Your impressions pretty much coincide with my own. The Utopia has a similar tonal profile to the Susvara, but the latter is just technically stronger across the board. The one area where the Utopia possibly holds the edge is in rendering sharp transients (e.g., snare drum), and of course its relative ease in driving. I can certainly enjoy an evening of music with the Utopia, but I listen to the Susvara far more often.Hello everyone, as promised, I am back with some Utopia impressions and how it compares to AB-1266 and Susvara.
If I am to ignore the price difference (800 CHF to Abyss and 1500 to Susvara), and ignore the fact that Utopia can be driven of pretty much anything (not necessarily to the fullest potential, but still it is a huge plus to Utopia), I am saddened to write, that I found Utopia to be lacking in terms of resolution when compared to AB-1266 or Susvara.
I wanted to try Utopia for one main reason - its intimate presentation, which I thought I would adore, as I am coming from AB-1266 that force "openness" on every song in my collection. In comparison, Utopia sounded very natural (lifelike) and its intimate presentation worked very well with songs that were recorded intimately. Unfortunately, other songs that were meant to sound open, were presented a bit weirdly to my ears (sounded collapsed). I don't think it would be break in or a cable selection, as this unit is a loaner that has been playing for hundreds of hours by now, and I tried two different (also broken in) cables. My second issue with Utopia, now in comparison to Susvara is that it has less bass than AB-1266 (this I expected and wouldn't subtract points for) but its lower end register resolution / layering / detail retrieval was not up to par with Susvara, when doing AB testing. I expected Utopia to sound very good and dynamic on songs from The Weeknd, but some of his more bass heavy work just sounds better on Susvara than on Utopia and I feel it is due to the lower end. Utopia is more intimate, which on those songs was a plus, but Susvara in comparison surprised me as it was able to render songs to my prediction quite well (songs recorded in open space sounded open and airy, intimate songs were not as intimate as Utopia, but perhaps 10% from it). Mids on both are just wonderful, even though Susvara is a tiny bit better on real life instruments (pianos and violins for example).
I would like to remind you that this is a fantastic headphone, and if I was not a snob who already owns AB-1266 and can afford to purchase Susvara, I would definitely recommend Utopia to others. I feel as if it was a bit less technical as both of those headphones, but presented itself in a way that the majority of people who did not hear Abyss or Hifiman would truly enjoy. The build is very comfortable, I like the carbon fibre, but the grill feels a bit plasticky. I absolutely love the cable locking mechanism, I wish more headphones had this (Dan Clark has something similar too). Tonality wise, it is closer to Susvara than AB-1266, as it sounds a bit more natural to my ears. It is also less V/U shaped than AB-1266, has much more intimate soundstage, is quite dynamic and packs a punch (not as much as AB-1266, but still) but unfortunately lacks refinement in the lower end register (even compared to Susvara).
I know some of you will disagree with my statements above, please know that I mean no disrespect nor want to dismiss your experiences, but these are mine alone. I hope some of you will find this post useful anyway. Thanks for reading.
Yes, rendering sharp transients accurately yet naturally is certainly a Utopia strength. Although, to my ears, with some material that strength can result in some percussion instruments being oddly emphasized vs other presentations.
Agreed, sharp transients on Utopia can almost sound hyperreal at certain times. The effect can even be a bit startling. The Susvara handles transients quite naturally and well in its own right. The HE1000 was rather weak in that regard, I thought, which is one main reason I bought the Utopia some years back.
Interesting. Which HEK were you using? HEKv1? (I've never heard that one).
Your ears/my ears. For me it's more even. While I agree Utopia seems faster and more dynamic, HEKse sounds meatier to me, and I prefer HEKse bass. Also, 'better highs' would be qualified by 'which track' for me. As far as 'musical', to my ears that's pretty even as well (compared to Auteur for example).
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure now which version of the HEK? I bought the Utopia not too long after it was introduced, in late 2016. I went to Canjam LA with the intention of buying the best cans I heard at the show. Whatever was the top of the line from HFM at that date was what I compared the Utopia with. I liked a lot of things about the HE1000, but do recall it didn't quite have the "snap" and crispness of the Utopia, and the bass in particular was slightly amorphous. Don't recall what amp(s) I was listening to the HE1000 through on that occasion, and perhaps that might have been a factor, but I also preferred the look and feel of the Utopia over the HE1000, so just pulled the trigger at the show and came home with the Utopia. No real regrets, it's still the best dynamic headphone I've heard personally.
The headband, like the earpads, can absorb skin oils. I'd highly recommend purchasing a knit cover to wrap around the headband. I got one a few years back off eBay that was sized appropriately for the Utopia. Maybe Google or search eBay for "headphone headband cover" and see what you can find. Mine has snaps, which is convenient. They usually are offered in a variety of colors. I got black, which doesn't draw much attention to itself when fitted onto the Utopia. Comfort may actually be slightly better than with the bare headband, as an added bonus!
I bought my Utopias new from a local dealer in October 2017. I use them regularly, but they still look like new. I do treat them with care, though. I don't wear them when my head is sweaty. I don't wear them when I've got any product in my hair. I don't leave them lying around the house. When they're not on my head, they're on the stand in my office room.
