[AuditoryCanvas]

5 year warranty even if you bought it second hand, though you do need the original invoice.

Were you using it any differently when the driver failed?

What do you mean by "using it any differently"? I was listening at relatively low volume on a rig I always use with them - Schiit Yggdrasil > Warm EQP-WA (Pultec style EQ, retubed) > Schiit Mjolnir 2 > balanced silver cable.

What I did find interesting is the driver that went out, was the one that would break up first if they were ever driven too loudly, which I might add, wasn't tried very often.

 

[AuditoryCanvas]

I am looking for a cable for my Utopia. I guess the first thing to decide on if silver vs copper. Any opinions?

I think it depends on what you find lacking in the current cable, or what sound character you want to achieve. Copper is typically perceived as warmer, Silver can be perceived as brighter, and a touch more resolving, and a hybrid of the two can offer the best of both worlds. That said there are a number of other factors that come in to play, so I recommend seeing if you can borrow a quality cable of Silver, Copper, and hybrid, and seeing which you prefer with your rig.

If you happen to be in or near Los Angeles, I have a Silvergarde S3-C with an Eidolic peerless XLR from Norne Audio you're welcome to try.

 

[dontfeedphils]

I see from your sig that you have gone from Eitr to DigiOne. Did you notice an improvement?

I've only had about 10 hours of listening time since I made the switch, but so far the biggest improvements I've heard have been an overall increase in "weight" to every note, like everything has more meat on it's bones. Also much improved instrument separation and staging.

I'm running it with Allo's LPS as well.

 

[jwbrent]

What do you mean by "using it any differently"? I was listening at relatively low volume on a rig I always use with them - Schiit Yggdrasil > Warm EQP-WA (Pultec style EQ, retubed) > Schiit Mjolnir 2 > balanced silver cable.

What I did find interesting is the driver that went out, was the one that would break up first if they were ever driven too loudly, which I might add, wasn't tried very often.

I didn’t mean anything by it other than was there a change of gear or was there any emphasized bass in the music.

 

[AuditoryCanvas]

I didn’t mean anything by it other than was there a change of gear or was there any emphasized bass in the music.

Right. No, nothing different at all. I tend to listen to moderately bass emphasized music more often than not, but nothing excessive, and never at levels that cause any driver distortion.

 

[feddar]

I think it depends on what you find lacking in the current cable, or what sound character you want to achieve. Copper is typically perceived as warmer, Silver can be perceived as brighter, and a touch more resolving, and a hybrid of the two can offer the best of both worlds. That said there are a number of other factors that come in to play, so I recommend seeing if you can borrow a quality cable of Silver, Copper, and hybrid, and seeing which you prefer with your rig.

If you happen to be in or near Los Angeles, I have a Silvergarde S3-C with an Eidolic peerless XLR from Norne Audio you're welcome to try.

Thanks for the offer, but I live in Toronto, Canada. Very nice of you.

I'm currently using the stock cable. My Onkyo has a balanced output. Today, for the first time, I try a balanced cable , and it sounded amazing. It was a custom Chord cable. More bass, and more detail in the high-end. Also it sounded more full. I loved it.

It's hard to say what I'm lacking in my current cable, as the new cable was balanced, and the old is not.

 

[AuditoryCanvas]

Thanks for the offer, but I live in Toronto, Canada. Very nice of you.

I'm currently using the stock cable. My Onkyo has a balanced output. Today, for the first time, I try a balanced cable , and it sounded amazing. It was a custom Chord cable. More bass, and more detail in the high-end. Also it sounded more full. I loved it.

It's hard to say what I'm lacking in my current cable, as the new cable was balanced, and the old is not.

The Chord headphone cable is silver plated copper, so more of a hybrid.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I think it depends on what you find lacking in the current cable, or what sound character you want to achieve. Copper is typically perceived as warmer, Silver can be perceived as brighter, and a touch more resolving, and a hybrid of the two can offer the best of both worlds. That said there are a number of other factors that come in to play, so I recommend seeing if you can borrow a quality cable of Silver, Copper, and hybrid, and seeing which you prefer with your rig.

If you happen to be in or near Los Angeles, I have a Silvergarde S3-C with an Eidolic peerless XLR from Norne Audio you're welcome to try.

How is the pairing with the S3-C and Utopia?

 

[AuditoryCanvas]

How is the pairing with the S3-C and Utopia?

I was super impressed with it, but as you know, I'm a fan of a very analytical sound. It doesn't have the sharpness of some silver cables I've tried, so it still keeps the smoothness, but with exceptional detail separation.

 

[up late]

^ did you confirm that your utopia is covered by the five year warranty?

 

[AuditoryCanvas]

^ did you confirm that your utopia is covered by the five year warranty?

No, the post by Focal confirming it is official enough for me. I'll reference it if I ever need to, and cross my fingers that I don't ever have to.

 

[up late]

i'm sure that your utopia is covered, which should give you more peace of mind. it did for me.

 

[Lappy27]

Thanks for the offer, but I live in Toronto, Canada. Very nice of you.

I'm currently using the stock cable. My Onkyo has a balanced output. Today, for the first time, I try a balanced cable , and it sounded amazing. It was a custom Chord cable. More bass, and more detail in the high-end. Also it sounded more full. I loved it.

It's hard to say what I'm lacking in my current cable, as the new cable was balanced, and the old is not.

You should contact Steven Huang of Audio Sensibility in Toronto. He made me a Signature 21 AWG OCC silver for my Utopia. Definitely not cheap though. But nothing beat good gauge OCC silver for signal conductivity IMO.

 

[feddar]

No, the post by Focal confirming it is official enough for me. I'll reference it if I ever need to, and cross my fingers that I don't ever have to.

I confirmed with Focal the warrantee is 5 years, at least in Canada. However, if you change their cable (I was considering getting it spliced to make a balanced cable out if it) you void the warrantee on the headphones themselves. He said:

“Using a cable you spliced yourself would void the warranty. We would have no guarantee that your work was done properly and that your cable isn't damaging the headphones. There are a number of third-party cables on the market from reputable brands that could provide an appropriate replacement cable.
Thanks for checking though.”

 

[feddar]

You should contact Steven Huang of Audio Sensibility in Toronto. He made me a Signature 21 AWG OCC silver for my Utopia. Definitely not cheap though. But nothing beat good gauge OCC silver for signal conductivity IMO.

Thanks, I’ll give him a call.

Any further thoughs on which (copper vs silver vs mix) is most suitable for the Utopia?