[alekc]

Thanks for pointing it out. I'm sure it's a great amp but I'm not confident in buying overseas products that don't have distributors and assistance in EU.



I will check it out, thanks!

@diabelli if you want to buy product from EU, I'd consider Feliks Envy. Believe me I've been in search for solid state amp before Envy, and after demo I've changed my mind. This would make both Focal Utopia and Susvaras happy, and if you ever wish to get close backs in form of HE-R10P or Stellias, you will be still happy with the same amp. The drawback? Tube rolling can be expensive especially if you enter Elrog territory.

If you must follow the solid state path and prefer natural sound with a hint of warmth and also would consider extending your HPs collection with Meze cans (Empys or Elites) I would recommend to check out AuroraSound HEADA, they have some dealers around EU. If you want a very transparent HPs with great dac too from EU I would checkout T+A HA 200.

Another solid sate combo wich may provide interesting results in terms of sound signature, definitively not bright nor sterile sound is McIntosh MHA150 if you can still get one.

 

[diabelli]

If you must follow the solid state path and prefer natural sound with a hint of warmth and also would consider extending your HPs collection with Meze cans (Empys or Elites) I would recommend to check out AuroraSound HEADA, they have some dealers around EU. If you want a very transparent HPs with great dac too from EU I would checkout T+A HA 200.

Thank you for the feedback, coincidentally I was just considering the AuroraSound HEADA, I have a chance to listen to it in the next few days and it potentially seems like a good companion to pair with the Niimbus, to complete the setup without venturing into the difficult territory (IMHO) of tube amps. Although it has been on the market for a long time I can't find many reviews, you, however, are more than happy with it (I am researching the various posts on Head-Fi). How do you see the pairing with the Utopia?

 

[alekc]

Thank you for the feedback, coincidentally I was just considering the AuroraSound HEADA, I have a chance to listen to it in the next few days and it potentially seems like a good companion to pair with the Niimbus, to complete the setup without venturing into the difficult territory (IMHO) of tube amps. Although it has been on the market for a long time I can't find many reviews, you, however, are more than happy with it (I am researching the various posts on Head-Fi). How do you see the pairing with the Utopia?

@diabelli glad you will have a chance to listen to HEADA. A side note: if you will have a chance to listen to AuroraSound HFSA-01 do not try to carry over your experience to HEADA as there isn't anything like a "house sound" that would somehow match the two. Furthermore headphone output in HFSA-01 is not on par with HEADA IMHO. Last but not least HFSA-01 is hybrid and not solid state amp.

The HEADA is on opositi end of the same spectrum to Niimbus both in terms of sound and build philosophy. Niimbus is German engineering but without German top quality (especially at current price level).

Niimbus is resolving and quite transparent amp with airy sound, quite powerful hence it pairs well with some selected HPs while for other it does nothing special IMHO (except being powerful). For me it is missing the final last bit of magic I would say. It is missing this something that makes you enjoy music for hours without any fatigue. HEADA is also transparent but with a hint to colour, there is a touch of warmth to it, some may say it even sounds tubey at times. It will not pair well with Abyss 1266 PHI TC cans contrary to Niimbus, but then again Abyss are about artificial bass IMHO.

HEADA has brilliant volume control. It pairs excellent with darker, very resolving HPs. It also pairs perfectly well with R2R and FPGA base dacs - those that are musical and get instrument separation and timing correctly.

I have been listening to Niimbus with Sonnet dac and the synergy was also very good.

At the end I think HEADA is great companion to Niimbus, while both are solid state amps. HEADA is a keeper for me.

As for Utopia 2022 pairing, keep in mind that my preference between Utopia 2022 and Stellia went to Stellia due to higher dynamics and closed back design. For me Utopia 2022 had been competing against T+A Solitaire P and P-SE and T+A HPs won my heart (if you want a very transparent amp that would not only compete with Niimbus but would be above it at least one level you should really check out T+A HA 200 with T+A Solitaire P or P-SE). Utopia 2022 will pair very well with HEADA, but... Niimbus can sometimes be faster than HEADA (on the other hand for those who praise Niimbus speed: there are tracks where simple Burson amps are even more dynamic - one such example is Getaway from Lightning bolt by Perl Jam) so on open headphones you may be feeling a bit of dynamic loss. On the other hand the final sound signature of HEADA + Focals should award you any potential losses assuming you will like mentioned hint of warmth.

Keep us posted about your findings since all of above is so subjective.

 

[PaKiwiAl]

I'm looking at the Utopia and wanted to get feedback on how they are for long term usage. I currently have the Meze 109 Pro and after an hour it gets uncomfortable and my ears get hot. Any feedback on several hours usage of the Utopia?

 

[bcaulf17]

I'm looking at the Utopia and wanted to get feedback on how they are for long term usage. I currently have the Meze 109 Pro and after an hour it gets uncomfortable and my ears get hot. Any feedback on several hours usage of the Utopia?

I personally don't have any issues with my ears getting hot. The ear cushions are leather but they have perforations that help them breathe.

 

[ClicketEKlack]

I'm looking at the Utopia and wanted to get feedback on how they are for long term usage. I currently have the Meze 109 Pro and after an hour it gets uncomfortable and my ears get hot. Any feedback on several hours usage of the Utopia?

The hours fly by with the Utopia on one's ears.

 

[PaKiwiAl]

I personally don't have any issues with my ears getting hot. The ear cushions are leather but they have perforations that help them breathe.

Great thanks.

 

[Barnstormer13]

I'm looking at the Utopia and wanted to get feedback on how they are for long term usage. I currently have the Meze 109 Pro and after an hour it gets uncomfortable and my ears get hot. Any feedback on several hours usage of the Utopia?

If you’re sensitive to weight, it’s not the lightest headphone. That said, it’s very comfortable to have on your head for a long time. No hot spots under the band, isn’t hot to wear. Doesn’t squeeze your head and doesn’t fall off. Pretty much zero isolation from your environment so no closed in feeling.

 

[diabelli]

Thank you @alekc for your articulate response and your time.
I will try to complete the discussion with my basic English, trying not to go too off-topic.

Foreword: I have always been a speaker guy, I have owned HD650 and DT800 which I used first with the V200/V800 combo from Violectric and later with the V590 but the listening has always been 80% speaker system and 20% headphones.
However, things change in life and to make a long story short last year I made the decision to dismantle the main system (which I hardly turned on) and switch to headphone listening.

I tried the Utopias in a store with the Naim Uniti HE and taking advantage of the opportunity to trade-in a component I took them home.
The Uniti stayed in the store, and I say this as a Naim fan, the speaker system being basically a Naim system.
But I felt that the V590 (even with the limitations of its DAC) was not inferior to the Uniti.
For a month I listened to V590 and the Utopias (basically time to break them in, but we can virtually consider them my first real TOTL) then I had the chance to trade in the V590 and the rest of the speaker system components for the current Metrum Onyx Niimbus US5 Pro and Susvara (now became Susvara OG ) chain.

The poor Utopias have been set aside, partly because I don't seem to get the same quality with the Niimbus as I did with the V590.
I don't know if this is due to the characteristics of the amp (too much powerful/muscular??) or the fact that in the meantime my ears have become accustomed to the Susvara.
Not to mention the issue of having to adjust the rear gain settings every time, and on this point, I agree with you about the somewhat particular quality of Fried Reim's products (the volume control of the Pro Version is another example...).

However, I wanted to take advantage of them (considering also the price paid) and try them with a dedicated chain that is somewhat complementary to what the Niimbus gives me back with the Susvara.
I’ll try HEADA to see how it pairs with the Utopias, especially to give them the chance I believe they deserve.
From what you write and from the online reviews, it seems to have a sound similar to that of tube amps and might soften the harshness I sometimes perceive with the Utopias and the Niimbus.

 

[alekc]

@diabelli indeed with HEADA you can try to have a bit of tubey sound especially when paired with Focals HPs. HEADA isn't best amp for Susvara and honestly I haven't heard anything better than Envy with Susvara OG but as you said you don't want to explore the tube world yet.

In fact Hifiman bought at least one Envy before making Susvara Unveiled available to the world according to my sources.

Please forgive me if I am repeating myself.

As I write this I'm listening to Focal Stellia from A&K SP3kT in Hybrid Mode and it makes me happy too. I need to listen to Utopias using the same DAP.

As for HEADA / Focals this is one of IMHO the best albums to check out the synergy:

And the second one:



All this discussion makes me want to listen to Utopia 2022 once again

 

[PaKiwiAl]

If you’re sensitive to weight, it’s not the lightest headphone. That said, it’s very comfortable to have on your head for a long time. No hot spots under the band, isn’t hot to wear. Doesn’t squeeze your head and doesn’t fall off. Pretty much zero isolation from your environment so no closed in feeling.

It's not an issue with weight, it's more an issue with my ears getting uncomfortably hot.

 

[Scrum92]

It's not an issue with weight, it's more an issue with my ears getting uncomfortably hot.

The Utopia headband is leather (assume calf) and is perforated, while the ear pads are lambskin and also perforated. I think you will be fine. The 109 Pro - in my hour or so with them - felt more closed in physically and the velour on the pads didn't breathe all that well because (I assume) they are made from polyester.

As I say, Utopia isn't that way at all in that it's very open and the materials are organic and breathable.

 

[DillingerEP]

Yeah. The earpads of the Utopias are great. I can wear it for a long time without feeling hot around the ears. They are extremely soft too. But they are not very big. So if you have got bigger ears, like me, you could feel a big closed in. The pressure also is a bit tight. So i would say the comfort is not the best. So as usual the best is to test them out befote you buy.

So the heat is not a problem for me personal, but the clamping force of the spring loaded cups and the size is not very big compared to Zmf or Audeze or Hifiman.

 

[Scrum92]

I would say the opposite about clamp force, and that suggests you and I have very different head sizes!

Anecdotally, I don't think Utopia is considered to have a high clamp force, somewhere more like light to medium. They clamp my head such that they won't fall off and the weight is distributed, but I wouldn't want to go for a run in them...

Unlike, for example, HD600 (or the 109 Pro mentioned recently) where I find clamp force very tight.

 

[gerelmx1986]

It's not an issue with weight, it's more an issue with my ears getting uncomfortably hot.

My ears don't get hot when i use the utopia. But if i use the sony Z1R they get hot and sweat. Z1R pads aren't perforated and are made of cow leather