She does look awkward :D but the headphones are the saving grace!

You ranked Pavane over Dave! Is it more resolving? Or is it the tonality?

Hugo 2 for headphones that you can drive capably via its headphone output. For speakers and headphones that will require a separate amp for optimal drive, Yggdrasil.

I own a Mojo & a Hugo 2. The difference between the 2 are stark to me. For one the tuning is completely different. Mojo is mid lush, Hugo 2 is more or less neutral with deep extensions at both end. Resolution wise Hugo 2>>Mojo, I can hear textures and nuances of each note far better on H2...

Besides Dave, which are the other two above Hugo TT2?!

I have listened to both the setups you mentioned. The d10>009 I listened at an event. Though I was surprised by how competent d10 is to drive 009, I felt it fell short of hugo2>utopia. The latter has a more even soundstage and coherent imaging. D10>009 has a collapsed and weird shaped soundstage...

Not much mention of Chord Dave on these threads

I think if someone with good ears tried the Utopia blindfolded when it first came out they would have mistaken it for an uber high end sealed headphone. Every other flagship strives to transcend the headphone experience whereas Focal just shrugged off the soundstage size aspect.

I ve tried foobar eq and schiit Loki for HD800S. I prefer the 800S unadulterated :D

Fullness as in individual notes seem to have more component tones. Just my take.

Auralic Taurus mk2 lets HD800S be what it is, a natural sounding detailed headphone with expansive soundstage. It is a very neutral amp, it doesn’t really make it sound full but the treble is well controlled & never harsh (by comparison the treble on 800S jotunheim combo is harsh. For fullness...

Auralic Taurus MK2

Just curious about one thing about Utopia. Is there any dac amp combo that makes them sound intolerable. I mean so far I have tried to plug them into various combos of all my dacs and amps. It sounds stellar out of everything. I didn’t try straight out of phone or computer of course but I...

I love the BHA1 HD800S combo. Compared to jotunheim, BHA1 has a more expansive soundstage; so yeah sounds are further pushed back. Treble is detailed and extended; I think female vocals sound sweet. You could say less energetic but in a positive way; it is overall more relaxing compared to...

Hearing is subjective so we will all have different conclusions. These are some obvious differences that stand out to me.

650 has incredible potential.

High end speakers and matching electronics in an appropriately sized and acoustically treated dedicated space might beat headphones. Otherwise it is a matter of preference.

More naturality, accuracy, flatness but less euphony. Mineral water vs warm milk!

I would not hesitate to own all of them if given the resources :) But something like ADX5k or HD800/S would take precedence over Z1R for me since Z1R is sonically close to LCD4.

I have been listening to the Utopia for 3 weeks now. Only in the last couple of days have I started relaxing while listening to them. So far I was always thinking about their sound (how perfect it is). But then I would realize that familiar music seems a bit off and less enjoyable. I think I...

If you are contemplating a Utopia it would be useful to try to arrange a home audition for week or 2. Short listening sessions can be misleading I feel.

On paper almost everything one writes comparing the 2 is probably going to go in favour of Utopia. But at the end of the day 800S to me sounds more natural & flowing. Utopia is extremely capable technically speaking. The bass of Utopia is a touch more in quantity and a touch faster than 800S. A...

So I have been listening to Utopia everyday for last 2 weeks or so. Very impressive of course as has been established already. But the surprising thing is it has not diminished my regard for HD800S! Quite the contrary I like them even more now. My personal opinion is that the 800S sounds more...

800S is a slight bit on the brightish side of neutral. That is its signature. With your dac and amp, 800S must be a real treat esp for their forte genres - classical, orchestra, moviescores. My favorite instruments on 800S are brass instruments like tuba etc, and bowed strings like violin, cello...

Hugo 2 is stellar at driving 800S. My experience is you lose a tiny bit microdetail when you interpose an amp. Of course you gain additional qualities with an amp. I use Bryston BHA 1, it is a touch cool but gives nice slam to the bass and the treble while extended is tightly controlled!