[inseconds99]

TOTL Dynamic vs TOTL Planar. Oranges vs Apples.

Both high priced transducers that you wear on your head. OLED Vs LED, different technologies, same outcome. You watch TV, and they’re always compared against each other. Black levels, dcip coverage, panel uniformity, etc etc. This is a bad take.

 

[Kiats]

Single ended I do not like the combo - Z1 and Utopia (I find the bass too much). What volume and sound settings do you use?

I use the 4.4mm output. I have direct sound on with DSD remastering. High gain. Around 10 o’clock.

 

[MACyaner]

Both high priced transducers that you wear on your head. OLED Vs LED, different technologies, same outcome. You watch TV, and they’re always compared against each other. Black levels, dcip coverage, panel uniformity, etc etc. This is a bad take.

Planar-Bass is not entirely authentic, Drums, for example, sound like E-Drums - thanks to Beryllium-Drivers, Utopia is "almost" as fast as Planar!?

 

[MACyaner]

Has anyone ever tried the Questyle QPM with Utopia?

QPM and Utopia = best synergy - Questyle has matched it perfectly to the Utopia - the QPM is part of the Anniversary-Box "Focal Symphonie 40th".
Unfortunately, the QPM has the Stereo-Swap-Problem with SACDs - like some other DACs too - which is why I parted with it again with a heavy heart but many don't even notice it

 

[ClicketEKlack]

QPM and Utopia = best synergy - Questyle has matched it perfectly to the Utopia - the QPM is part of the Anniversary-Box "Focal Symphonie 40th".
Unfortunately, the QPM has the Stereo-Swap-Problem with SACDs - like some other DACs too - which is why I parted with it again with a heavy heart but many don't even notice it

Anyone try the Questyle M15 with Utopia?

 

[MACyaner]

Anyone try the Questyle M15 with Utopia?

Not me but I wouldn't be surprised if the two even harmonize very well with each other - the Utopia doesn't need much power and therefore doesn't scale like Abyss and Susvara

 

[LCMusicLover]

TOTL Dynamic vs TOTL Planar. Oranges vs Apples.

Planar-Bass is not entirely authentic, Drums, for example, sound like E-Drums - thanks to Beryllium-Drivers, Utopia is "almost" as fast as Planar!?

I’m kind of on the fence about this. When I owned RAD-0 and was comparing it to my other headphones, it was closest to my Auteur. That’s true even though the RAD-0 was planar while Auteur is dynamic.

Tonality was quite close.

But the planar vs dynamic difference was quite noticeable in other ways. Hard to describe, but more than just speed.

Occasionally I think about the fact that basically all the live music we hear is produced by dynamic speakers. Would our sense of what sounds ‘natural’ change if venues or bands used planar speakers in concert instead?

 

[tradyblix]

I just wanted to make a post about my Utopia's (2017-2022).

Left driver failed. Not sure why, I had not used them in a long time (maybe a couple months) and it was just dead. There wasn't any cause AFAIK. It may even be easily fixable, I might try to find someone with some know how and see if I can fix it at some point.

I'm at peace with it - Empyrean had kind of replaced the Utopias as my daily drivers for a long while, since at least 2019, and when I would go back, although I would appreciate the Utopia's qualities, I didn't find myself enjoying them as much. Utopias replaced my previous HD800 cans. I am still sometimes missing that HD800 soundstage to this very day. (nothing else about them tho lol)

Because I bought them Grey Market, Focal can't help me, and I think this will be my last purchase of Focal Cans - I certainly am glad I never paid close to their retail price because I personally don't think they're worth that. Especially in the 2022 market.

Total Cost of ownership averaged about 500 dollars a year over 5 years which is quite good considering the enjoyment they brought to me.

RIP.

What will be replacing them ? Well, it's a no brainer. At their current 1300 dollar price on Amazon from the official Hifiman store, It will be the Arya Stealth. I think they will be a good alternative to the Empyreans (I'm not really having any issues with the Empys with my current rig, they sound incredible and have maybe only gotten better over time, but I always want a "back-up" or "alternative" pair with a different sound sig. My previous experience means I limited the amount of open back home cans I own at any given time to 2 as I know with more most won't ever be used)

So long, Focal, and thanks for all the fish.

 

[BassicScience]

I just wanted to make a post about my Utopia's (2017-2022).

Left driver failed. Not sure why, I had not used them in a long time (maybe a couple months) and it was just dead. There wasn't any cause AFAIK. It may even be easily fixable, I might try to find someone with some know how and see if I can fix it at some point.

I'd bet you experienced the well-known, dreaded earpad gunk issue. Same thing happened with my 2017 vintage Utopia. Fortunately, it was still under warranty, and Focal fixed it for the cost of shipping. You can simply remove the earpad to inspect the driver for gunk.

 

[tradyblix]

Driver doesn't really seem dirty. I don't use hair products so that probably helps. I'm sure it just failed as can sadly, sometimes happen. Part of the cost of being in the hobby.

 

[BassicScience]

Driver doesn't really seem dirty. I don't use hair products so that probably helps. I'm sure it just failed as can sadly, sometimes happen. Part of the cost of being in the hobby.

I don't use hair products either. Don't have all that much hair anymore...

If there's no gunk on the inner surface of the earpad, then yes, something else is the cause of the failure.

 

[Halimj7]

QPM and Utopia = best synergy - Questyle has matched it perfectly to the Utopia - the QPM is part of the Anniversary-Box "Focal Symphonie 40th".
Unfortunately, the QPM has the Stereo-Swap-Problem with SACDs - like some other DACs too - which is why I parted with it again with a heavy heart but many don't even notice it

What is the Stereo-swap-problem? Please tell me more. Thanks.

 

[MACyaner]

What is the Stereo-swap-problem? Please tell me more. Thanks.

The stereo channels swap positions: right channel plays left and left plays right.
A reset fixes the problem - sometimes it takes 2,3,4 or 5 resets.
I've only noticed it with SACDs - I listen to 70% SACDs, 20% DVD- or BD-Audio and 10% CDs.

After my objection, a friend told me that it also applies to HiRes recordings, but not CDs.

I cannot validly confirm this.
Nor that, according to a statement from my dealer, it also affects desktop devices from other Brands.

Questyle said it was a software problem - after 6 months I returned the QPM with a heavy heart and got a full refund from my dealer.

 

[MACyaner]

Some people will smile at me for giving Questyle 6 months to fix the problem - in the meantime I had bought some other DAPs, e.g. DMP-Z1, N8 + C9 etc. and was audiophile (natural sound) not happy with them.
Only my current LPGTti + Utopia makes me happy again - if I could have lived without Gapless, I would have kept the Black HM1000

 

[up late]

I just wanted to make a post about my Utopia's (2017-2022).

Left driver failed. Not sure why, I had not used them in a long time (maybe a couple months) and it was just dead. There wasn't any cause AFAIK. It may even be easily fixable, I might try to find someone with some know how and see if I can fix it at some point.

I'm at peace with it - Empyrean had kind of replaced the Utopias as my daily drivers for a long while, since at least 2019, and when I would go back, although I would appreciate the Utopia's qualities, I didn't find myself enjoying them as much. Utopias replaced my previous HD800 cans. I am still sometimes missing that HD800 soundstage to this very day. (nothing else about them tho lol)

Because I bought them Grey Market, Focal can't help me, and I think this will be my last purchase of Focal Cans - I certainly am glad I never paid close to their retail price because I personally don't think they're worth that. Especially in the 2022 market.

Total Cost of ownership averaged about 500 dollars a year over 5 years which is quite good considering the enjoyment they brought to me.

RIP.

What will be replacing them ? Well, it's a no brainer. At their current 1300 dollar price on Amazon from the official Hifiman store, It will be the Arya Stealth. I think they will be a good alternative to the Empyreans (I'm not really having any issues with the Empys with my current rig, they sound incredible and have maybe only gotten better over time, but I always want a "back-up" or "alternative" pair with a different sound sig. My previous experience means I limited the amount of open back home cans I own at any given time to 2 as I know with more most won't ever be used)

So long, Focal, and thanks for all the fish.

sorry for your loss