[MRHiFiReviews]

Happy Holidays from all of us at TSAV! If you are trying to decide which flagship headphones you want to ring in the New Year check out today's video premiering at 8 am PT!

Focal Utopia 2022 vs. DCA Expanse vs. Meze Elite vs. Audeze LCD 5 Headphones Happy Holidays, TSAV!

 

[MRHiFiReviews]

Focal Utopia 2022 New Flagship Headphones with comparisons to the Original Focal Utopia Headphones!


Posted only in this thread now.

 

[Nomax]

Happy Holidays from all of us at TSAV! If you are trying to decide which flagship headphones you want to ring in the New Year check out today's video premiering at 8 am PT!

Focal Utopia 2022 vs. DCA Expanse vs. Meze Elite vs. Audeze LCD 5 Headphones Happy Holidays, TSAV!

Nice Video....thanks

Preferences or not..at the end of the day, it's about which of these flagships are the most tonally correct for me and in line with the reality to my ears

The LCD5....has much too little in a very specific area
The Expanse again has much too much on the left side to the Target...which does not correspond to the reality of the recording
I prefer to spare myself the words about the tonality of the Elite
Remains only the Nutopia and the Stealth which what does not appear in the video

Yes who has the last two....can lean back in my opinion satisfied

NOMAX

PS.but only until the third comes ....in the spring of 2023...and this will not be the Yamaha

 

[iDesign]

Nice Video....thanks

Preferences or not..at the end of the day, it's about which of these flagships are the most tonally correct for me and in line with the reality to my ears

The LCD5....has much too little in a very specific area
The Expanse again has much too much on the left side to the Target...which does not correspond to the reality of the recording
I prefer to spare myself the words about the Elite
Remains only the Nutopia and the Stealth which what does not appear in the video

Yes who has the last two....can lean back in my opinion satisfied

NOMAX

PS.but only until the third comes ....in the spring of 2023...and this will not be the Yamaha

The Source AV is a dealer so their reviews have an inherent bias towards new products from brands they resell. As to your comment about “the third,” I‘ll be surprised to see another flagship that marches prices even higher in a recession.

 

[Nomax]

The Source AV is a dealer so their reviews have an inherent bias towards new products from brands they resell. As to your comment about “the third,” I‘ll be surprised to see another flagship that marches prices even higher in a recession.

You will be surprised what you will get and at what price in 2023
(Let's see what else will be in the big case to the headphones )

NOMAX

PS.I am already looking forward to the faces next year in spring

 

[Nomax]

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all



NOMAX

PS.And don't forget, you don't have to spend thousands of Euros for a DAC, for an amp and for a source....an SP3000 is by far enough for the NUTOPIA/UTOPIA....anything else would be misinvested money
I can also connect the Utopia to a CMA 15 or TT2 or other gear (i have access to all) ,but for what and why if it is no longer necessary for the Focals?
See you next year my friends

 

[ra990]

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all



NOMAX

PS.And don't forget, you don't have to spend thousands of Euros for a DAC, for an amp and for a source....an SP3000 is by far enough for the NUTOPIA/UTOPIA....anything else would be misinvested money
I can also connect the Utopia to a CMA 15 or TT2 or other gear (i have access to all) ,but for what and why if it is no longer necessary for the Focals?
See you next year my friends

The CMA Fifteen sounds pretty damn great with the Nutopia, but so does my Woo WA8 and Chord Mojo2. You're right, you absolutely don't need desktop level amplification for these to sound great.

 

[Nomax]

@ra990

And that's what I'm about in the matter itself, you need this stationary analog amp, this Dac, this source, this wiring....and for what all this? For the Focals?
When it's far easier and cheaper with a Sp3000 or with a other Flagship DAP
(This is not to say that the desktop devices do not have their qualities)

NOMAX

PS.I've been doing this for over 20 years now, and I'm surprised that no one has made it clear to us that we need stationary devices for IEMS so that they sound even better.....but who knows maybe that comes yet
At the end of the day, it will be the models that make the running in the future, the ones that cut a fine figure tonally in the All In One solutions and on the portable devices.
Because the customers, when they spend money, only do it for one set up, and that will give them pleasure at home and also on the go, in the hotel, on trips etc etc
(Let's see if I will be right in my assumption in 2-3 years )
Imagine if the Stealth had the same sensitivity as the Utopia/Nutopia....Dan Clark would have to build a new factory to meet the demand of thousands

 

[jlbrach]

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all



NOMAX

PS.And don't forget, you don't have to spend thousands of Euros for a DAC, for an amp and for a source....an SP3000 is by far enough for the NUTOPIA/UTOPIA....anything else would be misinvested money
I can also connect the Utopia to a CMA 15 or TT2 or other gear (i have access to all) ,but for what and why if it is no longer necessary for the Focals?
See you next year my friends

misdirected money?..in your opinion perhaps...I do not suggest that the amp and source you speak of doesnt sound good only that it can sound far better with higher end equipment...one of the things I have discovered over time to the detriment of my wallet is how much these TOTL HP's scale with better source and amp choices...obviously there are diminishing returns

 

[xxx1313]

@Nomax
I am very happy with my Nutopia/SP2000Cu setup. Even though the SP2000 has less power than the SP3000, Nutopia/SP2000 sounds very good too and only very slightly less fast than the Nutopia with more powerful amplification. I was also surprised that the Nutopia responds so well to the use of DSP. So if one likes a few db more sub bass for true Harman tuning for example, this is fine even with the not so powerful SP2000. Still no audible distortion, not even at ear-spitting noise levels.

@jlbrach
I have previously owned Chord Dave & Mscaler for use with the original Utopias. Even though there are some smaller sound differences with using better source and amp, the Nutopia is quite close to being source and amp agnostic, imho. I personally enjoy Nutopia + SP2000 or SP3000 much more than my former Utopia + Dave + MScaler setup. Dave + Mscaler are fine, but the better transducer is more important imo than the source gear.

Cheers,
Bernie

 

[tomwoo]

@Nomax
I am very happy with my Nutopia/SP2000Cu setup. Even though the SP2000 has less power than the SP3000, Nutopia/SP2000 sounds very good too and only very slightly less fast than the Nutopia with more powerful amplification. I was also surprised that the Nutopia responds so well to the use of DSP. So if one likes a few db more sub bass for true Harman tuning for example, this is fine even with the not so powerful SP2000. Still no audible distortion, not even at ear-spitting noise levels.

@jlbrach
I have previously owned Chord Dave & Mscaler for use with the original Utopias. Even though there are some smaller sound differences with using better source and amp, the Nutopia is quite close to being source and amp agnostic, imho. I personally enjoy Nutopia + SP2000 or SP3000 much more than my former Utopia + Dave + MScaler setup. Dave + Mscaler are fine, but the better transducer is more important imo than the source gear.

Cheers,
Bernie

You mean SP2000 drives Utopia better than Dave+Mscaler? That's quite a statement.

 

[Nomax]

@xxx1313
Have fun and enjoy many hours with the Nutopia

@jlbrach
I would rather invest money in another headphone model than in higher and even more expensive Eqipment, because at the end of the day it's the different transducer that offers you the music differently..but never the Eqipment...these are just nuances...but is only my opinion on this
(I only spend my money if I can hear and make out clear differences in the first 60 seconds...if it takes me longer, it's not worth it)
Some have surely followed my post about the Zähl HM1...not because it sounds so good...but much more his features are what make it so interesting






NOMAX

PS.No one can reach the HE1...not the U/Nutopia/X9000/Stealth.....why?
(No matter how expensive the equipment is what you put in front of this three)




Because the transducer has the last word...this was and will be the case in the future as well

 

[tomwoo]

@xxx1313
Have fun and enjoy many hours with the Nutopia

@jlbrach
I would rather invest money in another headphone model than in higher and even more expensive Eqipment, because at the end of the day it's the different transducer that offers you the music differently..but never the Eqipment...these are just nuances...but is only my opinion on this
(I only spend my money if I can hear and make out clear differences in the first 60 seconds...if it takes me longer, it's not worth it)
Some have surely followed my post about the Zähl HM1...not because it sounds so good...but much more his features are what make it so interesting






NOMAX

PS.No one can reach the HE1...not the U/Nutopia/X9000/Stealth.....why?
(No matter how expensive the equipment is what you put in front of this three)




Because the transducer has the last word...this was and will be the case in the future as well

The problem is not too many of us can afford HE1

 

[jlbrach]

@Nomax
I am very happy with my Nutopia/SP2000Cu setup. Even though the SP2000 has less power than the SP3000, Nutopia/SP2000 sounds very good too and only very slightly less fast than the Nutopia with more powerful amplification. I was also surprised that the Nutopia responds so well to the use of DSP. So if one likes a few db more sub bass for true Harman tuning for example, this is fine even with the not so powerful SP2000. Still no audible distortion, not even at ear-spitting noise levels.

@jlbrach
I have previously owned Chord Dave & Mscaler for use with the original Utopias. Even though there are some smaller sound differences with using better source and amp, the Nutopia is quite close to being source and amp agnostic, imho. I personally enjoy Nutopia + SP2000 or SP3000 much more than my former Utopia + Dave + MScaler setup. Dave + Mscaler are fine, but the better transducer is more important imo than the source gear.

Cheers,
Bernie

we simply disagree...to me the source is more important particularly when we are talking such extremes as the dave/m scaler and the sp2000...but hey, everybody hears things differently so enjoy

 

[Ciggavelli]

we simply disagree...to me the source is more important particularly when we are talking such extremes as the dave/m scaler and the sp2000...but hey, everybody hears things differently so enjoy

The 2022 Utopia is more amp and source agnostic than my other headphones. It sounds the best outta my main setup, but it sounds very good with the lowly iFi BluGo. They are just so easy to drive.