You technically could be fine with the gear you have although you would notice significant improvement moving up. In terms of going for a pro vs non pro that would really come down to the signature you are after and what sonic aspects you want to prioritize imo, I personally prefer the pro, but I can see why others may like the non pro as well
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I already have headphones with solid bass like the LCD-X, Z1R, and Liric. I am looking for something different. I want to have a diverse selection of ice cream for my ears in my collection.
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So I think both the d8000 and the pro are bass focused, but in different ways. The non pro is a much more rounded and rich focus being dense, weighty, and more slammy, where the pro is more clean and linear being more focused on resolution, texture, and speed but still pretty organic in the low end. Overall signature and tonality wise the non pro is more organic and more what I’d just consider warmer and slightly less extended on each end whereas the pro is cleaner and better extended but slightly dipped in the midrange perhaps u shaped a bit. The non pro is smoother and softer and the pro is a bit harder edged although neither of them are overly soft or harder edged. Generally the pro just is more technically capable across the board in things like dynamics, timbre, resolution, speed and separation, texture, etc. Stage and presentation wise the non pro is more width focused than depth where as the pro is more depth over width, the pro is more spatially accurate. The non pro is more forgiving of music although actually might be a bit more pairing picky as some of the warmer sources can sometimes overwhelm balance whereas the pro doesn’t seem to be as picky in pairing (although the pro does scale more than the non pro). And so on, honestly I think either would be reasonably different from what you have, if I had to say similarity to what you have, the pro is more in the vein of the lcd x and the non pro is more in the vein of the z1r. Not heard the liric so no idea how that sounds
The nice thing is that either can isn’t going to be as picky as some of the other headphone options in their price point (things from let’s say hifiman, abyss, focal, audio technica, etc), but I’d still really consider upping your sources if you get one in to really take advantage of what they have to offer, a headphone can only be as good as what it’s given (but even on your current chain it should be a step up from what you already have, especially the pro)
I guess the question would really come down to what sorta different you are looking for, there’s a lot of potential options for headphones in this price range, and all of them are going to be fairly different from each other, so potentially narrowing down your range of what you are looking for/having some priorities would be helpful
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I found myself interested in the Final D8000 Pro, Meze Elite, and Focal Utopia. Based on reviews they all seem up my ally and I want to eventually own all three. However I am trying to figure out which one to get first.
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Sounds like a solid lineup. I will warn you that the utopia will be very lackluster on your current chain, you might find it fairly disappointing for the price unless you put a fair amount more into the chain, very very picky headphones. But it would be pretty different from anything you own and would go well along with a final imo (they actually tend to pair well with similar amps so that’s an added bonus)
The meze is for the most part fine on whatever source wise. I’ve only heard the empy and not the elite, but I personally thought that the empy was fairly overpriced for what it was from a technical perspective, sure it was forgiving, a more consumer warmer casual tuning, and was impactful and grander sounding, it really lacked overall technical performance for the price leading it to be a fairly not great value even used, so I might personally suggest looking into something different, but I do know some people who really like that can (I’m just absolutely not one of them lol). Some good alternatives to look into there would honestly kinda be the regular d8000 lol, but outside of that I think the audeze lcd 24 somewhat goes for similar goals but is a lot more capable for the money you can find them used for, the diana v2 is also a good alternative although it’s not as forgiving as the d8k or 24. If the empy has come down in price more used or the elite is a huge technical step forward I can see them being worthwhile, but honestly in current state I can’t say they are something I’d personally consider unless you can get a killer deal on them and aren’t really focusing on value (build and comfort is awesome though)
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What would be the most bang per buck Amp and DAC upgrade to get good use out of the Utopia?
Honestly I think the value sweet spot for that headphone:
On the tube side:
eddie current studio b
lta mz3
On the solid state side:
mass kobo 433
ecp dsha l3f
pass hpa-1
Look used for all this stuff (although most all of these amps are highly regarded and don’t really drop much used outside of the hpa-1 which halfs it’s value), these would really be my main picks, with the dac depending on what you are after. But really I think those amps are the point where you are really taking advantage of the utopia without going too far, so it’s really more a sweet spot than bang for buck but it could just end up meaning the same thing lol. Although all of those are generally more neutral than not leaning pairings, if you want to overall shift the signature of the utopia I’d have different picks but personally those would be what I’d really consider if I wanted to maximize that headphone (you can go further, but it’s going to be a lot more expensive to get a significant upgrade from those amps)
If you had to keep it around 1.5k range, I’d look for a used bryston bha-1, quicksilver headphone amp, or used violectric v281. I also think a burson soloist 3xp + supercharger does an admirable job. These are great and will def showcase what the headphone is good at, but I think it doesn’t really show off what the headphone can really do but still enough to be worthwhile. I wouldn’t go much lower than these.
If you want more info on these amps and comparisons and what dac you might pair with let me know. Also almost all of these pair well with the d8kp as well (mainly the eddie current, mass kobo, pass, and also the bryston and quicksilver)
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So long as the Amp and DAC do not cost more than the Utopia itself I won’t complain.
Well, unfortunately that’s kinda where you want to be imo, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to spend 2-3x the cost of that headphone on source gear alone, it’s something that can really scale and showcase that further investment. When you get to headphones of that level that’s really not unusual. You don’t have to go that high of course, but I would say it’s worthwhile to do that at some point
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I think it’s time to perform a blood sacrifice on a millionaire. LOL
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I have the D8000 Pros and the HPA-1.
EXCELLENT very EXCELLENT pairing…
I have heard most of all the top tier and mid level cans…Focals, HEDD’s, Senns, MEze’s and many many others.
The D8000 Pros if you look at the explanation on the Final Audio site the Pros are just a tad less bassey and oriented towards accurate reproduction…this they do very well IMO.
Sold most of my cans but the D8000 Pros are staying here for a long time…You can have most of what the D8000;s have with the Pros with a tad EQ on the low end if thats really necessary.
To me the bass of the Pros are close to perfect for my ears and music. They are startling dynamic at times…
I have a dozen amps and dacs here…the Soekris 2541 and the iFi iDSD and Schiit Bifrost 2 are the dacs I really like and use with these cans…
Either way the 8000 or Pros are very very good headphones!
Alex
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Mine do not have this lubricant which you showed.
Wonder when you got these ?
Some earlier D8000’s had creaking issues? This may have been a “fix” for some ??
Dont know…
Alex
Huh. I’m not exactly sure when the unit I had was originally bought. It was loaned to me and the loaner bought it used, AFAIK. However, it is entirely possible the lubricant is used to solve that creaking issue. A rather simple fix. I emphasize that I don’t think that lube will create any problems for anyone. It’s very difficult to stick anything down there accidentally. Although, I do wonder if it will wear off in time…
Still love what these cans do for bass. Some of the most realistic bass guitar sounds I’ve gotten from a headphone, period.
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The way it handles bass shape, texture, and overall tangibility is super impressive and really a stand out for sure, super organic there (despite the tonality)
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Looked like Silicone grease to me used in the automative industry amongst others to relieve squeaks and creak issues between plastic and rubber interfaces etc.
The set I have (was previously owned) does not have any grease or show signs it ever did - also does not make any noises or squeak/creaks when manipulating the cups purposely or via normal operation. So I do wonder if the sample that @WaveTheory has is either newer with a “fix” as suggested or, was applied by a previous owner to eliminate a squeak/creak.
+1
I’ve used the D8Kpro with several DAC/amp pairings for me the Violectric v550 with the Spring 3 KTE is really good and I liked that much better than the v281/soekris 1541, but the Spring 3 KTE and Ferrum Oor/Hypsos really stood out for me as probably my favorite so far. However, I am still trying different combos out since also picking up a Schiit Yggdrasil - and that DAC, the v550 and D8Kpro were also a very fun setup - but I will need more time to try different combos before reaching any conclusion.
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The ferrum is a solid pairing option, I personally really liked it with the wavelight (and wavedream sig as well but that’s not as reasonable of a pairing lol) as I thought it was sorta an inbetween of a yggy and may kte in terms of signature with technical ability meeting or exceeding both, but the may on it’s own was really nice with it too. Yggy is a real solid pairing but with the d8kp it might be too forward for my personal tastes but other headphones I didn’t have that issue (but still good pairing tho)
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Pairings here seem to vary day to day and my mood and music selection and their recording quality…
What amazes me at how these cans are so good that your actually discerning differences in gear…that in itself says something…
I think that the silicon looking grease was put their by a previous owner to stop creaking,my best guess…of the many D8000 and Pro owners I converse with none have this grease.
I sent a note to the US distributor as well for comment…Putting a greasey substance might reduce of eliminate creaking or stiction…it also will be a magnet for dust etc…not a good thing IMO.
Alex
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