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Focal Utopia General Discussion
Jun 9, 2018 at 5:38 PM Post #7,922 of 20,595
Senza said:
Ok, i will consider other options. Thanks for the answer!
Click to expand...

Actually, the 820 has adjustable gain, although, from their description it’s not clear what outputs the adjustments affect. The real problem with the 820/Utopia combo is impedance matching. 820 ‘Output impedance is approx 40 Ohms’ according to Sennheiser post here, while Utopia impedance is 85 Ohms.
 
Jun 9, 2018 at 6:12 PM Post #7,924 of 20,595
Senza said:
Ok, i will consider other options. Thanks for the answer!
Click to expand...

Senza said:
I have HDV820 + HD660S combo at the moment. Looking for headphone upgrade. Maybe HD800S, HD820, HE-1000V2, Susvara. Dont know yet.. Utopia was also on my list, but im not interested to change my amp. Atleast not yet..
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Ah, so you meant other headphone options, not other DAC/amp combos.

I haven’t heard 660S, but have 6XX. HEKv2 is a nice upgrade from 6XX, though much closer in tonality to 6XX vs 6XX ==> Utopia ... All to my ears of course.
 
Jun 9, 2018 at 7:19 PM Post #7,925 of 20,595
emrelights1973 said:
Such as? İ am at the same boat

Hugo2 maybe?
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Hugo 2 certainly a contender.

Other options you might consider:

Metrum Amethyst
Benchmark DAC-2 or DAC-3
RME ADI-2 (esp. Pro)
Audio-gd (several different models)

Obviously there are lots of other choices — these are just some which are well-known and well-regarded, and in the same ballpark price-wise.

BTW, while the Hugo 2 has plenty of power to drive Utopia, it may come up short driving more demanding cans for you.
 
Jun 9, 2018 at 10:01 PM Post #7,926 of 20,595
rgs9200m said:
OK, point taken. All of my (rave review) is simply my opinion/impressions. Thanks for the constructive criticism.

I'll take the opportunity to add that in my humble opinion (and go out on a limb) that the Utopia is well worth even the retail price. Furthermore, to my ears, it's a breakthrough headphone. It could probably save you money in the long run by letting you avoid looking for the holy grail of headphones or even for very exotic expensive amplifiers.

It will stop the churn of the search (I believe).

I've been using MANY headphones for 20 years and this is my take on things with the Utopia.
Click to expand...

Hey man, I hear it just like you...but these headphones require a great front-end to get the best out of them. I absolutely love them!
 
Jun 9, 2018 at 10:59 PM Post #7,927 of 20,595
Phronesis said:
Agreed, not realistic to expect newcomers to wade through hundreds of pages of haphazard conversation (as conversations naturally are) before posting and starting a new conversation with those who may be interested in discussing. There can be multiple conversations going at once, and people (old timers or otherwise) can choose to ignore and not participate in conversations that don't interest them.

All of these products exist in a competitive marketplace, and price is obviously a key attribute on which they compete. If the Utopia was $3K, $5K, or $6K, it would be positioned differently in the marketplace, and that would affect the performance and quality expectations people have for it. Totally legit to discuss whether the $4K price makes sense, even if the discussion doesn't influence the pricing (though it may influence some people's decisions whether to buy it or not, and nothing wrong with that).
Click to expand...
newcomers don't have to wade through an entire thread but they could skim over it in order to become acquainted with its content. is that really too much to ask of a newcomer? this forum is also a resource and it does come with a search function. if newcomers make that small effort they may find that their questions have already been asked and answered and that the points that they were intending to make have already been made. a newcomer wouldn't have to look far in this thread to find that discussion of the utopia's price and warranty has occurred repeatedly throughout it. there is no legitimate excuse to raise the subject of the utopia's price yet again in this thread, and to continue doing so repeatedly having already been made aware of this comes off as obstinate.
 
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Jun 9, 2018 at 11:13 PM Post #7,928 of 20,595
up late said:
newcomers don't have to wade through an entire thread but they could skim over it in order to become acquainted with its content. is that really too much to ask of a newcomer? this forum is also a resource and it does come with a search function. if newcomers make that small effort they may find that their questions have already been asked and answered and that the points that they were intending to make have already been made. a cursory sweep of this thread would reveal to a newcomer that discussion of the utopia's price and warranty has occurred repeatedly throughout it. there is no legitimate excuse to raise the subject of the utopia's price yet again in this thread, and to continue doing so repeatedly having already been made aware of this by others comes off as obstinate.
Click to expand...

No need to do a search on the price or what others have said about it, I was simply expressing my opinion on it. Regarding discounts on the price, it was helpful to be pointed to the first post, where some things have been summarized. It's a headphone, not a very complex or mysterious device. After more than 500 pages of thread, since you're tired of things being rehashed, what new aspects of the headphone do you expect people to talk about? Why continue to remain subscribed to the thread, if you've already heard it all?
 
Jun 9, 2018 at 11:31 PM Post #7,929 of 20,595
Phronesis said:
No need to do a search on the price or what others have said about it, I was simply expressing my opinion on it. Regarding discounts on the price, it was helpful to be pointed to the first post, where some things have been summarized. It's a headphone, not a very complex or mysterious device. After more than 500 pages of thread, since you're tired of things being rehashed, what new aspects of the headphone do you expect people to talk about? Why continue to remain subscribed to the thread, if you've already heard it all?
Click to expand...
and you've expressed your opinion repeatedly. i think i know what a headphone is and what it is not, and i don't feel inclined to derail this thread any further by responding to your straw-man arguments. the point has been made, the rest is up to you.
 
Jun 10, 2018 at 3:24 AM Post #7,932 of 20,595
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Jun 10, 2018 at 6:35 AM Post #7,935 of 20,595
just picked up the utopias while on holiday in Thailand,

currently listening with my portable setup Fiio x7II and the Aune BS1 which drives them easily. By far the best sound quality i have experienced so far in this hobby so very pleased.
Looking forward to upgrading a new system to bring out the best in them and maybe change that cable that reminds me of housing electrical cable.
 
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