preferences, I like neutral headphones/amps with a...

I am not sure if such an absolute statement is true. Does this mean that the choice of a USB cable doesn't matter or USB is the same as coax? You may want to give it a shot yourself. Regarding re-clocking. I have used GPS time to synchronize vehicle sensor measurements. GPS time has an...

Thanks for the detailed review! A transatlantic flight and the holidays kept me from replying sooner. It sounds like you found a favorite pairing of yours. Based on what you write the changes are: wider sound stage, more bass & weight to the sound, more natural mids. But also: not as fast &...

Then I am twisting your arm and asking a loaded question! Well, loaded in the sense that there is a wide spectrum of opinions on this. For everyone who owns or considers a Utopia I think it is a very valid question. Take your time. :) No rush.

I have both H2 and Utopia only for a short time but I have to say I am impressed more and more. I also have the Elear and out of H2 the difference is huge and similar to what you describe. Many in this thread say that adding an amp to H2 will do nothing but color the sound, reduce detail etc...

Hugo 2 first impressions and mini review Below are my first and very positive impressions listening to Hugo 2 (H2) the last two days. Although I have listened to a variety of DACs I mostly own Chord products. My primary point of comparison will be Hugo 1 (H1) which I used for about a month with...

Dear Mr Franks, I really don't understand. You wrote: "Has [Rob Watts] on a daily basis to submit his life’s work for an equal peer review by the likes of Statler and Waldorf from a famous old U.K. TV puppet show sitting in their theatre box." Here is picture of Statler and Waldorf. They...

You know there is a cult around mods. I bet you have heard or read tales about what a “properly modded” HD800 or HD650 can do. Utopia guys don’t seem very much into this cult of modding and probably for a good reason. But at least do let them try different pads. :) Seriously now, Focal appears...

If my experience with the Elear and Utopia is of any use to you, I recommend spending at least 50 hours before judging the Clear. What you write duplicates my experience. Some people don’t believe in burn-in but my experience and some A/B testing with the Focal headphones has taught me...

I certainly do like and appreciate good advice. If I come to Pittsburg I will pay a visit. But...no it wasn’t me. I live in NY. :)

Well said about the Nordost. Would you care for an apple to oranges comparison between your headphone and speaker systems? A week ago, my dealer in NYC knowing that I am a headphones only guy suggested I that listened to a good speaker system. The one that I tried had the Harbeth M30...

A note on Nordost Heimdal 2. I have been using it for about a week with a Hugo (until my Hugo 2 arrives) and I am generally happy with it. Compared with the stock cable, it did change the Utopia soundstage for the better. Although it varies by song, the instruments tend to be in more front...

Hmm, an open-box utopia is out of the question? I like classical too and what I have found out by trial and error is that classical is very demanding. This is because large orchestral recordings are very hard to reproduce. They require a very neutral, transparent, and fast headphone and a very...

I have a sense that the Utopia (and the Elear) after some time (say a few hours) sound more open, transparent and effortless. Can it be true? Is it my idea? The day I got the Elear I had the chance to compare mine with one that had several hundred hours on. The differences were obvious...

Agree, I was actually thinking of getting the silver Hugo but from the pictures you cannot tell that much. Upon seeing the two side by side I changed my mind. The black one seemed more classy, premium and special. It also seems to me more popular judging from how fast stock got replenished in...

Ok, I will pair it tomorrow with a windows laptop to see what happens. However, I didn't do any software updates, automatic or otherwise. So it may not be an apple issue. What you are saying is definitely worth trying though. The mojo was an in-store purchase from audio46 in NYC.

:) what would you do in my position? I think Chord conspired against me. They knew I was trying to find an excuse to get the Hugo and they secretly sent a termination signal to the mojo. Now they are going to torture me delivering the Hugo in a month or so. Still don't know when. So this is...

I have been using the mojo almost daily for 15 months. It stopped working out of the blue. The iMac does not see it, neither the MacBook pro, the iPad or the iPhone. I guess I have to get it back to the store but it is out of warranty. And some thoughts about the "law of diminishing returns"...

my bad about the company names. Thanks By bad. Thanks guys.