[jamato8]

I just want to read more impressions so I can live vicariously through someone else until I get a pair. lol No really, I stopped laughing, it didn't last long. So as the few are being listened to, have more hours on them, hey, you can talk more about the Utopia! Any images of them with music being played? I don't care about the ancillary equipment, it can be out of focus in the background. :^)  

 

[pkcpga]

Have any dealers gotten in Utopias to sell or only demo?

 

[griff2]

"I just want to read more impressions so I can live vicariously through someone else until I get a pair"
 
Much LOL

 

[FLTWS]

I'd be surprised if Focal wasn't fully aware of the difference in sonic character with swapped ear pads well before they started production.
 
Given the Utopias price tag they should (or it would be nice ) to include both with that model. Like what OPPO did. But, that will be their business decision to make.

 

[TSAVJason]

I'd be surprised if Focal wasn't fully aware of the difference in sonic character with swapped ear pads well before they started production.

Given the Utopias price tag they should (or it would be nice ) to include both with that model. Like what OPPO did. But, that will be their business decision to make.

Focal was not a part of this community and had no idea mod's were being done. They are only now aware of these things. We've asked they have their pad vendor to create the lamb skin pad for the Elear to see if it still adds to the bass response of the utopia. It would be cool if it does and if it does we've asked they make them available for purchase

 

[TSAVJason]

Ignore button for troll masters...

Hahaha you just can't unstick that stuck on STAX button. You are a riot! Get over it. Not everyone hears the same and really there is no one God like headphone period.

 

[TSAVJason]

Have any dealers gotten in Utopias to sell or only demo?

Hahaha where have you been? Yes we are the only store with demos of the Utopia & Elear. And we've sold out on our entire months supply of Elear. However we still have a few Utopia for sale NOW but they can't ship before tomorrow because they are still coming in to our inventory. This take time because they are serial numbered. Elears will be back in stock the first of September.

 

[Stillhart]

   
Wow!  Thanks for confirming my suspicions about this.  This is awesome news!  So now, if someone is considering getting the Utopia, it doesn't mean that they have to choose between either having the deeper low-end response of the Elear or the higher resolution of the Utopia.  Now they can pretty much have their low-bass cake and eat it too!
 
And just like you, I think we are going to see a lot of people preferring the Elear pads with the Utopia. 
 
I would still love to see a Pittards leather version of Elear-tuned pads made for the Utopia (if it's even possible to do).
Either way, this is great news! 

  

 
 
Thanks again, Jude!

 
I think a lot of people will want to have both just because the cost of pads isn't that much compared to the $4k headphone.  That said, I still prefer the Utopia pads... not because of too much bass, but because of the 4k dip.  
 
But I agree with Jude.  Putting the Elear pads on the Utopia really makes it clear how good that beryllium driver really is.  The difference isn't something that's going to show up in these graphs.

 

[TSAVJason]

I think a lot of people will want to have both just because the cost of pads isn't that much compared to the $4k headphone.  That said, I still prefer the Utopia pads... not because of too much bass, but because of the 4k dip.  

But I agree with Jude.  Putting the Elear pads on the Utopia really makes it clear how good that beryllium driver really is.  The difference isn't something that's going to show up in these graphs.

Finally I disagree with you Dan! I was waiting for this day!

 

[Allanmarcus]

How much do the Elear pads cost?

 

[pkcpga]

Hahaha where have you been? Yes we are the only store with demos of the Utopia & Elear. And we've sold out on our entire months supply of Elear. However we still have a few Utopia for sale NOW but they can't ship before tomorrow because they are still coming in to our inventory. This take time because they are serial numbered. Elears will be back in stock the first of September.

I wish you had a store on the east coast so I could quickly hear them first, blindly spending a grand is different than 4. If I don't love them my wife will taunt me about them, like my LCD 3's I don't like, so I'm waiting to hear them first.

 

[FLTWS]

What I find interesting is that this is the second example that I'm aware of, (OPPO is the first, but there could well be other instances I'm not familiar with), where you can "tune" a headphones response by just experimenting with different ear pad construction / materials. No need to equalize, to use implants, or perform any sort of "ectomy".

 

[Stillhart]

  What I find interesting is that this is the second example that I'm aware of, (OPPO is the first, but there could well be other instances I'm not familiar with), where you can "tune" a headphones response by just experimenting with different ear pad construction / materials. No need to equalize, to use implants, or perform any sort of "ectomy".

 
I'm not sure of the timing, but Hifiman had the "Focus-A" pads available for tuning around the same time as the Oppo stuff.  Since then, Beyerdynamic has done it with the DT1770 (and presumably the upcoming DT1990).  And ZMF offers three different pads for tuning.
 
And of course, people have been swapping pads to tune headphones since I've been on Head-fi...just not with pads provided by the mfr.  My first purchase after I joined Head-fi was a AKG Q701.  Turns out a quick pad swap can turn it into an K702 Anniversary or K712 or some such (been a while, sorry!).  Getting the pads was no easy feat, but it could be done.  More recently, people have been having a lot of fun tuning the bass on the Dharma with Audeze pads.
 
So this isn't really anything new.  It's just interesting how much of the tuning difference between these wildly differently priced headphones is down to the pads.

 

[arnaud]

Finally I disagree with you Dan! I was waiting for this day!

The 3kUSD sonic difference boiling down to a difference in pad is hard to swallow it seems

Since you questioned me on stax, I can confirm the tuning of the pads is just as important although not all .

 

[FLTWS]

I wish you had a store on the east coast so I could quickly hear them first, blindly spending a grand is different than 4. If I don't love them my wife will taunt me about them, like my LCD 3's I don't like, so I'm waiting to hear them first.

 
LOL. With or without a taunting spouse, I wouldn't spend that kind of money sound unheard, unless, there was a home trial period with a return policy. And, I would have no problem with paying a fair "re-stocking" fee or whatever they call it nowadays, to the dealer if I were to return the product (in mint condition of course).