[iamoneagain]

I've enjoyed the pairing for about 2 years now. I was really surprised at the impact upgrading the source in my setup made.

Not sure if that's a function of the Utopia's sensitivity, the Hugo2's inputs, or a mix of both.

I use optical out from late 2014 Mac mini as an end point for roon. This gives me up to 24/192. Was surprised soundstage improves when just used as end point with no load on the Mac itself vs core.

 

[catscratch]

Day two of Utopia: it's pretty apparent that the Utopia brings a level of resolution that the Clear cannot compete with. They are also quite a bit more dynamic and demand my attention at all times. Right now I like that but time will tell whether that ends up becoming fatiguing. Very early days yet of course.

You can reduce the fatigue with a bit of EQ. There's a peak at 6khz, a smaller one at 11khz, and a bit of a bump between 1-1.5khz. Tame the peaks and it sounds far smoother and more mellow, though you will also lose some forwardness and immediacy. With EQ I can listen for hours, without it, 30 minutes and I check out.

I'd use a sine sweep or maybe something like this to hear where the peaks are (just turn the volume down first), and then use a decent software parametric EQ to adjust those frequencies until the peaks are not as audible. Just don't over-EQ or you'll lose detail. Alternatively, there are preset EQ profiles from companies like Sonarworks which will save you the effort, but might not give you the same results since they aren't exactly matched to your ears.

 

[AuditoryCanvas]

Day two of Utopia: it's pretty apparent that the Utopia brings a level of resolution that the Clear cannot compete with. They are also quite a bit more dynamic and demand my attention at all times. Right now I like that but time will tell whether that ends up becoming fatiguing. Very early days yet of course.

If you’re using a computer in the chain, give Sonarworks Reference a try. You might like the sound when the curve is balanced and smoothed out.

 

[Scrum92]

I can't say I have an issue with the sound as is, I am just wondering whether long term the Utopia's dynamism could become fatiguing. They're very engaging but once my brain burns in, who knows how I might perceive them.

I think the filters are worth trying so thank you for reminding me they even existed @iamoneagain!

But to reiterate, I don't have a problem with fatigue now.

 

[iamoneagain]

I can't say I have an issue with the sound as is, I am just wondering whether long term the Utopia's dynamism could become fatiguing. They're very engaging but once my brain burns in, who knows how I might perceive them.

I think the filters are worth trying so thank you for reminding me they even existed @iamoneagain!

But to reiterate, I don't have a problem with fatigue now.

I don’t use the filters for fatigue it’s more about sounding the most realistic. The green filter does happen to sound less bright and is easier to listen to. At first I didn’t like it since it seems to have less detail when first switching from white but give it a listen on a whole song. You can follow the bass easier, vocals sound solid, and strings sound louder. It’s all very subtle tough.

I also found optical sounds slightly better than usb. It’s hard to explain but gives instruments more 3D shape than usb. Also seems to have a more musical flow to it.

But since Utopia is so precise it’s easier to hear all the differences of the dac. The orange and red settings sound pleasant but you can tell you are missing the extra detail and precise soundstage of the first 2 filters.

For EQ, I’ve only tried the bass bump that was suggested using roon. It gave it similar bass to the AT L3000 I had but I thought lost a little low level detail so I prefer no EQ. I have no issues with the high peaks so haven’t tried advanced EQ.

 

[Scrum92]

Night three and I'm finding the Utopia quite fatiguing and heavy. That slight weight increase on the Clear seems to make a difference over a long period.

The plot thickens...

 

[Roasty]

Night three and I'm finding the Utopia quite fatiguing and heavy. That slight weight increase on the Clear seems to make a difference over a long period.

The plot thickens...

I'm sure your neck muscles will thicken too..

Having said that, I didn't feel the utopia was too heavy. Felt just about right for me. The Meze on the other hand is featherweight..

 

[Scrum92]

I'm sure your neck muscles will thicken too..

 

[iamoneagain]

They feel heavy in my hands but never had issue on my head. My issue is with on ear headphones like Grados with bowl pads and the pressure they put on the ear itself.

I only got the Utopia two months ago after spending over 10 years with the AT L3000. At first I wasn’t that impressed with the Utopia compared to the L3000. Found the Utopia bass lacking and the rest seemed on par. Similar soundstage and precision of instruments.

The one thing I noticed right away is vocals seems more natural with more air. Over time I’ve also noticed more detail to songs I’ve heard many times before. Once I switched to the green filter on the Hugo 2 I’ve also found them just as musical but able to handle all genres with ease. The L3000 excelled in rock and jazz but not as much with classical. Also my wife seems to greatly prefer the Utopia over the L3000.

 

[pervysage]

I find the Utopia weight itself to be well balanced and the headband design being very comfortable helps a lot as well.

A lot of the weight problem I think comes from the monstrosity of a cable. If you keep it from dangling to the floor and have it resting in your lap or on the table (if you are sitting at a computer desktop setup like myself), it prevents that issue.

Even my after market cable is more of a beast when it comes to weight than the stock cable and while initially it was a concern, when I stopped letting the cable dangle to the floor and sit there and instead rolled up the excess cable and put it on the table next to me, it was perfectly fine.

EDIT: I keep forgetting the newer ones come with a different cable but I am referring to the initial release stock cable.

 

[up late]

Night three and I'm finding the Utopia quite fatiguing and heavy. That slight weight increase on the Clear seems to make a difference over a long period.

The plot thickens...

the utopia only weighs 40 grams more than the clear overall but as i said in a previous post, the clear did feel somewhat lighter and more balanced on my head. the utopia's ear cups felt noticeably heavier than the clear's in my hands and on my head. i assume that is attributable to the utopia's heavier driver assembly and leather ear pads.

 

[thecrow]

Night three and I'm finding the Utopia quite fatiguing and heavy. That slight weight increase on the Clear seems to make a difference over a long period.

The plot thickens...

My personal experience showed that dac/amps being used made a BIG difference to how fatiguing the utopia is. I would think my mood also affects that.
My previous setup of metrum hex dac and cayin iha6 was too much for me when i demoed it. Later when i swapped the amp for the auralic taurus mkii i bought it (at a good price - black friday)

I also feel that it’s highly advisable (imho) to have other complementing headphone option(s) on hand as i could not have the utopia as my only option. The hekse on the other hand....

 

[AuditoryCanvas]

Night three and I'm finding the Utopia quite fatiguing and heavy. That slight weight increase on the Clear seems to make a difference over a long period.

The plot thickens...

They should smooth out in the mids and highs after some break in. Mine definitely did, as did the new drivers when they replaced them recently. I left mine playing overnight for a few nights to speed up the process.

might also be worth trying a balanced cable with them if you have a balanced out on whatever you’re driving them with.

the cable can definitely have an impact on how heavy they feel. My Utopia came with the lightweight cable for the QP2R player bundle, but my Elear had the big heavy cable, and I remember noticing a big difference in comfort when I switched to a lighter cable.

I use a balanced silver aftermarket cable for my Utopia, so rarely use the single ended lightweight one they came with so you’re welcome to borrow it for a week or so if you want to try it and see if it helps before splashing out on an aftermarket?

Because it was for the QP2R bundle, it is terminated with a 2.5 jack, but I can include an adapter.

 

[up late]

i didn't notice any change in the sound of my utopia over time with the original or replacement drivers, which is why i won't be making assurances of that kind to someone who is finding the utopia's sound signature fatiguing

 

[Roasty]

Yea I didn't really feel like the sound from the drivers changed with time, more like I got accustomed to, and began to appreciate what it delivered.

Which is odd because I also have headphones which definitely "changed" with use.