[514077]

 

 
I'd be interested in a comparison between the Eutopia and the LCD-4 as to similarity in price.  Wrong thread, I know, but in passing, has anyone been able to listen to both?

When the LCD-4 came out, I had really high hopes for it. What I wanted was a headphone that had the ability to handle bass and mids like the X and the ability to articulate highs like the HD800, but without the HD800's harshness (the well documented 6k Hz issues). I listened to the LCD-4 and what I heard was the typical Audeze house sound, but a bit more refined than what you'd find in the X. The LCD-4, in my mind, was nowhere near twice the performance of the X and I did not see it as a large enough upgrade to buy it.
 
About two weeks ago, I went to audition the Utopia. Where I auditioned it, I had the pick of the litter as far as amps were concerned, but I went with an amp that I was very familiar with and my own music so as to limit the difference of what I was hearing to only the Utopia. Within a minute, I knew I was listening to something very special. Unlike the LCD-4, the Utopia excelled in every area. There was no weakness to be found. The imaging is unlike anything I have ever heard. Vocals are spectacular, especially female vocals.
 
I listen to a wide range of genres, so I threw everything at it to see if it would stumble anywhere. It did not: Rock, jazz, hip-hop, acapella, electronica. It didn't matter. Everything sounded outstanding. Moreover, what I wanted when I listened to the LCD-4 was essentially the best bits of the LCD-X and the HD800, but I got from the Utopia was so much more than that.
 
So, I bought the Utopia on the spot.
 
Since then, I've had it at home and have compared it to my X and HD800. If I thought there was one thing that I would change, and it's only noticeable in direct comparison, I would like to have the bass be more like the LCD-X. I have heard on other threads, switching the earpads on the Utopia to the ones that come with Elear will give the Utopia a deeper bass. If that is true, there will be absolutely nothing else for me to complain about. Even if it was not true, it's not like the Utopia is lacking bass in any way, it's just not like the X.

Thanks.  I was curious about the 4 being a significant upgrade.  But, it sounds like the Eutopia might mean a new ballgame for high-end cans including the 4.  Thanks again.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I wonder what the parts cost is. At 2k, Utopia would appear well positioned to obliterate the high-end field: HD800/S, LCD3/x/c/4, HE6/x/1k, SR007/009, PS1000, Ether/C/Flow, perhaps even their forthcoming e-stats. (The only headphone that might escape would be the venerable K1000, and then only because the signature and soundstage are so utterly different.) 
 
At 4k...even if it can be driven to perfection by a Jotunheim, it's more than my monthly take-home as a teacher. 4k is certainly better than 50k, but for me, 2k is a sort of rubicon. I'm not saying I will never cross it, and it's great that Elear exists, but I continue to bemoan the boutique pricing of transducers. 

 

[x RELIC x]

Given the price of pure beryllium (which is what the Utopia has) is 40-50 times the price of gold I think that a significant portion of the cost is in the actual driver.

 

[OddE]

Given the price of pure beryllium (which is what the Utopia has) is 40-50 times the price of gold I think that a significant portion of the cost is in the actual driver.

 
-Unless the beryllium in question is extracted by German maiden elves and purified in a cauldron made from unobtainium (&c), that price estimate is probably way off.
 
(I asked our metals pusher at work for a quote on the phone a few minutes ago; 100g of 99.9% Be would set me back the equivalent of £240 or so. Rate negotiable if I wanted loads of it. Gold (99.99 pure; note an order of magnitude improved purity over the beryllium) would be £3400 or so for 100g.)
 
Obviously, the Utopia may utilize five-nines Be or have it processed in some exotic way which adds significantly to cost - but plain, pure-ish Be isn't all that expensive.
 
Still not something I'd like to keep around the house, though - it is a pretty effective carcinogen.

 

[x RELIC x]

/OT

I'm just quoting the Focal guy in Jude's video for pure beryllium, which is what the Utopia uses, not an alloy. Interesting. Yes, the manufacturing is extremely toxic, but benign in solid form apparently (don't eat it though). Actually, I believe the comment was for a 1kg sheet the cost was 40-50 times 1kg gold, so apparently the processing makes it expensive over the raw form.

Edit: Bah, but what do I know, sorry for the OT.

 

[Audiolic]

Given the price of pure beryllium (which is what the Utopia has) is 40-50 times the price of gold I think that a significant portion of the cost is in the actual driver.

ahahaha.. it's 40mm, 42um thick diaphragm of beryllium
 
cost is 60$ max for that diaphragm...  
 
it's also an overpriced product because of old audiophile rich dudes who are ready to pay for it because they don't know what to do with their money before dying. 
 
most normal young people strive to survive in this world and will never be able to afford a house or even a car.. 

 

[thefitz]

Are all Summit-Fi headphone threads about the Focal Utopia now?

 

[Audiolic]

  Are all Summit-Fi headphone threads about the Focal Utopia now?

Who cares audeze LCDs are too heavy anyway.. if you have a normal neck, it's actually dangerous to have this on your head everyday for too long... hahaha.. even 400g is f. heavy for the neck, more so if your chair is ergonomic etc.. ..
 
you have to try koss estats 950 at 260g and compare to understand how better and freeer you feel with a lightweight, unclamping headphone..  

 

[OddE]

Who cares audeze LCDs are too heavy anyway.. if you have a normal neck, it's actually dangerous to have this on your head everyday for too long... hahaha.. even 400g is f. heavy for the neck, more so if your chair is ergonomic etc.. ..

-The hard hat I wear at work weighs in at more than a pair of headphones (Ear protection and a visor in addition to the hard hat itself)

And don't even get me started on my MC helmet.

I would be most surprised if a pair of headphones could be shown to be dangerous for your neck.

 

[Audiolic]

-The hard hat I wear at work weighs in at more than a pair of headphones (Ear protection and a visor in addition to the hard hat itself)

And don't even get me started on my MC helmet.

I would be most surprised if a pair of headphones could be shown to be dangerous for your neck.

for normal, fragile or problematic neck, i'm sure it can be, even too much clamping is dangerous since it can block nerves to the head..
 
for headphone it also depends on the weight distribution.. since the magnet are on the sides it create a pull down when you move your neck..
 
if your listening to electronic beats.. your always moving your heads on the beats so....
 
so yeah pretty uncomfortable for anything other than couch music..
 
HD800s at 320g is something i would prefer for sure.. anything over that is risky for me, comfort wise.. the headband design can help but there is limits..

 

[longbowbbs]

  Are all Summit-Fi headphone threads about the Focal Utopia now?

Current flavor of the month. I do not doubt they sound fantastic.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

To me, this sounds like the canard used to justify the $170k+ price for the 40wpc Gaku Note Set power amplifier.  That amplifier has hand wound transformers made the 5 9's silver wire. 
 
Sounded good until someone pointed out that the material cost of "all that silver"  was somewhere around $50.

 

[mwhals]

-The hard hat I wear at work weighs in at more than a pair of headphones (Ear protection and a visor in addition to the hard hat itself)

And don't even get me started on my MC helmet.

I would be most surprised if a pair of headphones could be shown to be dangerous for your neck.

Hard hats have a,suspension system that hold them over a larger area of the head than a headphone band. No comparison. I too where a hard hat when out in the plant.

 

[OddE]

  for normal, fragile or problematic neck, i'm sure it can be, even too much clamping is dangerous since it can block nerves to the head..
 
for headphone it also depends on the weight distribution.. since the magnet are on the sides it create a pull down when you move your neck..
 
if your listening to electronic beats.. your always moving your heads on the beats so....
 
so yeah pretty uncomfortable for anything other than couch music..

 
-Putting your head in a vise is probably not beneficial to your health; concerns about the clamping force of headphones seems to me very much a theoretical problem. Do keep in mind that the clamping is distributed over a comparatively large area, so the force per area is very, very small. Also, uncomfortable does not equal dangerous - which was the original statement.
 

Hard hats have a,suspension system that hold them over a larger area of the head than a headphone band. No comparison. I too where a hard hat when out in the plant.

 
-True, but the result for your neck is the same; added mass to the head the neck needs to support. It could even be argued that the hard hat is worse if the ear protectors are not in use at the moment - common practice then is to just tilt them up and clamp them against the hat; that moves the mass center higher up, and makes for more strain on the neck than headphones would.
 
That being said, I still think this is a very theoretical problem; obviously, your opinion may be different.
 
Look at it from this angle: Would a company based in that most litigious of jurisdictions, the USA, dare to manufacture, market and sell a product which during normal use would provoke neck or even nerve injuries in people? I don't think so.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

If you want a phone to take out to the park, or use on public transportation, or even walk around the office or even possibly the house with, then the LCD X's are clearly the wrong headphone. \
 
If on the other hand, you want a phone to use while you have your head supported in a recliner, or while lying in bed, then the weight of the X's is really not an issue.
 
As for people injuring their neck, or suffering circulatory difficulties in their scalp, all I can say, is document even one single instance of this happening. 
 
There are over 300 pages from hundreds of audiophiles on this thread, and not even one single instance of that happening. 
 
Take a wild guess why not.