I have to say this is one of the best reviews, if not THE best, that I have read on this forum. Thanks for sharing.

Wow, almost 12 years on Head-Fi and 106 posts total, yet a $3.6k product finally makes you spill the beans on your audio journey. Something tells me that with this Utopia purchase, there is a Chord Dave purchase on the horizon. ;+)

I agree with tomnc. not only is it well wrote, your perception of how the headphones present the music in all aspects is similar to mine. You've got me scared to try the utopia as your shelves look almost identical to what mine would look like if I had the money minus the akg's.

Very nice dialogue. I don't actively post but felt compelled to respond to your thoughtful review. I climbed the Hifiman product line and was very happy with the progression in sound quality. I demoed the Elears first and was impressed. I then tried the Utopias and immediately knew I was in trouble. I went back to the store three times, to the point where I was the standing "indecisive buyer" joke for the staff. My wife settled things and purchased the Utopias as a Christmas gift. In one sentence, for me, the characteristics of tonal realism, clarity, treble extension, and immediacy are just uniquely compelling.

Nicely done post. Like to know By ab_ba if you've listened to the better over-ear closed back headphones? If you have be interested to read your impressions. I've owned Ether C's so very familiar with that excellent headphone.