[TDinCali]

Utopia is here, let's see how it sounds with Bartok, compared to AB-1266

Is it a loaner? So broken in?

I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Is it the stock cable?

 

[THGM]

Utopia is here, let's see how it sounds with Bartok, compared to AB-1266

Look forward to your thoughts! I was fortunate to listen to the Bartok/Utopia in the dCS room at CanJam a few years ago and found the combination to be joyous.

 

[mammal]

Is it a loaner? So broken in?

I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Is it the stock cable?

Yes it is a loaner, so has enough hours on the clock. Stock cable it had in the box was 6.3mm, so I asked my dealer to give me their (broken in) Moon Audio silver dragon.

Look forward to your thoughts! I was fortunate to listen to the Bartok/Utopia in the dCS room at CanJam a few years ago and found the combination to be joyous.

I will also drive it off Viva Egoista 845, which is en route (and broken in - asked my dealer to do that for me at their expense, haha).

I should also state my motivation here - I love AB-1266 on EDM (the cold vocal-less type), but for me, piano pieces (like Max Payne soundtrack) or vocal heavy synth pop (like The Weeknd) just don't do it on AB-1266. There I am looking for more of a "headphone" experience, soundstage in my head, very intimate, no 3D holographic, vocals in my face, this kind of stuff. I am hoping Utopia is a queen to my king (AB-1266), if you know what I mean.

 

[DJJEZ]

Yes it is a loaner, so has enough hours on the clock. Stock cable it had in the box was 6.3mm, so I asked my dealer to give me their (broken in) Moon Audio silver dragon.

I will also drive it off Viva Egoista 845, which is en route (and broken in - asked my dealer to do that for me at their expense, haha).

I should also state my motivation here - I love AB-1266 on EDM (the cold vocal-less type), but for me, piano pieces (like Max Payne soundtrack) or vocal heavy synth pop (like The Weeknd) just don't do it on AB-1266. There I am looking for more of a "headphone" experience, soundstage in my head, very intimate, no 3D holographic, vocals in my face, this kind of stuff. I am hoping Utopia is a queen to my king (AB-1266), if you know what I mean.

I reckon the utopia will do that for you

 

[TDinCali]

Yes it is a loaner, so has enough hours on the clock. Stock cable it had in the box was 6.3mm, so I asked my dealer to give me their (broken in) Moon Audio silver dragon.

I will also drive it off Viva Egoista 845, which is en route (and broken in - asked my dealer to do that for me at their expense, haha).

I should also state my motivation here - I love AB-1266 on EDM (the cold vocal-less type), but for me, piano pieces (like Max Payne soundtrack) or vocal heavy synth pop (like The Weeknd) just don't do it on AB-1266. There I am looking for more of a "headphone" experience, soundstage in my head, very intimate, no 3D holographic, vocals in my face, this kind of stuff. I am hoping Utopia is a queen to my king (AB-1266), if you know what I mean.

Can I just say that you have an amazing dealer. I can’t get crap from my local dealers.

 

[mammal]

Can I just say that you have an amazing dealer. I can’t get crap from my local dealers.

I am incredibly lucky, I have been able to audition at home essentially anything I wanted to buy. I work with 4 different dealers and they do their absolute best to provide excellent service. One of them is willing to travel to your home, to showcase you the gear (and let it with you for a week or two if you like it), another one is willing to pull strings to get you better delivery times, another one gives you 20k DAC for home audition, no deposit needed, and another one gives you a loaner for 2 months, until your own unit arrives.

 

[mammal]

I reckon the utopia will do that for you

Can already confirm that Utopia has the intimate forward mids I was told about. Now let's see how it stacks against AB-1266 and Susvara.

 

[Roasty]

Can already confirm that Utopia has the intimate forward mids I was told about. Now let's see how it stacks against AB-1266 and Susvara.

The utopia may lose out to abyss and susvara on certain parameters and technical abilities. But what it gives back on an overall picture and the way it does so without breaking a sweat is just too good. I still get "oh wow" moments when listening with it.

 

[silversurfer616]

Utopia is my favourite headphone and surprisingly that’s also down to how comfortable they sit on my head.

 

[iamoneagain]

Yes it is a loaner, so has enough hours on the clock. Stock cable it had in the box was 6.3mm, so I asked my dealer to give me their (broken in) Moon Audio silver dragon.

I will also drive it off Viva Egoista 845, which is en route (and broken in - asked my dealer to do that for me at their expense, haha).

I should also state my motivation here - I love AB-1266 on EDM (the cold vocal-less type), but for me, piano pieces (like Max Payne soundtrack) or vocal heavy synth pop (like The Weeknd) just don't do it on AB-1266. There I am looking for more of a "headphone" experience, soundstage in my head, very intimate, no 3D holographic, vocals in my face, this kind of stuff. I am hoping Utopia is a queen to my king (AB-1266), if you know what I mean.

Wouldn’t you say the Utopia’s are still 3D holographic with precise pinpoint location, but the music starts right around your head. You’re placed right in the middle of the music. It can be a very intense experience depending on the music.

I started out with Senn 650’s at the beginning of this hobby and found them a little too distant and spacious for rock music. Grados we’re my first love. Up close and exciting but not much depth. The Utopia’s remind me of that feeling but at a much higher level. I haven’t listened to any of Grados new stuff and fell out of favor with them when they introduced the bagel pads and the music was no longer close and intimate on those models.

 

[mammal]

Wouldn’t you say the Utopia’s are still 3D holographic with precise pinpoint location, but the music starts right around your head. You’re placed right in the middle of the music. It can be a very intense experience depending on the music.

My experience has been a bit different. When I was using Hugo TT2, the soundstage width/depth/hight was exactly the same (imagine a balloon), but it felt as if the music was living on the shell of the balloon, instead of "in it". I even tried adding M Scaler, it improved depth and hight perception, but again music lived on the shell of the balloon. It wasn't until I upgraded to dCS Bartok that music became all encompasing, the whole volume of the balloon. I hope I am explaining my thoughts clearly.

Now for headphones that are more intimate, I have difficulties to recognise the 3D space. Most likely I haven't spent enough hours with Utopia and it will eventually click. But with AB-1266, the soundstage is much bigger, hence easier for me pick up the 3D space, if you know what I mean.

 

[iamoneagain]

Y

My experience has been a bit different. When I was using Hugo TT2, the soundstage width/depth/hight was exactly the same (imagine a balloon), but it felt as if the music was living on the shell of the balloon, instead of "in it". I even tried adding M Scaler, it improved depth and hight perception, but again music lived on the shell of the balloon. It wasn't until I upgraded to dCS Bartok that music became all encompasing, the whole volume of the balloon. I hope I am explaining my thoughts clearly.

Now for headphones that are more intimate, I have difficulties to recognise the 3D space. Most likely I haven't spent enough hours with Utopia and it will eventually click. But with AB-1266, the soundstage is much bigger, hence easier for me pick up the 3D space, if you know what I mean.

Maybe that’s where the Chord Dave excelled over the Hugo TT2, not sure. I never heard them on the TT2. The Dave was very holographic. The Naim Uniti Atom HE has a very thick sound so you’re swimming in the music. No edge of the shell sound. Can only imagine the Hugo 2 might of had the sound you’re talking about. So it’s sort of like the music is missing the weight. But we could be talking about 2 different things since I haven’t heard them on the same setups.

 

[Chesty]

Look forward to your thoughts! I was fortunate to listen to the Bartok/Utopia in the dCS room at CanJam a few years ago and found the combination to be joyous.

I would like to second that. I was fortunate enough to spend some time with the Bartok/Utopia in my local headphone shop and was simply amazed by the sound.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I am incredibly lucky, I have been able to audition at home essentially anything I wanted to buy. I work with 4 different dealers and they do their absolute best to provide excellent service. One of them is willing to travel to your home, to showcase you the gear (and let it with you for a week or two if you like it), another one is willing to pull strings to get you better delivery times, another one gives you 20k DAC for home audition, no deposit needed, and another one gives you a loaner for 2 months, until your own unit arrives.

Switzerland does sound like paradise, not just the nature, but even for us headfier!

 

[mammal]

Switzerland does sound like paradise, not just the nature, but even for us headfier!

I don't want to steer the topic away from Utopia, but yes, Switzerland is a paradise (also from taxation perspective). The only negative is that most folks are into speakers here, so difficult to re-sell. Out of my 10 classifieds, only two were bought locally. I feel the US market is much more liquid, perhaps also EU.