[supervisor]

There's a knife's edge in the treble on some songs that really drills the eardrum if the volume is up.

100% agreed

 

[iamoneagain]

When I used the Utopia with the Chord Hugo 2 I found them a little thin and slightly lacking in bass but I just came from bass heavy AT L3000 headphones.

I did try out some EQing thru roon when I had the Chord Hugo 2 and it made them fuller but changed their sound signature too much for me. I used EQ setting that Audeze headphones posted for them with exact measurements on roon forum.

When I upgraded to Chord Dave, I found Utopia’s sound so much fuller and not lacking in any way. I finally added the mscaler to the mix and that just tighten up the bass, expanded the soundstage, and gave amazing sense of realism. I can’t see any need for EQing in this setup.

 

[thecrow]

Thanks for the answers. I was playing with the EQ last night and wasn't overly satisfied with the results, except EQ'ing up the bass a hair added a bit of body to the low end. Not sure it really needs it (yet). There's a knife's edge in the treble on some songs that really drills the eardrum if the volume is up. On the good side, Utopia sounds detailed and good at lower volumes. I'm not reversing course and calling these bright, but in some cases they can fatigue the ear. Maybe I'm listening too loud. One thing that seems to have helped (more testing needed) is making sure my source volume isn't pegged. When I back off the volume on the source and dial it up to compensate on the Mojo, I feel like it smooths out the treble a bit.

I found they were too exhausting with my cayin iha6 (which is a little lively). I did not buy them then.

later with my auralic taurus they have been very good and i bought them late last year. I can see myself ever selling them

 

[Frozen Rat]

Definitely use EQ. I find the Utopia colored and fatiguing without it.

I'm still zeroing in on a finalized EQ but right now it's something like this:

Peaking Filter 1.2khz -2db Q-factor 1.41
Peaking Filter 2khz +0.8db Q-factor 2
High-shelf Filter 3.5khz -2db S 0.9
Peaking Filter 6khz -2db Q-factor 2

Thanks for that example. I'm using Apple Music and it's not quite as nuanced as this. Any ideas if other EQ programs will work with Apple Music? Something with more granular control?

 

[Frozen Rat]

I found they were too exhausting with my cayin iha6 (which is a little lively). I did not buy them then.

later with my auralic taurus they have been very good and i bought them late last year. I can see myself ever selling them

I found a way to tame it a little bit. I back the volume down on my Mac to 75% and increase the volume on the Mojo to compensate, and with the Mojo more in control and pumping in more power, the treble is smoother. I think a tad bit of EQ will take me to the finish line with these. I need a better source program though, or someway to bypass the Apple Music EQ, which is too basic.

 

[ct303]

I've had good results with eqMac

 

[catscratch]

I'm on windows and I have no idea about what's available for mac, but what you want to search around for is a parametric eq plugin that lets you fine-tune the frequency response rather than a graphic eq with preset bands. The Utopia's peaks and dips are very specific and you want to be able to adjust them exactly.

You also want to listen to the FR directly, either using a sine sweep, a test tone generator, or pink noise, though I don't know how to use the latter (yet). Then you can fine-tune the response to your own ears.

 

[llamaluv]

There's a knife's edge in the treble on some songs that really drills the eardrum if the volume is up.

100% agreed

LOL that's the kind of comment that makes people run for the hills.

I'm not taking issue with it, as I've definitely reacted to the Utopia in the same way on more than one occasion and on different systems.

For me, the Utopia driven by the wrong combination of stuff hits me in the 1K-2K range, especially with pianos. The DAVE headphone-output comes to mind. Also, the GS-X mk2.

 

[flohmann]

Has anyone tried the Clear perforated microfiber pads on the Utopia? Curious how those are, both sound and comfort wise.

 

[Ilomaenkimi]

Definitely use EQ. I find the Utopia colored and fatiguing without it, even though in the grand scheme of things it is actually less colored than most headphones. There's a bump at 1-1.5khz, a dip at 2khz, a peak at 5.7-6khz and smaller peaks in other places. It's also somewhat upwards tiled, with the bass being a few db down and treble being slightly elevated.

I'm still zeroing in on a finalized EQ but right now it's something like this:

Peaking Filter 1.2khz -2db Q-factor 1.41
Peaking Filter 2khz +0.8db Q-factor 2
High-shelf Filter 3.5khz -2db S 0.9
Peaking Filter 6khz -2db Q-factor 2

However everybody hears differently especially in the treble. So you want to come up with your own EQ. You can probably use someone else's up to 2khz or so but past that outer ear resonances come into play and they vary from person to person.

I also wouldn't add too much bass boost, as Focal drivers operate closer to the limits of excursion than many others and will bottom out more easily. A few db is probably fine, but not more than that, at least if you listen at 80db or more.

If there is a need for EQ, the wrong type of headphones are used. Imo.
Stellias don't need EQ, for my ears.

 

[catscratch]

I did experiment with both the Clear and the Elex pads on Utopia. Clear pads warm up the sound a little bit and bring the bass up to a proper level, but unfortunately the treble peaks stick out a little bit more and the sound becomes drier. Elex pads result in the most tonally balanced response for me and blunt some of the treble nasties, but they also get rid of most of the open airiness the stock pads have; the sound becomes quite dry, and I prefer the stock pads even though their FR is less balanced. And no, the Elex and Clear pads aren't the same.

I'll try some Dekoni pads in the next few weeks, but as of right now it looks like stock pads + EQ is the way to go for me.

Also if you google "Focal Utopia Pad Rolling" there will be measurements posted on several other sites. Not gonna link em here.

 

[joseph69]

There's a knife's edge in the treble on some songs that really drills the eardrum if the volume is up.

Don't fault the Utopia, fault the recording.

 

[up late]

I did experiment with both the Clear and the Elex pads on Utopia. Clear pads warm up the sound a little bit and bring the bass up to a proper level, but unfortunately the treble peaks stick out a little bit more and the sound becomes drier. Elex pads result in the most tonally balanced response for me and blunt some of the treble nasties, but they also get rid of most of the open airiness the stock pads have; the sound becomes quite dry, and I prefer the stock pads even though their FR is less balanced. And no, the Elex and Clear pads aren't the same.

I'll try some Dekoni pads in the next few weeks, but as of right now it looks like stock pads + EQ is the way to go for me.

Also if you google "Focal Utopia Pad Rolling" there will be measurements posted on several other sites. Not gonna link em here.

i'm so glad that i don't hear the utopia as you do

 

[Frozen Rat]

Don't fault the Utopia, fault the recording.

I do. Why do some of these mixers think we want shrilly upper midrange that is nothing short of an ear assault? I have three songs that are great otherwise but have a few passages that have me reaching for the volume knob, and quite frankly not just on the Utopia, but on the Utopia, which doesn't care, it just forwards everything and if it's a bullet to the brain that's exactly what you're going to get. But really, I've tamed them already without EQ, but I might EQ them ever so slightly to me that last millimeter to where I want to be.

 

[iamoneagain]

I do. Why do some of these mixers think we want shrilly upper midrange that is nothing short of an ear assault? I have three songs that are great otherwise but have a few passages that have me reaching for the volume knob, and quite frankly not just on the Utopia, but on the Utopia, which doesn't care, it just forwards everything and if it's a bullet to the brain that's exactly what you're going to get. But really, I've tamed them already without EQ, but I might EQ them ever so slightly to me that last millimeter to where I want to be.

What are these 3 songs? Just want test for myself.