Hi,
I have been thinking about why I find that the Utopia is much better for metal than my other hps,
and have theorized things:
- several former dynamic hps (HD 800, K812) could resolve well and were fast enough for metal, but then they were bright and fatiguing
- (dynamic Sonorous X and VIII are actually great for metal, but given their price ratio and they are not popular)
- planar magnetic (Audeze, Oppo) remove the fatigue with a dark coloration but then are too slow and not detailed enough, you miss a lot
- the Utopia is by far the best because not only it is much much faster, detailed, punchy, etc, beating the HD 800 and the K812 (in these respects where the planar had failed). but it does it without brightness and fatigue, and this without the need for the dark coloration of the planars.
With the Utopia (make sure they have been burning 24h/14 days) you can listen to metal just as it is, at full speed, with all the details of realism, at full punch, no coloration and no more fatigue than the real music (which may still be inherently fatiguing).
None my other hps would do this (except for the Sonorous X but too lesser extents than the Utopia).
Here some impression with albums from different subgenres which could be fatiguing (so no atmospheric, no funeral...)
Softer forms of different kinds of metal:
Agalloch's Of Stone, Wind and Pillor
I take this album because its tracks have quite diverging orientations:
track 1 = black metal
track 2 = folk metal with vocal and synth
track 3 = folk acoustic metal
track 4 = gothic metal
track 5 = atmospheric metal
Nowhere fatiguing, just absolutely superb, here is no competition among my hps for the Utopia.
Heavy metal:
Manowar's Warriors of the World
I take this album because its give a taste of the incredible pleasures you can get through the Utopia and you can't really imagine it until you have experienced it.
Utopia gives me zero fatigue. The whole album is stunning in CD quality, an experience which any metal -lover who can afford the Utopia should not miss!! And then listening to the same album in SACD quality: for sure quite subjective, but I have no words to describe this nirvana...
black metal
Antiquus Scriptum's Conclamatum Est
The full spectrum is used most of the time, this kind of fast riffs, drums, growls etc. is definitely typical of fatiguing stuff.
I listened for about 20 min. I had no fatigue with the Utopia, but this is too short for a test, I am sorry, I like black metal less than other genres. (sometimes I listen for long periods, but as kind of background, ambiance, I am then not focused on the music itself)
Anyway the Utopia is super fast and precise. On large part of the tracks the sound is not beautiful enough to make the Utopia shine for me, however there is are some beautiful parts (e.g. around 13:00) which deserve the realism of the Utopia.
Symphonic metal
no need to give examples, you can believe there is no question the Utopia is the best of the best here and there are no words to describe these sublime experiences....
power metal
Majesty's Hellforces
From track 2 on this music is fatiguing on bright headphones: lot of fast, distorted electric guitar, high pitch voices.
No fatigue with the Utopia, I love it very much!!
pagan folk metal
Equilibrium's Sagas
Very intensive and fast; occupation of the full spectrum.
The Utopia has no issues following the speed and separating the more beautiful and acoustic components from the perpetual electric guitars. No fatigue and superb experience with the Utopia, I love it and love it! You miss so much with the other hps.
Melodic death metal
Amon Amrath's Deceiver of the Gods
Waooh! This the kind of stuff where the Utopia won't stop electrifying you, striking you all the time with Thor's lightnings!!! The AKG K812 is quite fast and punchy, but so much less than the Utopia, and the K812 is bright and tiring.
I must say this is the kind of music where I turn the volume higher up with dynamic headphones than with planar magnetic dark headphones (Oppo, Audeze) because the Utopia and the K812 can deliver whereas the planar magnetic ones and also the HD 800 will remain lifeless for me.
So here listening at high volume is less fatiguing than with the K812 (I am taking K812 here instead of the HD 800 because the latter can't deliver the punch). Stil ore fatiguing then listening at lower level on planars. But at the same volume level as the planar magnetic, no more fatiguing than the later.
(at home I would normally NOT listen to this kind of music with planar magnetic headphones because they miss all the required punch -- no fun. However the only hps I take to work are the portable Oppo PM2 and PM3, so I will still listen to this stuff at work with them because I have no choice there).
Goth metal
Saviour Machine's Saviour Machine's II
Zero fatigue and quite nice.
alt, nu metal
Demon Hunter's Storm the Gates of Hell
quite intensive and fast, rather fatiguing music. Besides the electric guitar the Utopia images and represents super clearly the other musical components and shines here compared to the other hps: superb and with zero fatigue!