iamoneagain
Headphoneus Supremus
For those Utopia owners with high-end DAC’s and amps, which do you feel makes more difference in SQ and overall listening enjoyment, the amp or the DAC? For example, would a fancy tube amp and a Topping DAC play better with the Utopias than a Topping amp and, say, a Holo May?
Really depends on what you want out of you listening enjoyment. Do you want the most accurate, like you’re right there in the studio sound? Or do you prefer a more fun sound that gets your foot tapping. I’ve mentioned I climbed the top of Chord mountain with the Dave/mscaler combo using a battery pack. Almost got the Wave cables too. While that was truly amazing, I still had some albums I didn’t enjoy. So sort of became audio snob and started listening to just the better recordings.
I now have the Naim HE and the Focal Arche. Both are fun setups and have great synergy with the Utopia. I don’t miss the Chord setup. I’d say the Focal Arche may leave you wanting in overall resolution but you could always run HQ player thru it and achieve amazing sound. The Naim HE seems to do everything right for me. Both of these setup were built using Focal Utopia and the rest of their lineup during testing.
I guess my point is it’s all about synergy and type of sound you’re looking for. The Utopia’s tend to take on the sound they’re given and don’t add much on top other than their fast, dynamic character.