I had an Echo MK2 in the house for a couple of days and it was pretty dang good with the HD800S (albeit it wasn’t 100% stock, I had a pair of E88CC Bugle Boys in it) and in theory it should work very well with the Focals as well since I’ve heard/read somewhere that Feliks Audio actually uses Focal headphones to test their amps.
As for the resale value I don’t think you’ll have too many problems selling it IMO, it’s a bit of an odd price bracket the ~1000 euros/dollars one where there aren’t that many well know options (or at least I can’t think of any other amp that you haven’t already mentioned) and, at least here in Europe, you can resell an Echo MK2 without losing too much money and in a relatively short amount of time: when I was searching for one they were kinda rare to come up in the used market but would sell relatively fast (if hifishark “sold” listings are indeed accurate and to be trusted). But that’s just my 2c.
You’ll want to stay away from anything OTL for the Focal’s.
They’ll work fine with the HD800.
The ~$1000 tube amp space is full of crap with a few gems like the Quicksilver.
Tuba is out of production, and I’d probably prefer the Quicksilver over it, I haven’t heard the Cayin.
They go for $995 new and around $550 used (there’s a MKII currently for $580) here in the US. I was wondering if Feliks is coming out with a MKIII or a new model. I watched a video recently, and they mentioned working on a new, more expensive one probably 3000$+.
I’d add Woo WA22 to your list.
For Utopia using an OTL isn’t that bad of an idea, maybe @Polygonhell can share more about his take here but I’ve had good results with pairings like that
The LTA MZ3 plays very well with the Utopia and a lot written here in the forum about the pairing so I won’t go into detail but every time I tried it, I was impressed. More with the MZ3 than the the Utopias since I’ve never considered myself a HP guy, but it’s a deep synergy pairing.
I haven’t tried it, I did with the Elex and Clear.
I’ll take your word for it.
But the Utopia isn’t the other focals when it comes to tube amps, I disliked the Elex on tube amps so much it took me the best part of 9 months to bother plugging the Utopia into the DNA, and that was a fantastic pairing I was missing out on.
If you find yourself with more money and a utopia, the Studio B is a great fit. Thought i didn’t like it with the radiance so it may not be the best fit for the non-topia focals.
Ok that makes more sense, I really didn’t like Clear MG, wasn’t really thrilled with Stellia but absolutely loved Utopia so my experience is mostly with it. Utopia definitely benefits from tubes and worked extremely well with MZ3 and, although not my preference, with Feliks Euforia too
If not I think they could do you better on pricing, I would ask. I definitely got a better price on mine (2020 also) when I bought them new in March 2023. My seller no longer has any though, and it was a CanJam NYC special…
Still, wouldn’t hurt to ask for a further discount.
DHSA-3F is the best solid state I have heard with my original Utopia. However it is only the Utopia which I have had this experience, my former ZMF, HD650, RAD-0 were sub-par with it. I would even say the U22 is not my favorite pairing for the DHSA.
Interesting. Just goes to show the truth of subjective experience (ymmv) and all that…
That’s not been my experience at all with the DSHA-3F. Of the ZMFs I have (Verite Open, Atrium Open, Eikon 2024) all have sounded better or best on DSHA-3F compared to any other amp I’ve owned.
Now my sample size may be less than yours, but I’ve had various Schiit mid size amps (Jot 2, Lyr 3, Valhalla 2), a Flux FA-10 Limited, and a Burson Soloist 3x GT. The DSHA-3 and the Burson (and now the V590) all have had the Yggy OG/A2 as DAC.
I don’t find the Atrium to be super amp picky, and has sounded excellent with both the Soloist GT and DSHA-3 (from Nitsch). The Utopia made a surprisingly excellent match with the Burson, but the Nitsch takes it to another level.
But I never had what I thought was a really good synergy with the Verite until I got the Nitsch. It really makes the Verite sound fantastic imo. Driver control, absolute black background, and a general euphony was lacking by comparison until I got the Nitsch amp. It has the same effect when listening with the new revision Eikon. Surprisingly, I also feel the DSHA-3 does unexpectedly well with the Rosson, which is kind of on the edge of its limits as a suitable match. The Burson was better in the sub bass for the Rosson, which is not surprising.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how the V590 stacks up, I’m looking forward to trying it! I’ll need to let it burn in and spend time with it before doing any comparisons.
Oh absolutely, for all we know we may or may not even listen to the same type of music so what we value could be completely different. I will never discount your experience and if it works well for you that is awesome. I was a bit harsh on the RAD-0, it did work well enough when I would use it here and there. Unfortunately I have soured on the headphone after being spoiled by the LCD-4 and Caldera.
ZMF and tube amps, either a proper OTL (sorry LTA fans, the ZOTL is not exactly the same effect ) or SET such as the DNA Starlett and you can get those qualities you listed in spades. Perhaps you have tried a tube amp with them, I don’t recall your gear list.
Thoughts on an upgrade cable for the Focal Clear OG? Looking to get the best out of the Focal Clear OG pairing with LPGT (Lotoo Paw Gold Touch). Using stock cables right now and so far I think they lack a bit of warmth and also some refinement in the treble.
Which option would be the most suitable in this scenario? Any other cable manufacturers that I should look at? Any help and guidance on this matter is greatly appreciated!
) or SET such as the DNA Starlett and you can get those qualities you listed in spades. Perhaps you have tried a tube amp with them, I don’t recall your gear list.