utopia is one of the most efficient HP's available,no problem driving them....the HE1000v2 is relatively easy to drive but not as easy as the utopia....the LCD-4 and Abyss Phi are tougher to drive and do need serious amping...I havent listened to the susvara other than a couple of minutes at a show but they are even more difficult to drive....
utopia is one of the most efficient HP's available,no problem driving them....the HE1000v2 is relatively easy to drive but not as easy as the utopia....the LCD-4 and Abyss Phi are tougher to drive and do need serious amping...I havent listened to the susvara other than a couple of minutes at a show but they are even more difficult to drive....
Susvara is a bit (very a bit) harder to drive than HE1000. Anyway if the amplifier matched, it is really Susvara (very sweet vocal sound). But finally I found that Utopia is not that much different and also can use it to listen to other genres much more better than Susvara.
Susvara is a bit (very a bit) harder to drive than HE1000.
Anyway if the amplifier matched, it is really Susvara (very sweet vocal sound). But finally I found that Utopia is not that much different and also can use it to listen to other genres much more better than Susvara.
What? The Susvara is actually quite a bit more difficult to drive than the HE1000. The Susvara sensitivity is 83dB SPL/mW (not very sensitive at all) and the HE1000 is 90dB SPL/mW (sensitive enough for most audio gear). Every 3dB increase/decrease in SPL represents double/half the power required. The Susvara essentially requires a little more than 4x the power of the HE1000 to reach the same volume.
The Utopia is 104dB SPL/mW and is 7x easier to drive than the Susvara from a power perspective at the same SPL.
Actually the difference from 104 dB/mW to 83 is 125x the power...2^7 is 128x. The 2x per 3dB rule of thumb is an approximation that accumulates error as you keep adding 3 dB; the exact calculation here, based on logarithms, is 10 ^ 2.1, which results in 125.89 (rounded). Remember that power factors multiply/divide while dB add/subtract (as dB are exponents in the multiplication).
So yes, it goes without saying there is an absolutely insane difference in the power requirements for Susvara over the Utopia. The Susvara is closer to the AKG K1000 than it is to a normal headphone.
Actually the difference from 104 dB/mW to 83 is 125x the power...2^7 is 128x. The 2x per 3dB rule of thumb is an approximation that accumulates error as you keep adding 3 dB; the exact calculation here, based on logarithms, is 10 ^ 2.1, which results in 125.89 (rounded). Remember that power factors multiply/divide while dB add/subtract (as dB are exponents in the multiplication).
So yes, it goes without saying there is an absolutely insane difference in the power requirements for Susvara over the Utopia. The Susvara is closer to the AKG K1000 than it is to a normal headphone.
One more vote for the Danacable Lazuli Reference with the Dave - The cable is exceptional and makes the Utopias sound great! I ended up getting the Lazuli for my Code-X as well.
Thanks for the report. What's the downside of the Clear pads on the Utopia? Obviously there's the aesthetics issues, which most people won't care about. There is a definite downside to using the Elear pads on the Utopia (google it, if you care), so there is probably a downside to the Clear pads too.
The alternative is the Clear pads are better, and the Focal will eventually update the Utopia with better pads.
Another alternative is that the Clear pads are as good, but just offer an alternative sound signature.
I'm really looking forward to next week. My Yggdrasil should arrive Tuesday, had to free up the Gumby for service in another part of the house so I decided to take the Utopia>V280 pairing to the next level.
Thank you for this awesome response. I got very lucky that someone actually owns both cables. Outstanding. Leaning towards the Lazuli R because whilst I would like a Dave it is just a bit too rich for my blood at the moment and I am quite happy with the H2 performance, versatility and portability.
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