[acguitar84]

I love the HD800s, I think it's a great headphone, but since I've gotten a Utopia - I haven't reached for it at all.

 

[acguitar84]

deleted

 

[bajs1988]

I love the HD800s, I think it's a great headphone, but since I've gotten a Utopia - I haven't reached for it at all.

Pretty much on the same boat when it comes to music, I only use them for gaming now.

 

[tomwoo]

I love the HD800s, I think it's a great headphone, but since I've gotten a Utopia - I haven't reached for it at all.

I was thinking about getting an used HD800S in the future to complement my Utopia since HD800S is the king of soundstage and Utopia lacks thereof.
Maybe I should get a TOTL planar magnetic instead

 

[murphythecat]

Like i said i care about long term effect. Saying he does it so it must be safe makes no sense. The first teams who investigated Tschernobyl after the nuke also didn't wear hazmat suits or masks.

I agree that in theory solid Beryllium shouldn't be dangerous but i don't feel like there's enough experience to 100% asure it. Also theory and real life are not always the same. In theory cables also make no difference however i regulary see people here buying multi thousand $ cables for their Utopias. This is somehow accepted as normal while saying i feel uncomfortable having Beryllium directly at my face seems to be ridiculous. Personally i can't relate to that.

I don't say it's 100% dangerous but even the slightest possibilty that it could be makes it enough for me to don't enjoy it as much that i could justify spending 4 grand on it to get the 5-10% sound improvement over a HD600.

beryllium is toxic only in powder form inhaled.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/no-response-from-focal-re-toxic-beryllium.866911/page-3

 

[MacedonianHero]

beryllium is toxic only in powder form inhaled.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/no-response-from-focal-re-toxic-beryllium.866911/page-3

We use Be / Cu alloys by the hundreds of pounds (solid sheets); not an issue from a Health & Safety perspective.

 

[up late]

Like i said i care about long term effect. Saying he does it so it must be safe makes no sense. The first teams who investigated Tschernobyl after the nuke also didn't wear hazmat suits or masks.

I agree that in theory solid Beryllium shouldn't be dangerous but i don't feel like there's enough experience to 100% asure it. Also theory and real life are not always the same. In theory cables also make no difference however i regulary see people here buying multi thousand $ cables for their Utopias. This is somehow accepted as normal while saying i feel uncomfortable having Beryllium directly at my face seems to be ridiculous. Personally i can't relate to that.

I don't say it's 100% dangerous but even the slightest possibilty that it could be makes it enough for me to don't enjoy it as much that i could justify spending 4 grand on it to get the 5-10% sound improvement over a HD600.

please don't try to put words in my mouth. i provided an example of beryllium's stability in solid form - that's all. frankly, i could care less about your concerns over its safety.

 

[GreenBow]

Waiting to register a warranty is not a good idea. It may create problems in the event of a recall for example. While one might not expect a headphone recall, why take the risk? Feel free to wait to register if you like but when you come down with “beryllium ear” don’t complain!

Please what do you mean by “beryllium ear”? ... Do you mean failing drivers? Searching the term “beryllium ear” doesn't net any results, because there is an IEM with that name.

 

[ubs28]

Like i said i care about long term effect. Saying he does it so it must be safe makes no sense. The first teams who investigated Tschernobyl after the nuke also didn't wear hazmat suits or masks.

I agree that in theory solid Beryllium shouldn't be dangerous but i don't feel like there's enough experience to 100% asure it. Also theory and real life are not always the same. In theory cables also make no difference however i regulary see people here buying multi thousand $ cables for their Utopias. This is somehow accepted as normal while saying i feel uncomfortable having Beryllium directly at my face seems to be ridiculous. Personally i can't relate to that.

I don't say it's 100% dangerous but even the slightest possibilty that it could be makes it enough for me to don't enjoy it as much that i could justify spending 4 grand on it to get the 5-10% sound improvement over a HD600.

Water can kill you if you drink too much of it. I guess better avoid water too.

Besides, Focal is one of the few speaker companies who have extensive expertise working with Beryllium. So I am fine with a Be headphone by Focal as there is not much that can go wrong.

I would only be concerned if headphone companies like Sennheiser, Hifiman, and so on ... released a Beryllium headphone as they have no expertise in this field.

 

[xand]

https://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

Yeah look at this!

 

[iDesign]

I know right? I have an HD800S which I paired with an HDV 820 and the Utopia is just on another level with the same amp.

For me its the tonal correctness and transparency of the Utopia that I adore. I have bought and sold so many pairs of HD 800 and HD 800 S headphones (and the HDV 820) that I lost track. And I don‘t want them back.

 

[Gadget67]

Please what do you mean by “beryllium ear”? ... Do you mean failing drivers? Searching the term “beryllium ear” doesn't net any results, because there is an IEM with that name.

It was a joke; I made up a hypothetical disease.

 

[Gadget67]

Water can kill you if you drink too much of it. I guess better avoid water too.

Besides, Focal is one of the few speaker companies who have extensive expertise working with Beryllium. So I am fine with a Be headphone by Focal as there is not much that can go wrong.

I would only be concerned if headphone companies like Sennheiser, Hifiman, and so on ... released a Beryllium headphone as they have no expertise in this field.

I own both a Utopia and Stellia and I must admit I had some minor reservations about beryllium before purchasing. @Deolum also has reservations and has elected not to purchase in an abundance of caution and I respect that. Thalidomide was considered safe too...until it wasn’t. Ditto for smoking. I don’t expect the solid beryllium drivers to suddenly be classified as a danger to my health but Focal was required to warn users about potential harm.

 

[xand]

Thalidomide was considered safe too...until it wasn’t.

Pretty much everything is considered safe... until it isn't.

However, being concerned about proximity to a solid, having a similar effect to inhaling that solid in powder form is... well.

Especially where the solid is highly resistant to being made into a powder. Beryllium has exceptional stiffness (Young's modulus 287 GPa) and a melting point of 1287 C.

 

[thecrow]

I love the HD800s, I think it's a great headphone, but since I've gotten a Utopia - I haven't reached for it at all.

i have a few headphones, including the utopia, that i use with my solid state amo (niimbus us4).
But when i sometimes go back to my hd800 with my woo wa2 i remeber immediately what it is about this headphone that i enjoy with tubes.

and yes, like you, i do usually go for my newer headphones over the hd800 and the hd800 only really shines in its light (for me) with my tube set up as opposed to solid state when "playing at this level"

so don't discount the hd800s just yet
ymmv