[LCMusicLover]

It all depends on what you do. The Empy is just perfect with older low-res files ... I have a lot of 80s music which is not commercially available ... which I digitized from tape. It sounds horrible with the utopia, but the Empy makes the best of it. I’d keep it only for that alone ...

I can certainly imagine that about Empyean. For me, Auteur performs that function. Of course it’s mostly bad Dead tape transfers

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I am not disagreeing with anyone else’s experienced perspectives: HEK, Z1R, TH900, Aeolus all strike me as very reasonable recommendations. I would just add to that list the Auteur, whose biodynamic driver may offer a compelling contrast to that of the beryllium Utopia. If you can snag a 3F amplifier, you would be able to drive the Utopia/Auteur with equally impressive, top-shelf synergy. However, both can sound great out of many other setups. From the planar lineup, obviously you may consider Abyss, Susvara, or LCD-4, but I cannot speak from experience regarding these.

 

[LCMusicLover]

I am not disagreeing with anyone else’s experienced perspectives: HEK, Z1R, TH900, Aeolus all strike me as very reasonable recommendations. I would just add to that list the Auteur, whose biodynamic driver may offer a compelling contrast to that of the beryllium Utopia. If you can snag a 3F amplifier, you would be able to drive the Utopia/Auteur with equally impressive, top-shelf synergy. However, both can sound great out of many other setups. From the planar lineup, obviously you may consider Abyss, Susvara, or LCD-4, but I cannot speak from experience regarding these.

To me, Auteur is much closer to Utopia than Empyrean (or the Fostex, or an LCD-3). Actually, my Blackwood Auteur is pretty close to Utopia in tonality.

 

[Malcolm Riverside]

To me, Auteur is much closer to Utopia than Empyrean (or the Fostex, or an LCD-3). Actually, my Blackwood Auteur is pretty close to Utopia in tonality.

Speed of the Auteur is no match for the Utopia though. I ended up selling mine because it was a bit too laid back for me. But the soundstage and tonality were spot on. Still a great all-around headphone with no major flaws.

 

[paradoxper]

I am not disagreeing with anyone else’s experienced perspectives: HEK, Z1R, TH900, Aeolus all strike me as very reasonable recommendations. I would just add to that list the Auteur, whose biodynamic driver may offer a compelling contrast to that of the beryllium Utopia. If you can snag a 3F amplifier, you would be able to drive the Utopia/Auteur with equally impressive, top-shelf synergy. However, both can sound great out of many other setups. From the planar lineup, obviously you may consider Abyss, Susvara, or LCD-4, but I cannot speak from experience regarding these.

3F is definitely key.

 

[Gavin C4]

Hello Utopia owners,

I am thinking about another sidekick hp to use along with Utopia and HD800S....
Is Hifiman HE1000 v2 or se a good companion?

Will use with ALO Studio Six tube amp.

Appreciate if you could share your impressions if you have both Hifi and Utopia. Thanks...

I once faced the same question, HEK or HD800. I eventually went with HEK and Utopia. However, after purchasing all that and all other IEMs, I came to a conclusion that I can live happily with either one headphone or Utopia alone. Sometimes I found that it may be a better use of my time to enjoy my music with The Utopia rather than thinking which headphone to buy next.

 

[thecrow]

I eventually went with HEK and Utopia..... I came to a conclusion that I can live happily with either one headphone or Utopia alone.

having both and others i agree

. Sometimes I found that it may be a better use of my time to enjoy my music with The Utopia rather than thinking which headphone to buy next.

agree again. Plus sometimes waste too much time thinking about what to listen with next.
Then again....i do enjoy having these options

a few years back i had 3 cables for my hd800 (back when i had one main hp) and i wanted to sell two and keep one. It was a very hard choice and I wasn’t sure. After making the choice (that did sit well with me) and ending up with one i felt quite relieved that I didn’t have to think which cable did i want to listen to that day. there was a copper, a hybrid and silver. I kept the silver (norne silvergarde)

as a reference to choices we have:

 

[elisiX]

Is anyone running the latest Schiit Gungnir/Mjolnir 2 with Utopia and can share some thoughts on this pairing?

 

[K3cT]

Is anyone running the latest Schiit Gungnir/Mjolnir 2 with Utopia and can share some thoughts on this pairing?

They're mid-fi at best.

 

[meomap]

I once faced the same question, HEK or HD800. I eventually went with HEK and Utopia. However, after purchasing all that and all other IEMs, I came to a conclusion that I can live happily with either one headphone or Utopia alone. Sometimes I found that it may be a better use of my time to enjoy my music with The Utopia rather than thinking which headphone to buy next.

Thank you for the encouragement thought, also to save money.
Maybe, I look further into upgrading more tubes into my ALO Studio Six tube amp and PL Evo 100 tube DAC.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Is anyone running the latest Schiit Gungnir/Mjolnir 2 with Utopia and can share some thoughts on this pairing?

Quite competent, but might be a bit ‘bright-on-bright’ as far as the pairing w/ Utopia. Depends on the tubes in Mj2 I suppose. To my ears, Gumby or Yggy ==> Liquid Platinum was so close that I ended up selling Yggy. I haven’t heard Mj2 in my system, so won’t say more about it, although during the one audition I had, it paired very well with some LCD-2 — hence my doubt re: pairing w/ Utopia.

They're mid-fi at best.

Disagree, at least regarding A2 Gumby.

 

[thecrow]

Is anyone running the latest Schiit Gungnir/Mjolnir 2 with Utopia and can share some thoughts on this pairing?

They're mid-fi at best.

And that’s ok

 

[elisiX]

....but might be a bit ‘bright-on-bright’ as far as the pairing w/ Utopia. Depends on the tubes in Mj2 I suppose.

So I have actually auditioned the Gungnir/Mjolnir 2 with the Utopia but didn't want to give me thoughts up front.

This is exactly what I felt when I spent an hour with this setup.

I'd say 70% of the time it was actually great, but the treble sharpness that the Utopia can have was really obvious 30% of the time.

By comparison, using my Utopia at home on my RME/Audio GD setup, that sharpness is present significantly less. 10% of the time, maybe.

I did that audition with the Schiit stack as I was making the assumption, perhaps incorrectly, that the warmth of tubes would remove the sharpness.

 

[LCMusicLover]

... I was making the assumption, perhaps incorrectly, that the warmth of tubes would remove the sharpness.

Warm tubes (Siemens NOS E88CC, E188CC, CCa) in my Liquid Platinum do help with that sharpness.

 

[Focux]

So I have actually auditioned the Gungnir/Mjolnir 2 with the Utopia but didn't want to give me thoughts up front.

This is exactly what I felt when I spent an hour with this setup.

I'd say 70% of the time it was actually great, but the treble sharpness that the Utopia can have was really obvious 30% of the time.

By comparison, using my Utopia at home on my RME/Audio GD setup, that sharpness is present significantly less. 10% of the time, maybe.

I did that audition with the Schiit stack as I was making the assumption, perhaps incorrectly, that the warmth of tubes would remove the sharpness.

somewhat digressing here but if possible, perhaps you could try the Utopia direct from Hugo2 at A2A or somewhere

am doing this temporarily since i can hear no audible difference if the THX789 is added to the chain (unfortunately?)