For anyone wondering, yes, I did try each headphone from both sources. What I ended up preferring is the combo for each in the video. This should have been more obvious.
@malfunkt3 жыл бұрын
The grain adds some analog warmth to it. Fitting. Great review as always!
@metal5713 жыл бұрын
Shoot everything on film from now on
@user-hb1ve6mc6f3 жыл бұрын
Hollywood
@KING_DRANZER3 жыл бұрын
I had them stacked up against few other headphones Last month. Had them driven through Benchmark DAC3 and HPA4. The contenders were Focal Utopia, HiFiMan Susvara, Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000 and Stax SR-009(Paired with SRM-D50 AMP). Stax SR-009 + Stax SRM-D50 is the combo I was able to source in. I am not sure how much the amp is effecting the Headphone and what to expect from either of those but the combo was also U shape with mids recessed and treble being bit to forward. Had to bring up the mids and bring down treble a notch. Detail was good, clear, had good . But accuracy was bit off. Was great for the game test even without EQ but had to bring down the treble and boost mids for movie. Overall experience left me unsatisfied. Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000 is a bit odd. Little forward on Mid range but is fine and be adjusted with little EQ completely acceptable without EQ. Detail was good, clear, accurate. Trying to be bright but with lack of protrusion of elements in the audio it falls apart. Like for example Susvara and Utopia and even SR-009 had good presence and all the elements in the audio were noticeably put forward where we don't have to try hard to search for what we need in song and can just enjoy all the detail outright. ADX5000 does deliver Detail and Clarity for separation but sadly lacks in protrusion of elements. We have to concentrate while listening to audio through them as we have to specifically search for the details we need to find and point out as they are not put forward like its competitors. It got almost everything right besides the fact that you need to Concentrate a lot while listening to them or would miss out detail even though it is present there. Decently good for gaming. Not so good for Movies. HiFi Man Susvara wow. It was treble forward so had to dial it down a bit and had to raise high-mid a bit and get bass a notch down. Detail was very good, clear, accurate. Level of detail on this and Utopia was a level above the others I tested above. Some may argue that ATH-ADX5000 has similar Level of Detail which can be true but sadly its lack of presence makes it feel to be anemic. One shortcoming was the treble roll off which was steep. Bass was brighter on this than on Utopia. Good for Gaming. Need to bring down the treble a bit and then it is good for Movies. Focal Utopia simply superb. Had to adjust the bass a little bit by bringing it up a notch and it was perfect. Detail was very good, clear, accurate. Level on detail on this and Susvara is level up. Hard to decide between the two based on detail but both are very close possibly Susvara edges out in some cases by a hair but cant go wrong either way. Treble response of Utopia the detail and balance is better than Susvara. And treble has smooth roll off. Good for Gaming. Good for Movies. Hard to decide between Utopia and Susvara. Susvara edges out Utopia in Detail by a little. But Utopia has better balanced frequency range and handles the Treble better than Susvara.
@darwin-1012 жыл бұрын
@King Dranzer I already owned the Arya v3, it is not balanced and not an end game headphone. Thanks for the info, I sort of have an idea how Susvara would sound. I prefer natural soundness or timbre because it will bring out the emotions. Just like HD-800 can but difficult for planar. Planar maybe more resolution due to cleaner sound only. Looking forward in the future to get Focal Utopia as my end game headphone...
@SkywhiteChannel3 жыл бұрын
I own the Susvara, Abyss 1266 and the Utopia. I mainly use the Susvara and Utopia. For vocals I prefer the Utopia. For certain ‘80 and new wave songs where there’s a lot of mid bass the slap of the Utopia works real well. For everything else is the Susvara. The only time I find myself putting on the 1266 is for EDM. This is powered by a XI audio stack or my Bakoon, which btw I purchased from you guys.
@the_wau_3 жыл бұрын
what kind of job do you have? that's a pretty epic setup lol
@yujonpradhananga99993 жыл бұрын
@@the_wau_ i wanna know too
@alanschmitt98652 жыл бұрын
@@the_wau_ CEO of Sound lmao
@newdevilman11672 жыл бұрын
You should try Abyss with Woo Audio WA33 Elite. Also DAC matters. I don’t own Susvara but I own Utopia and LCD4. Abyss sounds excellent with WA33 Elite with Chord DAVE+Blu MKII
@disco4535 Жыл бұрын
What in the world do you do for a living??
@vancybergoth3 жыл бұрын
This video is much more positive and better than older ones, I can tell that you had fun. I tested the Utopia and Susvara for a couple of hours, but ended up with the Abyss PHI TC. And there is no better, just different and everyone should buy the best headphones for their personal taste.
@krisrudecki94773 жыл бұрын
100% I ended up with the TC for planars and Utopia on tubes as the secondary set. Guess it depends on the music you listen to. All of those sets are epic, can't go wrong.
@vancybergoth3 жыл бұрын
@@krisrudecki9477 That is also my point of view and I absolutely agree. Maybe this year is a good Black Friday Deal for the Utopia, then I'll get it too, think the Utopia looks damn sexy.
@metal5713 жыл бұрын
Now we're only missing SR007mk2.9, AB1266 Phi TC, and 2021 LCD-4
@vincenthusvh3 жыл бұрын
Exactly! I would like to know how the LCD-4 and Abyss AB1266 compare to each other, as well as how they compare to the Susvara/Utopia
@dontwatchmydoomvideos3 жыл бұрын
Musn't forget the skullcandy crushers
@jekken3333 жыл бұрын
Which lcd4 2021 unit variation are we talking about here? 😂😂😂
@AKL7643 жыл бұрын
Whats your opinion on Final d8000 pro?
@RyuMasterEX3 жыл бұрын
@@jekken333 new pads that fix the 4khz dip
@coardcreatif Жыл бұрын
I did try and own many headphones in the past, never heard Susvara but auditioned Utopia a day ago, 2017 model. It’s sublime. Best i’ve ever heard by a mile and no comparison at all. I’ll stick with my HD 560S till i afford one. 😂
@Ratseeker3 жыл бұрын
Don't forget the Utopia allows itself to be run off portable sources. Is nice to walk around my house with a Qudelix 5k if I wanted. (I really use my dx300 dap, but my Qudelix 5k works too just to put the point out there.)
@krisrudecki94773 жыл бұрын
Been really fortunate to compare Utopia from decent tubes (HA6a) and Susvara from a decent (though not quite as pricey) solid state (Burson Soloist 3xp). Susvara is an amazing planar, probably the best I've heard apart from 1266 TC (which barely classifies as headphones) ... and in my testing chances are Susvara was underamped, but Utopia from decent tubes sounds amazing, way better than I gave it any right to. It punches, it slams, it has rich bass and sub (which you sometimes miss when you under amp it ... been there ... done that ... sold a set because it sounded lean from my stack at the time ... only to buy another set for tubes). I guess it will heavliy depend on the music choices, I listen to a lot of electronica, rock, metal, dynamic and impactful music, and Utopia was so much fun on the HA6a I just couldn't go for the Susvara. The story couldn've been very different if I was mostly into acoustic and classical, but I'm not and well amped Utopia blew my socks off ... but I'm also a 1266 TC lover so you know, each to their own. I was going for a 1266 TC + Susvara stack but ended on 1266 TC with Utopia and an extra tube amp to run them properly ... what to do. An interesting note, I think HiFiMan is going for the "tuby" warm tuning for the Susvara. It really sounds like no other planar for me, totally uniqe sound for planars, and actually reminds me on tubes a lot.
@flitcroftLA2 жыл бұрын
You lost me at 15 watts RMS is under amped
@krisrudecki94772 жыл бұрын
@@flitcroftLA you mean from Soloist?
@flitcroftLA2 жыл бұрын
@@krisrudecki9477 Yep, the Soloist 3XP puts out 15 watts RMS (Burson underrates it at 8 watts in balanced, but it's easy to test). There is no way the Susvara is underamped. 502 milliwatts is needed to reach 110db. 120db, dangerous to human hearing for any amount of time, requires 5012 milliwatts (5 watts) which the Burson can triple.
@krisrudecki94772 жыл бұрын
@@flitcroftLA I agree with you, but there are people who will claim many things about amping (like you need a 25w speaker amp to get bass etc), that’s why I said that it could’ve been under amped in my case. I couldn’t get any sort of slam out of Susvaras. When I say under amped I don’t mean peak power, but also dynamics, character of the amp etc. I don’t know if I should’ve been getting more from the Susvara. I since upgraded the PSU and rolled op amps, 1266 sound amazing from this stack. I might give Susvara another go at some point 🤷♂️
@flitcroftLA2 жыл бұрын
@@krisrudecki9477 They are wrong. :) There are also people that say that USB cables affect digital audio / sound signatures when that is impossible (USBs do not carry audio signals, disruption breaks error checking which leads to silence). I appreciate your notes -- just want to point out some wider-held beliefs are easily debunked with basic science.
@brothatwasepic3 жыл бұрын
Yes this is exactly what I was waiting for. Thanks Andrew
@JTB--3 жыл бұрын
I have a pair of high end ear muffs from Walmart I’m willing to swap straight up for the Susvara or Utopia
@Nephilim-813 жыл бұрын
Amazing to have either or, but as far as tonal accuracy and build quality I give the nod to the Focal. The Focal is definitely one of the most enjoyable headphones I’ve ever listened to. The soundstage is not crazy wide, but the tonal depth is nuts.
@tonyxu1133 жыл бұрын
Strangely I found myself picking up Utopia much more than the Susvara. Utopia's small "congested" space paired with ultra hard and strong dynamics sounds bad on paper, but has made it super engaging for me and it feels "just right" for most of what I listen to. Susvara is immediately more resolving (although not by too much) and has a huge space, I'd definitely take it for orchestral music. But the dip in mids and the hard-to-describe planar "dryness" had often made me wanting more and thinking "It's such a marvelous sound that I'm unfortunately not enjoying as much as I should"
@allansh8283 жыл бұрын
What DAC, AMP and cables do you use?
@tonyxu1133 жыл бұрын
@@allansh828 Yggy A2, GSX MK2. Some cable made by Torq for Utopia, Atlas Zeno (I think) for Susvara, and some random cheap xlr cables in between dac and amp. I have to admit I never heard Susvara on an "Ultra Hi-End" amp.
@kiavaxxaskew Жыл бұрын
speaking of DAC, AMP, Streamer, and cables. Have you ever thought that maybe changing something in the drive train to flavor the Susvara's would make them more favorable than the Utopias?
@moltenbullet3 жыл бұрын
Aw man, I really wanna try my luck on the Susvara. Long time viewer here in Singapore. Made a lot of purchase decisions thanks to the show. Wish the contest was open internationally :(
@newsigmundfreud30233 жыл бұрын
You really believe that such an expensive headphone is being given away for feee just like that? Very very hard to believe!
@moltenbullet3 жыл бұрын
@@newsigmundfreud3023 Well, it's not "for free" right? There's a value extracted from it through increased viewership and brand awareness. Of course, there's also shipping and taxes, but that's a small price to pay compared to the actual value of the product. Things are given a way for free in contests... Like cars...?
@newsigmundfreud30233 жыл бұрын
@@moltenbullet Nahhh. It can still be “given” to a not real person really. Make a name and anounce it, and you got viewers. *The host himself cant afford it, but he (or his friends at Headphones.com) are giving it away for him to have viewers?*
@gomez34203 жыл бұрын
Too bad you did not try the Feliks Euforia since Focal recommends using the Euforia with the Utopia. I have this combo and feel that this has cured my GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) as it has achieved "endgame" status for me.
@malek87363 жыл бұрын
He mentioned in a previous video/live stream that the Utopia is a bit too bassy paired with the Feliks Euphoria and he prefers it with an amp with lower ouput impedance. I couldn't find the output impedance on Feliks's website. I'm totally new to tube amplifiers and I have a question: if he used other tubes on the Euphoria, would he have another conclusion? In other words, how much does the tubes affect the frequency response compared to the ouput impedance?
@gomez34203 жыл бұрын
@@malek8736 I appreciate that at the outset Andrew stated the this review was his opinion and that others may have a different take. I would like to add that many reviewers of the Utopia have commented on the relative lack of bass....and I fall into that camp as well. I feel that the Euforia has synergy with the Utopia and that it gives the right amount of emphasis in the bass and that tube-like sweetness that I value. So for me and for the folks at Focal (in whose ears I trust perhaps a bit more than Andrew) recommend using the Euforia with the Utopia. As they say "Different Strokes for Different Folks". Also I have to say that in the real world the pricing between the two setups is significant. If one shops carefully the Utopia/Euforia combo can be had for much less. I paid $2400 for a mint Utopia along with a Moon Audio cable and a hard shell case and I bought a used mint Euforia for $1450, which is substantially less than the Susvara and Bakoon which I rarely see go on sale.
@inn3B3 жыл бұрын
Hello, i am really happy to hear this. My equipment ist the focal Celestee with Feliks Elise at the moment. i've been thinking about getting the utopia for a while now. And yes, the feliks amplifiers perform superbly with focal headphones. The Euforia had a bit too much bass for me, the Elise is a bit clearer.
@turboboost993 жыл бұрын
What about the Susvara with the Forge???
@AFreezer3 жыл бұрын
And here I am watching this video with my Endgame, SHP9500.
@TheCangle3 жыл бұрын
What dac did you use? Was it the same for both chains or selected based on the headphone and amp pairing?
@s.chandrasekhar82903 жыл бұрын
Exactly. The DAC is one Of the main parts Of the chain.
@disadadi89583 жыл бұрын
@@s.chandrasekhar8290 ehh, a good dac is a good dac. Should sound clean and that's it.
@newsigmundfreud30233 жыл бұрын
*Why not ask what source music,.. ask about entire chain?*
@tgugdevil2 жыл бұрын
Susvara and HE1000 SE for me. Magical HPs with wide soundstage, immense depth and extensions.
@0megalul309 Жыл бұрын
We'll not talk about reliability for them tho
@BitsBytesBobs3 жыл бұрын
My Utopia's died on me the left channel speaker just gave up. Given that they were second hand and not new only 1 year old. Focal refused to allow their 5 year guarantee to apply to me. They wanted to charge me £1300 for a matched pair replacement, which they would only guarantee for 1 year, not 5 years for their Utopia headphones. After this experience and the very poor customers service and the 1 year guarantee on a replacement that they normally guarantee for far longer put me right off. Now very happy with a pair audeze LCD-X. I would never buy Focal again.
@waterglass552 жыл бұрын
I guess $4k HP is like a toy for their main product line of speaker systems, with that you were recognized a kid buying a cotton candy on street... Too bad!
@MRFUTURETECHNOLOGYGAMING2 жыл бұрын
Dekoni earpads paired with the HIFIMAN SUSVARA video would be perfect
@aaronpaulbernas40973 жыл бұрын
another great comparison/review. headphone show is the most honest audio channel we have around.
@DocToxicTF2 Жыл бұрын
I run my Susvara setup with a Xiaudio K-dac and an Auris Nirvana tube amp and it sounds AWESOME.
@lcmusiclover84433 жыл бұрын
Some questions: What DAC or DACs did you use? You called the Bakoon SS amp 'a detail monster' and gave the detail edge to Susvara over the Utopia driven by a Forge tube amp -- is that a fair comparison? Assuming money is no object, would you keep both rigs as they offer different enough signatures to make owning both plausible? If you swapped the amps, or ran both cans off the same amp (either one) how would your opinions change? What other amps have you listened to each set from, and are the two amps you tested so 'head-and-shoulders' above the rest that your results have no meaning for folks listening through other (more pedestrian) amps? Are you sure your heart doesn't prefer tubes and your head SS, versus headphone preferences? Sorry to wet blanket, but ... Enquiring minds want to know :)
@TheHEADPHONEShow3 жыл бұрын
Utopia didn't change as much off the Bakoon. Sounded fine, but I liked it better off the FORGE
@daretobe9573 жыл бұрын
As an owner of utopia, I do prefer tube amp for utopia. Maybe I will enjoy utopia treble from ss amp more as I grow old, but right now I’m pretty sure tubes make it shine.
@devenmajmudar8393 жыл бұрын
i agree value wise both the rigs should be same
@mattkaye65592 жыл бұрын
@@daretobe957 I am looking into getting a utopia, and running it off of the euforia. I am clueless for what dac to use though. What do you use?
@daretobe9572 жыл бұрын
@@mattkaye6559 I used to have OPPO udp-205 for streamer and dac. Recently switched to matrix x-sabre3. For portable, I pair Utopia with woo audio wa8 - even the built-in dac in wa8 sounds good enough for me.
@chjl12212 жыл бұрын
funny how the first Focal Headphone is up there with a headphone of a company which has released so many models over the years...
@BECHEEKHA2 жыл бұрын
Brother, is the give away over?
@ClintAvila3 жыл бұрын
winning the giveaway would be the dream come true. :D Can't wait till Wednesday!
@ColocasiaCorm2 жыл бұрын
soundstage and detail appeal to the head dynamics appeal to the heart
@tysontyson12443 жыл бұрын
Wow! Ridiculously Top Tier review! Mind blown!
@rhodey29523 жыл бұрын
What dac was used? Same on each setup?
@towsifshahriarshovo3 жыл бұрын
Great review man, any plan to review Verum 1?? I heard good things about it.
@Redmoon7763 жыл бұрын
plis do HE 1 vs Stax 009 vs Stax 007 vs 1266TC vs Susvara vs Shang ri la JR vs LCD 4,thats will end world headphone 😁
@allansh8283 жыл бұрын
+ dCS One, Mola Mola tambaqui, and Chord DAVE + MScaler CD transport
@bardenhick21213 жыл бұрын
You provide him the $100k and he’ll get right on it 😉
@gjtube372 жыл бұрын
Thanks for another great review! How is the Susvara with rock and metal and if it's not good what would be an alternative at the Susvara's level that would be good for not only classical and jazz but rock and metal as well? Thank you again!. I love your videos and have learned a lot from you!
@hartyewh12 жыл бұрын
More often then not the top tier stuff is actually not so special with metal, at least without EQ. LCD-4, Arya, Utopia, HD800s, HEDDphone at least get outdone by an EQ'd DT1990/Amiron and probably a Sundara. Haven't heard the Susvara so maybe they're an exception. If Clear MG or Utopia (very similar in sound and quality) can handle a bass shelf with EQ then they might be pretty nice for metal.
@piyush107933 жыл бұрын
Throw in the Abyss 1266 and Stax SR009S and we have the ultimate comparison.
@dominicdager43313 жыл бұрын
My current daily headphones are my Sony MDR-Z1R. I haven't had the pleasure of trying the susvara or any focal's. Would love to win em, but really wanna try the diana v2 and meze empyrean haha. Good luck to everyone!
@igenell76777 ай бұрын
Utopia actually have bass roll off as the frequency response indicate. The problem is that most people and most record engage us with mid bass punch. For sub-bass, cinematic or game have more presence of subbass. Utopia is the same as a good bookshelf speaker, if you want large dynamic and scale, you will need a grand speaker with more linear bass response.
@angeloromanazzo25853 жыл бұрын
Other than Lemo (obviously!), you can fit the 2-pin IEM cables in the Utopia's connectors.
@mrgadget48633 жыл бұрын
I like the comparison . But why did you not try both amplifiers on each Headphone?
@TheHEADPHONEShow3 жыл бұрын
I did...
@mrgadget48633 жыл бұрын
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Ah . I did not notice from watching.
@prithvib86622 жыл бұрын
You definitely have a soul with humor like that :)
@Thundermonk993 жыл бұрын
Hey Andrew, how much of a difference is there between the Bakoon amp and your IHA-6? I own an IHA-6 so I'm kinda interested to hear where you think it sits in relation to the super high-end stuff like that Bakoon.
@apj.-.-.-.-.-.-.-1193 жыл бұрын
iha6 doesn’t have the juice for susvara bakoon sounds much better in general too
@Thundermonk993 жыл бұрын
@@apj.-.-.-.-.-.-.-119 evidently Andrew thought it had sufficient power because he was using it within the Susvara review earlier. It’s more a question of how it stands up in other areas.
@goodnightmoon3 жыл бұрын
absolute endgame
@issacasimov3 жыл бұрын
I own both Utopia and HiFiman HE1000SE. Do you think it is worth upgrading from HE1000SE to SUSVARA ?
@tcc57502 жыл бұрын
He1000se are much brighter than Susvara. He1000v2 are more similar to susvara imo.
@themosyannakou68933 жыл бұрын
What DAC was in the chain?
@connorduke4619 Жыл бұрын
Great review. Are you going to test the Meze 109 Pro soon? ps> a mental tip: don't talk your future self down, give yourself permission to generate enough income to buy whatever the heck headphone you want.
@ConvinceMeAudio3 жыл бұрын
I own both of the susvara And Diana V2, as the reference headphones for the channel at the desk, and their timbre utterly destroyed focal. It’s not a wash in my experience personally, it’s an outright win. Looking forward to getting the bakoon at some point, but for now the benchmark ahb2 should be here soon. I am curious, what DAC did you use? My testings have been done on the HoloAudio Spring2L4 The organic nature of a Ladder DAC, is just sublime with these headphones The benchmark leans towards the punch and slam for SUS, but there is nothing like the focal dynamic punch in the base region
@newsigmundfreud3023 Жыл бұрын
Between the Utopia, Susvara and HD800S - which one does it all, like resolution and separation? Is the Ferrum Oor doing a great job for all of them to compare? Thanks.
@MartinManweiler Жыл бұрын
I heard the new Utopia is warmer. I have the Stellias but I like open backs. My Mom has the HE1000's. Very different headphones.
@edgars298411 ай бұрын
So I currently own Stellias and I adore them. Thinking about new Utopias. I just like Focals presentation of sound, it seems.. fuller to me, smooth and musical, even if it means less detailed compared to planars. Although they are still crazy detailed.
@bryanedward53553 жыл бұрын
How much of a difference would the Susvara have with smth like the Jotunheim 2 or the Mjolnir 2 amps against smth like the bakoon? Would it be less detailed or still more detailed than the Utopia if both would've been run in the same either Jot 2 / Mjol 2 amps?
@KenMoreira3 жыл бұрын
neither would be good enough for that headphone to begin with.
@bryanedward53553 жыл бұрын
@@KenMoreira I know, but that's not what I'm asking tho hahahaj
@KenMoreira3 жыл бұрын
@@bryanedward5355 you'd still notice a difference even on entry level gear. It just wouldn't be as dynamic or natural sounding as it should. And certainly you'd be killing its depth of sound.
@bryanedward53553 жыл бұрын
@@KenMoreira that's not what I meant either hahaha hmmm how should I say this... For example with the best amp pairing the Susvara would produce for example 100 amount of detail, and the utopia would produce about 90, and with lesser amps such like Jot 2 / Mjol 2, would the Susvara keep their advantage in detail againts the Utopia like 95 in the susvara and 85 on the Utopia or would the Susvara be only as detailed or even less detailed than the Utopia?
@lwrncl8329 Жыл бұрын
@@KenMoreira jot 2 is definitely good enough for the susvara. just need to make sure you're on high gain
@Uebelkraehe3 жыл бұрын
A man can dream...
@RoyalProtectorate2 жыл бұрын
I wonder if Andrew knows of any way to buy the focal utopia pads for much cheaper without having to buy the whole headphone., or if there is a good alternative I can get for the focal elegia.
@evensung3 жыл бұрын
Great video! Why didn't you just run both on the A&S?
@TheHEADPHONEShow3 жыл бұрын
I did. Check the pinned comment.
@evensung3 жыл бұрын
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Would you have flipped your choice though, if stuck with only either of the amps? Like would the amp lead the choice for your transducer in this case?
@TheMusikYarl3 жыл бұрын
Lcd-4 plz
@BrentLeVasseur2 жыл бұрын
How does the Bakoon amp compare with say the Benchmark AHB2 or the Woo Audio WA 33 in terms of driving the Susvara? (I know from multiple reviewers that the Susvara is a power hog and needs a speaker amp level of power to really maximize it’s performance.)
@malek87363 жыл бұрын
Add an endgame electrostat like the Stax SR009S or the Sennheiser HE1 and this will be the ultimate comparison.
@fclp673 жыл бұрын
the 009 has a pretty bad tonality, makes it not even close here on top of requiring a box that's impossible to find
@mtocful Жыл бұрын
Stax will destroy everything
@alexkeep20743 жыл бұрын
when you talk about punchiness and say some headphones which lack punchiness feel "limp" or "lifeless", would you say the HD800S fall into this category? or do they have decent punchiness?
@TheHEADPHONEShow3 жыл бұрын
Resolve here, not much for punch on the HD800S. It's not totally lifeless though, just not a particular strength.
@justino9042 Жыл бұрын
There is a new model of focal utopia that was been release in 2020 do you think there is any difference 🤔
@masterxyr3 жыл бұрын
peer into the music Tyll? I hope they're having fun roaming through the country
@AKL7643 жыл бұрын
What about Final D8000 pro?
@sicness03 жыл бұрын
Is the Bakoon better than the Chord Hugo 2? or is it worth the price difference? Hugo is a litte cheaper
@Irnt13 жыл бұрын
What DAC are you using
@davidmason82123 жыл бұрын
I can't find the link for the sign up in the description
@ColocasiaCorm2 жыл бұрын
LONG LIVE UTOPIA -UTOPIA FANBOI
@Smood473 жыл бұрын
Andrew why haven't you reviewed abyss tc ?
@TheHEADPHONEShow3 жыл бұрын
Resolve here, I don't have access to one. If someone wants to send a current revision in I'll happily review it.
@Prive03 жыл бұрын
I want see the comparison between susvara vs abyss 1266 phi tc
@miusicmene3 жыл бұрын
Great video, the Meze Empyrean also seem to be missing from that list..
@malek87363 жыл бұрын
Actually, Empyrean's technicalities compares to that of the HD800S, the Clear and the LCD-X. Still, they're great headphones. They're ones of the best (if not the best) headphones for built and comfort, and they're easy to drive and pair well with tube amplifiers.
@apj.-.-.-.-.-.-.-1193 жыл бұрын
empy doesn’t compare to these headphones at all it’s got the sound of $1500 headphones it’s just there for comfort and to look nice in reality
@gli7utubeo3 жыл бұрын
Empy is right up there with the Susvara and Utopia. Very very musical. (IMO).
@combojohn79533 жыл бұрын
@@malek8736 wtf? Man! This is dumb! Empyrean is much higher quality then lcd x or hd800. It’s different but up there with Utopia,Susvara. It’s the most musical headphone I’ve ever demo it.
@malek87363 жыл бұрын
@@combojohn7953 who talked about "musicality"? If you had enough experience with flagship headphones, you would know that the technicalities aren't up there.
@claudioagmfilho4 ай бұрын
🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷👏🏻, Focal seems to be amazing!
@malfunkt3 жыл бұрын
No issues with my Utopia regarding soundstage and imaging. The Utopia has a excellent spherical and accurate soundstage when used with studio quality spatial DSP or binaural recordings. With Waves Abbey Road the Utopia is one of the few headphones that can actually make you feel like you are listening to speakers in a room. It’s superior to an non-EQ’d HD800 when used in this regard (though the HD800s is still a favourite and enjoyable for its unique oversized soundstage presentation). Would love to hear the Susvara but I think I’d still gravitate to the Utopia as I enjoy its easy to power qualities. Sounds great even out of an iPhone. I also don’t think the Utopia is bright. It’s near perfect especially for piano. I can understand how it can be perceived as rolled off in the bass for electronic music. I feel it is accurate to how bass is perceived on the ears, it’s just that our mind/body is expecting to feel physical vibration and for many a bit more bass emphasis can help create that perception. For a bass oriented music I just pair it with a SubPac. Also for those who look at this gear, can’t afford it and feel that they are missing out, there are plenty of less expensive headphones that you can enjoy just as much providing you are in the right mindset. If you are on a really tight budget there are still gems out there, especially many of the latest inexpensive in-ear monitors. Also if you know how to use eq, and research this, you can improve the sound quality of many cheap headphones. Also there are many sets that don’t require expensive amps and DACs.
@allansh8283 жыл бұрын
My biggest complaint about Utopia is imaging. It's basically on par with planars around half its price point, tho it is already the best as a dynamics. I guess the second generation of Utopia would use the honey comb design of the Clear MG to be more open and less congested.
@malfunkt3 жыл бұрын
@@allansh828 the thing about headphones and imaging is that headphones do a poor job at reproduction of stereofield for music that was designed for speakers in a room. All headphones fail at this and the only reason people think some headphones are better at soundstage is largely because of their frequency response. A headphone like an HD800s has a significant dip in its FR that can trick the mind into thinking it sounds more airy and spacious. However to truly get proper stereofield and imaging on headphones requires spatial DSP to replicate the natural crossfeed you’d get from speakers as well as it emulate the room reflections which actually soften the sound, adding reverb and changing transients. The future of music is DSP. We already have great transducers and the Utopia is among the best. It excels when used with spatial DSP and can sound near lifelike. I actually prefer it for surround sound mix downs (using Dolby Atmos for Headphones on PC) as you are always in the sweet spot which isn’t always practical with speaker setups. Spatial DSP is long understood in the professional recording industry but only recently is it starting to be understood in the audiophile headphone community. This will change with Apple introducing Dolby Atmos as well as the major gaming platforms that need spatial DSP for positional cues and immersion. Also, I still enjoy music without DSP, as your brain acclimates to it. However the Utopia can sound quite intense without it.
@HercahyoAdiSaputro3 жыл бұрын
@@malfunkt Can you link me to those DSP you are talking about? I'd like to try them. Thanks.
@malfunkt3 жыл бұрын
@@HercahyoAdiSaputro sure. Search for Dolby Atmos for Headphones on the Windows store. This one is best used for multichannel content rather than stereo. It has configurable modes for Movie or Music settings. In the Movie setting try it out with the Netflix app (not the browser version as it doesn't output multichannel). Try it out with shows and movies. For mobile, try out Waves NX. The app is no longer supported but is free and is the best spatial dip for mobile. You'll need to measure your head circumference and enter this data in. The app has a quirk (on iOS) of resetting the effects depth everytime you open the app or plug your headphones in, so you may need to set it, but not too big of a deal. It can be used without the headtracker. Works well even with IEMs like Etymotic or BLON but try it with a linear open back like HD560S / Focal Utopia. For desktop, there is a consumer version of Waves NX, but it may not be the best supported. Waves does a better job supporting their AU/VST plugin for DAWs. I use www.waves.com/plugins/abbey-road-studio-3 , If you are on a Mac use a program like rogueamoeba.com/soundsource/ which can host Audio Unit effects. Unfortunately, it will only support stereo, but this fine for music. Setting up multichannel audio bussing on the Mac is a pain (outside of a DAW), but perhaps it could be setup so you can watch 5.1 movies from VLC and route to SoundSource. However, I just use Windows for that as multichannel and spatial dip support is built-in as part of the OS. For Abbey Road, you; will need to measure your head as well and you can now choose from different speaker emulations. Try this out with a range of recordings from all eras to get a sense of how it works on audio media. For PC desktop there is also www.redscapeaudio.com you can actually listen to some demos here www.redscapeaudio.com/pages/preview. make sure to not flick the effect on and off to quickly and give your mind a chance to adjust to its sound. With all DSP ymmv, depending on HRTf aspects for each individual as well as headphone type and eq.
@newsigmundfreud30233 жыл бұрын
*Question is: How would the Sennheiser HD800S sound here with there amps?... Which of these amps are better for the HD800S?*
@devenmajmudar8393 жыл бұрын
Great video. Please try Focal Utopia with T+A HA 200 Amp/Dac. I am using Nordost Heimdall 2 cable with it. Please review the amp/dac it will be great. Thanks
@minjunkim27073 жыл бұрын
This is the second time I've seen a Bakoon product being reviewed.
@mr.dynamite25433 жыл бұрын
I have the Arya driven by a Pass HPA-1 and previously by a Burson Conductor. They have never sounded bright to me. Do any other Arya users think the Arya is a bright headphone? This is not the first time I’ve heard this. I’ve had the Stellia and Clear and preferred the velvety smoothness of the Arya to both.
@TheHEADPHONEShow3 жыл бұрын
Ya it's really not an issue at all. The Arya is objectively brighter than the target, but it's an example where that's totally fine because it's well-balanced.
@mr.dynamite25433 жыл бұрын
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Gotcha. Thanks for the response and thanks for what you do. It's much appreciated. Keep up the Great work!
@EastCoastCamping3 жыл бұрын
How do you feel about the susvara paired with the chord TT2 and mscaler ? That’s how I have mine set up . I’m using the dual xlrs in the back of the TT2, with a custom black dragon xlr cable
@allansh8283 жыл бұрын
You can use TT2 like that? The headphone amp of TT2 is quite underpowered, how's the speaker AMP sound?
@EastCoastCamping3 жыл бұрын
Yes you can . You need to get a xlr cable tho , one made for whichever headphone you want to use . I had a custom one made for my susvara , and connected it’s significantly louder than the 1/4” port
@jasonp15683 жыл бұрын
I have the TT2 and having a speaker amp is noticeably better than the xlr outs
@EastCoastCamping3 жыл бұрын
I would be using it to power the susvara . Also looking at a benchmark ahb2 for that as well
@gli7utubeo3 жыл бұрын
I would still get an amp.
@johnrus76618 ай бұрын
Also to note, I've heard the New Utopia on the DCS LINA stack. The new utopia is a smidgen more detailed and resolving than the old one, in combination of the ridiculously expensive LINA stack. I can't say which would be more detailed, but it definitely significantly more detailed than on say the McIntosh MHA200. I think it would be an interesting comparison with the two on that setup.
@jacobcharters66143 жыл бұрын
Listening to this with my new endgame cans the Aryas absolutely love them!
@filovirus13 жыл бұрын
even if I win this giveaway (I know, not happening), I would still choose Utopia. I guess I'm a Focal head :-)
@onecolorist2 жыл бұрын
Hello. I have both the Utopia and Susvara headphones. Could the 32ohm/300ohm work for both? Would the 32ohm output be too much for the Utopia? Thanks so much in advance
@TheHEADPHONEShow2 жыл бұрын
32 would likely be too much yeah. I'd suggest sticking with 8
@Chrai0n3 жыл бұрын
Meh... I'm just gonna stick to my Sennheiser HE-1. I wish I could afford saying that.
@Abhi-wn7sw3 жыл бұрын
Do a M15 vs DX300 vs M8 vs SE200 please!
@nhiphan65743 жыл бұрын
how about this Abyss 1266 phi tc + woo audio wa33
@bitterbuffalo89973 жыл бұрын
Damn Resolve's gone bougie on us!
@Leon-lg7zm2 ай бұрын
LCD 4 more resolving than Utopia? Are you crazy?
@BrentLeVasseur2 жыл бұрын
I currently own the Aryas, but I was thinking of getting the Susvara too. How much of an improvement is there between the Aryas and Susvaras?
@Robin-ou1gg Жыл бұрын
Did you get them? Old or new aryas?
@Robin-ou1gg Жыл бұрын
@@BrentLeVasseur interesting. Hope you’re happy with them
@kmwong17863 жыл бұрын
Giveaway is US only 🙁
@dontwatchmydoomvideos3 жыл бұрын
us and canada, he said it's tough given other countries' laws regarding shipments and giveaways and he's working on it
@malek87363 жыл бұрын
*North America
@masterxyr3 жыл бұрын
@@malek8736 US and Canada
@jack4321able3 жыл бұрын
I would also love to see you do an Abyss TC comparison to Susvara on high powered amps like a speaker amp or Bakoon.
@zeissiez3 жыл бұрын
Susvara for me: much bigger soundstage, natural/analog sounding, transparency is better
@nitraM321 Жыл бұрын
why didn't you test with the same AMP ?
@F41LZZz Жыл бұрын
can't tell me that amps after a certain point (say $500) aren't complete snake oil bs. it just boosts the sound out. anything over that you would get more out of your money watching it burn
@dontcare5632 жыл бұрын
A comparison with the same amplifier would have been better. The Bakoon is over twice the price of the other amplifier.
@ChrisStoneinator7 ай бұрын
No it wouldn't. If you buy these, you'll buy the amp that goes best with them. That won't be the same amp. The fairest test is to pair each headphone with an amp that has the best synergy, NOT the same amp, and not even necessarily in the same price range.
@shadouxg71503 жыл бұрын
Is drive size correlated to detail retrieval?
@allansh8283 жыл бұрын
no. Larger drivers usually delivers lower bass extension. Planars and eletrostats usually have huge drivers because the diaphrams can only move a very short distance. To push enough air, they need to be big to have any sense of dynamics.
@shadouxg71503 жыл бұрын
@@allansh828 that's weird because hifiman Arya has a large drive and it doesn't have that problem
@Only60GamesPlayed2 жыл бұрын
$1500 is my absolute limit!
@RF-INF3 жыл бұрын
Why am i watching this? i will never have either of them
@theodorezurla4963 жыл бұрын
If I win this giveaway I'm gonna literally puke in joy.. 🤮🔥❤🙏
@markg37893 жыл бұрын
I would puke too, but it would be about having to spend $6k for an amp to get the best out of them ;)
@theodorezurla4963 жыл бұрын
@@markg3789 lmfao
@newsigmundfreud30233 жыл бұрын
Nahhh. I don’t believe such an expensive item being given away!
@jeffberger57733 жыл бұрын
I just bought the focal clear, is there a big difference from the utopia
@ivandubov25373 жыл бұрын
I also ordered Clear, my first open back headphones. Do You enjoy Yours, how do they sound, what are You using to run them? Thanks!
@jeffberger57733 жыл бұрын
I think they sound incredible, I'm using a chord mojo, I think your going to like them
@fbi83643 жыл бұрын
Just like Joshua Valour said, the Elex and the Clear can get you 98% of the sound of the Utopia so I don't think there is a big difference, imo.
@jeffberger57733 жыл бұрын
I've heard some people say what your saying, and I heard others say the utopias are alot better, I guess everybody hears thing different, im satisfied with the clears I got a good deal, I paid 990 brand new with free shipping.
@garygriffiths73533 жыл бұрын
I’d take the susvara over the utopia no question
@hal9xxx3213 жыл бұрын
The thing I don't like about them is that both are made by companies with TERRIBLE QC track records. Not something you'd want when spending that much money into something. (Susvaras are notorious for channel imbalance issues btw) *ALL ENDGAMES SHOULD HAVE ATLEAST A 4+ YEARS WARRANTY*
@taronlissimore56133 жыл бұрын
The Focal Utopia comes with a 5-year warranty
@oldgeezerstechreview40483 жыл бұрын
@@taronlissimore5613 and it for sure needs it. I had two replacements!
@hal9xxx3213 жыл бұрын
@@taronlissimore5613 Oh hey Taron! Glad to hear that. Especially when there's a sudden spike of broken Clear MGs on Reddit these couple months....
@hal9xxx3213 жыл бұрын
@@oldgeezerstechreview4048 For a European company like Focal, you would've atleast hoped that they have Sennheiser level qc and reliability. That's horrible...
@mtocful Жыл бұрын
Suavara should be the clear winner, two steps up. The two are on totally different levels.
@Jain-ix5ud Жыл бұрын
ME: Watching this video in $21.75 neckband 😂😂
@Levdrekinn3 жыл бұрын
I hope you end up reviewing the Unique Melody Mest MKII! They're outstanding pairs of IEMs!
@matticeverhoeven65393 жыл бұрын
You could buy a Utopia and an Arya for the price of the Susvara.
@Vikinguy3 жыл бұрын
You could buy Utopia and HE1000V2 open box for the price of Susvara. hahaha
@256alexdt2 жыл бұрын
for me the build of the susvara is unacceptable for the price ... I don't like the airy sound they do also, seem unrealistic.Which is funny because I do like my HD800S ... so really something weird going on there.
@newsigmundfreud3023 Жыл бұрын
Which amp are you using with both? Thanks.
@shadouxg71503 жыл бұрын
I’ve notice u don’t care a lot about punch and slam
@allansh8283 жыл бұрын
Please do Endgame DAC comparision
@user-mu6uy6ly6e3 жыл бұрын
I have bought 2 utopias and the reality is they do sound different. One is bright and lean and the other one is dark and can produce very heavy sound. I seriously think it is a quality control problem.