[BunnyNamedCraig]

the tube amp should be low impedance otherwise it might alter the utopia's frequency response

Correct. With the Clear at least, if you use a high impedance amp it made it sound bad... I am suspecting the same would go for the Utopia.

For those that don't know, the Utopia is very revealing of gear to begin with, but running it with a high impedance amp will not let you hear how amazing it is.

 

[Justin_Time]

Thanks for the much more detailed comparison

1/ not sure too much what Focal had done in references of tuning the Utopia out of, but I heard there was something about Luxman ? Could be just a marketing for Luxman 750U new product, but who knows

2/ yes, given the right amp/energizer, the 007 mkI can have pretty crazy good bass. The best Synergies I heard from it was from KGSSHV Carbon

3/ stax, 007 or 009, I tried 3 different top of the line amps for them. All I can tell you is that the amplifier for Stax is so very important. Why ? That is because Stax is working based on being energized, the better energized, the better it perform, so the better energizer you will need. At least, try BHSE for a well known to perform enerergizer. Stax totally works off your energizers, unlike Dynamic headphones where there is a Magnetic constructions inside “already”

4/ Not too sure about this, but I hear ECP audio is going to release an amplifier that is specifically tuned for Focal (edition F). You gotta search a little bit for it

GSX-MKII gives Utopia additional strength on it weakness, that is the soundstage. But on the search for the best amplifier that Synergize so well with Utopia ? I guess we still have a long way off, due to Utopia is a little too new on the market. The general consensus was in though, that the GSX MKII is great with Utopia. Then if you are asking for the best Utopia amp, I will be keeping an eyes on your journey

Thank you for providing a bunch of information.

So far, the GS-X Mk2 is the best amp I found for the Utopia. This amp has fast attack—not much overshot—and a little slow decay. Consequently, the midrange is smooth and mellow with a lot of depth and the treble is sweet and delicate. Unfortunately, the slow decay means that the bass has a slight overhang or bloom that robs the sound of some details,p. I do not think these slight shortcomings are inherent to the Utopia—the V281 gave it plenty of tight dynamic bass and lots of details but, alas, a slight edginess at the top.

The search continues....

 

[RobinTim]

Thank you for providing a bunch of information.

So far, the GS-X Mk2 is the best amp I found for the Utopia. This amp has fast attack—not much overshot—and a little slow decay. Consequently, the midrange is smooth and mellow with a lot of depth and the treble is sweet and delicate. Unfortunately, the slow decay means that the bass has a slight overhang or bloom that robs the sound of some details,p. I do not think these slight shortcomings are inherent to the Utopia—the V281 gave it plenty of tight dynamic bass and lots of details but, alas, a slight edginess at the top.

The search continues....

How would the Hugo 2 compare to any of these beasts?

 

[Justin_Time]

Sorry, I don,t know.

I have the A&K 380 with its extra amp and the A&SP1000. They can’t compare to the full-size amps,especially these two outstanding amps.

 

[Asteron70]

I own the AK320 (same as AK380 ex. DSD) with the AK amp, and I also own the Hugo2.
The Hugo2/Utopia experience is easily better than with the AK320+amp. Specifically, I find the Hugo2 DAC is quite a bit better. It's not easy to compare the AK320's amp with the Hugo2's amp - as neither has analogue input. But my guess is that the Hugo2's amp is also better.

But yes, agree with the observation that TOTL full size amps offers the Utopia listener a significantly superior experience to the Hugo2's inbuilt amp. The issue isn't so much about "loudness" - the Hugo2 is plenty "loud". My finding is that the Hugo2 signature is too closed (soundstage too small) and a bit anaemic bass when it comes to the Utopia. There are various other benefits too in going big, including imaging and instrument separation (especially with the LAu).

On the other hand I've found that the MDRZ1R sounds sensational (almost 100% of full potential) straight out of the Hugo2. It's an unbeatable pairing pairing for the price (assuming you get them both used on the forums).

My conclusion is that the Utopia scales like crazy - and you shouldn't let the apparent "ease of drive" fool you. It really does lift in performance as you improve each bit of the supply chain.

 

[Justin_Time]

...

But yes, agree with the observation that TOTL full size amps offers the Utopia listener a significantly superior experience....

I do not own the Hugo, so I cannot comment.

While both full-size amps work much better with the Utopia than my ASP1000,, the Apex Teton OTL that we discussed is not a great match for the Utopia because of the impedance mismatch. The upper bass was a little boomy and consequently, there is a slight loss of details. On the other hand, the GS-X Mk2is an excellent match for the Utopia though I haven’t found the perfect amp for the Utopia.

 

[Asteron70]

Hmm, I wonder what impedance setting you use with the Teton?
My lesser known Prautes has the following settings: 8Ω, 32Ω, 100Ω, 300Ω
The Utopia sounds too anaemic on the 8Ω, but too bloomy on the 100Ω & 300Ω.

It's strange because the Utopia is rated at 85Ω, so I assumed the 100Ω setting would work best. But the lower 32Ω setting is definitely superior, specifically with better bass control - I have no idea why. There is some microdetail/glare in the upper frequencies that I lose with the Prautes in all impedance settings versus the big SS amps (though the SS amps become more anaemic in the lower frequencies). I'm not sure whether that's an impedance thing.

In Tyll's review he says the following (I agree with him that the right tube amp is probably the best bet for the Utopia):

Impedance plot shows a headphone with a nominal 85 Ohm impedance, but at the primary resonance hump at 50Hz impedance ascends to just over 300 Ohms. Headphone amplifiers with an output impedance of over 10 Ohm may begin to emphasize this hump. If done judiciously this may give these headphones a tasty bit of umph in the lows. This headphone is worthy of a great headphone amplifier, and I'm thinking careful matching with a killer tube amp might deliver a very special experience.
https://www.innerfidelity.com/conte...focal-utopia-measurements#ZkWeRFYZ3jsBQE9H.99

 

[meomap]

Hmm, I wonder what impedance setting you use with the Teton?
My lesser known Prautes has the following settings: 8Ω, 32Ω, 100Ω, 300Ω
The Utopia sounds too anaemic on the 8Ω, but too bloomy on the 100Ω & 300Ω.

It's strange because the Utopia is rated at 85Ω, so I assumed the 100Ω setting would work best. But the lower 32Ω setting is definitely superior, specifically with better bass control - I have no idea why. There is some microdetail/glare in the upper frequencies that I lose with the Prautes in all impedance settings versus the big SS amps (though the SS amps become more anaemic in the lower frequencies). I'm not sure whether that's an impedance thing.

In Tyll's review he says the following (I agree with him that the right tube amp is probably the best bet for the Utopia):

Impedance plot shows a headphone with a nominal 85 Ohm impedance, but at the primary resonance hump at 50Hz impedance ascends to just over 300 Ohms. Headphone amplifiers with an output impedance of over 10 Ohm may begin to emphasize this hump. If done judiciously this may give these headphones a tasty bit of umph in the lows. This headphone is worthy of a great headphone amplifier, and I'm thinking careful matching with a killer tube amp might deliver a very special experience.
https://www.innerfidelity.com/conte...focal-utopia-measurements#ZkWeRFYZ3jsBQE9H.99

Have you try ALO Studio Six tube amp?
Perfectly matching to Utopia because it sounds wonderful.

 

[up late]

@80 ohms the utopia should be paired with an amp with an output impedance of 8 ohms or less

 

[Justin_Time]

Hmm, I wonder what impedance setting you use with the Teton?
My lesser known Prautes has the following settings: 8Ω, 32Ω, 100Ω, 300Ω
The Utopia sounds too anaemic on the 8Ω, but too bloomy on the 100Ω & 300Ω.

It's strange because the Utopia is rated at 85Ω, so I assumed the 100Ω setting would work best. But the lower 32Ω setting is definitely superior, specifically with better bass control - I have no idea why. There is some microdetail/glare in the upper frequencies that I lose with the Prautes in all impedance settings versus the big SS amps (though the SS amps become more anaemic in the lower frequencies). I'm not sure whether that's an impedance thing.

In Tyll's review he says the following (I agree with him that the right tube amp is probably the best bet for the Utopia):

Impedance plot shows a headphone with a nominal 85 Ohm impedance, but at the primary resonance hump at 50Hz impedance ascends to just over 300 Ohms. Headphone amplifiers with an output impedance of over 10 Ohm may begin to emphasize this hump. If done judiciously this may give these headphones a tasty bit of umph in the lows. This headphone is worthy of a great headphone amplifier, and I'm thinking careful matching with a killer tube amp might deliver a very special experience.
https://www.innerfidelity.com/conte...focal-utopia-measurements#ZkWeRFYZ3jsBQE9H.99

The Apex Teton is an OTL tube amp with high output impedance. It was made to work with cans like the HD800S with very high impedance—I cannot remember whether it is 300 or 600 Ohms—and it has no option for impedance changes. I cannot blame it for not working well with the Utopia. It was not built to do that.

 

[Asteron70]

@80 ohms the utopia should be paired with an amp with an output impedance of 8 ohms or less

but for some reason the 8ohm setting is definitely inferior to the 32ohm setting out of my amp. The Utopia sounds way too thin on the 8ohm setting.

 

[Asteron70]

Have you try ALO Studio Six tube amp?
Perfectly matching to Utopia because it sounds wonderful.

Yes only briefly heard the Six a long time ago - before the Utopia was released. The Six and Prautes in my brief experience are very similar (my guess is that Pratues was modelled after the Six, but could be wrong). And as I said, I haven't heard anything that comes close to the synergy of the Utopia/Prautes. So am not surprised the Six is a good match for the Utopia.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

ZDS can switch between 3 and 20 ohm by a knob on the front of the chassis. 20 OI indeed boosts the 50 HZ nicely and expands the stage. I tend towards the 3 OI for slightly snappier speed. ZDS is an excellent pairing with Utopia. Remarkable tonal synergy and the expansive staging nicely offsets the relatively small stage of the Utopia.

Would love to hear it from a nice SS like GSX mk-II.

 

[up late]

but for some reason the 8ohm setting is definitely inferior to the 32ohm setting out of my amp. The Utopia sounds way too thin on the 8ohm setting.

i have no idea what that reason is but the "1/8th rule" is a general guide for matching a headphone's impedance with the optimal output impedance of the source that it will be plugged into. however, impedance matching can be tricky. if the utopia sounds better to you with the 32 ohm output on your amp then go with that.

 

[Allanmarcus]

The 1/8th rule comes from NWAvGuy. Some hail him as a genius and others the opposite direction.
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/headphone-amp-impedance.html