I've done some musical chairs with posts. If you're posting impressions, please post them in the impressions thread here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/811273/focal-utopia-a-little-elear-impressions-and-discussion
That makes it a lot easier for people who don't care for the other discussion and just want to read impressions.
I've seen the dealer prices for high-end headphones. however, I understand dealers have to run a store and provide customer service and have people on the floor and make a profit. I am not saying that a dealer can survive based on discount pricing because they have additional costs to cover, but it does happen that sellers will have new items available for a discount and it is a legitimate deal. a lower price point does not automatically mean fraudulent or grey market as you are suggesting.
[size=1em]High-end headphones actually can be found on sale with warranty, though sales can be rare depending on the headphone brand as headphone manufacturer's often lock down the price point and do not allow dealers to advertise other price points in order to protect their brand name and product value. However, unsold inventory sitting on shelves is always a net loss for a dealer, and if they can't move product, they are not making money. After you are in this hobby for a while, you learn that you can always find a headphone cheaper than listed MSRP.[/size]
[size=1em]I think telling people that a high-end headphone on low sale is impossible and the company has to be fraudulent is inaccurate. These things do happen, though it is usually uncommon. I personally actually don't remember the last time I bought a high-end headphone at full MSRP (and I've owned almost every brand out there, and I never had any issues with warranty). The HD800 have been available at the $800ish price point in the past with full warranty for some lucky head-fiers here before and there wasn't any reports of issues with warranties or fake products.[/size]
[size=1em]this part of the discussion is off-topic, so if you want to continue to discuss, please PM me.[/size]
if anyone is concerned about warranty, simply purchase with a credit card that has warranty benefits. Typical official warranty for headphones are 1-2 years. if you purchase with a amex, discover, visa card, you will be covered for 2-3 years by your credit card company for non-abuse product failures regardless. if you are concerned about the company selling it, do the same thing and if the company doesn't take care of you, your credit card company will.
I personally think it may be inappropriate for an official spokesman for a dealer to question the legitimacy of another retailer. However, the original deal posting is unrelated to this topic's thread, so should not have been posted here in the first place. Hopefully, this conversation can focus back on the Utopia/Elear impressions.
In terms of a direct Utopia vs HD800S (I don't have an old HD800 on hand to compare), the differences primarily lie in sound stage and frequency response. Sound signature-wise, the Utopia has more bass, more present midrange, less sharp treble. The HD800S has a noticeably larger sound stage. Other factors like speed and detail retrieval are both excellent on both headphones. The bass differences between the two models, the HD800S has tighter bass notes and less visceral weight behind each bass note, while the Utopia has a bit more bloom to its bass notes but a very satisfying sense of weight and presence to its bass.
For those who find the HD800/HD800S sound signature to be too bass light or not being impactful enough, the Utopia with its different bass presentation and more forward midrange is definitely an option to consider. For those who are just interested in the overall largeness of the sound stage and enjoy a leaner sound signature and don't have issues with the HD800/HD800S treble presentation, likely will not find the Utopia to be worth the additional cost. For those looking for a budget alternative to both headphones, the Ethers do have a similar overall tuning and would be my first recommendation to check out. Otherwise, the T1.2 for those on a budget. Personally, I do think that a sub-$1000 modded HD800 is very hard to beat in terms of valueerformance, but depending on your sonic preferences, it may not be the right fit.
Thanks for this incredible review and takes on bang for the buck options. And looks like Utopia is like the ultimate HD800 that I have been looking for so long !!! And for those have put way more money than a pair of Utopia on amps and dac to get that sound signature you mentioned above makes the Utopia a definite WINNER for both money and music wise.
This is what I am using. Knocking down the bass and pulling up the 3k-4K range helps a lot. I am not much of an EQ guy, never needed it before the Elear...
On the Utopia, IMO, until you have 200 plus hours on them, you haven't heard them. To compare them to anything else, until they are broken in is like comparing Something that isn't a Utopia to something else. I haven't heard a headphone undergo such a change, as much. I have heard changes but not this up and down and then to finally to really open up but it takes some time.
On the Utopia, IMO, until you have 200 plus hours on them, you haven't heard them. To compare them to anything else, until they are broken in is like comparing Something that isn't a Utopia to something else. I haven't heard a headphone undergo such a change, as much. I have heard changes but not this up and down and then to finally to really open up but it takes some time.
I can believe that. Mine are coming up on 48 hours now. I heard drastic differences from Day 1 listening to Day 2. Sound stage opened up and instrument separation started sounding almost magical. On Day 1 they sounded very closed in compared to what I am used to.
I posted my lengthy impressions of the Elear in the Elear Impressions thread, but many people may only be browsing this thread for Elear impressions. So...here it is: View Full Post
It's more of a full review and comparison to the HD800 S and HD650. Everyone is talking about the Elear like it has to be competed with or Sennheiser is lost. I disagree strongly.
I can believe that. Mine are coming up on 48 hours now. I heard drastic differences from Day 1 listening to Day 2. Sound stage opened up and instrument separation started sounding almost magical. On Day 1 they sounded very closed in compared to what I am used to.
You sure you're not just getting used to their sound? By all accounts, their drivers and enclosure are not like anything else, so it seems more likely that *you* are getting burned in, not them.
Exactly. To get a transparent sound, you try to get the FR line as straight as possible don't you? And to think that it is caused by the pads!?!? Unbelievably stupid, or I'm missing something.
You sure you're not just getting used to their sound? By all accounts, their drivers and enclosure are not like anything else, so it seems more likely that *you* are getting burned in, not them.
From my impressions of the Elear, they do have a unique signature to their sound (particularly the bass in my opinion). However, this different sound does not seem better to me. It's more of a novelty but does not improve the accuracy of the instruments.
You know that sound of a huge loudspeaker shaking the driver at a party or club or concert? It has that unique, big physical sound of hearing a driver shake that seems separate from the bass being played by the music itself. Does that make sense? I mean, it's nice, and if you pump your volume above the healthy limit of 85 dB, this physicality shakes your ears themselves in a pleasing way, but that's just going to cause permanent hearing loss, so you can't even use that volume.
At the volume I had to keep the headphones at, they are just not better than what the HD800 S or the HD650 can achieve. The Elear, to me, sounds like a hybrid of the 650 and 800 S. It brings the thump of 650's and clarity of 800 S, but does not do a better musical job at either. It's as if the $1000 is exactly where it should be priced between the cheaper and more expensive 650 and 800 S, respectively. If I could only spend $1000, I might get the Elear, but there is much less joy compared to my experience with alternating between using the 650 and 800 S.
You sure you're not just getting used to their sound? By all accounts, their drivers and enclosure are not like anything else, so it seems more likely that *you* are getting burned in, not them.
I considered that but the changes were great enough that it had to be more than that. Going from a warm bassy headphone like the the TH900 to a neutral headphone always takes an adjustment period to get used to the neutral signature again.
But this was different. My first impression on Day 1 was that the soundstage was really closed in compared to the TH900 and HD800 which have always been nice and wide. But on Day 2 the Utopia sounded just fine. It really felt like it had opened up. I am going to do some actual A-Bing tonight with the TH900 and HD800. Last 2 days I have only been listening to the Utopia
Personally, I don't believe in burn in, at all. Especially not when people say things like "after 200 hours" that's a long, long time. I think it's totally psychological. I know not everyone agrees with that, and that's fine
I'm not disputing that. What I meant was, when you think that the fault in the FR was caused by the pads and thus could easily be corrected, not correcting it is unbelievably stupid.
Personally, I don't believe in burn in, at all. Especially not when people say things like "after 200 hours" that's a long, long time. I think it's totally psychological. I know not everyone agrees with that, and that's fine
I'm coming to the point where I'm going to just call "burn-in" the sum of all things psychological and physical. It's definitely a huge factor, but isolating the components of the phenomenon is going to be hard to prove and rather out of reach for most of us. Inner fidelity had a nice piece on it though.
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erformance, but depending on your sonic preferences, it may not be the right fit.
