[Gavin C4]

And a couple of diagrams to illustrate the pinnacle of my headphone audio addiction.

Speaking of addiction

 

[Gadget67]

Speaking of addiction

My wallet is cringing! Very nice; I’ve reached my pinnacle with a Chord TT2 and M-Scaler but one can always aspire...enjoy!

 

[Roasty]

Speaking of addiction

*drool...
man.. even the rack is a thing of beauty.
where do you even go from here?!

 

[Gavin C4]

*drool...
man.. even the rack is a thing of beauty.
where do you even go from here?!

My wallet is cringing! Very nice; I’ve reached my pinnacle with a Chord TT2 and M-Scaler but one can always aspire...enjoy!

Thank you. But my route to audio nirvana does not ends here. There are still a lot of things to be improved. Few more changes are on their way.

 

[Zaek]

Hi all, after reading this thread, I decided to get one at a local reseller yesterday. I was offered a good price for the older version (dtd 2019).
Immediately out of the box, the left channel driver was dead. In the end, I have to cancel the transaction.

For such a high end product, I can't help but worry why is the failure rate this common?

 

[GryphonGuy]

Been away from here for awhile but time to log in again.

The Focal Utopia cans (I have two) can be a curse in that they are so revealing they demand the best possible input. And on that tack I've been a disciple of good DACs, having zeroed in on L.K.S. DA-004s (modded by Rick Schultz) as being the most critical link in the audio chain. Amplification was deemed fine via Violectric V281, then V280.

That was until I read a couple of reviews of the Audio-gd headamps. At aged 85 I've developed a degree of sceptacism about reviews and, admitting the amplifier is important, never placed undue emphasis on that part of the audio chain. Well I have had to backtrack and admit the amplifier IS more important than I previosly believed as the Audio-GD Master 9 IS significantly and obviously better at reproducing top sound for the Focals. The detail and delicacy, the handling of bass, the soundstaging, ..... are breathtaking on good recordings, and that is on CD quality, as well as hi-rez in Classical, jazz and all genre.

And the Focal curse on my second headphone setup in the office forced me to buy a second Audio-gd Master 9. As the manufacturer claims, it takes several hundred more hours of burn in above what is given at the factory for the amplifier to blossom in its full glory. But the reullt is genuine musical bliss

So guys, if you have an upgrade itch, I suggest you look into Audio-gd. Their products are affordable and yield first class sound.

Lucky you didn't try the HE-9 (regenerative power supply version of the Master-9). It would have hurt your wallet even more. I aspire to the HE-9 (having auditioned it for an hour or two in the shop) if ever I need more than my Chord Dave as headphone amplifier for my Focal Utopias.

Regards
GG

 

[pervysage]

Lucky you didn't try the HE-9 (regenerative power supply version of the Master-9). It would have hurt your wallet even more. I aspire to the HE-9 (having auditioned it for an hour or two in the shop) if ever I need more than my Chord Dave as headphone amplifier for my Focal Utopias.

Regards
GG

Been rocking the Master 11 for 5 maybe going on 6 years now? lol. Albeit there's probably plenty of more out there to experience, it kind of killed the upgrade-itis bug I had ever since. Although I wouldn't say no to a Woo Audio WA33 for a tube amp sometime in the future (loved the WA7 that I was using for a while).

 

[kahkityoong]

Joined the club this week. Big fan of the Audeze house sound and ended up doing a shoot out between the Utopia and LCD-MX4. Truth be told I enjoyed the Audeze a bit more and suspect across the wide range of music I listen to it would be more to my tastes. But in the end I went for the Utopia because I love the energy and detail retrieval; the comfort was also a big deal for me unexpectedly even though I already own the LCD-X. Now to find an amp; Hugo 2 is top of my list to audition.

 

[tomwoo]

Joined the club this week. Big fan of the Audeze house sound and ended up doing a shoot out between the Utopia and LCD-MX4. Truth be told I enjoyed the Audeze a bit more and suspect across the wide range of music I listen to it would be more to my tastes. But in the end I went for the Utopia because I love the energy and detail retrieval; the comfort was also a big deal for me unexpectedly even though I already own the LCD-X. Now to find an amp; Hugo 2 is top of my list to audition.

Check out SPL Phonitors. They are fantastic with Utopias

 

[kahkityoong]

Check out SPL Phonitors. They are fantastic with Utopias

I actually auditioned them on an SPL Phonitor. But I’ve got the Hugo in mind as its compact size lends itself more to my somewhat nomadic lifestyle.

 

[PrTv]

We have the same cans!

I also have LCDX (day one purchase) and am a fan of LCD sound. Also auditioned LCD4 a while ago and, whilst it’s an improvement over the X,I think they sound quite similar (more of the same but with better quality).

Utopia gives something new without being too harsh.

Just ordered Lazuli Reference XLR... man! What an expensive cable. Still one month til I get the cable.

I use it with V281.

Joined the club this week. Big fan of the Audeze house sound and ended up doing a shoot out between the Utopia and LCD-MX4. Truth be told I enjoyed the Audeze a bit more and suspect across the wide range of music I listen to it would be more to my tastes. But in the end I went for the Utopia because I love the energy and detail retrieval; the comfort was also a big deal for me unexpectedly even though I already own the LCD-X. Now to find an amp; Hugo 2 is top of my list to audition.

 

[claud W]

You gents need tube amplification to bring the best out in your Utopias.

 

[meomap]

You gents need tube amplification to bring the best out in your Utopias.

Yes, tube amp.

 

[kahkityoong]

We must have similar tastes. Didn’t get the lcd-x quite on day one but close. I didn’t think the lcd-4 was worth the upgrade over my x either. And the utopia is quite different so a good foil for the audeze sound.

We have the same cans!

I also have LCDX (day one purchase) and am a fan of LCD sound. Also auditioned LCD4 a while ago and, whilst it’s an improvement over the X,I think they sound quite similar (more of the same but with better quality).

Utopia gives something new without being too harsh.

Just ordered Lazuli Reference XLR... man! What an expensive cable. Still one month til I get the cable.

I use it with V281.

 

[claud W]