[nwavesailor]

  Quick check in, at a high level, the ultrasuedes put the bass in check by lowering the db and tighten up slightly. the mids and trebles are accenuated making it more balanced. The orginials were a little too bassy for me so this works out perfect. All in all I'm happy with the change in pace.
 
For kicks when I installed, I put the ultradsuede on one side and left the other to check comfort (don't even try to play music this way, it's awful), the US felt cool to the skin at first and more comfortable, but warmed up quickly moreso than I ever had with the originals, which I never noticed with my ears heating up before. A little concern for long term listening, but maybe it's just excitement?! 
 
As for the cable, I could not tell much of a difference from the originals, I guess I bought it for the microphone. I'll probably swap back and forth a little more.

 
VERY Cool!
 
Thanks for posting your first impressions of the US pads, eQue.
I went back and forth between the Boost and US for a time and have, at least for now, settled on the US for the past few weeks.

 

[UNOE]

 
That's magnets. The Utopia uses neodymium magnets as well. In fact most dynamic headphones use neodymium magnets. I believe I read somewhere the Elear uses less powerful Ferrite magnets. The Z1R has a magnesium dome and an aluminum-plated LCP surround for it's driver. The drivers in the Z1R are not cheap or easy to make. Nor are the Focal drivers, especially the Beryllium Utopia driver.

Does anyone know how much Beryllium is used in the Utopia or why they've decided to use it?

As far as I remember it sells for around $20 per 1 gram pellet, though if you buy it in larger quantities, you can get it for closer to $5 or $6 per gram.

It's so you can easily travel with it and take it through x-rays at security checkpoints.

 

[x RELIC x]

Does anyone know how much Beryllium is used in the Utopia or why they've decided to use it?

As far as I remember it sells for around $20 per 1 gram pellet, though if you buy it in larger quantities, you can get it for closer to $5 or $6 per gram.

/OT

Raw Beryllium is cheap, and pretty much useless in its raw form, and toxic. Typically it's used as an alloy in underwater pipes, every day electronics and many other items, as an alloy. Apparently to refine it and form it in to 25nm thick sheets of pure Beryllium, as used in the Utopia, it costs 40x the price of gold for the same weight for the process (keeping in mind it's highly toxic during manufacturing and refinement) according to Focal. The properties of pure Beryllium in the solid metal form are very high dampening, very high rigidity, and very light weight, everything you'd want in a speaker driver.

/OT

Back to the Nighthawks...

 

[Naim.F.C]

/OT

Raw Beryllium is cheap, and pretty much useless in its raw form, and toxic. Typically it's used as an alloy in underwater pipes, every day electronics and many other items, as an alloy. Apparently to refine it and form it in to 25nm thick sheets of pure Beryllium, as used in the Utopia, it costs 40x the price of gold for the same weight for the process (keeping in mind it's highly toxic during manufacturing and refinement) according to Focal. The properties of pure Beryllium in the solid metal form are very high dampening, very high rigidity, and very light weight, everything you'd want in a speaker driver.

/OT

Back to the Nighthawks...

I'm not sure this is accurate. I'm seeing 99% pure 15 gram ingots of Beryllium for around $85 and 99% pure 1 gram pellets at $20 a pop. I don't think either of these are raw as you put it, and certainly no where near as expensive as claimed.

Remember, this isn't Beryllium ore (bertrandite or beryl) we're talking about, which is only 0.65 % beryllium oxide, here we're talking pellets or ingots of 99.9% pure Beryllium metal, that would have had to already have gone through a refining process of some kind.

http://unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=89&products_id=100&zenid=c6b4ca681fc24c056c1047e41fbc599e

http://m.ebay.com/itm/BERYLLIUM-PURE-99-9-ELEMENT-4-INGOT-X-RAY-BAR-METAL-CHUNK-BULLION-15-GRAMS-/112238344062

 

[x RELIC x]

Are you sure? I'm seeing 99% pure 15 gram ingots of Beryllium for around $85 and 99% pure 1 gram pellets at $20 a pop. I don't think either of these are raw as you put it, and certainly no where near as expensive as claimed.

http://unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=89&products_id=100&zenid=c6b4ca681fc24c056c1047e41fbc599e

http://m.ebay.com/itm/BERYLLIUM-PURE-99-9-ELEMENT-4-INGOT-X-RAY-BAR-METAL-CHUNK-BULLION-15-GRAMS-/112238344062

Just relaying what Focal said on the matter. I also thought you were referring to Beryllium ore.

This is waaaaaaaaaay off topic here. You might want to bring it to the Focal Utopia thread.

 

[Naim.F.C]

Just relaying what Focal said on the matter. I also thought you were referring to Beryllium ore.

This is waaaaaaaaaay off topic here. You might want to bring it to the Focal Utopia thread.

Sounds like marketing nonsense to me. But yes you are right, OT for here.

Side note, the material that may be getting confused for beryllium that costs 40x the price of gold is plutonium, and the Utopia driver certainly isn't made of plutonium lol (generally used for nuclear reactors and weapons).

 

[x RELIC x]

Sounds like marketing nonsense to me. But yes you are right, OT for here.

Side note, the material that may be getting confused for beryllium that costs 40x the price of gold is plutonium, and the Utopia driver certainly isn't made of plutonium lol (generally used for nuclear reactors and weapons).

No confusion. Focal said directly in the video Jude shot that the process they use ends up making it cost 40x the price of gold per weight. Their words, not mine. Frankly, I don't care.

 

[nmatheis]

Is this the Focal thread now, guys?

 

[knowhatimean]

Is this the Focal thread now, guys?

Nick, it's pretty unusual that this ever happens in an "Impressions & Discussion Thread"
 
I guess that some of us take the Discussion part of the title  to also include non -specific  banter to be universally inclusive of any HP on the Horizon.
 
The motto here at HF is "We loves to Discuss, but aren't so sure that we likes to start New Threads" (pardon my killing the language for Dramatic Effect)
 

 

 

[x RELIC x]

Nick, it's pretty unusual that this ever happens in an "Impressions & Discussion Thread"

I guess that some of us take the Discussion part of the title  to also include non -specific  banter to be universally inclusive of any HP on the Horizon.

The motto here at HF is "We loves to Discuss, but aren't so sure that we likes to start New Threads" (pardon my killing the language for Dramatic Effect)

 

Does going on about a brief off topic discussion help? A user posed a question and was urged to use the appropriate thread thread right away, along with an answer. Six posts will now turn in to how many? h34r:

I love Nighthawks.

 

[knowhatimean]

 

Nick, it's pretty unusual that this ever happens in an "Impressions & Discussion Thread"

I guess that some of us take the Discussion part of the title  to also include non -specific  banter to be universally inclusive of any HP on the Horizon.

The motto here at HF is "We loves to Discuss, but aren't so sure that we likes to start New Threads" (pardon my killing the language for Dramatic Effect)

 

Does going on about a brief off topic discussion help? A user posed a question and was urged to use the appropriate thread thread right away, along with an answer. Six posts will now turn in to how many?

I love Nighthawks.

Yup ,you're probably right, I'm more bothered by unfounded claims of FR weakness in HPs without substantiating the source of these claims.
 
I also love the NightHawks (& hopefully I'll feel the same about my NOs). The reason these HPs work so well for me is their capability to handle Wide Dynamics Music. I believe the reason that they now offer the option of  using different material earpads is specifically due to the way these headphones where voiced to treat ALL music as neutrally as possible..
 
Skylar chose a more realistic design approach rather than trying to make ,yet another, headphone that claims to work well for all Music but in effect sounds better for some Music better than others.
 
"Recessed treble" or treble that sounds "different". Please... It's the way these frequencies are already boosted in the recordings. I get tired of saying this but it's the "Message" not the "Messenger" that's the reason a Neutrally voiced Headphone sounds this way. Why do you think they call one of the earpad options 'Boost' earpads
 
I have bigger fish to fry than Non Specific Impressions..

 

[Venture Guy]

@x RELIC x nice post.
 
I think the distinction is between detail retrieval and musicality.
 
It seems to me that audiophilia in general gets lost in the quest for detail and misses musicality... COMPLETELY!
 
I think Skylar has created a headphone that is unique in its musicality.

 

[EdwardPL]

Is it me or is the NH just absolutely perfect with this song?
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAYgZEMMWxo
 
 
I can just picture The Joker Machine Gunning down a city wearing the NH lol

 

[Venture Guy]

  Is it me or is the NH just absolutely perfect with this song?
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAYgZEMMWxo
 
 
I can just picture The Joker Machine Gunning down a city wearing the NH lol

It's a great sonic showcase with fun accompanying visuals

 

[EdwardPL]

The way the bass hits is just yummy. My planars just sound anaemic after listening to the my NH Carbons..in fact so do most of my headphones!