It’s the common negative for the other 4 positives.
Equipment should be on its own separate shelf, which is an issue for you as you stated in your initial post.
Just stay the way you are, no extra kit, no cash outlay, no messing about.
Enjoy what you have and listen to the music.
DG…
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I don’t agree with this, it’s like owning a Porsche 911 and only using it one day a week to go to the corner store. The OP mentioned their dealer can provide some kind of acrylic shelf, and wants the OP to try a Luxman headphone amp, why not give it a try?
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@NO-QUARTER We are going in the direction you suggest. My dealer is unsure about how to connect to the SN3. My husband wants me to use the Utopia headphones more so that us pushing me in the direction you suggested.
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That’s good to hear, I truly believe you have never heard what the Utopias are capable of, you might be shocked. Do you know which Luxman amp your dealer is suggesting? I looked online and there are several different models.
I would also try connecting directly from the NDX2 to the amp, the SN3 could introduce unwanted noise, who knows until you try.
By the way, I am not just some guy that has no experience with headphones, I once owned an ND5XS2 >DC1>Chord Mscaler>Chord TT2 Dac into Sennheiser headphones.
Good luck.
@NO-QUARTER if the dealer rubs into problems securing a unit,are there others to consider? Chord? Something else? If I connect to my NDX2, how would I hear the TT or CDP? Thanks.
Well Chord Dacs /amps are only good if your source is digital. That would work with your NDX2, but not turntable. If your CD player has a digital out, that could work too. What you need is an analog amp if you want all your sources to work. Your Ndx2 has Dac onboard, so that is why you just need an amp. I can not provide links here, so you will need to investigate on your own. I googled New York headphone specialist, and a few popped up. Not sure why you are so tied to that one dealer, you could at least go look/listen at another shop. Then let your go to dealer know what you may find, see if they can order one for you.
@NO-QUARTER because of disability, I find it impossible to connect and set up gear. My dealer, because of that provides in-home tech support. I am not sure that would be provided for gear I did not purchase from the dealer.
Are you mobile at all, or are you kind of stuck at home? Maybe if he can’t provide any options, he would allow you to , or he could order something online. Then he might supply you with the necessary cables etc., and I am sure for a small fee, he would come by and hook it up for you.
I have always been curious about (Woo Audio) for headphone amps as one example, Moondrifter mentioned (Violectric), that he uses.
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@NO-QUARTER The dealer charges for hone tech support. However he has only one tech person. I will talk to the dealer to discuss options. My husband drives our car.
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@NO-QUARTER The project is getting way more costly than planned. Because I have limited outlets snd noisy NYC lines, I use an Isotek unit to provide extra outlets. I have no more outlets in the unit. Units with more outlets will add 5K to project cost. My walls are concrete, plaster and cinderblock so having new outlets installed in wall would be a major hassle. The cost is rising to the point, along with the associated issues that adding a good amp may be precluded. The project total cost would be around 10K. A lot to spend when headphones are not my primary mode. Thanks for your help. I wonder if the Chord Hugo 2 would be an improvement?
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The issue with a Hugo 2 is vinyl playback. If you don’t need that then I’d heartily recommend one (again! 
SN3 Driving Focal Utopia Headphones? - #8 by gthack). It would solve your tethering issue as well if you used your phone as the digital source. If you used your NDX2 then you could just use your existing long lead, the Hugo has 3.5mm and 1/4"/6.35mm outputs.
You should try one if you can though, the user interface might be great for you, or awful.
Here’s what my Hugo 1 looks like with a phone as the digital source. It’s portable, but I wouldn’t want to wander around with it. I can certainly take it into whatever room I like, or on a train, though, and sit and listen easily enough.
If you’re in NYC, other the “high end” shops may be willing to help you out re tech support too, especially if you were to explain your situation. At least, my experience has been that the Manhattan audio dealers seem to want people to be happy in the hobby. Might be worth a call to a few of them?
Also FWIW I run Utopias from the built-in headphone amp of a 222. They sound great, even though I know I’m leaving something on the table in terms of amp quality. However, the Utopias did take a while to break in. If you’re only listening occasionally, you might still be getting the Utopias’ stiff sound. I wasn’t crazy about that sound quality, but now after a few months they sound great to me. So maybe the “don’t sweat it, just listen more” advice from this thread might pay off in that regard as well?
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I’m not sure what you’re comparing to here, but I linked a post earlier in this thread about the 222’s headphone capabilities, from Naim’s 110db. He said it was better than the Atom HE’s performance, albeit the 222 omits the different socketry and driving options of the dedicated headphone amp. I bet your 222 sounds pretty good as a headphone amp!
That’s a great reason to stay put as well!
P.S. @Jaybar - whilst I had the Hugo 1 out for the photo above I’ve been listening to it, it’s really very good, released 10 years ago now!
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I use a Shunyata Venom PS 10 power distributor, which cost me 1K Canadian, and has ten outlets. Why you need to spend 5K is not realistic. I have home demoed a Hugo 2 when they first came out, really liked it a lot. The Venom comes with the power cord attached.
Within reason, what might I have to spend for a dedicated headphone amp for my Utopia headphones that is significantly better than the amp in my SN3? My dealer is suggesting a $6000 Luxmsn amp which strikes me as high. Add to that, will be a new Isotek unit. The problem with the Atom HE is that its steamer part is inferior to my NDX2/XPSDr. I would like to keep the total project cost, including cable and shelf unit to about $7000 max.
A quick Google search and you can get Violectric V550’s in the US for 3000 dollars and the V550 PRO for 3600. Check them out, they are excellent and will match very well with your Utopia’s as previously advised.
That is why you really need to get out there and try a few different amps at one of those headphone shops. We don’t know your musical taste, what you consider better than SN3, it is such a personal thing. That Feliks Audio amp I posted a photo of above is the Echo 2 model which is listed at 900 Euro. They also have another model for 7K Euro. I have not heard any of these personally, my headphone amps have all been Chord products.
If you are not willing to get out there, and only listen to what one dealer says, it might be a lost cause I’m afraid. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
I just watched a video on YouTube reviewing the Violectric V 550 that MoonDrifter suggested for you Jaybar. The guy actually demoed it with the Utopias, and really seems to like the pairing a lot.
At $3,000 US, and a Shunyata Venom power distributor at $900 US, you would come in at under 4K. Take a look on YouTube, lots of info about headphone amps there. I hope it is not against rules mentioning this Richard?
Just stay as you are, you’ll be fine and enjoy the music.
DG…
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