OG Utopia strangely sounded better on my KA15 dongle than on a 6400$ amp.

[S7777lt]

I tried various headphones on my local headphone store on their expensive amp setup and eventually settled on Utopia OG.
though when I got home I wanted to test plugging it into my Fiio Ka15 dongle and it genuinely sounded better to me, or at least more interesting than the 6400$ amp they had at the store. I originally got the ka15 for my moondrop variations IEM after testing various dongles, and it gave them such an interesting vocal-forward flavor I immediately knew I have to go for them. I have the EQ turned off in the Fiio settings, so is it some kind of innate EQ that they have or what? i'm wondering what it is about them that sounds so good to me, and if there are any other more high-end amps that have the same kind of flavor or could produce even better results.

 

[kemmler3D]

though when I got home I wanted to test plugging it into my Fiio Ka15 dongle and it genuinely sounded better to me, or at least more interesting than the 6400$ amp they had at the store.

Honestly listening in two different environments at different times is not a valid way to establish that the amps actually sound different. Your mental state, background noise, difficulty of maintaining auditory memory for that long - all sorts of things will throw off the comparison.

I would say that unless you noticed something specific and concrete about the sound like elevated treble or distortion, to not worry about it. If you want to dial in a more pleasing response, EQ is much more reliable and effective than shopping for new amps.

 

[Jiraya369]

I tried various headphones on my local headphone store on their expensive amp setup and eventually settled on Utopia OG.
though when I got home I wanted to test plugging it into my Fiio Ka15 dongle and it genuinely sounded better to me, or at least more interesting than the 6400$ amp they had at the store. I originally got the ka15 for my moondrop variations IEM after testing various dongles, and it gave them such an interesting vocal-forward flavor I immediately knew I have to go for them. I have the EQ turned off in the Fiio settings, so is it some kind of innate EQ that they have or what? i'm wondering what it is about them that sounds so good to me, and if there are any other more high-end amps that have the same kind of flavor or could produce even better results.

probably cus that amp was a distorted mess and the ka15 is a clean source

 

[Human Bass]

Was it a tube amp?

 

[Curupira]

probably cus that amp was a distorted mess and the ka15 is a clean source

This and maybe the amp you heard there had a high output impedance. Focals are modern dynamics, they usually have low Z (32-50ohm), so a high output impedance amp makes their bass very boomy. I don't have ready measurements at hand but it's a major bump in bass, not like the 1-2dB seen on HD 6x0 and HD 800S.

 

[solderdude]

Utopia (OG) driven by 0 ohm and 120 ohm

 

[Jiraya369]

Utopia (OG) driven by 0 ohm and 120 ohm

what does 0 and 120 ohm mean here?

btw how'd you get these measurements and can i simulate em for other headphones?

 

[solderdude]

0 ohm is FR measured using a 0.2 ohm output resistance amplifier.
120 ohm trace is the response measured using a 120 ohm output resistance amplifier.
The traces are overlaid so it is easier to spot tonal differences.

When you have the impedance curve you can also calculate the effect for other impedance amplifiers.
The Utopia is most happy with an amplifier between 10ohm and 20ohm output resistance but works fine below 10 ohm output R as well.

FiiO KA15 is low impedance (SE 0.8 ohm, balanced 1.2ohm)