Sennheiser HD600 vs. Oppo PM3

[PHC1]

Stephen, yes good analogies for sure. In the case of Utopia and notice I have not mentioned the Elear just yet, although that’s a good topic in itself since it shares much of the design principles, the Utopia is not a product where one is forced to perform extended A/B listening sessions with a sprinkle of expectation and imagination (psychoacoustic effect) coming into play. You put them on, plug them into a good headphone amp and you don’t need further convincing. It’s that simple.

That was my experience. I spent a few hours at a local dealer with a whole wall of different brands of headphones and a McIntosh MA150 (pretty good!) and as I worked my way up towards the Utopia and LCD-4, from the first notes that rang out, I was simply blown away. This is where I spent some extra time evaluating the two. In the end, the Utopia emerged a winner for my taste and personal preference but the Audeze LCD-4 is a fantastic pair as well. Never heard the new Sennheiser Orpheus and not sure I’d want to because at $55k, or there about, they will never find their way to my place

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Stephen, yes good analogies for sure. In the case of Utopia and notice I have not mentioned the Elear just yet, although that’s a good topic in itself since it shares much of the design principles, the Utopia is not a product where one is forced to perform extended A/B listening sessions with a sprinkle of expectation and imagination (psychoacoustic effect) coming into play. You put them on, plug them into a good headphone amp and you don’t need further convincing. It’s that simple.

That was my experience. I spent a few hours at a local dealer with a whole wall of different brands of headphones and a McIntosh MA150 (pretty good!) and as I worked my way up towards the Utopia and LCD-4, from the first notes that rang out, I was simply blown away. This is where I spent some extra time evaluating the two. In the end, the Utopia emerged a winner for my taste and personal preference but the Audeze LCD-4 is a fantastic pair as well. Never heard the new Sennheiser Orpheus and not sure I’d want to because at $55k, or there about, they will never find their way to my place

Gotta go hear a pair of Utopias and get some perspective on these, if only for reference. Personally, I've not been a fan of their loudspeakers, but that is another thing entirely.

My next audio foray, though, is going to be with speaker cables. Ha! This just occured to me; with headphones, there no need for speaker cables! One more variable removed.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

Gotta go hear a pair of Utopias and get some perspective on these, if only for reference. Personally, I've not been a fan of their loudspeakers, but that is another thing entirely.

My next audio foray, though, is going to be with speaker cables. Ha! This just occured to me; with headphones, there no need for speaker cables! One more variable removed.

Ditto on the Focal loudspeakers but the Utopia is a whole other thing.
Well, there are still cables for headphones. Gotta try the Moon Audio Dragons!

[Puma Cat]

Serge, one of the things I'd be interested in is hearing about how the different headphone amps stack up.

Ha! I guess you will need an ANOVA!

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Ditto on the Focal loudspeakers but the Utopia is a whole other thing.
Well, there are still cables for headphones. Gotta try the Moon Audio Dragons!

I believe ya. Heard great things about the Moon Audio Dragons, BTW. I should see if they are available for the HD600s.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

I believe ya. Heard great things about the Moon Audio Dragons, BTW. I should see if they are available for the HD600s.

Definitely are available for Senns.

[PHC1]

I have not decided if I want to upgrade the Focal cables yet, those firehose sized cables that weigh a ton were definitely not an off the shelf grab for the Elear and Utopia. The cable research at Focal for their statement Utopia and little bro Elear was as real as the rest of the project. It’s in the Focal Utopia white paper that I posted in another thread.

The HD600 and 650’s will share a Black Dragon dual XLR for the Bryston and after evaluating I may get another Dragon with 1/4 termination for the Schiit amps.

[SL1800]

I too have the HD600 and Oppo PM-3 and Focal Elear. The Oppo’s get used when mowing the lawn or at work and the Elear’s at home for serious listening. The HD600’s seldom see any use since buying the Focal’s.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by SL1800

I too have the HD600 and Oppo PM-3 and Focal Elear. The Oppo’s get used when mowing the lawn or at work and the Elear’s at home for serious listening. The HD600’s seldom see any use since buying the Focal’s.

What are you using to drive the Elear?

[SL1800]

Either my Mac C2300 or my Chord Mojo or Benchmark DAC3 HGC