[Powermankw]

Hi everyone, new member here, and first post. Joined the forum after recently purchasing a new Utopia 2020. My other head gear includes the original HD800 driven by an HDVA600, and a Beyer T90. Listening nearly exclusively to classical music and jazz.

I'm currently driving the Utopias off my Sennheiser HDVA600 (with the XLR cable) and actually love what I'm hearing. However, the upgrade bug is still around.

I've been perusing some (but not all) of the 1173 pages of this thread, and see a lot of different amp recommendations floating around.

I'm currently most likely to just purchase a Phonitor XE, as I always had a secret love for old-style VU meters. Unfortunately I cannot test-drive the Phonitor, as no dealer near me has it. Furthermore, a lot of the more boutique style amp manufacturers that are recommended here are US or Asia based and not east to get/serviced here in Europe where I'm based.

Therefore: What does the community think about the Phonitor / Utopia combo? Will it be a nice match, or is there anything else out there that I absolutely have to test? FYI, my local dealer where I bought the Utopias has a limited selection of amps to test & purchase, mainly the entire Chord range, the Burson Conductor, Moon 230, and the Naim Uniti HE (which he really doesn't recommend by the way).

Pretty silly to not recommend the HE when Focal and Naim are partners.

So I went the whole upgrade route thinking at the time what I was getting was really good. Avarage. The Utopias still sound fantastic on average gear. Utopias will play what ever you feed them. But honestly... Utopias are special, and if you are not going to run them with special gear, then Clears were a better choice. I've never heard phonitor... Certainly well liked... But same as 20 others. I'm sure clears sound great on it.

Focal Arche (discontinued) and Atom HE pair well and would be a good simple choice. TOTL Matrix Audio. For Utopia, you should be looking at TOTL/best in class... Many rave about Woo Audio and Feliks best HP amps. I recently sold everything and went LTA ZOTL route. I'm too much a rookie but tubes seem to be special with Utopias. McIntosh HP amp?

I really didn't want to go down another expensive rabbit hole. I thought I bought decent gear, and awesome HPs would be... Awesome. I was really holding them back and not getting my money's worth out of them. With my new amp... Whole new headphone. Incredible, amazing, special. That's why you buy best in class.

Big picture... Warm is good. Don't shy away. "Clean" can be too much of a good thing with Utopias. (dry, analytical, thin) Utopias are the best dynamics out... Super easy to drive, very fast, dynamic... Get gear that does the same well... Amazing. Hence Atom HE, great tube gear, TOTL SS. Oh... And honestly, I'm kinda over chasing DACs. Get something that gets the job done. Amps make a bigger difference. Spend accordingly. Just my rookie penny's worth.

 

[JTbbb]

Hi everyone, new member here, and first post. Joined the forum after recently purchasing a new Utopia 2020. My other head gear includes the original HD800 driven by an HDVA600, and a Beyer T90. Listening nearly exclusively to classical music and jazz.

I'm currently driving the Utopias off my Sennheiser HDVA600 (with the XLR cable) and actually love what I'm hearing. However, the upgrade bug is still around.

I've been perusing some (but not all) of the 1173 pages of this thread, and see a lot of different amp recommendations floating around.

I'm currently most likely to just purchase a Phonitor XE, as I always had a secret love for old-style VU meters. Unfortunately I cannot test-drive the Phonitor, as no dealer near me has it. Furthermore, a lot of the more boutique style amp manufacturers that are recommended here are US or Asia based and not east to get/serviced here in Europe where I'm based.

Therefore: What does the community think about the Phonitor / Utopia combo? Will it be a nice match, or is there anything else out there that I absolutely have to test? FYI, my local dealer where I bought the Utopias has a limited selection of amps to test & purchase, mainly the entire Chord range, the Burson Conductor, Moon 230, and the Naim Uniti HE (which he really doesn't recommend by the way).

You will see in these pages a lot of people are recommending the Naim Atom HE

 

[iamoneagain]

You will see in these pages a lot of people are recommending the Naim Atom HE

I’ve been recommending it. I’m not saying you can’t do better but it’s strikes a great balance of being technically capable while still being fun and enjoyable. The other beauty of it is it’s one and done. Nothing else really to buy and plug in it anywhere and it’s ready to go. I just got fed up with all the fussing about but some people, part of this hobby is all the different gear. So mixing and matching might get you even better results. I was originally chasing the ultimate transparency with the Chord Dave/mscaler and it’s the most life like sound I’ve heard on the right recordings but not all recordings need to sound life like. Feel it removes some of the studio magic certain albums need. The Naim Atom HE gives me more of what I’m actually looking for with my whole collection.

 

[Musicophilesblog]

I’ve been recommending it. I’m not saying you can’t do better but it’s strikes a great balance of being technically capable while still being fun and enjoyable. The other beauty of it is it’s one and done. Nothing else really to buy and plug in it anywhere and it’s ready to go. I just got fed up with all the fussing about but some people, part of this hobby is all the different gear. So mixing and matching might get you even better results. I was originally chasing the ultimate transparency with the Chord Dave/mscaler and it’s the most life like sound I’ve heard on the right recordings but not all recordings need to sound life like. Feel it removes some of the studio magic certain albums need. The Naim Atom HE gives me more of what I’m actually looking for with my whole collection.

Most of my 2 channel gear is Exposure, so I love British hifi, particularly Naim. I'm just somewhat shying away from commiting to a streaming streaming system (currently using Audirvana Studio into my Exposure DAC). But given that my dealer has it, I should probably just try it out and see how I like the package.

 

[Musicophilesblog]

Thanks everybody for your helpful replies. Very much appreciated

 

[Musicophilesblog]

Pretty silly to not recommend the HE when Focal and Naim are partners.

So I went the whole upgrade route thinking at the time what I was getting was really good. Avarage. The Utopias still sound fantastic on average gear. Utopias will play what ever you feed them. But honestly... Utopias are special, and if you are not going to run them with special gear, then Clears were a better choice. I've never heard phonitor... Certainly well liked... But same as 20 others. I'm sure clears sound great on it.

Focal Arche (discontinued) and Atom HE pair well and would be a good simple choice. TOTL Matrix Audio. For Utopia, you should be looking at TOTL/best in class... Many rave about Woo Audio and Feliks best HP amps. I recently sold everything and went LTA ZOTL route. I'm too much a rookie but tubes seem to be special with Utopias. McIntosh HP amp?

I really didn't want to go down another expensive rabbit hole. I thought I bought decent gear, and awesome HPs would be... Awesome. I was really holding them back and not getting my money's worth out of them. With my new amp... Whole new headphone. Incredible, amazing, special. That's why you buy best in class.

Big picture... Warm is good. Don't shy away. "Clean" can be too much of a good thing with Utopias. (dry, analytical, thin) Utopias are the best dynamics out... Super easy to drive, very fast, dynamic... Get gear that does the same well... Amazing. Hence Atom HE, great tube gear, TOTL SS. Oh... And honestly, I'm kinda over chasing DACs. Get something that gets the job done. Amps make a bigger difference. Spend accordingly. Just my rookie penny's worth.

I've been keeping my eye out for a a used Focal Arche nearby but haven't found one yet. Apparently they were built by Micromega, a French company that I actually used to like before they closed.

WooAudio is really hard to find in Europe. Feliks, being European, seems to be easier to find here, but I'm not sure I want to go down the entire Tube rabbit hole just yet. I found a dealer nearby that has the Euphoria and Euphoria SE in stock, so I should probably give them a try.

On the Macintosh, both 150 and 200 are beautiful beasts.

 

[Musicophilesblog]

have you tried the utopia with any of the amp/dacs that your local dealer sells?

Not yet. The Chord gear is just to quirky for me (but I plan to get a Mojo 2 for use on the road). I probably should give the Burson and the Naim a try.

 

[Powermankw]

I've been keeping my eye out for a a used Focal Arche nearby but haven't found one yet. Apparently they were built by Micromega, a French company that I actually used to like before they closed.

WooAudio is really hard to find in Europe. Feliks, being European, seems to be easier to find here, but I'm not sure I want to go down the entire Tube rabbit hole just yet. I found a dealer nearby that has the Euphoria and Euphoria SE in stock, so I should probably give them a try.

On the Macintosh, both 150 and 200 are beautiful beasts.

So, my problem is I have very little experience listening to a lot of different gear. In all my hobbies I am a gear whore so I have no issue researching and learning. Headphones are a real challenge because I have basically nothing around me. So for me, it's always solid state, and you buy the best you can afford. Dispite me fully understanding "buy once cry once" I was reluctant to fork over good money. I had matrix mini pro3 (really good for what it is) Atom non HE, then a Pontus 2 and GSX mini from head amp. Bona-fide good gear. Definitely sounded great, but I just wasn't "wow'ed". I wanted magic.

I had no clue about tubes, and being the gear whore I am, had no desire for another rabbit hole. LTA interested me. Thought about Z2/Z3, then a Z10 for my speakers, and saw a Z40 used. My inner crack head emerged, sold it all, got the Z40. HOLY &@#$%#@!!! So that's what they are talking about. Never heard bass so good, never heard resolution over whole FR range, texture, soul, feel... End game. Done.

I still have no use for a drawer full of tubes. I have all Mullards. I have new Telefunken drivers showing up tomorrow for more resolution, dynamics. That should do it. It is a little intimidating. But so happy. Ya, the Utopias can play all of it. I can't afford better, and no clue what I would have to do to equal it with solid state. So happy I did it.

Yes, I was definitely looking at Feliks... It's just LTA had my interest. I know people go nuts for DNA amps. Manley is TOTL. Oh... And been reading up on Prima Luna for a friend... Very interesting. I didn't want super tubey gooey. Mine isn't. New tubes should be a little less sweet more technical. Finally found what I was looking for. Definitely wow'ed

 

[ClicketEKlack]

So, my problem is I have very little experience listening to a lot of different gear. In all my hobbies I am a gear whore so I have no issue researching and learning. Headphones are a real challenge because I have basically nothing around me. So for me, it's always solid state, and you buy the best you can afford. Dispite me fully understanding "buy once cry once" I was reluctant to fork over good money. I had matrix mini pro3 (really good for what it is) Atom non HE, then a Pontus 2 and GSX mini from head amp. Bona-fide good gear. Definitely sounded great, but I just wasn't "wow'ed". I wanted magic.

I had no clue about tubes, and being the gear whore I am, had no desire for another rabbit hole. LTA interested me. Thought about Z2/Z3, then a Z10 for my speakers, and saw a Z40 used. My inner crack head emerged, sold it all, got the Z40. HOLY &@#$%#@!!! So that's what they are talking about. Never heard bass so good, never heard resolution over whole FR range, texture, soul, feel... End game. Done.

I still have no use for a drawer full of tubes. I have all Mullards. I have new Telefunken drivers showing up tomorrow for more resolution, dynamics. That should do it. It is a little intimidating. But so happy. Ya, the Utopias can play all of it. I can't afford better, and no clue what I would have to do to equal it with solid state. So happy I did it.

Yes, I was definitely looking at Feliks... It's just LTA had my interest. I know people go nuts for DNA amps. Manley is TOTL. Oh... And been reading up on Prima Luna for a friend... Very interesting. I didn't want super tubey gooey. Mine isn't. New tubes should be a little less sweet more technical. Finally found what I was looking for. Definitely wow'ed

I demoed the Euforia vs Pathos Inpol -- felt like the Inpol trounced the Feliks, which sounded soft to my ears. I didn't buy the Pathos because of cost, but I was surprised by the Feliks, as Focal had used the brand to demo its gear for a while. Only mentioning to say try it before you buy it if you can.

 

[Powermankw]

I demoed the Euforia vs Pathos Inpol -- felt like the Inpol trounced the Feliks, which sounded soft to my ears. I didn't buy the Pathos because of cost, but I was surprised by the Feliks, as Focal had used the brand to demo its gear for a while. Only mentioning to say try it before you buy it if you can.

And that's an issue I had jumping in with tubes... I can read and research all day, and believe your opinion 100%...yet the box is completely dependent on the tubes in it. The Felix box can be perfectly good, but you just didn't care for the tubes. And there is no way for me to know by reading. So for me to just read about boxes, then try to extrapolate with a bunch of tubes... Pretty impossible. Big reason I was so reluctant to jump in.

Best you can do is go with tried and trusted design by good maker and figure out tubes later... If even necessary.

And yes, Pathos is another big fan favorite at the top as well. Very cool.

 

[thecrow]

I’ve been recommending it. I’m not saying you can’t do better but it’s strikes a great balance of being technically capable while still being fun and enjoyable. The other beauty of it is it’s one and done. Nothing else really to buy and plug in it anywhere and it’s ready to go. I just got fed up with all the fussing about but some people, part of this hobby is all the different gear. So mixing and matching might get you even better results. I was originally chasing the ultimate transparency with the Chord Dave/mscaler and it’s the most life like sound I’ve heard on the right recordings but not all recordings need to sound life like. Feel it removes some of the studio magic certain albums need. The Naim Atom HE gives me more of what I’m actually looking for with my whole collection.

Thanks for sharing your experience

can you elaborate on what you meant by “Feel it removes some of the studio magic certain albums need.”
thanks

 

[iamoneagain]

I've been keeping my eye out for a a used Focal Arche nearby but haven't found one yet. Apparently they were built by Micromega, a French company that I actually used to like before they closed.

WooAudio is really hard to find in Europe. Feliks, being European, seems to be easier to find here, but I'm not sure I want to go down the entire Tube rabbit hole just yet. I found a dealer nearby that has the Euphoria and Euphoria SE in stock, so I should probably give them a try.

On the Macintosh, both 150 and 200 are beautiful beasts.

I still have my Focal Arche but feel the Naim Atom HE is a clear step up as for as overall balanced sound with a more filled out bottom end with better texture and presence. But the Focal Arche does make for a fun, exciting sound and is a lot cheaper if you can find one. I’m still debating about selling mine. I do all my main listening on the Naim but use the Focal Arche for home office. The issue is that the Utopia are too exciting and I tend to lose focus on work. Really can only listen to classical and still get work done.

 

[up late]

Not yet. The Chord gear is just to quirky for me (but I plan to get a Mojo 2 for use on the road). I probably should give the Burson and the Naim a try.

i would if i were you as i've found that there's no substitute for first hand experience

 

[Chesty]

Hi everyone, new member here, and first post. Joined the forum after recently purchasing a new Utopia 2020. My other head gear includes the original HD800 driven by an HDVA600, and a Beyer T90. Listening nearly exclusively to classical music and jazz.

I'm currently driving the Utopias off my Sennheiser HDVA600 (with the XLR cable) and actually love what I'm hearing. However, the upgrade bug is still around.

I've been perusing some (but not all) of the 1173 pages of this thread, and see a lot of different amp recommendations floating around.

I'm currently most likely to just purchase a Phonitor XE, as I always had a secret love for old-style VU meters. Unfortunately I cannot test-drive the Phonitor, as no dealer near me has it. Furthermore, a lot of the more boutique style amp manufacturers that are recommended here are US or Asia based and not east to get/serviced here in Europe where I'm based.

Therefore: What does the community think about the Phonitor / Utopia combo? Will it be a nice match, or is there anything else out there that I absolutely have to test? FYI, my local dealer where I bought the Utopias has a limited selection of amps to test & purchase, mainly the entire Chord range, the Burson Conductor, Moon 230, and the Naim Uniti HE (which he really doesn't recommend by the way).

I run my Utopias off a Phonitor XE and am very happy with the setup. I too listen almost exclusively to classical music and jazz. The sound is very dynamic and transparent, but also on the warm side, which I like. The matrix cross-feed is also useful when listening to those stereo jazz albums with a hard left/right instrument mix. Before Focal launched the Arche, they would often use Phonitor XE amps at hifi shows (or its older siblings). I always took that as a vote of confidence by Focal in SPL.

 

[Musicophilesblog]

I run my Utopias off a Phonitor XE and am very happy with the setup. I too listen almost exclsively to classical music and jazz. The sound is very dynamic and transparent, but also on the warm side, which I like. The matrix cross-feed is also useful when listening to those stereo jazz albums with a hard left/right instrument mix. Before Focal launched the Arche, they would often use Phonitor XE amps at hifi shows (or its older siblings). I always took that as a vote of confidence by Focal in SPL.

Thanks. Is it worth getting the internal DAC? How does it compare to your Denafrips?