[BiscuitHammer]

Whilst I no longer subscribe to 'silver is bright ; copper is warm' I do believe that there is some truth to this. I went with the Norne Audio Vykari and it is a magnificent pairing. The thick the gauge, the richer the sound. The DAC/AMP pairing probably has a significant part to play too.

The stock cable was... in a word... boring.

I have a Danceable Lazuli Reference Plus I use with the Utopia OG. It sounds different to the Norne Audio. YMMV as cable apologetics are a very controversial topic. Ergonomics on the Vykari are superb.

I've been wondering how danacable compares to norne. In your experience, how do they compare in sound for the U22? Is your Vykari the pure silver version?

 

[Atriya]

UL+ ?

The Linear Tube Audio UltraLinear+:

https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/zotl-ultralinear-integrated-amplifier

 

[meomap]

The Linear Tube Audio UltraLinear+:

https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/zotl-ultralinear-integrated-amplifier

Thank you.

 

[dB Cooper]

I received my LTA UltraLinear+ recently, for use with the Utopia22. First high-end tube amp I've ever heard, and I'm impressed by the improved soundstage and "realism" over a SS amp. It seems one step closer to listening to music live.

Detail doesn't seem lost (this was my main fear), but just presented in a less "edgy" way, compared to using the headphone out from my DAC. Not sure I would call that "feathering", but maybe just a more natural rendering of detail. But I have yet to compare closely.

Thanks to @PaisleyUnderground and @dB Cooper for recommending this amp to me.

@PaisleyUnderground: do you find the UL+ lacking when driving planars? While my main headphone right now is the Utopia22 (with a ZMF Bokeh ordered), I might get something like a Diana TC in the future (or the easier to drive Meze Elite).

I used it to drive the DP8KP and for planars such as that, they don't put too much of a burden on the amp, it was a wonderful pairing. Didn't try other planar pairings though. All of the HD6XX series worked well.

 

[chesebert]

Whilst I no longer subscribe to 'silver is bright ; copper is warm' I do believe that there is some truth to this. I went with the Norne Audio Vykari and it is a magnificent pairing. The thick the gauge, the richer the sound. The DAC/AMP pairing probably has a significant part to play too.

The stock cable was... in a word... boring.

I have a Danceable Lazuli Reference Plus I use with the Utopia OG. It sounds different to the Norne Audio. YMMV as cable apologetics are a very controversial topic. Ergonomics on the Vykari are superb.

Silver is the best metal conductor of electricity at room temperature. If your silver cable makes your rig sound bright then that means that’s just how the rig was supposed to sound with near perfect interconnect. You can always use different cables as tone control, add an actual tone control or change the gear to get the sound you like.

 

[Arniesb]

Silver is the best metal conductor of electricity at room temperature. If your silver cable makes your rig sound bright then that means that’s just how the rig was supposed to sound with near perfect interconnect. You can always use different cables as tone control, add an actual tone control or change the gear to get the sound you like.

What about wire thickness? i had 1 aftermarket cable and it made sound everything so thin for my HD800S...
Asked maker about this and he said that: guy who asked to make that cable wanted it for cheap... Cheap = thinner wires and he said: That thinner was wires resulted in less optimal sound.
I remember Utopia owners being happy with Lazuli cables and that was thick cable.

 

[chesebert]

What about wire thickness? i had 1 aftermarket cable and it made sound everything so thin for my HD800S...
Asked maker about this and he said that: guy who asked to make that cable wanted it for cheap... Cheap = thinner wires and he said: That thinner was wires resulted in less optimal sound.
I remember Utopia owners being happy with Lazuli cables and that was thick cable.

sorry if I was not clear. wire performance is a function of material, length and geometry. A super thin silver cable will have obvious issue with high resistance compared to a thicker multi strand copper notwithstanding the lower conductance of copper. Capacitance is a function of geometry not related to cable materials in general.

So your silver cable may be too thin with bad geometry.

 

[Tanalasta]

What about wire thickness? i had 1 aftermarket cable and it made sound everything so thin for my HD800S...
Asked maker about this and he said that: guy who asked to make that cable wanted it for cheap... Cheap = thinner wires and he said: That thinner was wires resulted in less optimal sound.
I remember Utopia owners being happy with Lazuli cables and that was thick cable.

Lazuli cables are thick due to the sheath they arrive in.

If you hold it up to the light ; you can see the cables inside.

I've never worked out what gauge they are. As long as the end result is that they sound good - and they do - I'll blissfully ignore the technical aspects behind the cables.
The Lazuli ultra consistently gets a very, very good rep but the cost! Lazuli Reference also works very well for the HD800S and fills out the sound. Though I considered it still lacking and the soundstage felt artificially 'too' wide (as if you were sitting in the back of a concert hall) so moved them on.

I prefer the Utopia 2022 to Utopia OG. The former is just a tad better rounded. Some may find it less exciting than the OG with the subtle change in sound signature butI found it is therefore easier to pair. The Utopia OG accentuated a little too much if your DAC/AMP was too bright.

 

[Arniesb]

Lazuli cables are thick due to the sheath they arrive in.

If you hold it up to the light ; you can see the cables inside.

I've never worked out what gauge they are. As long as the end result is that they sound good - and they do - I'll blissfully ignore the technical aspects behind the cables.
The Lazuli ultra consistently gets a very, very good rep but the cost! Lazuli Reference also works very well for the HD800S and fills out the sound. Though I considered it still lacking and the soundstage felt artificially 'too' wide (as if you were sitting in the back of a concert hall) so moved them on.

I prefer the Utopia 2022 to Utopia OG. The former is just a tad better rounded. Some may find it less exciting than the OG with the subtle change in sound signature butI found it is therefore easier to pair. The Utopia OG accentuated a little too much if your DAC/AMP was too bright.

Utopia 2022 looks amazing, but that Headband design bothers me...
I mean they make earpads easily replacable , but not headband padding?
They have perfect example of Sennheiser with its cheap and easily replacable headband padding.

I think i paid 30 euro for hd800S heaband padding replacement... How much it would cost for Utopia? i dont even see such parts.
Manufacturers need to fix such design flaw.

 

[chesebert]

I use a cloth cover over the headband. I think a replacement band is like $1k+

 

[AussieMick]

Utopia 2022 looks amazing, but that Headband design bothers me...
I mean they make earpads easily replacable , but not headband padding?
They have perfect example of Sennheiser with its cheap and easily replacable headband padding.

I think i paid 30 euro for hd800S heaband padding replacement... How much it would cost for Utopia? i dont even see such parts.
Manufacturers need to fix such design flaw.

The Sennheiser headband design is super comfortable, but it will need replacing because it just won’t last. I’m not sure the Utopia headband will suffer the same fate?

 

[Arniesb]

Thats crazy pricing.
Cloth cover would just ruin design for me...

 

[iDesign]

Utopia 2022 looks amazing, but that Headband design bothers me...
I mean they make earpads easily replacable , but not headband padding?
They have perfect example of Sennheiser with its cheap and easily replacable headband padding.

I think i paid 30 euro for hd800S heaband padding replacement... How much it would cost for Utopia? i dont even see such parts.
Manufacturers need to fix such design flaw.

Agreed. Though you can make or purchase a simple solution like this.

 

[Arniesb]

The Sennheiser headband design is super comfortable, but it will need replacing because it just won’t last. I’m not sure the Utopia headband will suffer the same fate?

Eventually sweat will ruin it.
Lots of planars and Sennheiser are doing great in designing headband.
Denon, Fostex, Focal should take notes.

 

[AussieMick]

Thats crazy pricing.
Cloth cover would just ruin design for me...

Crazy pricing is a thing on luxury product though. How much would a gas cap replacement cost for a Ferrari?
My personal take is that Utopia occupies a dual space of high end headphone AND luxury item that other flagship headphones haven’t attempted to replicate. Susvara and 1266 are two that don’t have the same luxury feel that might appeal in the same way. Perhaps Meze are the other o virus luxury item headphone? Just holding an Empy 2 you know it’s something special as a design object.