Great! Thanks a lot again.
I think I will give the RNHP a try and order a Bifrost 2 to pair up with. As you said, the RNHP will resell well if I do not like it…
In that case, following your comments, I think it could be better for me to wait a bit and bump my budget for a more expensive combo (Violectric w/ Soekris DAC could be great or maybe G111 w/Bifrost 2).
What about Violectric paired with a Bifrost 2?
Solid, as will the bifrost for selling well. The bifrost will also give a good boost in quality to your wa8 as well since the internal dac in the woo isn’t that great (but the amp itself is)
Possibly yeah it all depends on what you feel satisfied with now
Just wondering if you know a little about Graham Slee amps…
A friend of mine had the chance to try the Ultra Linear Diamond Edition a few years ago and he was amazed by this small amp(in terms of soundstage, imaging, resolution and midrange timbre/smoothness).
So, just wondering if it could be a good SS alternative to pair with my Utopia and/or VC…
I have tried a ultra linear DE, but it was awhile ago and admittedly I can’t recall much about it anymore, so I really can’t say much. I did think it was good though, but that’s about all I remember
What do you think of the Hugo 2 as a SS setup for the Utopia and VC? Considering its small footprint, it could be a good option to consider for me. Its DAC seems to be quite good too, so it can also be possible to use it feeding my WA8’s Amp…
Most combination DAC/HP units will wind up being a compromise either on the DAC or the HP. I’ve not listened to the Hugo 2 but the primary expectation people have of Chord products is their DAC. I’ll give you the same list of good all in one DAC/HP amp units @M0N gave me.
I have a Burson Conductor 3XR that I was hoping would be an acceptable all in one. The amp is great, and I’m genuinely loving it. I was looking for an upgrade from a Liquid Platinum; the DAC not so much. I was using a Holo Cyan DAC at the time. Given your HP starting point, IMO you’re throwing money away buying anything less than your current headphones demand.
Some of the all in ones I like that aren’t too bad and would be a step up from what you have are the canever zerouno dac-hpa, bricasti m3h, goldmund hda telos, questyle cma twelve master, neve rndac, t+a ha200
Thanks for your comments and sharing this list. I will take a look a it for sure.
I’ve read some (very) good comments on the Hugo 2 with both the VC and the Utopia. so that’s why I am considering it. The transportable option of the Hugo 2 is also to consider, but I’m looking mostly for a small-factor desktop option.
But following your comments (and a long-term update logic), I probably must go for a standalone DAC upgrade first (to be paired with my Woo WA8), then go for a better Tube Amp upgrade in the future (Eddie Current, Feliks Audio, or something like that).
I was looking for the Qutest, but considering the small price difference between it and the Hugo 2 (in the used marked there), I was considering going for the Hugo 2 (and probably ending using it as a DAC only anyway)…
You’re looking for portability which is something that I sort of skipped over. Yeah, that does limit things a bit for you.
Well, portability is a plus, but not a deal breaker since I’m looking for a great synergy with my cans first. The setup must be small though (not much space on my desktop…).
So it does have a solid dac for a portable, but personally not a fan amp wise. I know people do enjoy that pairing but personally I didn’t really see anything special in it. Still pretty limiting overall but idk
Wow leaking PMs I see lol
The zerouno isn’t a good match with the utopia, but the others are pretty decent all in ones
My apologies, figured you wouldn’t mind. lol
Thanks a lot again @M0N for your always honest point of view, it’s appreciated!
Thank you @db_Cooper too!
Apologies for being so somewhat picky on source gear for the utopia lol, but it’s just been my experiences with it where I’ve only been wowed by it on some of the really nice or very specific gear
Also you get the neve and bf2 yet? And if so, any thoughts?
I don’t, but I’m still going to hassle you about it lol
No problem man, I know the Utopia can really scale up/change a lot with higher-end gear, so… And you have a very good experience with those higher-end stuff so your opinions/point of view are alway welcome!
I didn’t get the RNHP yet, but it’s still on my list. My recent readings led me to the Chord stuff (Qutest and Hugo 2). Despite the high praise for Chord products, I’ve never had the chance to demo any of their product. My recent findings suggest that their DACs could be a better sounding choice (more transparent and detailed, while quite natural sounding) than the Bf2 and other sub-1K$ DACs, especially when paired with most tube amps (like my WA8 and/or a future tube amp upgrade)… So, I’m thinking maybe bumping my DAC/Amp budget somewere around 2K$ and jump into the Chord train. I know their products seems to be quite hyped (and probably a bit overpriced too), but heh, I don’t know… Not easy to try to make my mind from a bunch of opinions on Head-Fi, it’s so subjective anyway. I’ll have to try it by myself to really know.
For a lot of people, the Hugo 2 will be a way better sounding DAC/Amp combo than Bf2/RNHP, especially for the VC. What do you think personally?
There are some interesting stuff on your « personal » list (lol), but all of them are way too big for my desktop space… 
So, I have to look elsewere within a 2K$ budget for the short term.
The qutest is a bit of a step above the hugo 2 imo, but both are going to be higher tier than the sub 1k dacs out there. Generally the chord dacs lean more bright neutral, but good body and density, a bit softer at times, pronounced transients, somewhat organic
At 2k, for desktop gear, you do have a lot of options, but for portable gear you don’t have as many choices so the chord is mainly the pick in that range for portable gear (the hugo 2 can be had used around 1.3k)
I’d much rather have the bf2 + rnhp over the hugo 2 personally, I think that’s a bit higher preforming combo. The hugo 2 is a slight bit higher tier than the bf2 that is true, but the amp in the hugo 2 is a much larger limiting factor compared to the neve, so to me the bf2 + neve would be higher preforming
Yeah size will be a big problem, alot of the high end stuff is not really compact
Ok, interesting…
Considering that there is not a huge price difference between a brand new Bf2 and a used Qutest, do you think the Qutest could pair even better than the Bf2 with the RNHP? Since I can get both the Qutest and the RNHP within my budget, I think it worth the consideration…
The Qutest is quite easy to find used, but it’s actually not the case for the Bf2 here in Canada…
In some ways yes, others no. The qutest will extract more detail and microdynamics, with a more precise stage, but the bf2 will have better impact, timbre, and stage width (but not as accurate placement as the qutest)
If you can get a qutest pretty cheap, then I’d go for that
Hey @M0N I just realized that I forgot getting back to you… Considering the time you spent getting back to me, I think you deserve to be informed of my final choices 
First, I finally sold my VC and bought a pair of Auteur. I find the Auteur more in-line with my preferences (less colored tuning, with a tighter/cleaner and a sweet and organic timbre) The VC sound a bit “too much of a good thing” to my ears with its elevated bass, saturated mids and overly wet and rolled-off treble. The VC’s presentation is more 3D and technicalities are more impressive than the Auteur though, but all in all, I ended up preferring the Auteur as a more laidback alternative to complement my Utopia.
As for my new Solid State DAC/Amp combo, I finally jumped on a great deal for a Questyle CMA Twelve (with the vertical stand, it fits pretty well on my limited desktop space). Wow, I’m really impressed by this DAC/Amp combo! With the Auteur, it’s an awesome pairing to my ears. Clean, controlled, spacious, airy, great punch, organic mids, with great finesse, especially in the treble… And it got balanced XLR and 4.4 mm outputs. It delivers quite a lot of music, especially for the price I got it. It doesn’t have exactly the same visceral impact and the sweetness of my Woo WA8, but it’s not very far (to my surprise)… Quite impressive for a Solid State IMHO.
Even with the Utopia, I find it very impressive. It sounds way better the other Solid State Amps that I’ve tried before. It doesn’t have the annoying dryness and digital glare that the merciless Utopia is able to show… It rather highlight some of the Utopia’s strengths (transparency, finesse, nuances…) in a organic and natural approach.
Well, for the first time in years I might think I will be okay for some time with my actual setup
That’s always a great feeling…sonic contentment and music are a match made in heaven 
nice nice
Oh that’s a nice pairing, also pairs well with the utopia too, good synergy
Would agree
That’s the best feeling lol, glad you are enjoying everything