This is a comparison of the Stax SR-007 mk2 and the Focal Utopia (original). These headphones are both known as among the best headphones ever made. The Utopia is a traditional, dynamic headphone. The STAX SR-007 mk2 is an electrostatic headphone that needs a dedicated electrostatic amplifier.
The Utopia can be used with any standard headphone amplifier and it’s a fairly easy load. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t need a quality amp and a decent amount of power to shine, though. To make it really deliver the magic, you need to find a good matching amplifier.
The SR-007 is known for being notoriously difficult to drive. To really shine, there is agreement within the STAX-mafia that it’s essential to use an amplifier more powerful than any of those that STAX themselves makes today. They made the legendary T2 decades ago, though. It’s still regarded as one of the best – and it has inspired many DIY and 3rd party designs.
Kevin Gilmore is a central name in the development of DIY and 3rd party electrostatic amplifier designs. The KGSSHV Carbon I will use, is built after his circuit design and is amongst the more powerful electrostatic amplifier designs available.
FOCAL UTOPIA SPECIFICATIONS
- Type Circum-aural open-back headphones
- Impedance 80 Ohms
- Sensitivity: 104dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHz
- THD: <0,2% @ 1kHz / 100dB SPL
- Frequency response: 5Hz – 50kHz
- Loudspeaker: 40mm pure Beryllium ‘M’ shape dome
- Fenestrated sheepskin pads with partly mesh on the inside
- Weight: 490g
- Cable connection to headphones: 2-pin LEMO
- Cables: 1 x 4ft OFC 24 AWG cable with 1/8″ (3.5mm) TRS Jack connector, 1 x 10ft OFC 24 AWG cable with 4-pin XLR connector, 1 x Jack adapter, 1/8″ (3.5mm) female – 1/4″ (6.35mm) male
STAX SR-007 mk2 SPECIFICATIONS
- Type: Push-pull electrostatic circular sound element, Open-Air type enclosure
- Frequency Response: 6 – 41,000Hz
- Capacitance: 94pF (including cable)
- Impedance: 170k Ω (10kHz)
- Sensitivity: 100dB / 100V r.m.s. 1 kHz
- Bias Voltage: 580V DC
- Ear Pads: Genuine Lamb Leather (direct skin contact), high-quality synthetic leather (surrounding portion)
- Cable: Low capacity wide format, PC-OCC (Pure Crystal Ohno Continuous Casting) 2.5m/8.2ft
- Ambient Temperature & Humidity: 0 to 35ºC / 90% max. without condensation
- Weight: 365g / 12.9oz without cable – 500g / 1.1lb with cable
COMPARISONS
For the Utopia, I used the EAR HP4 tube amplifier. For the SR-007, I used my KGSSSHV Carbon electrostatic amplifier. The source used was the RME ADI-2 DAC FS.
Bent into Shape by Todd Sickafoose
The SR-007 is very smooth, yet full of detail and nuance. The standing bass isn’t presented as linear as with the best planars, but it’s still of good quality and quantity. The mid-range is sweet, the highs are liquid.
The most striking difference when moving over to the Utopia is the different soundstage. The Utopia is a lot more pinpointed and precise in the imaging. It has less bass quantity and it’s sharper and brighter. Articulation is clearer and the edges are easier to spot.
Magnetic North by Todd Sickafoose
The SR-007 has more bass quantity. It is generally fuller sounding. It’s less precise in its imaging. The Utopia is sharper cut, there’s a more focused sound. It’s not necessarily presenting more detail, just in a different way. The SR-007 is very liquid and ethereal sounding, with a less pronounced high end.
All For Us by Labyrinth
The SR-007 has much more low end, but not too much. It’s rather the perfect quantity for my taste. The tonality is markedly different. The Utopia is brighter, with more focus on the upper mids and treble, the SR-007 has more low, mids and bass. Both have good amounts of detail, but it’s the Utopia that is the scalpel, bringing small details in the background to my attention.
As Before by Olga Konkova
The SR-007 is full-bodied, warm and lush on this jazz vocals track. The cajôn drum box is powerful sounding, the female vocals very upfront and warm with lots of body. It sounds very organic and natural.
The Utopia is taking a step back from the scene, making you to some degree observe more than participate. The cajôn isn’t hitting as strong, the vocals aren’t as warm and lush. The details are sharper cut.
Bored by Deftones
This hardcore metal track sounds full-bodied and massive with the SR-007. The bass is punchy and huge. There’s nothing harsh or too bright about the presentation.
The Utopia is not as full-bodied, there’s more energy in the upper mids and treble. It also has more pinpointed imaging and feels more precise. The bass is very good, not as full as the 007 but still satisfying. The Utopia’s presentation is somewhat drier than the SR-007.
Brahms’ Symphony no 3 – 1 by Gewandhausorchester
The Utopia thrives with strings and orchestral music. The precision, separation and layering are hard to beat. I find it to have a great timbre and tonality as well. It sounds stellar.
The SR-007 is also great. It’s quite different so it takes a bit of brain adjustment to switch between the two headphones. However, once I have adjusted I find the music just as pleasurable with either headphone. The SR-007 is more organic and liquid sounding while the Utopia is more detail freak and texture-oriented with great separation and clinical precision.
Come Away With Me by Norah Jones
With the SR-007, Norah’s voice is velvet-like, yet still full of texture. It’s very upfront. The bass is deep and powerful, and the guitars and the piano are clear and crisp, yet warm and alive sounding.
The experience delivered by the Utopia is very different. When swapping headphones there is an immediate sense of the Utopia being drier sounding with a smaller soundstage, but also more precise. The edges of the details are clearer, the background is blacker and the space between the instruments is more defined.
Compare Manuel by Vicente Amigo
Here, they are quite different. The SR-007 is warm, lush and enveloping, with an intimate yet large soundstage. The Utopia is more airy and thinner sounding. The bass is not as full but it is punchy. The Utopia sounds very fast. The guitar is crisp and clear. Everything is crisp and clear – in a good way.
WRAPPING IT UP
Sounds Signature
Now, you might have seen various frequency response charts measuring the SR-007. However, this headphone is notoriously difficult to drive properly and it needs gobs of power. The KGSSHV Carbon is one of the most powerful amps for electrostats out there, and it gives enough control over the SR-007’s diaphragm to keep it a lot more linear and dynamic sounding than many less powerful options.
That being said the relative impression from listening to these two headphones is that the Utopia is tilted more towards the treble and an upper midrange whilst the SR-007 is more lower mid-range and bass. The Utopia’s tuning is reminiscent of the Sennheiser HD800S, the SR-007 sounds more like the Audeze LCD-series.
Treble
They both have great treble, but it’s quite different. The SR-007 has a slightly laid-back and very organic treble. The Utopia is more upfront, there’s more bite and energy. Both have a nice treble presence, though. I don’t find the SR-007 lacking, but it’s not a treblehead’s dream. The Utopia has a very pinpointed treble imaging, with an extremely clear-cut definition. The SR-007 is more liquid. Neither is prone to sibilance, but the Utopia is definitely brighter sounding, also because it’s got more upper mids.
Midrange
The Utopia has more upper mids, the SR-007 has more lower mids. This makes the Utopia brighter sounding. However, the SR-007 mostly sounds more upfront with vocals and instruments like guitars and the piano. There’s more tonal weight and body. The SR-007 sounds more organic and fluid, the Utopia is drier sounding with more apparent textures.
Bass
The first thing one notices is that the SR-007 has more bass. Powered by the KGSSHV Carbon it is also high-quality bass. However, the Utopia is too really fabulous in the lower regions. Although it has less in terms of quantity, it’s very detailed and dynamic.
Timbre
I really like both presentations. With regards to which has the most neutral presentation, I’d say that the Utopia is a bit brighter than neutral, the SR-007 is a bit darker. You can immediately tell that these have very different presentations. It is not like when comparing the STAX SR-009 and the Utopia, which has a very similar tuning.
I really enjoy both of these headphones immensely but I am a sucker for dark presentations like the Audeze classic house sound. The SR-007 reminds me of the LCD-3. The Utopia is more like a hybrid of the Sennheiser HD800S and the STAX SR-009 with better imaging and bass.
Soundstage and Imaging
This isn’t the SR-007 strong side. It’s pretty open-sounding, there’s definitely great separation but it sounds a bit all over the place. I like it, it’s immersive, but there’s no denying that the Utopia fares technically better here. It is more pinpointed and has more black space between the instruments. The Utopia is also better at layering. The SR-007 has a wider soundstage, but the Utopia is more precise with impressive pin-point imaging.
CONCLUSION
These are both fabulous-sounding headphones. The SR-007 is warmer sounding and lusher with more bass, a warm sounding midrange and a very effortless treble. The Utopia is brighter and crisper, it has better separation, great pin-point imaging and more space between instruments, resulting in a more holographic presentation.
You can check out the Focal Utopia here.
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