[Frozen Rat]

I went to CJNYC back in '19 and this year as well, and the Arche left one of the most positive impression on me (if not the most) paired with both, the Utopia & Stellia.

Makes sense, given the same company made all three. My problem is that it's a bit over budget for me. Not by a lot but I would at least like to look at slightly less pricey alternatives that might be nearly as good.

 

[strojo]

My question then is: what in the 2k and under range should I consider? I'm running from a Mac Laptop so I'll want a DAC and an AMP and ideally a combined DAC/AMP due to space and simplicity considerations. I'm not necessarily seeking the last .01% improvement one gains from a separate DAC and AMP. And it would be nice to have a little left over to spend on a balanced cable, but I'll run single-ended if needs be.

Simaudio 230HAD would be a nice pairing and well under your $2k budget.

 

[Progisus]

As a new Utopia owner I'm really enjoying the extreme upgrade they provide me, but I'm running them from a Chord Mojo, which has been good enough, while of course not the best; but now the Mojo is acting up: cutting out, acting weird. It appears my five-year-old dac/amp is on the way out, I want to upgrade to something that the Utopia will work well with. I'm OK with up to $2,000, but I don't necessarily want to spend the entire budget if something less expensive will do the same job.

My question then is: what in the 2k and under range should I consider? I'm running from a Mac Laptop so I'll want a DAC and an AMP and ideally a combined DAC/AMP due to space and simplicity considerations. I'm not necessarily seeking the last .01% improvement one gains from a separate DAC and AMP. And it would be nice to have a little left over to spend on a balanced cable, but I'll run single-ended if needs be.

Last thing. I own the Stellia as well and sometimes I listen to through them at home instead when the environment is noisy. I assume that whatever works for the Utopia will work well for the Stellia... right?

RME ADI-2 DAC fs will drive the Utopia perfectly and the iem output is stellar.

 

[koven]

Makes sense, given the same company made all three. My problem is that it's a bit over budget for me. Not by a lot but I would at least like to look at slightly less pricey alternatives that might be nearly as good.

Pretty fair-ish deal here on it..
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa2f7g-focal-arche-headphone-amplifier-25512-headphone-amps-dacs

 

[joseph69]

Pretty fair-ish deal here on it..
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa2f7g-focal-arche-headphone-amplifier-25512-headphone-amps-dacs

There you go, that's a nice price.
Tonight myself & another member were actually reminiscing over the phone about hearing the Arche at CJNYC '19-'20 and how it left such nice impression on both of us.

 

[thecrow]

Kicking back tonight and listening to
tidal -> kann cube-> utopia

a great combo. compared to my
metrum hex dac -> auralic taurus set up, there’s still very good detail and imaging (A little less “critical listening” ) with the potential edge/energy of the highs not as present in a good way

 

[ClicketEKlack]

If I do all of my listening through Tidal, does it make sense to get an MQA DAC, as many of my favorite albums are now MQA? If so, any thoughts on Topping D90 vs Mytek? Are there non MQA DACs that would do a better job with Tidal? (Only curious from a SQ perspective, not a why-MQA-is-bad perspective -- that POV doesn't really help me) Would a D90 MQA plus a Rupert Neve RNHP be a marked step up from my HiBy R6 Pro, which does full MQA unfolding? Thanks!

 

[chesebert]

Has Focal changed their stance on no warranty repair for second hand purchased headphones?

 

[strojo]

Has Focal changed their stance on no warranty repair for second hand purchased headphones?

Yes...do a search in this thread and you'll find plenty of conversation about it.

 

[chesebert]

Yes...do a search in this thread and you'll find plenty of conversation about it.

Still says non-transferable on their website:

- 1 year (non-transferrable) from the date of purchase, if purchased from and authorized retailer.

- 3 years (non-transferrable) from the date of purchase, if the product is purchased from and installed by an authorized retailer, and no alterations are made to the installation or setup of the product outside of the authorized retailer.

Edit: Is Focal America the same as Focal USA? Good god...that's confusing.

 

[dontfeedphils]

Still says non-transferable on their website:

- 1 year (non-transferrable) from the date of purchase, if purchased from and authorized retailer.

- 3 years (non-transferrable) from the date of purchase, if the product is purchased from and installed by an authorized retailer, and no alterations are made to the installation or setup of the product outside of the authorized retailer.

It's now 5 year transferable with original invoice.

 

[thecrow]

Still says non-transferable on their website:

- 1 year (non-transferrable) from the date of purchase, if purchased from and authorized retailer.

- 3 years (non-transferrable) from the date of purchase, if the product is purchased from and installed by an authorized retailer, and no alterations are made to the installation or setup of the product outside of the authorized retailer.

Edit: Is Focal America the same as Focal USA? Good god...that's confusing.

Look on the 1st post that was amended as focal’s policy changed = 5 years from original purchase

 

[LCMusicLover]

Still says non-transferable on their website:

- 1 year (non-transferrable) from the date of purchase, if purchased from and authorized retailer.

- 3 years (non-transferrable) from the date of purchase, if the product is purchased from and installed by an authorized retailer, and no alterations are made to the installation or setup of the product outside of the authorized retailer.

Edit: Is Focal America the same as Focal USA? Good god...that's confusing.

You are looking at Focal car audio:

“Focal America is the North American distributor of Focal Mobile Audio products. Please visit http://Focal.com to find your local distributor ...”

 

[Roasty]

https://crinacle.com/rankings/headphones/

For those who use crinacle's iem ranking, here is his headphones list. Utopia takes top spot.

 

[GreenBow]

It's on their website, new accessories:

That cable looks like it's made of the same stuff as the Stellia cable. I found the Stellia cable extremely microphonic, but then some didn't. Maybe it was down to minor differences in the cup design.