HiFiMAN Susvara vs Focal Utopia - Endgame headphone comparison

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

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.

[@malfunkt]

The grain adds some analog warmth to it. Fitting. Great review as always!

[@metal571]

Shoot everything on film from now on

[@user-hb1ve6mc6f]

Hollywood

[@KING_DRANZER]

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-101]

​ @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...

[@SkywhiteChannel]

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_]

what kind of job do you have? that's a pretty epic setup lol

[@yujonpradhananga9999]

@@the_wau_ i wanna know too

[@alanschmitt9865]

@@the_wau_ CEO of Sound lmao

[@newdevilman1167]

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]

What in the world do you do for a living??

[@vancybergoth]

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.

[@krisrudecki9477]

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.

[@vancybergoth]

@@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.

[@metal571]

Now we're only missing SR007mk2.9, AB1266 Phi TC, and 2021 LCD-4

[@vincenthusvh]

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

[@dontwatchmydoomvideos]

Musn't forget the skullcandy crushers

[@jekken333]

Which lcd4 2021 unit variation are we talking about here? 😂😂😂

[@AKL764]

Whats your opinion on Final d8000 pro?

[@RyuMasterEX]

@@jekken333 new pads that fix the 4khz dip

[@coardcreatif]

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. 😂

[@Ratseeker]

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.)

[@krisrudecki9477]

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.

[@flitcroftLA]

You lost me at 15 watts RMS is under amped

[@krisrudecki9477]

@@flitcroftLA you mean from Soloist?

[@flitcroftLA]

@@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.

[@krisrudecki9477]

@@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 🤷‍♂️

[@flitcroftLA]

@@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.

[@brothatwasepic]

Yes this is exactly what I was waiting for. Thanks Andrew

[@JTB--]

I have a pair of high end ear muffs from Walmart I’m willing to swap straight up for the Susvara or Utopia

[@Nephilim-81]

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.

[@tonyxu113]

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"

[@allansh828]

What DAC, AMP and cables do you use?

[@tonyxu113]

@@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]

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?

[@moltenbullet]

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 :(

[@newsigmundfreud3023]

You really believe that such an expensive headphone is being given away for feee just like that? Very very hard to believe!

[@moltenbullet]

@@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...?

[@newsigmundfreud3023]

@@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?*

[@gomez3420]

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.

[@malek8736]

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?

[@gomez3420]

@@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.

[@inn3B]

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.

[@turboboost99]

What about the Susvara with the Forge???

[@AFreezer]

And here I am watching this video with my Endgame, SHP9500.

[@TheCangle]

What dac did you use? Was it the same for both chains or selected based on the headphone and amp pairing?

[@s.chandrasekhar8290]

Exactly. The DAC is one Of the main parts Of the chain.

[@disadadi8958]

@@s.chandrasekhar8290 ehh, a good dac is a good dac. Should sound clean and that's it.

[@newsigmundfreud3023]

*Why not ask what source music,.. ask about entire chain?*

[@tgugdevil]

Susvara and HE1000 SE for me. Magical HPs with wide soundstage, immense depth and extensions.

[@0megalul309]

We'll not talk about reliability for them tho

[@BitsBytesBobs]

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.

[@waterglass55]

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!

[@MRFUTURETECHNOLOGYGAMING]

Dekoni earpads paired with the HIFIMAN SUSVARA video would be perfect

[@aaronpaulbernas4097]

another great comparison/review. headphone show is the most honest audio channel we have around.

[@DocToxicTF2]

I run my Susvara setup with a Xiaudio K-dac and an Auris Nirvana tube amp and it sounds AWESOME.

[@lcmusiclover8443]

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 :)

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Utopia didn't change as much off the Bakoon. Sounded fine, but I liked it better off the FORGE

[@daretobe957]

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.

[@devenmajmudar839]

i agree value wise both the rigs should be same

[@mattkaye6559]

@@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?

[@daretobe957]

@@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.

[@chjl1221]

funny how the first Focal Headphone is up there with a headphone of a company which has released so many models over the years...

[@BECHEEKHA]

Brother, is the give away over?

[@ClintAvila]

winning the giveaway would be the dream come true. :D Can't wait till Wednesday!

[@ColocasiaCorm]

soundstage and detail appeal to the head dynamics appeal to the heart

[@tysontyson1244]

Wow! Ridiculously Top Tier review! Mind blown!

[@rhodey2952]

What dac was used? Same on each setup?

[@towsifshahriarshovo]

Great review man, any plan to review Verum 1?? I heard good things about it.

[@Redmoon776]

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 😁

[@allansh828]

+ dCS One, Mola Mola tambaqui, and Chord DAVE + MScaler CD transport

[@bardenhick2121]

You provide him the $100k and he’ll get right on it 😉

[@gjtube37]

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!

[@hartyewh1]

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.

[@piyush10793]

Throw in the Abyss 1266 and Stax SR009S and we have the ultimate comparison.

[@dominicdager4331]

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!

[@igenell7677]

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.

[@angeloromanazzo2585]

Other than Lemo (obviously!), you can fit the 2-pin IEM cables in the Utopia's connectors.

[@mrgadget4863]

I like the comparison . But why did you not try both amplifiers on each Headphone?

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

I did...

[@mrgadget4863]

@@TheHEADPHONEShow Ah . I did not notice from watching.

[@prithvib8662]

You definitely have a soul with humor like that :)

[@Thundermonk99]

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.-.-.-.-.-.-.-119]

iha6 doesn’t have the juice for susvara bakoon sounds much better in general too

[@Thundermonk99]

@@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.

[@goodnightmoon]

absolute endgame

[@issacasimov]

I own both Utopia and HiFiman HE1000SE. Do you think it is worth upgrading from HE1000SE to SUSVARA ?

[@tcc5750]

He1000se are much brighter than Susvara. He1000v2 are more similar to susvara imo.

[@themosyannakou6893]

What DAC was in the chain?

[@connorduke4619]

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.

[@ConvinceMeAudio]

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]

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]

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.

[@edgars2984]

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.

[@bryanedward5355]

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?

[@KenMoreira]

neither would be good enough for that headphone to begin with.

[@bryanedward5355]

@@KenMoreira I know, but that's not what I'm asking tho hahahaj

[@KenMoreira]

@@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.

[@bryanedward5355]

@@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]

@@KenMoreira jot 2 is definitely good enough for the susvara. just need to make sure you're on high gain

[@Uebelkraehe]

A man can dream...

[@RoyalProtectorate]

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.

[@evensung]

Great video! Why didn't you just run both on the A&S?

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

I did. Check the pinned comment.

[@evensung]

@@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?

[@TheMusikYarl]

Lcd-4 plz

[@BrentLeVasseur]

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.)

[@malek8736]

Add an endgame electrostat like the Stax SR009S or the Sennheiser HE1 and this will be the ultimate comparison.

[@fclp67]

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]

Stax will destroy everything

[@alexkeep2074]

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?

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Resolve here, not much for punch on the HD800S. It's not totally lifeless though, just not a particular strength.

[@justino9042]

There is a new model of focal utopia that was been release in 2020 do you think there is any difference 🤔

[@masterxyr]

peer into the music Tyll? I hope they're having fun roaming through the country

[@AKL764]

What about Final D8000 pro?

[@sicness0]

Is the Bakoon better than the Chord Hugo 2? or is it worth the price difference? Hugo is a litte cheaper

[@Irnt1]

What DAC are you using

[@davidmason8212]

I can't find the link for the sign up in the description

[@ColocasiaCorm]

LONG LIVE UTOPIA -UTOPIA FANBOI

[@Smood47]

Andrew why haven't you reviewed abyss tc ?

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Resolve here, I don't have access to one. If someone wants to send a current revision in I'll happily review it.

[@Prive0]

I want see the comparison between susvara vs abyss 1266 phi tc

[@miusicmene]

Great video, the Meze Empyrean also seem to be missing from that list..

[@malek8736]

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.-.-.-.-.-.-.-119]

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

[@gli7utubeo]

Empy is right up there with the Susvara and Utopia. Very very musical. (IMO).

[@combojohn7953]

@@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.

[@malek8736]

@@combojohn7953 who talked about "musicality"? If you had enough experience with flagship headphones, you would know that the technicalities aren't up there.

[@claudioagmfilho]

🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷👏🏻, Focal seems to be amazing!

[@malfunkt]

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.

[@allansh828]

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.

[@malfunkt]

@@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.

[@HercahyoAdiSaputro]

@@malfunkt Can you link me to those DSP you are talking about? I'd like to try them. Thanks.

[@malfunkt]

@@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.

[@newsigmundfreud3023]

*Question is: How would the Sennheiser HD800S sound here with there amps?... Which of these amps are better for the HD800S?*

[@devenmajmudar839]

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

[@minjunkim2707]

This is the second time I've seen a Bakoon product being reviewed.

[@mr.dynamite2543]

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.

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

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.dynamite2543]

@@TheHEADPHONEShow Gotcha. Thanks for the response and thanks for what you do. It's much appreciated. Keep up the Great work!

[@EastCoastCamping]

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

[@allansh828]

You can use TT2 like that? The headphone amp of TT2 is quite underpowered, how's the speaker AMP sound?

[@EastCoastCamping]

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

[@jasonp1568]

I have the TT2 and having a speaker amp is noticeably better than the xlr outs

[@EastCoastCamping]

I would be using it to power the susvara . Also looking at a benchmark ahb2 for that as well

[@gli7utubeo]

I would still get an amp.

[@johnrus7661]

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.

[@jacobcharters6614]

Listening to this with my new endgame cans the Aryas absolutely love them!

[@filovirus1]

even if I win this giveaway (I know, not happening), I would still choose Utopia. I guess I'm a Focal head :-)

[@onecolorist]

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

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

32 would likely be too much yeah. I'd suggest sticking with 8

[@Chrai0n]

Meh... I'm just gonna stick to my Sennheiser HE-1. I wish I could afford saying that.

[@Abhi-wn7sw]

Do a M15 vs DX300 vs M8 vs SE200 please!

[@nhiphan6574]

how about this Abyss 1266 phi tc + woo audio wa33

[@bitterbuffalo8997]

Damn Resolve's gone bougie on us!

[@Leon-lg7zm]

LCD 4 more resolving than Utopia? Are you crazy?

[@BrentLeVasseur]

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]

Did you get them? Old or new aryas?

[@Robin-ou1gg]

@@BrentLeVasseur interesting. Hope you’re happy with them

[@kmwong1786]

Giveaway is US only 🙁

[@dontwatchmydoomvideos]

us and canada, he said it's tough given other countries' laws regarding shipments and giveaways and he's working on it

[@malek8736]

*North America

[@masterxyr]

@@malek8736 US and Canada

[@jack4321able]

I would also love to see you do an Abyss TC comparison to Susvara on high powered amps like a speaker amp or Bakoon.

[@zeissiez]

Susvara for me: much bigger soundstage, natural/analog sounding, transparency is better

[@nitraM321]

why didn't you test with the same AMP ?

[@F41LZZz]

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

[@dontcare563]

A comparison with the same amplifier would have been better. The Bakoon is over twice the price of the other amplifier.

[@ChrisStoneinator]

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.

[@shadouxg7150]

Is drive size correlated to detail retrieval?

[@allansh828]

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.

[@shadouxg7150]

@@allansh828 that's weird because hifiman Arya has a large drive and it doesn't have that problem

[@Only60GamesPlayed]

$1500 is my absolute limit!

[@RF-INF]

Why am i watching this? i will never have either of them

[@theodorezurla496]

If I win this giveaway I'm gonna literally puke in joy.. 🤮🔥❤🙏

[@markg3789]

I would puke too, but it would be about having to spend $6k for an amp to get the best out of them ;)

[@theodorezurla496]

@@markg3789 lmfao

[@newsigmundfreud3023]

Nahhh. I don’t believe such an expensive item being given away!

[@jeffberger5773]

I just bought the focal clear, is there a big difference from the utopia

[@ivandubov2537]

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!

[@jeffberger5773]

I think they sound incredible, I'm using a chord mojo, I think your going to like them

[@fbi8364]

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.

[@jeffberger5773]

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.

[@garygriffiths7353]

I’d take the susvara over the utopia no question

[@hal9xxx321]

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*

[@taronlissimore5613]

The Focal Utopia comes with a 5-year warranty

[@oldgeezerstechreview4048]

@@taronlissimore5613 and it for sure needs it. I had two replacements!

[@hal9xxx321]

@@taronlissimore5613 Oh hey Taron! Glad to hear that. Especially when there's a sudden spike of broken Clear MGs on Reddit these couple months....

[@hal9xxx321]

@@oldgeezerstechreview4048 For a European company like Focal, you would've atleast hoped that they have Sennheiser level qc and reliability. That's horrible...

[@mtocful]

Suavara should be the clear winner, two steps up. The two are on totally different levels.

[@Jain-ix5ud]

ME: Watching this video in $21.75 neckband 😂😂

[@Levdrekinn]

I hope you end up reviewing the Unique Melody Mest MKII! They're outstanding pairs of IEMs!

[@matticeverhoeven6539]

You could buy a Utopia and an Arya for the price of the Susvara.

[@Vikinguy]

You could buy Utopia and HE1000V2 open box for the price of Susvara. hahaha

[@256alexdt]

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]

Which amp are you using with both? Thanks.

[@shadouxg7150]

I’ve notice u don’t care a lot about punch and slam

[@allansh828]

Please do Endgame DAC comparision

[@user-mu6uy6ly6e]

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.

[@shutasanzhi1106]

don't use orignal cable

[@douglaspcollins4987]

use transparent cable with utopias. A+