Headphone Amp for Focal Utopias?

@yyzsantabarbara  Just curious, what made you prefer the Empyrean over Utopia? 

I have no clue about headphones. I am only buying them because I want something for late night listening while I work (after midnight). The dealer that I am buying the headphones from advised me to buy the Meze over the Focal due to quality control issues. He sells both lines and was not happy with Focal warranty issues. That is why I asked here but since no one replied I looked at Amazon reviews and those supported what the dealer told me. The Meze is actually $250 cheaper than the Focal with this dealer.

I should add that I know the sound of the Benchmark HPA4 since I have owned the AHB2 before and will be buying 2 more of them maybe this month. I wanted to buy the LA4 initially for my 2 channel office setup but decided to pay the extra $500 so I can waste more money buying high end headphones, which I know nothing about

Another thing in the favor of the Meze, paired with the neutral and transparent HPA4, is that the Meze is being described as a warmish sounding HP. Unlike the Focal which is described as being neutral and very detailed. 

I was curious about that also yyz.  I have the Focal Elex from Massdrop and they seem to be very well made.  I would expect the Utopia to be better.  I have a lot of headphones, so the Elex haven't been used on a regular enough basis for me to say they're "dependable" or not. 

I've heard of the Meze brand, mostly due to an offering they have on Massdrop.  The  Empyrean looks nice.  Keep in mind that an open back design may annoy others if they are nearby while you're listening.  A closed back design will keep most of the sound in your ears and not in anybody else's.  Other than that, they look light, like they should be comfortable, have a number of cable choices, and are easy to drive.  All good things.

I should not be making any comments about HP's since I am clueless.  I did own some Sienhieser (sp?) HD600 models long ago. I gave those away since I did not use them back in the day. However, now I have a family to consider and headphones make more sense than working without music late at night. 

The issue I was told with the Focal was related to the failure rate of the drivers. Like I mentioned earlier I maybe wrong since I have never owned them.

I was surprised to see how popular HP's are right now with so many owners and reviews. The general perception I got is that the Meze is one of the most comfortable (even on a big head). It is also rather coherent in sound with a nice mid range  (and some warmth). I was thinking the Focal would be better because it would be different than the speakers I expect to use in my room (variety the spice of life). However, reading comments by HP users gave me a feeling that the HPA4 and the Focal Utopia maybe a little bright. I could have overlooked that if I had not been advised to buy the lower cost Meze due to QC issues. I will likely have a lot of fun with the Meze. A few reviewers have used the HPA4 with the Meze and they loved that combo. 

A good chance I will now have a HP and a DAC from 2 Romanian companies. Never expected that.

Please share your impressions of the new headphones when you get them. Headphones are great, it's like having a bunch of different speakers to choose from.