[Mediahound]

Article on do audio power cables make a difference: 
 
http://www.audioholics.com/audio-video-cables/power-cables

 

[TonyNewman]

  Article on do audio power cables make a difference: 
 
http://www.audioholics.com/audio-video-cables/power-cables

 
Quote from that article:
 
"So, let's be clear: not only are those who believe in these sorts of fancy-schmancy power cords NOT deaf, stupid, dishonest or crazy, but we'll go one further: we believe that they hear what they say they hear.  We simply don't believe that the differences they hear objectively exist."
 
Now there's something I can agree with.

 

[inthere]

Come on guys, you know people ask about the best cable options in just about every high end headphone thread ever created.

Arguing about what someone thinks they hear is about as effective as pointing out that Clark Kent is Superman is wearing glasses.

 

[TSAVJason]

Come on guys, you know people ask about the best cable options in just about every high end headphone thread ever created.

Arguing about what someone thinks they hear is about as effective as pointing out that Clark Kent is Superman is wearing glasses.

Hahaha I love this kind of humor!!:thumbsup_tone1:

 

[Mist3rLao]

How does one objectively assess if, supposedly, well designed/engineered cables do sound better? Like what measuring device should be used? I'm curious to know since with headphones, they're usually measured with FR, CSD, et al charts which are very informative of the kind of sound we could expect from a particular headphone. But, I'm also curious why some headphones measure similiarly yet they do not sound even remotely the same. Why is that? Also, soundstage among other things seems to be a well accepted reality, but how does one objectively prove things like that really exist?

 

[inthere]

How does one objectively assess if, supposedly, well designed/engineered cables do sound better? Like what measuring device should be used? I'm curious to know since with headphones, they're usually measured with FR, CSD, et al charts which are very informative of the kind of sound we could expect from a particular headphone. But, I'm also curious why some headphones measure similiarly yet they do not sound even remotely the same. Why is that? Also, soundstage among other things seems to be a well accepted reality, but how does one objectively prove things like that really exist?

These are questions for the Sound Science Forum:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/f/133/sound-science
 
Have at it!

 

[jibzilla]

   
And that involves fancy + pricey cables how?

 
I don't think my crump style power cords are fancy+pricey, quite the opposite in fact, but to each their own. Hubbel outlets are only $12-14 and a nice upgrade.

 

[JustinBieber]

I got my Utopias a couple hours ago. Really enjoying them.
 
My other headphone is a Stax SR-009. The Utopia has more mid bass and much more sub bass (The 009's sub bass is almost non-existent). Utopia's treble is more subdued and its soundstage is less wide. I'm finding the Utopias are better all-rounders because they are more forgiving. Listening to Desiigner, Kendric Lamar, 2pac, Disturbed, and a variety of other music that isn't mastered well are a treat on the Utopia. On 009, they are very harsh and nearly unlisteneble. The 009s are technically better than the Utopia. The Utopia just doesn't have the clarity, speed, and soundstage size of the 009. On a good recording, the 009 is the king. The problem is that the 009 is so damn picky about what a good recording is. Even my good MFSL records can sound a little bright on them. 
 
I have found other headphones (LCD3, SR007 MK2) to be too forgiving, but they could be used as a compliment to another headphone (HD800, 009). With the Utopia, it's one headphone to do everything. Focal really hit the tonal balance just right. 

 

[nvfan]

  I got my Utopias a couple hours ago. Really enjoying them.
 
My other headphone is a Stax SR-009. The Utopia has more mid bass and much more sub bass (The 009's sub bass is almost non-existent). Utopia's treble is more subdued and its soundstage is less wide. I'm finding the Utopias are better all-rounders because they are more forgiving. Listening to Desiigner, Kendric Lamar, 2pac, Disturbed, and a variety of other music that isn't mastered well are a treat on the Utopia. On 009, they are very harsh and nearly unlisteneble. The 009s are technically better than the Utopia. The Utopia just doesn't have the clarity, speed, and soundstage size of the 009. On a good recording, the 009 is the king. The problem is that the 009 is so damn picky about what a good recording is. Even my good MFSL records can sound a little bright on them. 
 
I have found other headphones (LCD3, SR007 MK2) to be too forgiving, but they could be used as a compliment to another headphone (HD800, 009). With the Utopia, it's one headphone to do everything. Focal really hit the tonal balance just right. 

 
Is 009 more or less forgiving than the HD800?

 

[Svatopluk]

I was wondering if anyone else might be pairing the Utopia with an Oppo HA-1. I would like to hear any comments you may have regarding which gain setting your using and if you are running the Utopia balanced or not.
I'm enjoying the pairing of the two myself. Just want to hear the thoughts of others.

 

[JustinBieber]

   
Is 009 more or less forgiving than the HD800?

I would say the 009 is a little more forgiving. Just to clarify I'm talking about the original HD800. I haven't tried the S. The treble is more aggressive on the HD800 so I find that makes recording defects more obvious (background noise, hiss, clipping, etc). Also, a lot of modern music is mastered way too bright because most regular people have buds or beats. The HD800 is already bright so it's double trouble when you hit play. 

 

[jamato8]

  I was wondering if anyone else might be pairing the Utopia with an Oppo HA-1. I would like to hear any comments you may have regarding which gain setting your using and if you are running the Utopia balanced or not.
I'm enjoying the pairing of the two myself. Just want to hear the thoughts of others.

I am using the Utopia with the iBasso DX200 in balanced. An excellent sound with no collapse of the sound even on complex and loud passages. 

 

[astrostar59]

 

And that involves fancy + pricey cables how?

If someone that's bought expensive components like Focal Utopia headphones *assumes* that cables can improve audio, then they, already committed to getting the best possible audio for their setup, will pursue cable options. Many have either already purchased expensive cable options or inquired about them in this very thread.

What is the feedback on that, do we assume they make a positive difference. I am not so convinced by mains cabling, but I guess HP cables are a bit like interconnects or speaker cables, so I can imagine it may make a difference. I believe care needs to be taken on capacitance and shielding mind, and I would say Focal being an experienced speaker manufacturer would already have used a very good cable already. If not, why not?

 

[kingkikapu]

  I was wondering if anyone else might be pairing the Utopia with an Oppo HA-1. I would like to hear any comments you may have regarding which gain setting your using and if you are running the Utopia balanced or not.
I'm enjoying the pairing of the two myself. Just want to hear the thoughts of others.

 
I'm running Utopia on unbalanced stock cable into HA-1.  I'm looking for a balanced cable presently as the HA-1 really has a noticeable improvement on XLR vs single ended with my other cans beyond obvious loudness differences due to balanced voltages.  I've switched back and forth on gain when running unbalanced, but right now I have windows volume at 100%, gain set to high and volume on unit is running anywhere from -22.5 dB to -13.0 dB volume on a late night session.  I've switched a lot between high gain and normal gain, but I don't seem to have a preference.  If I run normal gain I've sometimes found the volume has to be run above 0 dB reference and the amp tops out at +6 dB, so not much headroom in normal gain for the types of listening I want to do.  For that reason it's often left in high gain if I want to dial it up.  This is again where balanced on HA-1 starts to pay dividends (twice the voltage and four times the power on HA-1 balanced vs unbalanced was very noticeable for me on my LCD's).
 
Overall I like the Utopia's sonic balance on HA-1, but I sometimes yearn for a touch more bass.  I think Tyll is right in that a touch of EQ'ing on the bass makes me warm and fuzzy inside with Utopia, but I have noticed that too much and it starts to feel like some of the clarity of mids and highs start to subjectively seem subdued.  +3dB has been my sweet spot but your mileage may vary.  I just played "Stay" on the interstellar soundtrack and there is so much bass in the 30-50 Hz range that the sound pressure levels with no EQ'ing are pretty high.  I would likely risk clipping if I pushed with any EQ'ing on this track.

 

[astrostar59]

 

   I just played "Stay" on the interstellar soundtrack and there is so much bass in the 30-50 Hz range that the sound pressure levels with no EQ'ing are pretty high.  I would likely risk clipping if I pushed with any EQ'ing on this track.

Check out my post last week. I have set out what I did in DMG plugin to avoid just that. I find DMG has no loss of quality as long as you don't add too many curves. The key thing to watch is 0dB clipping. If you use the DMG plugin, you can run it as real time and check the clipping as it plays a typical high energy (bass heavy) track for the levels. Most modern recordings are set to hit about -0.5 dB maybe even closer to 0dB. It is MEGA important you don't hit 0dB or hideous clipping will occurs.
 
The other thing I found was try different wave shapes (gain contours). A dip curve may suit the treble, a low shelf may suit the bass as in my case on the Stax 009s.
 
On bass and amount, not only can it clip without adjusting the 0dB levels, it can also load up the HP drivers with energy and basically reduce the transients available for treble and fine detail. In HPs case there is only one driver, unlike a 3 way speaker in a typical 2 channel system.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/677809/the-stax-thread-iii/10920#post_13194643
 
Good luck. I think EQ is the final touch, that very last element for make a very good HP just perfect. It can't fix bigger issues if the HP is not generally very good already. It sounds from posters the Utopia is a great HP and like the 009, is fast and detailed.