[henriks]

Forza audio
 

 

[Maxx134]

interesting question...i have a love hate relationship with the utopia.....i love its detail and how dynamic it is but i find it a bit of a small soundstage and a bit fatiguing.....I would say the utopia is a fair bit better than the HE1000 v1 but the v2 which is far more dynamic is a very close...to be honest as i listen to the v2 as I write this I can say i could easily live with one or the other and feel the v2 is in the same league as the utopia...the differences in the 2 make it a subjective answer more than anything else....worth listening to both

I would not give up my HEKV2 for a Utopia.

I was unaware of any changes made to V2 from V1, for those claiming a huge difference what was changed?

Alot, everything is better.
Nuance, timbre, detailing, micro dynamics, and more combined to equate to more realism and musicality.

It is said the driver hasn't changed.
Neither has the drivers in the prototype V1 versions.
That doesn't mean it can't be voiced differently.
I doubt V2 measure the same as V1.

I've heard that late night listening, with less activity on the Mains electricity lines makes a big difference in sound quality, could be...

Nightime listening always sounds magical.

 

[Maxx134]

Forza audio

I like my "ELA Audio" pure silver Ultimate version:

It is twice the thickness of the regular version,
And it didn't cost an arm and a leg because it is solid core silver, instead of softer teeny hairline thin stranded silver used by others...

 

[phaeton70]

  Forza audio
 

great combination. I use this since more than a year now, it sounds really totl.

 

[john777]

Are you basing this on your direct experience of the stock V2 cable? Which I'm told is much different to the V1 cable.

I've got my eye on the UK Toxic top end cables which are silver litz (or silver with a bit of gold), that seem to be much the same design as the DHC models, but at less than half the price, especially with the Brexit pound, import duties and shipping taken into account. My only experience of after market headphone cables is the mid-range Toxic Silver Poison, that did a great job in sprucing up my aged HD600's.

I also need to look at the Silver Dragons, as they are still lower cost.    

Also have my eye on Toxic's top end cables, so any thoughts etc. welcomed. Only drawback is wait time, as Frank is a one-man band with limited help.

 

[john777]

On the subject of aftermarket cables, has anyone had a retermination done? I have an ALO Audio Reference 16 which was used on my HE500s, so has wrong male connectors for HE1000v2. Was going to sell it on, but now not sure if it might be worth getting it changed. And by whom?

 

[ToddRaymond]

On the subject of aftermarket cables, has anyone had a retermination done? I have an ALO Audio Reference 16 which was used on my HE500s, so has wrong male connectors for HE1000v2. Was going to sell it on, but now not sure if it might be worth getting it changed. And by whom?

 
Nearly all of the cables in my two channel and headphone systems were assembled by Take Five Audio in Canada.  I highly recommend 'em ('im).  I find the final, assembled (and cryo treated, if you're into that) product costs roughly the same as it would have to buy the individual parts from certain other online retailers, sometimes less.  Anyhow, that's one option.

On another side note, for my HE560s (with 2.5 mm connectors), I've actually been using an optional, separate balanced upgrade that Audioquest offers through their dealers for their Nighthawk 'phones.  Silver plated connectors and their 'perfect surface copper +' conductors.  I'm pretty sure I didn't pay more than the equivalent of $100 US for it.  Tremendous value, as far as I'm concerned.  I haven't felt the need to upgrade to anything else.

 

[Thenewguy007]

What about these two silver cables?

http://www.lavricables.com/cables/master-silver-hifiman-he1000-edition-x-upgrade-cable/

http://www.lavricables.com/cables/ultimate-silver-hifiman-he1000-upgrade-cable/

Silver is silver, right?

 

[jcdreamer]

What about these two silver cables?

http://www.lavricables.com/cables/master-silver-hifiman-he1000-edition-x-upgrade-cable/

http://www.lavricables.com/cables/ultimate-silver-hifiman-he1000-upgrade-cable/

I received my master silver for Focal Utopia from Lavricables a few days ago and I'm very pleased with it so far.  According to his website, it takes 150 hours of burn in to reach its best.  After less than twenty hours with them I'm already a believer that custom cables makes a difference and I'm contemplating on getting one for my HE1000 should I decide to keep the headphone.  Very nice quality cables at very attractive pricing, what's there not to like?  Take a leap of faith and try it.

 

[raypin]

Mm..curious...what does the Master Silver bring to the table with the Utopia, specially the bass response?

 

[jcdreamer]

I was expecting the worst: bright and thin bass, etc. To my surprise, I did not notice any sacrifice in the bass response at all. In fact I experienced a fuller and smoother overall sound. It could be due to going from the stock SE cable to balanced.  This is my first foray into non-stock cables and I'm not disappointed so far.

 

[jcdreamer]

I might also add that I noticed improvement in the overall soundstage as well.

 

[auricgoldfinger]

Generally speaking, silver cables have much better conductivity than copper cables.  Better conductivity = greater detail, fuller sound, holographic treble, better realism, etc.  However, not all silver cables are created the same.
 
The type and purity of silver are extremely important factors.  So are the number of wires and the number of strands per wire.  Insulation and dampening (or lack thereof) should also be considered.  Is each strand insulated from the others?  Is the cable shielded?  Litz enameling and cryogenic treatments can also affect the sound quality and longevity of the cable.
 
The more expensive cables typically have more (or all) of the above and are capable of producing better sound than those with fewer wires, little or no insulation, etc.  The key question is whether your system is able to resolve the better sound of the expensive cable, or if you would be better served forgoing some features and spending the money elsewhere. 

 

[iAudio365]

I received my master silver for Focal Utopia from Lavricables a few days ago and I'm very pleased with it so far.  According to his website, it takes 150 hours of burn in to reach its best.  After less than twenty hours with them I'm already a believer that custom cables makes a difference and I'm contemplating on getting one for my HE1000 should I decide to keep the headphone.  Very nice quality cables at very attractive pricing, what's there not to like?  Take a leap of faith and try it.

How would these cables compate to whiplash cables?

 

[Thenewguy007]

I like my "ELA Audio" pure silver Ultimate version:

It is twice the thickness of the regular version,
And it didn't cost an arm and a leg because it is solid core silver, instead of softer teeny hairline thin stranded silver used by others...

How much did it costs?