[songoku]

Utopia with super high-end dac/amp.

 

[muski]

Personally I have never heard a better cable than the DanaCable Lazulli reference Plus for the Utopia.
I sold mine last week as I’m moving over into IEM’s more now, but it’s an amazing cable.

+1

I have a 2018 vintage Danacable Lazuli Reference for my OG Utopia, and a Lazuli Ultralite for Stellia. Both great pairings to my ears.

 

[tjkohli]

For those of you recommending the Lazuli cable — how is it better than other cables? Just trying to quantify the qualities of it that make it “great” for Utopia. Not being sarcastic or anything, just genuinely curious.

From what I read, it is a copper cable, which seems to make it slightly less detailed than a pure silver cable (like the 8-core Silver Lavricable I have).

 

[thecrow]

For those of you recommending the Lazuli cable — how is it better than other cables? Just trying to quantify the qualities of it that make it “great” for Utopia. Not being sarcastic or anything, just genuinely curious.

From what I read, it is a copper cable, which seems to make it slightly less detailed than a pure silver cable (like the 8-core Silver Lavricable I have).

I had tried a norne silver cable (silver draug) and arctic cable silver cable (Magnus, from memory) and found them too bright/lively etc for me with the utopias

so even though silver may bring more detail, its overall characteristics may not line up with one’s preferences in other elements, in this nicely subjective hobby of ours

i personally use the (discontinued) nordost heimdall 2 which i have learnt is all copper though it has good detail and a nice touch of liveliness/energy.
(i previously though it was silver plated copper based on what i had thought I read and what i was hearing)

Fwiw, if i was looking for a new cable, which i am not, I would be looking at silver plated copper cables, or hybrid cables that are mostly copper when it’s comes to my utopias
that’s My experience, with My gear, My ears/brain and My preferences

all the best

 

[AussieMick]

For those of you recommending the Lazuli cable — how is it better than other cables? Just trying to quantify the qualities of it that make it “great” for Utopia. Not being sarcastic or anything, just genuinely curious.

From what I read, it is a copper cable, which seems to make it slightly less detailed than a pure silver cable (like the 8-core Silver Lavricable I have).

I’m another using Heimdall 2. It’s an extremely quiet cable, like a bunch of background hash and noise has been removed. There’s much more to cable materials and geometry than just frequency response. I also enjoy the Heimdall 2 because, like the Utopia, it seems to be more telling of upstream amplification, DAC and streamer changes. As Wavetheory put it, the performance ceiling is higher with this cable. I’m paraphrasing, but that’s the gist. Have you seen his cable comparison videos?

 

[jlbrach]

I had tried a norne silver cable (silver draug) and arctic cable silver cable (Magnus, from memory) and found them too bright/lively etc for me with the utopias

so even though silver may bring more detail, its overall characteristics may not line up with one’s preferences in other elements, in this nicely subjective hobby of ours

i personally use the (discontinued) nordost heimdall 2 which i have learnt is all copper though it has good detail and a nice touch of liveliness/energy.
(i previously though it was silver plated copper based on what i had thought I read and what i was hearing)

Fwiw, if i was looking for a new cable, which i am not, I would be looking at silver plated copper cables, or hybrid cables that are mostly copper when it’s comes to my utopias
that’s My experience, with My gear, My ears/brain and My preferences

all the best

good silver cables are not overly bright

 

[tjkohli]

Which IEM's most resemble the Utopia '22? I need a portable way to take my Utopia sound with me.

 

[zephyrstar]

For those of you recommending the Lazuli cable — how is it better than other cables? Just trying to quantify the qualities of it that make it “great” for Utopia. Not being sarcastic or anything, just genuinely curious.

From what I read, it is a copper cable, which seems to make it slightly less detailed than a pure silver cable (like the 8-core Silver Lavricable I have).

I had one. It sounded ok but for me the ergos were awful. The Utopia is a svelte lightweight headphone and the Lazuil made it feel like I attached two cheap air compressor hoses to it. It is just two thick and unwieldy for me. Others may not have a problem with it.

 

[joshnor713]

I had one. It sounded ok but for me the ergos were awful. The Utopia is a svelte lightweight headphone and the Lazuil made it feel like I attached two cheap air compressor hoses to it. It is just two thick and unwieldy for me. Others may not have a problem with it.

This. I tried it out based on the praise it gets. So glad the company has a decent return policy. Spent the week I had it A/B'ing with my Forza Hybrid cable and the stock cable, source was Hugo 2.

As said here, the thickness was just too much. Not just that, but it's stiff as well. The whole thing was unwieldy to use and pack away as well. With the headphone on your head, you would feel the stiffness by your shoulders.

But surely the drastic improvement in sound would be the benefit for the worsened ergonomics - not really to my ears. The Lazuli Ref dulled the sound. Sure, it boosted the warmth, which the Utopia benefits from, but clearly at the cost of what makes it special - it's liviness and crisp detail. Switching to my Forza cable, the veil would get lifted. It was quite stark. Even switching to the stock cable (which I think is quite decent sounding) was a notable improvement.

In case it was a situation of me needing to brain-burn-in it, I tried the Lazuli for a week. It would not improve whatsoever. I remember sitting there just giving it time and I would get totally bored with the music and couldn't help space out and not pay attention to the music anymore. This never happened to me before listening to the Utopia. This is when I said enough is enough and packed it up and sent it back.

This is the first time I spent so much on a cable. Not sure I'll ever be doing that again! Call me a non-beliver in high-end cables now. I'll stick with my "cheap" (but not inferior) Forza cable

 

[thecrow]

good silver cables are not overly bright

Can they be lively or energetic?

ps i never said any of these cables were good or bad (i beleive).
Just sharing how i experienced them In my set up.

 

[Progisus]

Which IEM's most resemble the Utopia '22? I need a portable way to take my Utopia sound with me.

I find the 64 Audio Fourte is the best match for my OG Utopia.

 

[up late]

just had a listening session with the utopia after a hiatus. it's always satisfying to return to it and be reminded of what a complete headphone it is.

 

[chrisnyc75]

Which IEM's most resemble the Utopia '22? I need a portable way to take my Utopia sound with me.

No such thing. Dunu Luna is pure berrylium, though I don't know how much their sound signature may or may not resemble Utopia. EE Odin is a pretty safe bet if you're looking for a comparably Top Of the Line IEM, and I love my EE Legend EVO, though I wouldn't say they resemble Utopia in any way.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Which IEM's most resemble the Utopia '22? I need a portable way to take my Utopia sound with me.

Tricky question, but I think Vision Ears VE-X may suit you.

 

[joseph69]

I believe they do a 30 day back money guarantee so may be worth having the conversation.
It’s also a stunning cable in itself

I do believe it's actually a 15 day trial period--but if you ask nicely they may give you a bit more time.

Can they be lively or energetic?

Absolutely.
I've owned my 2 WireWorld Nano-Platinum Eclipse Cables for ~6yrs now and use them with both, my '18 Utopia and '18 HE1000v2 and they're stunningly lively and energetic with no fatigue whatsoever.