[pervysage]

Highly recommend you do not purchase from this dealer, I had a bad experience with them. Also www.headphonebar.com is the Canadian launch point as far as I know, and they don't even have them on the website yet, as they haven't come in yet, as far as I know. Hifiheadphones.com shouldn't have them up already when headphone bar doesn't even have them in. 

I wouldn't buy from them anyways. Was just curious about pricing since Headphone Bar doesn't seem to have any info up yet.

Kind of odd that the Elear costs 1500 CAD. If it was on the same pricing scale as the Utopia (which is 5000 CAD compared to 4000 USD), shouldn't it be around 1250 CAD? (Elear price being $999 USD).

 

[Beagle]

  Highly recommend you do not purchase from this dealer, I had a bad experience with them. Also www.headphonebar.com is the Canadian launch point as far as I know, and they don't even have them on the website yet, as they haven't come in yet, as far as I know. Hifiheadphones.com shouldn't have them up already when headphone bar doesn't even have them in. 

 
I'm not planning to. I'd buy from ebay or the UK before I ever spend $1400 CDN on a $995 US headphone.

 

[pkcpga]

I'm not planning to. I'd buy from ebay or the UK before I ever spend $1400 CDN on a $995 US headphone.

With current usd to cad rates the can price should be 1300-1350 depending on daily rates.

 

[TSAVJason]

How long have you had a pair in your store, the Utopia? How many hours do you have on a pair there? Anything over 100 hours? 

The reason I ask is because if they sound good with 50 or so hours, I can only imagine how much better they will sound after more time is put on them. 

My bet is under 50 hours. At 70 hours based on one example was the point when the really begin to show off. I'll reiterate they sound great fresh out of the box and it only gets better from there. What's cool is that if you feel like you need a bit more impact, just get a set of Elear pads on it and your bass will jump out at you.

 

[mtoc]

So the Utopia is even better than the Orpheus 2 according to Tyll since it is the best headphone in the world? $4k is a bargin then.

 
Tyll's title of his article did say Utopia is the best (than anything else in tha world.

 

[m8o]

Isn't there the newish 25K or 30K $ Sennheiser? Better than that TOO?

Edit: Orpheus, and pardon, $55K.

 

[up late]

just read tyll's glowing review of the utopia. "focal has largely redefined...or better said, refined anew, what it means to be a high-end headphone." i guess you could call it a "game changer". shows what i know. it's hard not to be excited about the prospect of hearing it.

 

[XERO1]

just read tyll's glowing review of the utopia. "focal has largely redefined...or better said, refined anew, what it means to be a high-end headphone." i guess you could call it a "game changer". shows what i know. it's hard not to be excited about the prospect of hearing it.

 
 
I hate to sound like a broken record, but like I already said ....
 
 

   
 
I just want to clarify something to anybody who hasn't actually heard the Elear or Utopia yet, but may be starting to sip the Kool-Aid (new Berry Hype-a-licious flavor!) a little.
 
Though wonderful sounding, both the Elear and Utopia are still very much relatively conventional headphones, and still sound like relatively conventional headphones.
 
They do not radically redefine what a headphone can be, but ​instead they push the limits of how good a relatively conventional headphone (dynamic, planar magnetic, electrostatic, etc.) can sound.
 
I just want to try and make sure everyone has realistic expectations.  And whenever possible, always try before you buy!  

 

[1c3d0g]

  TH900's are great for bass-heavy music.

Indeed, they are, which is why I'm sooooo looking forward to comparisons between it and the Utopia. I'm not in a hurry to replace my TH900, but if the Utopia is the better headphone, you bet I'll be saving up for it!

 

[SearchOfSub]

if it's anything like the focal speakers it should sound dynamic and that's about it.. nothing special about dome drivers. Only dome drivers I like are the ones implemented in Dynaudio 8K range bookshelves confidence sugnature mkll's.

 

[Zojokkeli]

Indeed, they are, which is why I'm sooooo looking forward to comparisons between it and the Utopia. I'm not in a hurry to replace my TH900, but if the Utopia is the better headphone, you bet I'll be saving up for it!

You can always bite the bullet and provide comparisons for the rest of us

At the moment I'm looking at getting Elears as complementary headphones for my TH900s.

 

[pervysage]

  Indeed, they are, which is why I'm sooooo looking forward to comparisons between it and the Utopia. I'm not in a hurry to replace my TH900, but if the Utopia is the better headphone, you bet I'll be saving up for it!

 
Another interested TH900 user here 

 
I doubt the Utopia would match the TH900 in terms of bass quantity but everything else they better excel in a very big way to be worth that $4K price tag 

 
Will definitely try to hear them at a local dealer to see what all the hype is about. In the meantime any impressions from someone who has heard both would be appreciated!

 

[Torq]

Coming from using the Abyss, LCD-4 and HD800S, in concert, I really am curios to see, or hear, I guess, where the Utopia land.
 
While my use cases usually preclude the use of software EQ, if it's just a bit of bass weight that's missing, and everything else is superior, I might just be tempted to setup something more permanent with Equilibrium.

 

[mtoc]

Utopia is now inofficialy the best hps officially in this world, if utopia doesn't sound better than your any other so-called high-end headphones, that's the amp/dac/everything-else you need to blame.

 

[phonomat]

just read tyll's glowing review of the utopia. "focal has largely redefined...or better said, refined anew, what it means to be a high-end headphone." i guess you could call it a "game changer". shows what i know. it's hard not to be excited about the prospect of hearing it.

 
To keep things in perspective: He's one guy with one guy's opinion. Yes, it's an educated opinion, but like everyone else's, it's skewed by his taste and personal preferences. Plus, I really do think he should listen before he measures. I must say that lately, his utter disregard of the Pioneer SE-Master1 and the Violectric V281 for example, two pieces of gear that in combination reliably keep transporting me to Headphone Heaven day after day, really gave me pause. Shows what he knows. Or what I know, for that matter. I don't really care either way, and unlike others, I don't smell a hidden agenda of some sort, I think it's probably just a matter of personal aversion for whatever reasons ... in any case, I guess it just makes him more human in a way.