Audiophilepure

The new Focal Utopias certainly qualify as some of the best-sounding headphones that I have heard to date. It almost pains me to admit it actually because just when I think that there is no way headphone sound can improve, along comes something like the new Utopias to make me grudgingly readjust my expectations. They honestly do it all and do it extremely well. Out of the dozens of headphones I’ve reviewed over the years, I can count on one hand those that I consider reference class headphones to judge all others by. I am adding the new Utopias to that list. In a nutshell, it threads the needle between a balanced, natural sound presentation, with just enough extra “spice” added to make it a fun and enjoyable listening experience. Coupled with the tasteful styling and practical comfort enhancements and these headphones can’t help to be a winner. They sound as “alive” as I’ve ever heard a headphone sound. That alone makes them worth the cost of admission.

The HIFIMAN AUDIVINA Closed-Back Planar Magnetic Studio Headphones and HIFIMAN EF600 R2R DAC & Headphone Amp are everything promised and more, the synergy between these two products is simply jaw-dropping and I can’t see myself listening to the AUDIVINA with anything other than the EF600. Likewise, I experimented with other headphones, specifically the HIFIMAN HE6se and the Dan Clark Audio ETHER C Flow, but neither performed as well with the EF600 as the AUDIVINA. That being said, the EF600 seems to be ideally tailored to HIFIMAN headphones and would be a good match with anything from the DEVA to the SUSVARA.

With the open cups, the HE1000 Stealth is not a headphone to use on-the-go. At home or at the office you best use it in a silent environment as a lot of sounds leaks in and out. No surprise there. What I do like about the HE1000 Stealth is that you can use it for many different things. I even use it for conference calls and watching tv straight from my laptop. The Stealth is fairly easy to drive (Impedance 32Ω & Sensitivity 93dB ) and though it performs best with an amplifier (more on this later), you really can plug it in to anything and enjoy it. It’s not one of those high-end setup, music only kind of headphones.

When ordering the SR-1b on Raal’s site, there is a special option called “ProPac”. When you choose this, the SR-1b includes Raal’s foam-lined, waterproof flight case. If you opt for any of the other versions, the SR-1b and TI-1b will come in a normal, yet high level box, which also has the foam cut out. The hard case options ups the price to $3,750 USD.

If you plan on traveling with this headphone, I absolutely recommend this option. The SR-1b, even though robust, isn’t the kind of headphone to just throw inside your bag. I don’t think I ever will take the SR-1b outside of my office, so I have gone for the normal packaging.

All-in-all RAAL delivers a nice box in all cases, and the headphone interface, cables, and OBs are perfectly safe in it as you can see in the pictures.

https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2023/5/5/focal-bathys-hi-fi-bluetooth-active-noise-cancelling-headphones

They cost less than the Levinson 5909, and the Bathys sound doesn’t shy away from the audiophile quality of the Levinsons. If you would ask me to decide, I’d probably choose the Levinsons—I like that they’re smaller and the aesthetics and neutral sound are more to my taste. The Bathys can feel a little bit plasticky to the touch and the buttons are a little big, but many people will like this. In general, the Bathys are more fun to listen to as well as more comfortable and have a more user-friendly firmware and app. 

Caroline Shaw’s Partita for eight voices is a beautiful and complex composition that goes from voices in harmony to moments of disruptive chatter and noise. The Bathys developed a unique crescendo to the recording that blew me away. What sets these headphones apart is their dynamic driver’s subtlety and complimentary sound. You wouldn’t think a closed-back headphone could have the ‘air’ to bring out that detail, but it does. With its bass-filled songs, Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories rang through in a crisp and non-fatiguing way. I also tried some Alice in Chains, the best studio album of theirs Jar of Flies, the open chord voicings and Layne Staley’s gut-wrenching vocals were superb. Did I say Levinsons nudging the Bathys?

What we like about Hifiman is that they are an innovative company, and they continue to R&D new goodies for us Audiophiles. More importantly, they let trickle-down high-end technologies to their lower-range units, and that results in a very impressive headphone line-up.

Another thing I appreciate is the fact that they have great gear in all segments of the market. No matter what budget you have to spend, Hifiman has you covered with something good.