[Lx3A]

What did you think of the Ferrum stack with Utopia? I'm super close to buying them just to try it.

I don’t think I would be a great resource as I’m only 5ish years into hobby and have tried a limited amount of gear plus it has been some time since I heard it. If I had to try from memory I would say a very clean spacious punchy resolving sound that was still smooth. I remember liking it but I do much prefer the sound tubes give to utopia.

 

[chesebert]

Utopia may lack some balls on Ferrum compared to other amps. If you don’t care about having the best slam, sub bass extension and high dynamics and must buy an amp that fits on your desk then Ferrum is not bad.

 

[muski]

That sounds fair. What I like about the Mojo 2 is that it brings a great amount of detail that the Utopias thrive on. What I don’t like is that it can sound a bit sterile and fatiguing for longer listens.

The Focal Arche is the complete opposite. It sounds warmer and can be heard for hours at a time, but it seems to roll off the detail and mushes the instrument layers together.

I’m chasing a warmer, deeper sound than the Mojo 2 but while keeping the same clarity and detail up top.

Another route might be to increase the quality of the signal going into your Mojo 2 or TT2... It's possible the fatigue is due to your source. Here's a suggestion:

Listen to your favorite tracks on your MacBook Pro. Then copy the same tracks over to the Poly's SD card. Play them using MPDeluxe, which plays directly from the SD card without doing a network roundtrip (unlike a DLNA player). If you want to go over the top, once you've queued up tracks from MPD to the Poly, you can even put the Poly in Airplane mode and shut off the wifi. Then listen for any differences, esp. less fatigue/harshness, a wider soundstage, or better mid-bass response. These are all telltales of source RF noise. If there's not much difference, then your MacBook Pro isn't the problem and you can experiment with different DACs. If there is a difference, maybe try improving your source. Two ideas...

If you like using your MacBook Pro, you could audition an Innuos Phoenix USB. To my ears (via OG Utopias into M Scaler/DAVE), I heard the kind of improvements you're looking for. I admit reclockers are controversial and not for everyone. (Honestly, I wonder if it's the Phoenix USB's Sean Jacobs power supply that is making the biggest difference in cleaning up the signal.)

The second idea would be a dedicated streamer. There's a greater fiddle factor than going straight out of the MacBook Pro, but good streamers should feed the Mojo a better signal. I'm a fan of Sonore streamers, but there are lots of great choices.

The good news is that with the Utopias, you have headphones with the necessary resolution to run these experiments.

cheers,
muski

 

[daverich4]

I’ve seen it and it looks really nice. How does it compare to the other DAC/Amps here in terms of detail and soundstage? Those two things matter a lot to me.

What’s the exact model(s) name? I did some research on Holo yesterday but it seems so hard to find much info, let alone find one to buy.

I have the Holo Audio May KTE and have good results with it.

https://www.kitsunehifi.com/

 

[chrisnyc75]

@tjkohli It also might be worth noting that there is a whole school of thought amongst Utopia owners that the source (i.e. DAC) matters just as much if not more than the amp. Utopia is famously revealing of the source chain, so feeding it from the best DAC can yield amazing results. Just something to consider as you are budgeting/planning for purchases.

Also, the Naim Unity Atom is reputed to be a great match for Utopia, given that they are made by the literal same company and intended to go together.

 

[tjkohli]

@tjkohli It also might be worth noting that there is a whole school of thought amongst Utopia owners that the source (i.e. DAC) matters just as much if not more than the amp. Utopia is famously revealing of the source chain, so feeding it from the best DAC can yield amazing results. Just something to consider as you are budgeting/planning for purchases.

Also, the Naim Unity Atom is reputed to be a great match for Utopia, given that they are made by the literal same company and intended to go together.

Thank you for that! I've ordered a Ferrum stack (WANDLA + Oor + Hypsos) and will definitely share my feedback.
Currently I'm using the Focal Arche and, although it was also meant for Utopia (albeit '20), it sounds a bit too warm and gooey for me compared to the laser-like (but fatiguing) Mojo 2.

I am hoping the Ferrum stack is somewhere nicely in between with crisp detail but less clinical.

 

[chrisnyc75]

Thank you for that! I've ordered a Ferrum stack (WANDLA + Oor + Hypsos) and will definitely share my feedback.
Currently I'm using the Focal Arche and, although it was also meant for Utopia (albeit '20), it sounds a bit too warm and gooey for me compared to the laser-like (but fatiguing) Mojo 2.

I am hoping the Ferrum stack is somewhere nicely in between with crisp detail but less clinical.

Congrats, and good decision. I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

[AussieMick]

Some love the Utopia for how revealing it is of everything in the chain, rewarding every upgrade and showing the subtlest nuance of expression. It’s chameleon nature making it the perfect headphone for letting every recording sound different and clearly showing the various strengths of DACs and amplifiers and cables and power treatments. Almost like there’s no real “this is what Utopia sounds like” generalisation.

Some people hate Utopia for how revealing it is of everything in the chain…

Some people prefer a headphone that has a strong and consistent signature regardless of the upstream electronics.

It’s a quality that can make the Utopia great or awful depending on what you want. I’m of the side of the fence that loves it. For me it’s not “inconsistent” at all. It’s fabulously flexible and expressive.

 

[majestic13770]

Good evening

I currently have an oor+hypsos ensemble as a source, an innuos zen mini mk3 and a pegasus musician as a dac.
I will probably receive my 2022 Utopia on Thursday, so I will try to give you feedback on what I think of it.
This set works well for me with a Meze empyrean and an HE 1000 stealth.
Good evening.

 

[majestic13770]

Sorry but the translation is not perfect

 

[majestic13770]

Trafomatic head 2 is in pole position

 

[chesebert]

Is it me or does Utopia OG sound ever so slightly more transparent through the mid than Utopia 2022 with a fairly large soundstage (equal to 800S and slightly larger than 2022) and slightly deeper soundstage than both 800S and 2022. 2022 is better in a number of key areas, but did not expect the soundstage difference and difference in transparency.

 

[photobillyli]

I am having a toxic cable with dual 3.5 mm and terminated at 4.4 mm. I used to use this cable with my MDR-Z1R. As I have upgraded to Utopia, I am think what I should do with the toxice cable, here are a few options:
1. Send the cable back to Toxic cable in UK and have the dual 3.5 mm replaced with LEMO 2 Pins. That would be around $130 USD.
2. Replace the dual 3.5 mm locally with knockoff LEMO 2 Pins. That would be around $52 USD.
3. Simply use a 3.5 mm female to LEMO 2 Pin adapter, that would be around $50 USD (knockoff LEMO) to $ 120 USD (original LEMO).

So my questions are:

Should I use an adapter instead of relacing the dual 3.5 mm to LEMO 2 pins? It would be rather stupid as I dont think the Utopia will be my and the only headphone for the rest of my life. If I buy a new or use another headphone, the cable will be no longer useful again.

Has anyone tried using those adapters? Do you think the sound quality will be wornsen to a noticeable extent? Any good adapters suggestion?

And my last question is, do I need to use the original LEMO 2 pins? Actually the knockoff LEMO should be fine, right? What do you think??

Thanks.

 

[yrstruly]

Is it me or does Utopia OG sound ever so slightly more transparent through the mid than Utopia 2022 with a fairly large soundstage (equal to 800S and slightly larger than 2022) and slightly deeper soundstage than both 800S and 2022. 2022 is better in a number of key areas, but did not expect the soundstage difference and difference in transparency.

Personally I didn’t pick up any more transparency in the mids. Possibly a tad deeper soundstage yep but found the 2022 stage was wider. Through my admittedly not-perfect chain anyway.

Out of interest in what ways do you prefer the 2022 version? I definitely prefer the 2022 but curious to hear your take.

 

[chesebert]

Personally I didn’t pick up any more transparency in the mids. Possibly a tad deeper soundstage yep but found the 2022 stage was wider. Through my admittedly not-perfect chain anyway.

Out of interest in what ways do you prefer the 2022 version? I definitely prefer the 2022 but curious to hear your take.

much improved sub bass and bass performance with even better PRaT and slam. Subbass has clearly higher energy and the right level of sustain. Slightly more natural tonality through the upper mid and treble. Presentation through the mid is bit more liquid. Vocal shows slightly greater intimacy and a slightly better rendition of sound of chest and body. The sound localization within the soundstage is slightly better with greater solidity and weight to the notes. The overall presentation is slightly warmer and slightly more musical (as opposed to “hifi“.

I did use “slight“ a lot because the differences are just that a slight difference (except for sub bass and bass).

One thing is that Utopia is sensitive to amp choices. Soundstage width and the overall size are quite different on different amps, and the difference seems more pronounced on the OG.