[Whitigir]

I vote for LKS-MA004 as well. Very good DAC for the price/performances/build ratios

 

[Tassie Devil]

I had Ric Schultz massage mine but, to be honest, am unable to claim it makes significant improvement as I never did hear an unmodified LKS first. All of which proves I'm just as susceptible to audiophilia as the rest of you!

 

[Whitigir]

I had Ric Schultz massage mine but, to be honest, am unable to claim it makes significant improvement as I never did hear an unmodified LKS first. All of which proves I'm just as susceptible to audiophilia as the rest of you!

Interesting, what kind of modifications ?

 

[Tassie Devil]

See them here: http://tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/LKS_Mods.html

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

After almost 4 months ownership I'm still happily enjoying the pooh out of my Utopia, first product I didn't sell after a few months or sooner. Can't imagine what I would rather have.

 

[jwbrent]

After almost 4 months ownership I'm still happily enjoying the pooh out of my Utopia, first product I didn't sell after a few months or sooner. Can't imagine what I would rather have.

Same here although the final D8000 looks to be a nice compliment to the Utopia.

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

Same here although the final D8000 looks to be a nice compliment to the Utopia.

I'm just patiently waiting for the next top of the line model from Focal, something has to be in the works lol. That is the next headphone I would invest in, only.

 

[kernel8888]

sorry haven't been able to find an answer to this, so if its been covered forgive me.

Do the utopia use the same connectors as the hd800?

 

[FLTWS]

No they don't use the same connector.

 

[bclark8923]

Curious on amp recommendations for the Utopia. Mines showing up in a few days!

I have a Gungnir Multibit and Liquid Carbon X right now, budget prolly ~$1k for an amp and would like fully balanced, just curious what else people are using!

 

[MacedonianHero]

Curious on amp recommendations for the Utopia. Mines showing up in a few days!

I have a Gungnir Multibit and Liquid Carbon X right now, budget prolly ~$1k for an amp and would like fully balanced, just curious what else people are using!

Amazing out of the Hugo 2, but the best I've heard them is straight out of the DAVE with either the Axios or Dana Lazuli aftermarket cables!

On a budget, the Gilmore Lite Mk2 is VERY good!

 

[Tassie Devil]

Curious on amp recommendations for the Utopia. Mines showing up in a few days!

I have a Gungnir Multibit and Liquid Carbon X right now, budget prolly ~$1k for an amp and would like fully balanced, just curious what else people are using!

FWIW I use a Violectric HPA V281 and have also used an Auralic Taurus and MIT Vero 50EX (FS if anyone interested) and observed no significant difference with any of them. There are subtle difference in sonic signatures as there are with any electronic component, but choosing if one is better than another is a bit pointless if the result coming through the Focals is appealing and musical. My hobby horse is that there are far more differences in sounds with differtent DACs than there are with amps of the caliber mentioned above.

At this level it becomes a waste of money attempting to upgrade. You might end up with a subtle difference in sound which can far too readily be interpreted as an improvement when in fact, all that has happened is a move sideways rather than forward. But the upside is it keeps manufacturers and dealers in business. The downside is obvious in the bank balance!!

 

[llamaluv]

budget prolly ~$1k for an amp and would like fully balanced

For $700 new, the Cayin iHA-6 is buyer's-remorse-proof.
Or for a little more than a grand if bought used, the iFi Pro iCan (see shameless plug in my sig ).

Both run best fully balanced. I was running the Utopia on each, briefly, and loved it on both.

 

[SilverEars]

I've been hearing realistic sounding timbre with the Utopia from the Bryston BHA-1. I prefer the single ended connection. Balanced outputs too much power.

 

[NEXTLEVEL5]

Has anyone heard the focal utopias on a mimby/modi3 stack, or Jotunheim multibit? If so, what were your impressions? I am seriously considering these options in the short term.