GUTB gonna GUTB

Doesn't GUTB need a more expensive DAC and more expensive amp?

 

Focal Utopia is a dynamic can. If I read @GUTB right, it is expected to lag behind high priced, gutb-fi playnar magnifinetics. Sorry.

 

Sorry and expected results?

 

Not good or expensive enough. While I am a Schiit fan, Schiit is a value brand, not TOTL crazy shit. Please try again.

Something like @ohhgourami's monster Krell with silver autoformers control for volume would be more like it.

 

No hurt feelings from me, but your chain is rather modest. I shudder to think what your DAC or source may be.

 

Not expensive and hi-fi enough for your application. Too DIY. Consider this instead: http://www.vhaudio.com/fuses.html

At least this audiophile fuse will protect you from shock or fire if the primaries or secondaries get crossed. It's not about how much current your DAC circuit will stuck - it's about overall and complete safety.

But not before your throw away your god awful Gustard X20 DAC. That thing looks likes a plastic piece of shit made in China. The Sabre chip is mid-fi at best. And while the two toroid power transformers look impressive, it's really to fool you. You need trendy more expensive R cores. Finally, any power supply without a big choke and/or isn't a shunt type isn't worthy of being considered Hi-Fi. (You can tell it's a shunt type if it has a lot of heat sinks to dissipate wasted power.)

You see, we can't take you seriously if 2/3 of your chain is mid-fi / value / low-fi / cheap. Expensive usually means better for amps and DACs. You haven't spent enough money. To appreciate a $4000 headphone, you need a $4000 amp and $4000 source - as a rough measure. In fact, I would argue that your system is not sufficient for even the meager HD600s to scale appropriately.

Finally, you can only obtain true hi-fi status with tubes. But only with the most expensive implementations. OTL tube implementations are not quite at the highest level of hi-fi. Even with transformer output tube amps, the transformers must be very very expensive, usually made by crazy Japanese, Dutchmen, Belgians, Englishmen, or Swedes, otherwise there will be residual distortion in the bass.

 

No no no. GUTB is absolutely right. By large, spending more is a necessity to Hi-Fi. He's just not there yet.

 

What is this mod bullshit. You either have a high end system or you don't. Go talk to Gustard and have them upgrade your system to something decent or throw that system off the window and get yourself something real.

Consider the Antelope Audio Zodiac Platinum which @Tyll Hertsens used for his much more serious tests when evaluating the Yggdrasil.

Even then you still would not be nowhere near what most would consider true Hi-Fi. Start doing some research about the Antelope Rubicon and similar systems.

Of course those likely have delta sigma. For multi-bit you might have to contact Schitt or another vendor, and start thinking about commissioning a custom build.

And how is your cable stable looking like? I see also a lot of possible vibration issues with the way you setup your system.