[Roasty]

Well, this sounds pretty damn good with the Utopia...

(and no, I didn't buy it. It is a loaner unit from a friend..)

 

[LarsMan]

The Susvara are such an absolute pain to drive to reach their full potential I almost feel they’re not worth it. I’ve heard them out of a dedicated speaker amp and DAC costing double the Susvara. Yes, the sound was phenomenal. All that’s said above and more. Holographic and perfect placement, soundstage and not a frequency out of place. As if you are Actually there. Each detail as it was in real life.

But if I’m going to do that, I’m going to spend the 5k towards a speaker setup. And all it takes is an accidental volume wheel to blow my ears off.

The Utopia are the sum of many things. For technical and dynamic listening, comfort I can’t think of a better dynamic driver headphone. They’re also fabulous at revealing source idiosyncrasies if you have options to choose from. Yet to receive the Danacable but the stock cable isn’t terrible. They’re really good out of a Hugo2 although the soundstage could be wider.

They’re not as relaxing as the empyrean but technically more accomplished.

If you think Utopia sounds really good out of a Hugo 2, have you tried them out of a good tube headphone amp? Huge difference in sound. Not necessarily better, depending on your tastes, but different.

 

[Arnold Schwartz]

Sound quality is not the end all be all, maybe for some but not for me. Eventually you get accustomed to the sound and it becomes the new normal, but you still have to live with all the other compromises - as is for most things in life. I chose the Utopia over the Susvara because I’m willing to let go of the last 10% in sound quality for the quality of life improvements- I.e. system synergy, comfort, cost, availability, musical preference.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Well, this sounds pretty damn good with the Utopia...

(and no, I didn't buy it. It is a loaner unit from a friend..)

I have ZMF Verite Closed that I pair with a Bifrost 2 and upgraded Bottllehead Crack OTL tube amp. These headphones were made for tube amps and it is a glorious sound. I saw a review of the Utopia by Passion for Sound and he mentioned pairing the Utopia with an OTL tube amp and said it definitely worked even with the impedance mismatch. So, I tried it. Whoa, the bass is overwhelming. Probably a basshead delight. I really didn't like it, but I can see how others would. I am looking to upgrade to a transformer tube amp like a ZMF pendant SE, so I am sure that the Utopia will sound great with that tube amp.

 

[Tanalasta]

If you think Utopia sounds really good out of a Hugo 2, have you tried them out of a good tube headphone amp? Huge difference in sound. Not necessarily better, depending on your tastes, but different.

Surprisingly I still am yet to plug them into the Cayin C9. TOTL tube amps and a 22 month toddler … I had to pick one …

 

[Roasty]

my friend was not kidding when he said the stellaris is the best amp he has heard with the utopia. the characteristics of the amp do play very well to the utopia strengths.

it has a different presentation from the WA33, which sounds a bit more relaxed.
Stellaris has a bit more intimate presentation. the Stellaris sounds very alive and ready to go.
the Stellaris has incredible speed to match with the Utopia. Vocals are extremely clear and slightly more forward sounding than the wa33. The bass is tight and punchy; the wa33 sounds almost slightly bloated in comparison. Bass amount is more on the wa33, but impact is more focused with the Stellaris.
The mid section is as good or perhaps better than what i've heard with the wa33 too.
The stellaris sounds so solid state, that it makes the wa33 sound even more tubey than i previously thought. to be honest, i'm not sure if i would prefer the stellaris or the wa33 in the long run; i'm leaning towards the wa33 because it has a more pleasant relaxed portrayal of music.
wa33 soundstage and depth does sound more believable and wider/larger. layering and front back depth also seems better on the wa33. with the Stellaris, it seems a little bit more of a left to right only.

some minor niggles.. very very very very faint background hum when no music is playing. i'm on 1 out of 10 on the volume knob with the Utopia. max 1.5 with spirited listening. anything more is too much for me.

not going to go into too much detail with comparisons, as this will eventually go back to my friend. i'm just going to try and enjoy it whilst i can!

 

[iamoneagain]

If you think Utopia sounds really good out of a Hugo 2, have you tried them out of a good tube headphone amp? Huge difference in sound. Not necessarily better, depending on your tastes, but different.

I haven’t tried the Utopia’s out of a tube amp yet but the Hugo 2 was my least favorite with them. Even the original Hugo was more musical with them but lacked the bigger soundstage. I’m currently using with Naim Uniti Atom HE and it’s kind of the opposite sound of the Hugo 2. Everything is thick and has weight to it. It’s nice and warm and you get immersed in the rhythm and the rich mids.

It took a few days to really appreciate the Naim sound, especially coming from Chord dacs. Chord are all about resolution and detail. The Hugo 2 is on the analytical side of things while the Dave is analytical and musical at the same time, but it costs a lot more. But the Naim seems to be all about the immersion. You just sort of let the music take over. Plus the streamer is amazing and has the best integration with roon. Can control the sound, turn unit on and off all within roon. And the physical remote can play/pause, skip tracks without having to open the roon app. Also get album art and track info on the front of the unit.

With all this said, the Utopia’s still sound pretty good out of the Hugo 2 but for me, I don’t just what to listen to music, I want to feel it. And the Hugo 2 never had enough weight to it. It came off as bright when first upgraded from the Hugo. The Naim has never sounded bright on anything I’ve played so far.

 

[TDinCali]

I haven’t tried the Utopia’s out of a tube amp yet but the Hugo 2 was my least favorite with them. Even the original Hugo was more musical with them but lacked the bigger soundstage. I’m currently using with Naim Uniti Atom HE and it’s kind of the opposite sound of the Hugo 2. Everything is thick and has weight to it. It’s nice and warm and you get immersed in the rhythm and the rich mids.

It took a few days to really appreciate the Naim sound, especially coming from Chord dacs. Chord are all about resolution and detail. The Hugo 2 is on the analytical side of things while the Dave is analytical and musical at the same time, but it costs a lot more. But the Naim seems to be all about the immersion. You just sort of let the music take over. Plus the streamer is amazing and has the best integration with roon. Can control the sound, turn unit on and off all within roon. And the physical remote can play/pause, skip tracks without having to open the roon app. Also get album art and track info on the front of the unit.

With all this said, the Utopia’s still sound pretty good out of the Hugo 2 but for me, I don’t just what to listen to music, I want to feel it. And the Hugo 2 never had enough weight to it. It came off as bright when first upgraded from the Hugo. The Naim has never sounded bright on anything I’ve played so far.

I agree with you. My Utopia sounds better for me through the feliks euforia tube amp than the Hugo2. With my WU WA8 the Utopia is not as bright as with the hugo2 but it doesn’t have the low end of the feliks either.

 

[iamoneagain]

I agree with you. My Utopia sounds better for me through the feliks euforia tube amp than the Hugo2. With my WU WA8 the Utopia is not as bright as with the hugo2 but it doesn’t have the low end of the feliks either.

What interesting is how transparent the Utopia’s are of whatever your system is. It just takes on the flavor of whatever you’re feeding. I had an issue with Hugo 2 thread, in particular, is they said if your headphone didn’t sound good with the Hugo 2, then it must be the headphones fault. I’m sure some people ended up getting rid of some fine headphones just to get a better pairing with the Hugo 2. When I got the Dave, I was like now I understand the praise the Utopia’s get. But I thought it took $10k dac to achieve this. But then for $1500 I got the Focal Arche and they sounded great. Not at the same level but just as enjoyable. I thought of selling after I got the Naim, but may hang onto it as a 2nd setup.

 

[up late]

my friend was not kidding when he said the stellaris is the best amp he has heard with the utopia. the characteristics of the amp do play very well to the utopia strengths.

it has a different presentation from the WA33, which sounds a bit more relaxed.
Stellaris has a bit more intimate presentation. the Stellaris sounds very alive and ready to go.
the Stellaris has incredible speed to match with the Utopia. Vocals are extremely clear and slightly more forward sounding than the wa33. The bass is tight and punchy; the wa33 sounds almost slightly bloated in comparison. Bass amount is more on the wa33, but impact is more focused with the Stellaris.
The mid section is as good or perhaps better than what i've heard with the wa33 too.
The stellaris sounds so solid state, that it makes the wa33 sound even more tubey than i previously thought. to be honest, i'm not sure if i would prefer the stellaris or the wa33 in the long run; i'm leaning towards the wa33 because it has a more pleasant relaxed portrayal of music.
wa33 soundstage and depth does sound more believable and wider/larger. layering and front back depth also seems better on the wa33. with the Stellaris, it seems a little bit more of a left to right only.

some minor niggles.. very very very very faint background hum when no music is playing. i'm on 1 out of 10 on the volume knob with the Utopia. max 1.5 with spirited listening. anything more is too much for me.

not going to go into too much detail with comparisons, as this will eventually go back to my friend. i'm just going to try and enjoy it whilst i can!

i'm not surprised that the woo sounds more 'tubey' than the dna

 

[koven]

i'm not surprised that the woo sounds more 'tubey' than the dna

9 tubes > 4 tubes. Simple math.

 

[Roasty]

Can't argue with that logic!

 

[Tanalasta]

What interesting is how transparent the Utopia’s are of whatever your system is. It just takes on the flavor of whatever you’re feeding. I had an issue with Hugo 2 thread, in particular, is they said if your headphone didn’t sound good with the Hugo 2, then it must be the headphones fault. I’m sure some people ended up getting rid of some fine headphones just to get a better pairing with the Hugo 2. When I got the Dave, I was like now I understand the praise the Utopia’s get. But I thought it took $10k dac to achieve this. But then for $1500 I got the Focal Arche and they sounded great. Not at the same level but just as enjoyable. I thought of selling after I got the Naim, but may hang onto it as a 2nd setup.

The Utopia are definitely the most revealing and transparent of the source. The chord H2 sound takes some getting used to … especially if you’ve come from a warmer “sound signature memory”.

It grew on me, especially with the green Hf roll off filter. However, after all this I’ve been inspired to add the C9 to add a different coloration / amp into the chain. The Class A / Tube mode with the H2 is very, very nice. A more relaxed and immersive experience. It reminds me of the Trailli … or a cross breed between the Utopia and Empyrean

Now I’m going to have to shop around for a tube amp. Although I’m very very satisfied by how it sounds out of this portable chain on my recliner.

Danacable lazuli reference plus arrives next week. Vinh suggests 100 hours of burn in but I’m looking forward to seeing how it sound straight out of the Naim HE

 

[iamoneagain]

The Utopia are definitely the most revealing and transparent of the source. The chord H2 sound takes some getting used to … especially if you’ve come from a warmer “sound signature memory”.

It grew on me, especially with the green Hf roll off filter. However, after all this I’ve been inspired to add the C9 to add a different coloration / amp into the chain. The Class A / Tube mode with the H2 is very, very nice. A more relaxed and immersive experience. It reminds me of the Trailli … or a cross breed between the Utopia and Empyrean

Now I’m going to have to shop around for a tube amp. Although I’m very very satisfied by how it sounds out of this portable chain on my recliner.

Danacable lazuli reference plus arrives next week. Vinh suggests 100 hours of burn in but I’m looking forward to seeing how it sound straight out of the Naim HE

When I first got my Danacable Reference, also quoted 100 hours but heard the difference immediately from stock. Easy to tell with the clarity of vocals and sound of the guitar. Not sure sound differences in the plus but would imagine similar but more improvements.

 

[PsilocybinCube]

I have ZMF Verite Closed that I pair with a Bifrost 2 and upgraded Bottllehead Crack OTL tube amp. These headphones were made for tube amps and it is a glorious sound. I saw a review of the Utopia by Passion for Sound and he mentioned pairing the Utopia with an OTL tube amp and said it definitely worked even with the impedance mismatch. So, I tried it. Whoa, the bass is overwhelming. Probably a basshead delight. I really didn't like it, but I can see how others would. I am looking to upgrade to a transformer tube amp like a ZMF pendant SE, so I am sure that the Utopia will sound great with that tube amp.

I use the Utopia with an OTL amp - the venerable Incubus Elegan - and yes, it's fantastic.

I have bought many expensive headphones, including the lauded VO (which I do like), but I'm beginning to think the Utopia is truly the Alpha and Omega of the headphone world.

Perhaps there is better...but the diminishing returns above this level must be tough to swallow.

Miraculously, the Utopia has me no longer looking at audio gear (other than tubes), and that's saying a lot.

FOMO is no more. I am in Utopia.

(I guess I need a fancy 2-channel stereo setup now???)