Focal headphone thread, Radiance / Celestee / Clear / Stellia / Utopia

Headphones
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Yes, they have been on slow boat from Texas to Arizona for over a week now, but finally arrived yesterday!

I’ll take some time to write up my impressions over the next few days, I’m still going through the initial burst of enthusiasm!

Some obvious observations from day 1 (will revise as my opinion develops):

  1. These are very fun / enjoyable to listen to. I keep forgetting to pay attention to technicalities and I just enjoy the music. I’ve not listened to anything before that sucks me in like this.
  2. Build quality is really sharp. The mix of carbon fiber, metal, and styling makes me think of an F1 race care. They feel “sophisticated”, better in person than in pictures.
  3. To my head they are more comfortable than the Focal Clear - in both pad feel and weight / head pressure they are superior.
  4. The cable connections to the cups are “interesting” - same has HD800s and Campfire Cascades (and probably others…). Physically it’s great, no wiggle, no concern about fatigue. But limits 3rd party cable options.
  5. So far they seem to be forgiving of signal chain. I’ve run them on a Schiit BF2 DAC with the Singxer SA-1, Schiit Jot2, Lake People G111, RNHP, and Schiit Vali2+. Differences in amp characteristics come through clearly (which is a lot of fun), but none of them have been “bad” or “offensive”. This is in stark contrast to the Audeze LCD-5, which brutally exposed and abused my mid-fi signal chain.
  6. The tuning seems pretty neutral so far, but the strong macro dynamics / punch / slam of Focal keeps this from being boring. Maybe some hints of high frequency peaks on some songs, but I need to listen more closely on some challenging tracks.
  7. Focal sound stage is a love/hate thing - I love it from the Clear and the Utopia seems to improve on it. Still spherical around the head, but a little further distance from the head. And will really throw sound out in the distance from time to time (something I’ve not noticed the Clear do). Layering is a step up from the Clear as well. It’s much more obvious who is where in the sound stage.
  8. Imaging within the sound stage is precise, no real gaps, but maybe a little more vague in some regions. So far it seems comparable to the Clear, and I think the LCD-5 beat it out. But no real conclusions, needs more listening.
  9. Detail retrieval is a step up from the Clear (and other $1.5k headphones I’ve heard such as LCD-X, HD800s). I really enjoy how the details are placed and presented within the Focal style sound stage. They are presented nicely around your head to observe. The detail isn’t shoved down your ear holes and it’s not so far out in the sound stage that you have to really focus to find it (looking at you HD800s).
  10. The overal mix of tonality, dynamics, sound stage width, etc make it easy to just keep turning them up. It gets loud and never really becomes offensive - just too loud and need turned down.

okay… that’s it for now… more later.

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Just fwiw, the utopia, while i like them, arent what made me love clears and instead a much enhanced version of all the shit i didnt realy care that much about…

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@Polygonhell saw you recently got a utopia, how have they been so far?

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I like it a lot, it’s very reminiscent of the other focals, stages in a similar all be it larger way, very dynamic much like the Clear and Elex.
More resolving than I was expecting, probably on par or slightly above the D8KPro in that regard, and a clear step below the Susvara.

On my primary chain Pacific → WA33 tonality is largely neutral, maybe moderately elevated bass, , and timbre is excellent. There is no hint of the brightness and “metallic tinge” some reviewers report.

On the Aqua → Stratus chain, I can hear where they are coming from, it’s not exactly how I’d describe it, to me it’s more a lack of driver control with some treble frequencies. On the Stratus it’s subtle, but it’s there, and I could see on other sources it could be more of an issue.

So I’ll go with very amp picky, but at the current used prices, it’s something of a bargain if you have the source gear to drive them. It’s certainly a competitive option in the TOTL, a clearly better headphone than a Verite at about the same used price. Now obviously that’s because the Verite holds it’s used value.

I need to listen more before I decide where it fits in with my other headphones, but initial impressions are very positive.

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What is this that people rave about the dna/focal combo? I always hear great synergy but no real articulation, so any ideas where they are coming from?

edit: i think i know what you mean now reading it again and m0n’s comment.

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I would agree, I think it’s higher than a d8kp, but lower than a mysphere and especially susvara

This is largely my main gripe with the utopia on a DNA amp, I personally think that lack of control gets to me too much, feels too loose for an amp of that class, don’t see the appeal. Sure it might get a larger but more vague stage and get more body and sweetness, but I don’t like that specific trade off honestly. It’s better with a tighter rectifier, but man stock it was not great imo

I don’t think you can get more technical ability for 2 grand used, but that assumes you’ve got a chain to actually showcase that which makes things hard lol

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Obviously mines not running stock tubes, and I’m running SE on low gain which usually solves my issues with control on the Stratus, and I don’t have the same issue I had on some other tube amps with other Focals where the Bass and midrange get sloppy, this is very much just in the treble.
The simplest description I can apply Cymbals ring “wrong”, the decay isn’t right.

Lets just say it didn’t respond as I expected, a loss of bass control I’d have put down to just Focals and most tubes, the loss of control in the treble was something of a surprise to me. I need to listen to it a bit more to better understand what I’m hearing.

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The DNA is one of my favorite sounding amps most of the time with most headphones.
The one very valid criticism you can level at them is that can sound Slow, some of that is the Stock regulator, some of it is just the relatively high output impedance (8 Ohms) compared to a lot of expensive tube amps driving lower impedance headphones like the Focals. You can bypass that on SE out because there the -6dB tap is 3 Ohms, and IMO for headphones like the focals, or the D8000Pro, that’s the way to listen.

There seem to be a number of people on Forums that like the increase in Bass output the focals display on most tube amps. I think this is a fairly consistent theme across headphones some people just want more Bass.
To me though what your hearing in that case is a complete lack of driver control, it’s more Bass, but it lacks control, and it also tends to mess up the Focal staging.

Now what the Stratus does do well with the Utopia is present a big open sound, and the aforementioned treble issue isn’t severe, if you thought the treble issue was just something the Utopia had, you’d be very impressed.
I suppose in many ways it’s a lot like the issue with people recommending amps for the Susvara, they sound good on an A90 (I haven’t actually heard this combination but you get the point), and if you don’t know what your missing, you’re going to assume it’s a good combo and recommend it to others.

I’ve not tried the other Focals on the Stratus FWIW, so there could be all the upside and no downside with those for all I know.

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I’ve had a few days now with the Danacable Lazuli Nirvana paired with the Utopia, and here are my impressions over the first 15-20 hours or so of listening I’ve done. Comparisons are done with a Danacable Lazuli Reference which has been my cable of choice with the Utopia for the last 8 months. It is being driven from my Eddie Current Studio B, fed by a Lampi Amber 3.

My initial impression of the Nirvana was jaw dropping, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing… Never have I heard such a huge difference in cable swaps, it was like every facet of the sound was improved upon across the board and I could not fathom how amazing it sounded. Now this was most definitely a case of placebo and pre-bias at work, but as I listened more over the weekend for extended periods of time and then switching back to the Reference in between It became less shocking of a revelation and more grounded. My initial astonishment was very much a case of “first listen” elation, but in fact I’m now positive the Nirvana is a amazing cable that elevates the utopia to new heights.

The Nirvana has a noticeable increase in detail retrieval, specifically microdetail and increases resolution of the headphone overall. The staging is bigger and deeper sounding, more height and depth specifically, with a blacker background. Notes have a more impressive separation within the stage with a higher level of imaging accuracy and more space in between, as well as a greater sense of tonal density. Dynamics have always been a stand out on the Utopia but even here we see a increase in macro with bigger finer swings in sound differentials and a greater sense of control. There is slight increases in bass and midrange texture, with a bit more treble extension for a slightly more airy sparkle. Bass extension is largely similar between both cables, no surprise there since the Utopia already extends very well even stock. There is slightly less perceived bass impact and slam compared to the Reference, but in return it feels more composed which offers a more controlled bass response that feels of a higher quality. The overall sound is presented with a higher level of energy and all of these changes makes for a more organic presentation and tonality.

The Reference in comparison is a much more smooth and laidback sounding cable with Utopia, and has a more subdued sound and tonality. but only in comparison!

I’m happy to proclaim the Nirvana is better than the Reference in pretty much every way, not really that surprising considering the price and material differences. With that said the Reference is a terrific cable and pairing with the Utopia, just the Nirvana really is quite special as the high price tag would have you believe. I’m gonna be sticking with the Reference for now but as time goes on and my system gets more and more refined eventually I do see myself going for the Nirvana to get that last bit of performance out of my Utopia.

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thoughts on the ergonomics, stiffness and weight?
I found it to be one of the most annoying cables to use due to the weight and stiffness.

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I sit at a desk when I listen to headphones, so no issues really. Yeah its heavy and stiff af but that doesn’t really matter when I’m stationary and able to use the desk to support the cable. I actually look at the thickness and weight as more of a byproduct of the build quality, because by far this cable is the best built and has the highest quality craftsmanship I’ve seen in the space.

I am more of a SQ first ergonomics second kinda person though, so YMMV :stuck_out_tongue:

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Feeling bored today (this ended up taking a lot longer than a day) and have some little free time (I was wrong), felt like doing some mental exercises (I guess?) and ended up making some curated pairings for the Utopia that I’d want to own myself (not including cost of the Utopia, used prices, limited to 4 dac options per pairing). Basically the top picks and setups I would make in that price bracket if I was buying for myself or for a friend. I tried to make these somewhat more equally balanced and not heavily focused on one side like dac or amp, but there could still be cases where you might want to do that so really depends. Not including cable, tube, or digital sources/streamers/transports/ddc/whatever costs since that’s something you can get into later on. Note that my preferences with these headphones is to improve upon and emphasize what they have with balance, rather than try and turn/tilt them into something they aren’t

under 3k total used

This range I think is a good place to start off for the headphones, yes you could go even lower, but I really wouldn’t suggest it, this is the range to me where I think the headphones actually become worthwhile over the clear.

Tube

Option 1: LTA MZ2 + LPS
A reasonably neutral slightly mid forward pairing that makes them very dynamically alive, a stage with a very black background and a smaller but very deep and spherical stage that works well with focal, pretty resolving for the price, bass that has decent control and tightness but not standout with more focus in the midrange and treble, forward overall and cleaner feeling, great extension, great separation, and great speed.

DACs:
Schiit Bifrost 2 (warmer neutral but a bit more relaxedness, weight, and width with slight macro focus)
Exogal Comet Plus* (slight lean into warmth and smoothness with holographic stage and micro focus)
MHDT Orchid (sweeter and richer lean into things, very organic without sacrificing technical ability)
Merason Frerot (see above but more balanced and technical with less immersive stage and dynamics)

*might be pushing price used

Option 2: Quicksilver Headphone Amp
Something that focuses more on being very spacious and holographic but still accurate and organic enough, more weighted but well balanced, very separated, a bit more of a microdynamic focus without being lacking in macro, resolution good but not stand out, and generally just a great all rounder with a more slight w signature that works well with most things.

DACs:
Soekris DAC2541 (reasonably neutral and balanced slightly cleaner and more focused leaning)
Chord Qutest (more on the clean side of things but fun despite that, stronger micro focus)
Schiit Bifrost 2 (warmer neutral but a bit more relaxedness, weight, and width with slight macro focus)
Exogal Comet Plus* (slight lean into warmth and smoothness with holographic stage and micro focus)

*might be pushing price used

Option 3: Dragon IHA-1
Something leaning more overall clean and linear, very forward, very technical, somewhat no nonsense, pretty detailed, focus on coherency and linearity, wide stage with organic placement, very dynamically accurate, overall another good all rounder for a neutral and competent pairing

DACs:
Schiit Bifrost 2 (warmer neutral but a bit more relaxed, weight, and width with slight macro focus)
Holo Cyan PCM (stronger lean into warmth and smoothness with holographic stage and micro focus)
MHDT Orchid (sweeter and richer lean into things, very organic without sacrificing technical ability)
Merason Frerot (see above but more balanced and technical with less immersive stage and dynamics)

Solid State

Option 1: Violectric V281/280
A bit of a warmer and more relaxed leaning pairing but without sacrificing much energy or technical ability. A wider and more spacious stage but slightly more hazy placement, great tonal density, more of a microdynamic focus, great overall control, solid resolving power, great timbre, overall fairly organic and warmer leaning without sacrificing what makes the Utopia great.

DACs:
Soekris DAC2541 (reasonably neutral and balanced and more focused leaning)
Chord Qutest (more on the clean side of things but fun despite that, stronger micro focus)
Crane Song Solaris Quantum (warmer sweeter lean with more space and size, organic and technical)
Merason Frerot (a softer and more laidback lean without going too far, but pushing the line)

Option 2: Bryston BHA-1
Overall somewhat a middleground of the two others mentioned while offering more technical ability than both for the most part (equaling 281 but exceeding burson), a neutral warmer signature that’s forward, spacious, very well controlled and impactful, slight macro focus, overall pretty well balanced and capable.

DACs:
Soekris DAC2541 (reasonably neutral and balanced slightly cleaner and more focused leaning)
Chord Qutest (more on the clean side of things but fun despite that, stronger micro focus)
Crane Song Solaris Quantum (warmer sweeter lean with more organicness and technical ability)
Holo Cyan PCM (leaning more into space and grandness with more warmth and smoothness)

Option 3: Burson Solost 3XP + Supercharger
A focus more on control, command, impact and slam, and overall linearity without being harsh or overdone, slightly smooth, forward without being overdone, strong macro focus. Stage isn’t that big but accurate, resolution is great, speed and separation is strong, energetic.

DACs:
Schiit Gumby A2 (energetic and macro slam focus while adding better body and width)
Merason Frerot (a more neutral and sweeter micro focus with better organicness and nuance)
Holo Cyan PCM (focusing more on warmth, smoothness, and a wider and more spacious stage)
Crane Song Solaris Quantum (warmer sweeter lean with more space and size, organic and technical)

under 6k ish total used

Lot of good bang for buck pairings in this range, a good middleground to be in, provides a strong experience with these headphones without breaking the bank imo. I’d also suggest looking into higher end cables for the headphones, but nothing overboard, perhaps things around the 500 buck price point used.

Tube

Option 1: LTA MZ3
An MZ2 on steroids, similar characteristics but greatly enhanced in every way, see above.

DACs:
Lampizator Amber 3/4 (balanced but warmer and more spacious leaning, organic, fun, yet technical)
Mojo Mystique V3 (more of a warmth, forward, and macro focus with great space, impact, and weight)
Aqua La Voce S3 (neutral smooth, more micro focused, a bit more relaxed)
Rockna Wavelight (neutral slight warmth, pretty energetic and direct, great control and command)

Option 2: Eddie Current Studio B
Overall a very well balanced and nuanced pairing that focuses more on stage size, space, and lower level information and microdynamics without disappointing in the macro either, slightly warmer and richer depending on the tube, pretty detailed, solid control, great smoothness, great speed and separation, basically a very engaging and organic pairing.

DACs:
Lampizator Amber 3/4 (balanced but warmer and more spacious leaning, organic, fun, yet technical)
Mojo Mystique v3 (more of a warmth, forward, and macro focus with great space, impact, and weight)
Rockna Wavelight (neutral forward, pretty energetic and direct, great control and command)
Aqua La Voce S3 (neutral smooth, more micro focused, a bit more relaxed)

Option 3: Allnic HPA-3000 GT
Overall a more neutral cleanly reference, no nonsense, organic but neutral and clean and refined, somewhat middleground between the two aforementioned, great overall control and extension, very direct and forward.

Lampizator Amber 3/4 (balanced but warmer and more spacious leaning, organic, fun, yet technical)
Mojo Mystique v3 (more of a warmth, forward, and macro focus with great space, impact, and weight)
Meitner MA-1 v2 (warmer neutral, very natural and organic, micro focus, smoother and more relaxed)
Aqua La Voce S3 (neutral smooth, more micro focused, a bit more relaxed)

Option 4: Cayin HA300
A warmer, sweeter, more rich sort of sound with a focus on sounding grand and warmer while trading a bit of technical ability for it, a bit looser control but organic presentation, great spatial recreation, fairly dynamic, a good all rounder if you don’t mind a more colored and richer sound and a slightly lower technical ability.

DACs:
Rockna Wavelight (Overall a more forward and energetic approach that’s cleaner and more controlled)
Bricasti M3 (Balanced slightly relaxed but really tightens things up and more neutral pairing)
Berkeley Alpha Series 2 (Pushes things more forward and linear but without removing sweetness)
Merason DAC1 (Really leaning into the sweet and smooth signature, barely not going overboard)

Solid State

Option 1: Mass Kobo 433
A really really well balanced option that hits all the right points with the Utopia while being linear and no nonsense, a great reference amp. The overall clarity without any harshness or inorganicness is impressive, it’s very strong resolving power and low level control exert a great feeling of energy and directness, stage is a bit on the smaller but very defined and accurate side of things, ever so slightly cooler tonal density but still fairly in the middle imo. Honestly really just well balanced and capable for the price.

DACs:
Meitner MA-1 v2 (A stronger micro focus but very technical and nuanced, reasonably well balanced)
Aqua La Voce S3 (Fairly neutral and technical but with a bit more relaxed and sweeter focus)
Mojo Mystique v3 (More of a warm and fun lean, stronger macro focus)
Bricasti M3 (Pretty balanced overall, very refined and composed, smoother leaning)

Option 2: Cavalli Liquid Gold
This does lean more toward weight, macro, control, and size, but doesn’t really fully lack in micro and nuance or anything but it’s not the main focus. Has great slam and impact, very macrodynamic and energetic there, stage has great width although slightly hazy, fairly tight and controlled despite punching power, nice warmer tonality, great timbre and tonal density.

DACs:
Rockna Wavelight (Overall slight more macro lean without sacrificing micro, great grip and control)
Aqua La Voce S3 (A bit of a more relaxed and sweeter pairing without losing any macro or energy)
Ayre QX-5 Twenty (More neutral forward focus but overall well balanced)
Mojo Mystique v3 (Stronger macro warmth and fun focus, very expansive and dynamic)

Option 3: 2x Questyle CMA800R
More of a micro and smoother focus, being very organic, liquid, and coherent while still having great control and technical ability, it’s a voicing that you’d think would end up somewhat lacking technical ability, but it’s able to deliver softness and sweetness without dropping the ball elsewhere. Having 2 really improves it, but only one is good as well.

DACs: (I’ve only really heard this with a few dacs so I’m not comfortable with making suggestions)

Option 4: Pass Labs HPA-1
Overall very well balanced with a slightly more smoother and softer lean, pretty technical and composed, really just refined all around, great all rounder pairing and suits the headphone well, not much more to say.

DACs:
Lampizator Amber 3/4 (balanced but warmer and more spacious leaning, organic, fun, yet technical)
Meitner MA-1 v2 (A stronger micro focus but very technical and nuanced, fairly relaxed and smooth)
Mojo Mystique v3 (Stronger macro warmth and fun focus, very expansive and dynamic)
Rockna Wavelight (Overall slight more macro lean without sacrificing micro, great grip and control)

Option 5: ECP DSHA L-3F
Something designed with Focal in mind, it’s an amp that is really great for the money if you can find one, a cleaner yet sweet and nuanced sort of signature, interesting contrast overall. Great clarity, great stage depth and placement accuracy, slight smoothness, fairly tonally dense, and great microdynamics overall, more micro than macro focus.

DACs:
Schiit Yggdrasil OG A2 (Overall really helps with macro and makes it a fun combo)
Holo May KTE (Tilts it warmer and richer and doubles down on micro)
Bricasti M3 (More of a neutral smoother option without going overboard and helps macro)
Ayre QX-5 Twenty (Keeps a more forward tilt with great energy without getting harsh)

under 12k ish total used

Things really start to take off here in terms of scaling, these could easily be stopping points for some as they really show you what the headphones offer without getting into the realm of entirely unreasonable. I’d also be looking the 1k+ range for a cable for the headphones. Also increasing DAC count to 5

Tube

Option 1: Eddie Current Studio T
Such a balanced, capable, and refined pairing. A more neutral and technical leaning pairing but very very organic as well. More micro focused with excellent nuance and lower level resolution, very very dynamic, very coherent and liquid, both very grand and very accurate stage, great timbre and tonality, and so on, really just does everything this headphone wants.

DACs:
Totaldac D1-Single-mk2 (Keeps the balance but adds more weight and impact which is nice)
SW1X DAC II Special (A sweeter forward lean but keeps technical ability and still balanced enough)
Lampizator Atlantic TRP/Baltic 3 (More of a forgiving fun with a slight macro focus)
Mojo Mystique EVO B4B / Pro (Stronger macro warmth focus toward fun while keeping refinement)
Berkeley Alpha Reference 2 (Very linear and technical pairing, extremely balanced and neutral)

Option 2: Viva Egoista 845
Something that takes more lean, clean, and explosive focus giving a very vast and precise stage, a stronger macro focus overall without disappointing in micro, strong impact and slam with excellent control as well, very fast speed and separation, with a hint of sweetness. I do think it’s slightly a bit too tonally dry at times and sometimes can be a bit overly forward but it can be tamed with the right pairing.

DACs:

Mojo Mystique EVO B4B / Pro (Keeps the strong macro focus but adds more warmth and meat)
Nagra Classic DAC (Dials down the macro focus to more balanced and slightly relaxes)
Lampizator Atlantic TRP / Baltic 3 (Fairly balanced still leaning toward fun but fairly technical)
Totaldac D1-Single-mk2 (Complementary overall, great balance and technical ability)
SW1X DAC II Special (Sweeter lean but still keeping forwardness and cleanliness)

Option 3: Woo WA33
Overall an amp that’s well balanced with a cleaner leaning signature that’s spacious, very balanced dynamically, and more a sort of reference signature. Surprisingly quick and well controlled, almost too much, I do think it can sometimes be too dry or slightly unengaging but a proper pairing can remove some of that concern.

DACs:
Weiss DAC501
Totaldac D1-Single-mk2
Mojo Mystique EVO B4B / Pro
Lampizator Atlantic TRP / Baltic 3
Rockna Wavedream Bal

Option 4: DNA Stratus
While this isn’t my preferred signature, this is one of the few amps that I think does it well, it relaxes out the headphones and expands them a fair bit spatially, takes a stronger micro focus and great nuance, slightly more smoothed over transients and more sluggish but not mushy, more relaxed, great body and warmth, excellent timbre, overall solid if you want a more chilled out and more fun sorta sound.

DACs:
Mola Mola Tambaqui (Cleans things up a bit, better technical performance but still keeps character)
Berkeley Alpha Reference 2 (See above, but with larger macro focus)
Lampizator Atlantic TRP / Baltic 3 (Keeps base character although more forward and fun)
Weiss DAC501 (Balanced with a sweeter and more organic lean)
SW1X DAC II Special (Stronger lean into organicness and richness without losing control or balance)

Option 5: Modwright HA300
Somewhat in between the Woo and DNA, fairly balanced without catering to one side over the other, slightly softer and smoother with a slight micro focus but not disappointing in other ranges. Overall great all rounder with a more organic lean.

DACs:
Totaldac D1-Single-mk2 (Keeps that balance but with more macro capability and richness)
Mojo Mystique EVO B4B / Pro (Leans more into fun and macro forward warmth but not overly so)
Lampizator Atlantic TRP/Baltic 3 (See above but to a lesser extent, more micro focused)
Rockna Wavedream / Sig (Overall fairly balanced with a focus on space, grip, and control)
Bricasti M1 MDx (Leans neutral smooth, very liquid and coherent)

Solid State

Option 1: Mass Kobo 394 II
A 433 but better, see above, highly elevated technical ability.

DACs:
Totaldac D1-Single-mk2 /w live power (Very complementary, slight warmer and wider relaxed focus)
Berkeley Alpha Reference 2 (More dead neutral, very organic but technical and controlled)
Mojo Mystique EVO B4B / Pro (Focusing on macro with more warmth and space but still balanced)
Rockna Wavedream / Sig (Balanced but forward and slightly embellished)
Lavry Quintessence (Neutral but a warmer sweeter more relaxed lean that adds good weight)

Option 2: Crayon CHA-1

Something that manages to be incredibly fast and speedy but also smoother and softer, very very controlled and a stronger micro lean in resolution and dynamics but can sometimes come alive with macro if called upon, pretty unique overall, organic and very technical with a voicing that wouldn’t make you think that. Very liquid

DACs:
Berkeley Alpha Reference 2 (Brings it more forward with better energy and technical ability)
Mola Mola Tambaqui (See above but more balanced and sweeter sounding)
Mojo Mystique EVO B4B / Pro (More forward macro focus toward warmer and fun)
Rockna Wavedream / Sig (Somewhat keeps it balanced overall)
Bricasti M1 MDx (Still balanced but a smoother and more relaxed combo)

under 24k ish total used (UNFINISHED)

Here is where you maximize the performance of the headphones, kinda the point where I would question if it’s worthwhile going any farther, basically the top reasonable stopping point imo. You actually might see a repeat amp on here or two but with higher tier dac pairings because they can scale a lot farther than you’d expect.

Tube

Option 1: Angstrom Stella MK2
Option 2: Eddie Current Studio T
Option 3: Aries Cerat Genus 845
Option 4: DNA Stellaris
Option 5: Woo WA33 Elite
Option 6: Viva Egoista 845

Solid State

Option 1: Oji Special BDI-DC44B GT
Option 2: Riviera AIC-10
Option 3: Mass Kobo 394 II
Option 4: Crayon CHA-1

really shouldn't go higher

You can, but I can’t say it’s within the value range lol

Lots and lots of options for sure, but out of those if I had to narrow them down even further, what would I go for? I might bend the brackets a slight bit lol, but this would be to force best bang for buck that might not have been an awkward middle ground if I went strictly by the brackets. I tried to keep it actually reasonable on what could be found used and average prices, but there are times where things will pop up at prices that would be perfect for the aforementioned setups, but I don’t want to make something that banks on rare deals

Top 2-3 in each bracket

3k ish used:
Exogal Comet Plus → LTA MZ2 + LPS

Crane Song Solaris Quantum → Bryston BHA-1
(If I had 1k more I’d swap the Solaris for a Berkeley Alpha Series 2)

6k ish used:
Mojo Mystique v3 OR Lampizator Amber 3/4 → LTA MZ3 OR Eddie Current Studio B
(If I had 2k more, I’d swap the DAC for a Totaldac D1-Core or SW1X DAC II Special)

Meitner MA-1 v2 or Aqua La Voce S3 → Mass Kobo 433
(If I had 2k more, I’d swap the DAC for a Totaldac D1-Core or Mojo Mystique EVO)

Rockna Wavelight → Cavalli Liquid Gold
(If I had 2k more, I’d swap the DAC for a Mojo Mystique EVO or Rockna Wavedream Balanced)

12k ish used:

Totaldac D1-Single-mk2 or SW1X DAC II Special → Eddie Current Studio T or Viva Egoista 845
(If I had 2k more, I’d swap the DAC for a Lampizator Golden Gate II or Wavedream Signature SE)

Berkeley Alpha Reference 2 or Totaldac D1-Single-mk2 w/ live power → Mass Kobo 394 II

24k ish used

Hmmm I’ll consider how to approach this later lol, too many options that I don’t exactly know how I’d allocate and what to go by

What about cables and digital sources? It’s something that I’d look into until you have the chain on your hands and know how you want to tilt things, and it will also really depend on what’s out there in the used market for a good deal since cables and digital sources can be very hit or miss in terms of value on the used market, but it’s still a good idea to have some things you are looking for

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I see you didnt have dac recommendations here, but in general would you consider different dacs for the 1x vs 2x configurations?

I have been looking into these though more specifically the non-F-Focal version which are said to play better with high z headphones. (Though a lot say this F version matches well with ZMFs which seems to contradict but I really dont know) I would note these are balanced amps throughout so you cant just adapter things, and they are gorgeous.

And thanks @M0N for another amazing writeup

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Yes and no, I’d say that generally a balanced dac is more suited for the 2x and single ended for 1x, also it’s more neutral and forward with 2 and a bit warmer and more relaxed with 1

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This is a really good post @M0N

Having something like this for other worthwhile headphones, would be an archive for all eternity. As always, good work is always rewarded with more work. This is a format that is very easy and logical read.

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Thoughts on aftermarket cable pairings with utopia? I’ve seen some peeps talk about the Dana Luzuli reference and nirvana cables as something that significantly improves the Utopia (more so than other Flagships).

In your experience have you found that a $1.5k or $3.5k cable does that?

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I own a lazuli nirvana, was an instant buy after hearing one on my setup, love what it does. I also enjoy what a dhc prion4 does on that headphone as long as the chain isn’t already cleaner leaning. I also have a friend that really enjoys a Tara labs cable with the utopia as well and considers it a nirvana alternative. I’ve also tried my brise mikumari ref 2 with it and it was surprisingly good as well. I’d like to try and audience headphone cable with it and see how that goes

On the lower end side of things, I think a nordost heimdall 2 is a solid pair up, among others

That being said, I wouldn’t consider something like a high end dhc, danacable, tara labs, etc until you are in that 6k ish setup range, if you were lower your money would be better off invested into the chain. If you are in that 12k range or above I’d really make sure to move up to something like these though

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Awesome, I find these posts pretty helpful personally. What would you consider a good stopping point for something like a clear (price-wise considering just amp & dac)?

Side note, since I haven’t seen many of these around, how’s its iem output out of curiosity? Yay, nay, or meh?

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That like 3k total setup range imo, you could go higher and get more, but might as well get a utopia if you step into the 6k ish range used

Infortunately I never really gave it proper time on the unit I demoed so can’t say

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