[BunnyNamedCraig]

I'm really intrigued to hear the new focals and I wholeheartly believe these should be great sounding headphones. However I just can't imagine the claims that "they easily bested all flagship headphones". I have been a huge stax fan for long time and owned a bunch of flagship headphones including stax 007mk1, Stax 009, LCD3, TH900, T1, K812, Abyss etc; my IEM collection includes Fitear MH334, MH335DW, Noble K10 all custom version. I've been getting rid of those I don't think worth keeping during the last couple of years and currently I'm keeping only 3 full-size headphones, they are Stax 009, Abyss 1266 and HD 650. Among them Stax 009 is my favorite, the Abyss used to be head to head with the 009 until the arrival of BHSE. Oh man I was thrilled by the pairing of the BHSE and the 009 which blows away any headphone system I've heard. They are easily the most transparent system regardless of the type of the transducer, including all the hi-end speaker systems I've heard. Yes the abyss still has better bass but who cares, the 009 and BHSE just conveys the music in such a delicate way that I finally stop niggling and just want to relax and enjoy the music.

People always mention detail when talking about the 009, however to me the most significant achievement of the 009 is the transparency and beautiful tonality. When paired with the BHSE, all the sheens are gone, the bass and punch emerges, the dynamic is amazing and the headstage and positioning is fantastic. This combo just does so many things so right that I always think this should be pretty much close to the pinnacle of headphone system.

Anyways, look forward to hear the Utopia and I'd happily acquire a pair if it does "easily" best the 009s although it's hard to believe for me as of now.

System:
Source: CH Precision C1 D/A converter with Ethernet card, Synology NAS
Electrostatic Headphone amp: BHSE with ALPS50k
Headphone amp: Mass-Kobo model 394
Accessories:
Power cable: absolute creation x 3; Ceasar x 2
Power distributor: shuyata PS8
Interconnect: Siltech princess XLR
Linear power supply for NAS

Sr 009 and BHSE almost made me emotional it was so good..... I hear ya! (No pun intended)

 

[TSAVJason]

I'm really intrigued to hear the new focals and I wholeheartly believe these should be great sounding headphones. However I just can't imagine the claims that "they easily bested all flagship headphones". I have been a huge stax fan for long time and used a bunch of flagship headphones including stax 007mk1, Stax 009, LCD3, TH900, T1, K812, Abyss etc; my IEM collection includes Fitear MH334, MH335DW, Noble K10 all custom version. I've been getting rid of those I don't think worth keeping during the last couple of years and currently I'm keeping only 3 full-size headphones, they are Stax 009, Abyss 1266 and HD 650. Among them Stax 009 is my favorite, the Abyss used to be head to head with the 009 until the arrival of BHSE. Oh man I was thrilled by the pairing of the BHSE and the 009 which blows away any headphone system I've heard. They are easily the most transparent system regardless of the type of the transducer, including all the hi-end speaker systems I've heard. Yes the abyss still has better bass but who cares, the 009 and BHSE just conveys the music in such a delicate way that I finally stop niggling and just want to relax and enjoy the music.

People always mention detail when talking about the 009, however to me the most significant achievement of the 009 is the transparency and beautiful tonality. When paired with the BHSE, all the sheens are gone, the bass and punch emerges, the dynamic is amazing and the headstage and positioning is fantastic. This combo just does so many things so right that I always think this should be pretty much close to the pinnacle of headphone system.

Anyways, look forward to hear the Utopia and I'd happily acquire a pair if it does "easily" best the 009s although it's hard to believe for me as of now.

System:
Source: CH Precision C1 D/A converter with Ethernet card, Synology NAS
Electrostatic Headphone amp: BHSE with ALPS50k
Headphone amp: Mass-Kobo model 394
Accessories:
Power cable: absolute creation x 3; Ceasar x 2
Power distributor: shuyata PS8
Interconnect: Siltech princess XLR
Linear power supply for NAS

Pretty Sweet rig you've got! I've just recently played with the Cavalli Liquid Tungsten, Naim NDX, Focal Utopia, Isotek aquarius conditioner & power cables and Nordost Heimdal 2 interconnects and headphone cables. The result was stunningly impressive. I'd be interested in putting that combo up against anything just to see the people's reaction and preferences.

 

[Hansotek]

I'm really intrigued to hear the new focals and I wholeheartly believe these should be great sounding headphones. However I just can't imagine the claims that "they easily bested all flagship headphones". I have been a huge stax fan for long time and owned a bunch of flagship headphones including stax 007mk1, Stax 009, LCD3, TH900, T1, K812, Abyss etc; my IEM collection includes Fitear MH334, MH335DW, Noble K10 all custom version. I've been getting rid of those I don't think worth keeping during the last couple of years and currently I'm keeping only 3 full-size headphones, they are Stax 009, Abyss 1266 and HD 650. Among them Stax 009 is my favorite, the Abyss used to be head to head with the 009 until the arrival of BHSE. Oh man I was thrilled by the pairing of the BHSE and the 009 which blows away any headphone system I've heard. They are easily the most transparent system regardless of the type of the transducer, including all the hi-end speaker systems I've heard. Yes the abyss still has better bass but who cares, the 009 and BHSE just conveys the music in such a delicate way that I finally stop niggling and just want to relax and enjoy the music.

People always mention detail when talking about the 009, however to me the most significant achievement of the 009 is the transparency and beautiful tonality. When paired with the BHSE, all the sheens are gone, the bass and punch emerges, the dynamic is amazing and the headstage and positioning is fantastic. This combo just does so many things so right that I always think this should be pretty much close to the pinnacle of headphone system.

Anyways, look forward to hear the Utopia and I'd happily acquire a pair if it does "easily" best the 009s although it's hard to believe for me as of now.

System:
Source: CH Precision C1 D/A converter with Ethernet card, Synology NAS
Electrostatic Headphone amp: BHSE with ALPS50k
Headphone amp: Mass-Kobo model 394
Accessories:
Power cable: absolute creation x 3; Ceasar x 2
Power distributor: shuyata PS8
Interconnect: Siltech princess XLR
Linear power supply for NAS

It definitely doesn't beat the Abyss or SR-009 "easily". They are all pretty close, IMO, and the differences become dependent on amping, etc. SR-009 + BHSE is a tough combo to beat outright - I think that it's more subjective than anything at that point.

By the way, if you are a BHSE owner, definitely check out the Mr. Speakers electrostatic prototype, if you haven't yet. I heard it through the BHSE at AXPONA and it was divine!

 

[x RELIC x]

The silly Ferengi pic I posted for 'big ears' is bugging me on the side bar. Time to fix that, lol.

 

[TSAVJason]

The silly Ferengi pic I posted for 'big ears' is bugging me on the side bar. Time to fix that, lol.

Great shot!

 

[siwolfman]

Haha. I already own it and have a decent amp.

Do you use your ZDS with the HE-6? How would you compare the HE-6 and the HD6X0?

 

[shockwaver]

http://www.verumsonus.com/micro-meet-impressions-8202016/

impressions by Amar

 

[pkcpga]

impressions by Amar

Great review I was hoping to try the focals this weekend but the local store hours and not opened Sunday didn't work with my schedule. Hopefully I hear them very soon.

 

[MooMooMoooo]

The User Manual for the Focal Diablo Speaker is can be downloaded at http://www.focal.com/en/index.php?controller=attachment&id_attachment=4170
 
It uses Beryllium tweeters and there is a warning on Page 14 of the manual about Beryllium.  The warning says:
 
"1. Safety instructions
The Beryllium dome must never be in contact with abrasive material.
You must avoid any contact with the skin or the eyes, any inhalation or ingestion of the whole or a part of the Beryllium dome. The manufacturer underlines that
the Beryllium absorption by respiratory, digestive tracts or skin can lead to serious physical troubles, because of its high toxicity for man. We then recommend to
the loudspeaker users to carefully keep the tweeter protection grille in place. If the protection grille is removed, the user will have to carefully replace this grille
after use. Generally speaking, children must be kept away from loudspeakers and especially from the Beryllium dome.
2. In case of dome damaging
If the Beryllium dome is damaged in any possible way, you must cover it as soon as possible on all its surface with the supplied protection adhesive tape. We
recommend that you contact the retailer so that a competent department will take off and replace the tweeter. If the dome is broken, the possible Beryllium
particles must be carefully collected with the supplied protection adhesive tape and then be placed in a hermetically sealed plastic bag. It will be sent with the
loudspeaker to the retailer. In case of absorption by skin, eye projection or in case of inhalation or ingestion of Beryllium, see a doctor.
3. End of life for loudspeakers - Information
At the end of the loudspeaker life, you must not throw this product in the environment, but you must take it to an adapted recycling center.
For more information, please contact us directly to the following address: beryllium@focal.com"
 
On the Focal promotional videos they show a worker in Hazmat gear inside a sealed chamber holding up a piece of Beryllium metal.  Focal is certainly aware of the hazards of Beryllium.  I guess it's a bit like Asbestos.  The rule is, "if you don't get it in you then you won't die".  If you don't lick, break, grind, or do something stupid to get the Beryllium into you then you're safe.  Headphone ethusiasts are notorious modders so with the Focal Utopia headphones exteme caution should be had when doing mods.  Also, at the end of life the headphones have to be safetly disposed of so that the environment isn't contaminated.
 
The doubt that I have is that Beryllium is also a very brittle metal.  The Beryllium diaphragm in the Focal Utopia headphones isn't acting like a tweeter that would have a very short x-max.  Instead, it's a mini loudspeaker with a large x-max compared to diameter.  The videos of the Utopia driver on YouTube show that the diaphragm can move quite a lot.  My concern is that would the stresses on the Beryllium dome be too much with so much rapid travel and accelleration and deceleration to reproduce music?  One of the key points about using Beryllium is that the diaphragm is resistant to flexing but those stresses would still be on the diaphragm, particularly with sound that involves long and rapidly varying diaphragm travel.  Would parts of the dome potentially crack or bits of Beryllium dust start to flake off the diaphragm?
 
I'm sure that Focal would have tested the diaphragm for durability but it's a first generation product that uses a Beryllium diaphragm in a way that it's not typically used for (to produce full range instead of tweeter range).  Products released to market are not immune to recalls.  If Focal reaches out to the headphone community about how it stress tested the Beryllium diaphragm and explain why it considers them to be safe then that would go a long way to address concerns over the use of Beryllium.  With a substance that is a Class 1 carcinogen and that is so toxic then a precautionary principle should be used to be extra cautious because if there is some defect that can expose consumers to Beryllium then the consequences will be devastating.

 

[paulchiu]

  The User Manual for the Focal Diablo Speaker is can be downloaded at http://www.focal.com/en/index.php?controller=attachment&id_attachment=4170
 
It uses Beryllium tweeters and there is a warning on Page 14 of the manual about Beryllium.  The warning says:
 
"1. Safety instructions
The Beryllium dome must never be in contact with abrasive material. ...........

 
Are you suggesting health effects when using the Focal headphones?
 
I think this fear is legitimate if the enclosure does not protect the Beryllium from contact with corrosive material.  Say, some's perspiration.  In such cases, just how much acidic sweat can alter the stability of the processed Beryllium is the unknown,  
Do you (or anyone here) have the user manual for the Focal Utopia headphone?
Like to see the health warning there, if any.
 
paul

 

[Mediahound]

,   Do you (or anyone here) have the user manual for the Focal Utopia headphone?
Like to see the health warning there, if any.
 
paul

 
The Elear does not use beryllium, just saying. 

 

[TokenGesture]

Wow

 

[gandhisfist]

impressions by Amar

 
 
Thanks for posting that link to my impressions, didn't think it would get picked up on head-fi. Cheers.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Do you use your ZDS with the HE-6? How would you compare the HE-6 and the HD6X0?

No, I use a Bryston 2B and the the EC with Senn, but this is all if topic here.

 

[SearchOfSub]

The User Manual for the Focal Diablo Speaker is can be downloaded at http://www.focal.com/en/index.php?controller=attachment&id_attachment=4170

It uses Beryllium tweeters and there is a warning on Page 14 of the manual about Beryllium.  The warning says:

"1. Safety instructions

The Beryllium dome must never be in contact with abrasive material.

You must avoid any contact with the skin or the eyes, any inhalation or ingestion of the whole or a part of the Beryllium dome. The manufacturer underlines that

the Beryllium absorption by respiratory, digestive tracts or skin can lead to serious physical troubles, because of its high toxicity for man. We then recommend to

the loudspeaker users to carefully keep the tweeter protection grille in place. If the protection grille is removed, the user will have to carefully replace this grille

after use. Generally speaking, children must be kept away from loudspeakers and especially from the Beryllium dome.

2. In case of dome damaging

If the Beryllium dome is damaged in any possible way, you must cover it as soon as possible on all its surface with the supplied protection adhesive tape. We

recommend that you contact the retailer so that a competent department will take off and replace the tweeter. If the dome is broken, the possible Beryllium

particles must be carefully collected with the supplied protection adhesive tape and then be placed in a hermetically sealed plastic bag. It will be sent with the

loudspeaker to the retailer. In case of absorption by skin, eye projection or in case of inhalation or ingestion of Beryllium, see a doctor.

3. End of life for loudspeakers - Information

At the end of the loudspeaker life, you must not throw this product in the environment, but you must take it to an adapted recycling center.

For more information, please contact us directly to the following address: beryllium@focal.com"

On the Focal promotional videos they show a worker in Hazmat gear inside a sealed chamber holding up a piece of Beryllium metal.  Focal is certainly aware of the hazards of Beryllium.  I guess it's a bit like Asbestos.  The rule is, "if you don't get it in you then you won't die".  If you don't lick, break, grind, or do something stupid to get the Beryllium into you then you're safe.  Headphone ethusiasts are notorious modders so with the Focal Utopia headphones exteme caution should be had when doing mods.  Also, at the end of life the headphones have to be safetly disposed of so that the environment isn't contaminated.

The doubt that I have is that Beryllium is also a very brittle metal.  The Beryllium diaphragm in the Focal Utopia headphones isn't acting like a tweeter that would have a very short x-max.  Instead, it's a mini loudspeaker with a large x-max compared to diameter.  The videos of the Utopia driver on YouTube show that the diaphragm can move quite a lot.  My concern is that would the stresses on the Beryllium dome be too much with so much rapid travel and accelleration and deceleration to reproduce music?  One of the key points about using Beryllium is that the diaphragm is resistant to flexing but those stresses would still be on the diaphragm, particularly with sound that involves long and rapidly varying diaphragm travel.  Would parts of the dome potentially crack or bits of Beryllium dust start to flake off the diaphragm?

I'm sure that Focal would have tested the diaphragm for durability but it's a first generation product that uses a Beryllium diaphragm in a way that it's not typically used for (to produce full range instead of tweeter range).  Products released to market are not immune to recalls.  If Focal reaches out to the headphone community about how it stress tested the Beryllium diaphragm and explain why it considers them to be safe then that would go a long way to address concerns over the use of Beryllium.  With a substance that is a Class 1 carcinogen and that is so toxic then a precautionary principle should be used to be extra cautious because if there is some defect that can expose consumers to Beryllium then the consequences will be devastating.

I think people should get paid for listening to these. I've never read such warning used in a product that is geared towards people using it everyday.