[McMadface]

"you can check out any time you like but you can never leave"

Kinda like this thread.

 

[McMadface]

Now that's a response! Much appreciated.

All funds are going toward the Utopia at this point for sure

Appreciate the offer on the Mojo, but I'll stick with the HA2 for now. The form factor is super convenient for when and where I use it right now. I'm sure at some point I'll snag a used Mojo. Got to listen to the MX4 and Utopia out of a Mojo at the AV Boutique in Vegas and it did a great job, though the Utopia sounded super sweet out of the Questyle 600 when I was at The Source last week (you may have suggested I go there on reddit a few months back, thanks for the suggestion if that was you).

As an aside, thanks to Jason and Alan for spending the time to help me out. Solid guys!

Yup. That was me. Glad you got a chance to check out the Source. Those guys are awesome. Did you get to check out the Utopia on the Hugo2 or DAVE?

 

[uthood]

Yup. That was me. Glad you got a chance to check out the Source. Those guys are awesome. Did you get to check out the Utopia on the Hugo2 or DAVE?

I didn't get to try even HALF of what they had...I'd need a week to do that

I wasn't sure that Focal was for me, so I just tested different cans, all on the Questyle.

Off the top of my head, I tried the Ether Flow open, Focal Clear/Utopia, LCD4Z, LCD4, and ZMF Autuer. Also tried the Sonoma electrostat. Cool to try, but I think my head still hurts from the clamp lol.

I'm 99% sure the Utopia is for me. Once I save up for that I can start playing with amps. I'd love to be happy with solid state so I can stop...but the Woo amps look like a lot of fun.

I usually take one trip to LA each year to visit family, so I'll be out again for sure!

 

[rgs9200m]

I love the SACD release of Hotel California. It just oozes with detail, even in the bass and upper bass, which can be opaque in some versions.
The reviews of if are mixed, but to my ears it's awesome, especially on the Utopia with a good, native DSD DAC. It's more balanced and reserved and less shouty than than the HQ versions on redbook CD.
Here are the reviews:
https://www.sa-cd.net/showreviews/7348

Edited to show 651 more reviews on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Hotel-Califo...show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews

 

[up late]

that's a review i have zero interest in reading

 

[LCMusicLover]

that's a review i have zero interest in reading

Let me help --TL/DR:

Fantastico!!! Appena ho messo su il SACD ed ascoltato la prima canzone...

Actually, I was surprised to see numerous varied and fairly nuanced opinions expressed, including several folks who compared the SACD version to a number of other versions.

The review in Italian was amusing -- I decided that I didn't need to actually translate it to know the author's opinion.

 

[up late]

ok then, i'll get to that review right after i've finished watching the paint dry

 

[LCMusicLover]

ok then, i'll get to that review right after i've finished watching the paint dry

But before watching glaciers melt?

 

[Allanmarcus]

why is it we care about signal to noise ratio for our sound system but not our internet?

 

[LCMusicLover]

why is it we care about signal to noise ratio for our sound system but not our internet?

It's not about where we care about it, but rather whether or not we can do anything about it. Unfortunately, it's the hi-tech equivalent of the Tragedy of the Commons.

 

[rgs9200m]

For your reading pleasure: 651 more reviews (I think all of them are in English). (80% 5 stars!)
https://www.amazon.com/Hotel-Califo...show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews

(You definitely want to read all of these before you plunk down your $31.96.)

 

[youurayy]

Estats? Well I own the 009’s (I also own the Utopia) and have been very close with the VOCE. Since we’ve had the VOCE on display for over a week now ....you know, I’m feeling the VOCE more. Are they better than the Utopia not in a visceral sense for sure and not on extension either. That said, I have to say, the VOCE is pretty BITCHEN!!

The stats just don't have the dynamic punch the Utopia does, and I like it.

I'm trying to decide between Utopia and Voce (+iFi iESL).

I'm currently with Audio Zenith PMx2, hooked into a Lyr 2 (rolling the best tubes available), fed by a Lampizator with "analog" DSD512 conversion. This combo alone is very disarming when it comes to any thoughts of upgrading.
(The three things that surprised me - 1. how much the headphone got better with the Silver Poison cable, 2. how much the sound changes with different tubes, stage width, everything - it's like the headphone just needs to be a truthful sound "renderer", 3. how close the DSD conversion comes to Vinyl and that DSD512 is still a perceivable step up from DSD256, possibly just psychological, who knows.)

The thing that puts me off on Utopias is the (as reported) slight bass roll-off, and the necessity to equalize for that -- which is what I'm currently doing with my PMx2, and which is fine for sources that I can easily equalize -- the Sony 4k blu ray not being one of them (and I like to hear the rumble in movies, when there's one).

Any thoughts?

 

[Allanmarcus]

Well, first

I'm trying to decide between Utopia and Voce (+iFi iESL).

I'm currently with Audio Zenith PMx2, hooked into a Lyr 2 (rolling the best tubes available), fed by a Lampizator with "analog" DSD512 conversion. This combo alone is very disarming when it comes to any thoughts of upgrading.
(The three things that surprised me - 1. how much the headphone got better with the Silver Poison cable, 2. how much the sound changes with different tubes, stage width, everything - it's like the headphone just needs to be a truthful sound "renderer", 3. how close the DSD conversion comes to Vinyl and that DSD512 is still a perceivable step up from DSD256, possibly just psychological, who knows.)

The thing that puts me off on Utopias is the (as reported) slight bass roll-off, and the necessity to equalize for that -- which is what I'm currently doing with my PMx2, and which is fine for sources that I can easily equalize -- the Sony 4k blu ray not being one of them (and I like to hear the rumble in movies, when there's one).

Any thoughts?

First off, which version of the PMx2 do you have? The older one (which is what I have), or the more recent one turned for lower bass?
Second, which amp will you use with the iESL? If you use the iCan Pro, you get a built in bass boost.
The PMx2 is very neutral, but not nearly as dynamic as the utopia. I’m not a promoter of cables, but the pmx2 does get better with a better cable, and I have not tried it with the cable you have.
With no EQ I think the bass on the utopia is fantastic. You will get some rumble. If you want more, you can always add Loki.

 

[llamaluv]

A lot of the time with the Utopia and especially with electronic-oriented stuff, I'll use EQ to raise the sub-bass by 3 or even 4dB, sloping down into the mid-bass. It does yield a little more rumble and impact. There can be a kind of hollow character to the lower-bass moments sometimes, but overall I like it.

 

[youurayy]

Well, first

First off, which version of the PMx2 do you have? The older one (which is what I have), or the more recent one turned for lower bass?
Second, which amp will you use with the iESL? If you use the iCan Pro, you get a built in bass boost.
The PMx2 is very neutral, but not nearly as dynamic as the utopia. I’m not a promoter of cables, but the pmx2 does get better with a better cable, and I have not tried it with the cable you have.
With no EQ I think the bass on the utopia is fantastic. You will get some rumble. If you want more, you can always add Loki.

I probably have one of the older PMx2's, bought them off of @Venture Guy here about 2 years back.

If I go for Voce, I'm thinking to start off with the Lyr 2 (connected to the iESL through RCAs -or- the jack to XLR adapter), and some time later perhaps upgrade to one of the integrated amp+electrostat combo.

I'm not a lover of artificially bloated bass, I just like real bass/sub-bass.