[rthomas]

Possibly a bit biased since he's very familiar with the LCD sound and new to the utopia.

 
Yes, he loves the Audeze sound, that is true. 
 
Probably less biased than sponsored infomercials labelled as reviews ;D
 
Probably less biased than buyers who just dropped 4 grand and want to justify their purchase.
 
Probably less biased than Focal dealers.
 
I like Bob and the fact that he has the credentials to back up his opinions.
 
Very interesting that he detected a 1 Db channel imbalance in the Utopia. 
 
I would also like to add that he is the only reviewer honest enough to freely admit that he can’t hear differences between many components. He cannot distinguish between the Audeze Deckard and his custom M3 in this review.
Most famous reviewers in our hobby would never admit something like this as it would be the end of their ‘reviewing’ career.
 
This is an honest guy folks.

 

[ubs28]

Tyll and Bob Katz are the only reviewers who ears i trust. If Bob says the LCD-4 is better, than it could be possible.

I don't like the comfort of Audeze headphones so I don't care if it sounds better than the Utopia, I still won't buy it.

 

[up late]

Yes, he loves the Audeze sound, that is true. 

Probably less biased than sponsored infomercials labelled as reviews ;D

Probably less biased than buyers who just dropped 4 grand and want to justify their purchase.

Probably less biased than Focal dealers.

I like Bob and the fact that he has the credentials to back up his opinions.

Very interesting that he detected a 1 Db channel imbalance in the Utopia. 

I would also like to add that he is the only reviewer honest enough to freely admit that he can’t hear differences between many components. He cannot distinguish between the Audeze Deckard and his custom M3 in this review.
Most famous reviewers in our hobby would never admit something like this as it would be the end of their ‘reviewing’ career.

This is an honest guy folks.

thanks for saying what i wished i'd said

 

[manpowre]

   
Yes, he loves the Audeze sound, that is true. 
 
Probably less biased than sponsored infomercials labelled as reviews ;D
 
Probably less biased than buyers who just dropped 4 grand and want to justify their purchase.
 
Probably less biased than Focal dealers.
 
I like Bob and the fact that he has the credentials to back up his opinions.
 
Very interesting that he detected a 1 Db channel imbalance in the Utopia. 
 
I would also like to add that he is the only reviewer honest enough to freely admit that he can’t hear differences between many components. He cannot distinguish between the Audeze Deckard and his custom M3 in this review.
Most famous reviewers in our hobby would never admit something like this as it would be the end of their ‘reviewing’ career.
 
This is an honest guy folks.

 
Its impossible to say Utopia is better or less than LCD4, as they have different soundstage and easily complement each other. Personally I like the soundstage overall for most music with LCD4, but I found the Utopia to be superb in some areas like dynamic instruments and how more natural they sound with Utopia. Also a bit more accurate in details than LCD4. But, here is the But, the overall soundstage from low punchy precise bass to mid range and high details in higher frequencies the LCD4 is better. I am purchasing Utopia once Focal confirms they adjusted it to get rid of the first release issues and possibly adjustment of soundstage either with different pads or something else. 
 
This is not written to defend my purchase of LCD4, but rather to specify there are different types of music that each headphone is superb to use with - hence complements each other nicely in a high-end setup!

 

[up late]

^ of course it's possible. whether it's meaningful to anyone else is another matter.

 

[Audio Addict]

I don't think 3 months is what he's saying. I think this repair/replace need was recognized recently and that they were purchased in November.

I misunderstood the November date. Thanks

 

[JohnnyCakes]

bob Katz has done an in-depth comparison of the utopia and lcd-4 at innerfidelity

this is one of the worst constructed reviews i have ever seen.  
 
the only saving grace for Bob Katz here is that he at least admits to being biased toward the LCD-4 due to his "sunk-costs".  and while he said he'd try to remain objective, he most clearly did not.
 
and to do the "ultimate smackdown" comparison using two different and wholly underwhelming amps, for no apparent reason?!?!?  i am at a loss for words. 
 
i've had the Utopia and LCD-4 for about 4 months now.  note - i have zero bias toward either... i bought and received the LCD-4 and Utopia on the SAME DAY, for the exact same price, with no prior experience with either Audeze or Focal products.  and the entire time, i have run them off the same amp/dac (Moon Neo 430HAD).  
 
at this point, i lean ever so slightly towards the Utopia as being the better headphone.  as in, the LCD-4 is a 98/100 to me, and the Utopia is a 99/100.  that close.  that said, i probably devote 50/50 of my listening time to each, as i enjoy them both equally.  both are worthy of their high price tags and they have distinct and unique advantages that differentiate them enough to warrant joint ownership.  
 
i'm not saying Bob Katz's positive impressions of the LCD-4 are off base.  to the contrary, i agree with his praise of the LCD-4 100%!!!  but it became painfully clear very early in reading that review that he did not give the Utopia a fair shot.  him owning and using the LCD-4 for however long, his ears/brain have melded to them.  the Utopia, however, is not exactly endearing at first listen.  i thought i made a mistake at first!  but with enough burn-in and time spent with them, they eventually show their magic.  magic that is unmatched by any other can, IMO.  
 
overall, a lazy effort.  truly not to be taken seriously when analyzing/considering the Focal Utopia.  

 

[Khragon]

I got confused as well when reading that two different amps were used. Also claimed of no detectable diff between them. Not defending Utopia, since I could careless what other people opinion is now having owning and enjoying my Utopia daily, but I agreed, lazy review.

 

[theorist]

Possibly a bit biased since he's very familiar with the LCD sound and new to the utopia.

Having both HPs, I can see why he may have come to his conclusions, since he has not appeared to have broken in the Utopia extensively. Further, he used different HP amps for the two HPs and a less than great DAC, nor did he spent any time in finessing his system for the different HPs.  I note also that he made no mentioning of cabling.
 
When I first got the Utopia, I initially preferred the LCD-4, only with several hundred hours of break-in and some cable fettling/upgrading, did the Utopia really show itself.
 
I still return to the LCD-4 when breaking in new equipment, or I just want to be less critical in my listening. But with a good recording, the Utopia lets me more analytically engage with the individual strands of the music, what I would assume that a great recording engineer would be really looking for.

 

[jlbrach]

Scrolled down and saw he rated the comfort level 9.5, the same as the Utopia.

Closed the tab.

the LCD-4 is quite comfortable actually...heavy but comfortable IMHO...if all recordings were exemplary I would say the Utopia would be the easy choice because...yes...it is more detailed and does tend to be more discerning of better recordings....that said,most recordings stink for my money...the bulk of the music i love and listen to tends sadly to be either overly compressed or simply poorly mastered.FWIIW I listen to jazz,rock and blues...in the case of less than stellar recordings the LCD-4's are the better choice ...again IMHO....

 

[draytonklammer]

I loved the LCD-4 when I owned it. That being said, I preferred the Utopia and furthermore preferred the Abyss.

Between the Abyss and the Utopia, I'll need a third audition. Had a Utopia for a week and didn't listen to it enough because I felt that for my listening needs the Abyss was the better choice.

Now here I am very close to buying a Utopia to pair with my Abyss.

 

[ubs28]

I also wonder equipment Bob Katz used. On the Chord Dave the Focal Utopia has no muddy bass at all.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

bob Katz has done an in-depth comparison of the utopia and lcd-4 at innerfidelity

 
Can someone post a link to this please?  Innerfidelity is junk to navigate and I can never find anything on their site.

 

[sonics]

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/katz%E2%80%99s-corner-episode-13-big-shootout-audeze-lcd-4-vs-focal-utopia

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Thank you!!