Has anyone yet done a side by side volume matched comparison between the other highly regarded TOTL headphones such as Focal Utopia, Hifiman HE1000 V2, Hifiman1000se??? My main interest is the clearest sound with the widest, deepest sound stage. I don’t need to wear a sub bass module on my head.
Final Audio D8000 Planar Magnetic Headphone
miko64
100+ Head-Fier
For me d8000 is on par with lcd4, or better, almost at sr009 level. However you should listen to them yourself. I find them really brillinant and love them asxmuch as sr007 or SR009
Do they have as much of a wide open sound stage and high frequency extension and clarity as the Utopias and Hifiman HEKV2?
What about how heavy they are on your head? Do they need aftermarket better cables?
Lieon
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I've spent quite some time with several TOTL headphones (including Susvara, HE1000V2 and Focal Utopia) and eventually decided upon the D8000. I listen mostly to classical music and in particular, the piano. For what you're after, I would say the Susvara has the greatest sound stage and depth and tons of resolution/detail. However, it requires a monster of an amplifier to drive. If that is not an issue for you, I'd recommend the Susvara. For practical reasons, I would go for the Focal Utopia. The Utopia's have a slightly smaller sound stage/depth and similar levels of resolution vs. the Susvara but is more easily driven. The HE 1000 V2 sounds like the “little brother” of the Susvara, its an amazing headphone but having heard the Susvara and Utopias, I'd recommend those two instead.
I picked the D8000 in the end because of all the TOTL headphones I listened to, it was unique in that it was able to reproduce the richness of the piano with the correct weight and size. I found that many headphone made the treble region of the piano sound a bit thin, and lacked proper weight in the bass region.
Regarding D8000 physical weight, I generally don't listen for more than an hour per session so it hasn't really been an issue for me. I'm currently using the stock cable but plan to upgrade eventually. If anyone has cable recommendations I'd definitely be interested!
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angpsi
1000+ Head-Fier
In regards to the issue of amplification, I got in touch with Final and they told me that the D8000 were tuned on their own custom amp; however they usually showcase the set with the Questyle CMA600i and the Chord Dave. To me this means that the D8000 are particularly susceptible to both the amp and the DAC matching, as both the Questyle and the Dave excel as a combo deal. Personally, I've had the opportunity to audition the Questyle CMA 600i on many occasions, most of which were A to B with other comparable DAC/amps and it would always come off as one of the best if not the best of the lot. Given that I don't have money to spend on a Dave, the Questyle is most certainly on the top of my list.
Btw I totally agree with @Lieon, at least in respect to the Susvara and the Utopia with which I've had personal experience. IMO the Susvara are especially magnificent and they're also possibly the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn. But indeed, my friend went through a number of amps to find a proper match and he ended up buying 'a monster of an amp' Trafomatic Primavera! Plus, let's not forget they're double the price of our already expensive D8000. To me the D8000 are an incredibly potent all-rounder; honestly I can't think of a thing they're not doing right and I kind of like the fact that they don't really have a most prominent feature to discuss about, but rather do everything exceptionally well.
After the very long break-in period (during which the D8000 definitely didn't sound as they do in the end), I firmly believe that people should be discussing them way more than they do right now.
Btw I totally agree with @Lieon, at least in respect to the Susvara and the Utopia with which I've had personal experience. IMO the Susvara are especially magnificent and they're also possibly the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn. But indeed, my friend went through a number of amps to find a proper match and he ended up buying 'a monster of an amp' Trafomatic Primavera! Plus, let's not forget they're double the price of our already expensive D8000. To me the D8000 are an incredibly potent all-rounder; honestly I can't think of a thing they're not doing right and I kind of like the fact that they don't really have a most prominent feature to discuss about, but rather do everything exceptionally well.
After the very long break-in period (during which the D8000 definitely didn't sound as they do in the end), I firmly believe that people should be discussing them way more than they do right now.
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A direct comparison to the Hifiman 1000se and HEKV2 would be very helpful.
hop ham
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Soundstage sounds about average to me at this price point, and slightly larger than the Utopia. The Utopia may have more layers of depth to it but D8000 is close. D8000 seems wider. They both create a sense of holographic stage with great layering. Detail/resolution slight nod to the Utopia but sometimes it gets awfully close to being bright to me and the D8000 doesn't. D8000 and Abyss have the high-end planer (exotic) sound. Utopia is clean, detailed, and dynamic.They are both great so it depends on what you're looking for.
D8000 is not light but they don't bother me. The pads get worked in over time which made them more comfortable. They don't fit me perfectly since I have a small head but I angle the top headband slightly forward which works well. I don't feel like you need to worry as much about pad placement as compared to other headphones.
I used the stock cable for the first couple weeks then switched to a Plussound LR Series, mostly because I like the ergonomics and feel. I do think it changed the sound, mostly helping with the layering...but I need to revisit the stock cable, it's been a while since I heard it. Overall I think the stock cable is pretty good though. The connectors from Plussound fit nicely even though they don't have the twist-lock design.
D8000 is not light but they don't bother me. The pads get worked in over time which made them more comfortable. They don't fit me perfectly since I have a small head but I angle the top headband slightly forward which works well. I don't feel like you need to worry as much about pad placement as compared to other headphones.
I used the stock cable for the first couple weeks then switched to a Plussound LR Series, mostly because I like the ergonomics and feel. I do think it changed the sound, mostly helping with the layering...but I need to revisit the stock cable, it's been a while since I heard it. Overall I think the stock cable is pretty good though. The connectors from Plussound fit nicely even though they don't have the twist-lock design.
angpsi
1000+ Head-Fier
@hop ham wow, playing through a Dave! I myself was intrigued by Final's own ultra super duper OFC silver coated cable: http://snext-final.com/en/products/accessories/detail/headphone-cable.html
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Lieon
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My current solution for travel 
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miko64
100+ Head-Fier
My current solution for travel
Ditto for me except for the box. I am travelling actually a fair bit and D8000 is actually very robust, hence I am putting it just in my briefcase - together with a lot of stuff. It pairs very well with Hugo 2 and also A&K Kann.
hop ham
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Interesting, I didn't even know those cables from Final existed. I got silver plated copper type 6 litz and I'm happy with it...but curious about Final's offerings. Let me know if you end up trying them.
And yeah, the Dave spoils me. I just moved my iFi Pro iDSD from my desk stack to my bedside rig because the Dave was getting all the play time at my desk.
Yesterday I placed my order for the D8000. After listening to them twice out of a Milo I was convinced I should add them to my collection. They should arrive Friday 
bmateijsen
Member of the Trade: Beter Beeld & Geluid
Although we do not have the Utopia, I do know it quite well. The 1000v2 and 1000SE and LCD4z are all in our demo-stock, so it is easy for me to do the comparison. The 1000SE came in last week and in my opinion it is a big improvement over the 1000V2, just the ease of scale and realism in the acoustic environment of the music, makes it more engaging. The D8000 does have it's magic on its own, as the realism in the mid-frequencies and the ability to display tone and color very naturally is truly engaging. With regards to deepest sound stage, the 1000SE and Utopia have the leading edge. To my ears the Utopia analytical skills are very impressive in the first 30 minutes, but also fatiguing after those 30 min.
So if you had to pick just one for most genres of music which would it be??
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