I still direct people to my 2020 review and comparison: Utopia, OG Clear, Elex, and HD-600. My views of those four haven’t changed much since then, but I now use the HD 800 S more than the Clear. I place the 800 S above the Clear but below the Utopia on technical grounds, but the 800 S has more comfortable treble than the Utopia.
In my comparison review I pegged the Utopia as about 20% better than the Clear, but that doesn’t mean a lot for experiential / qualitative comparisons. To my ears the Utopia works best with simpler, gentler music.
Yes. The qualitative difference is larger. It’s too bad about those Utopia needles. I upgraded from the Elex to the Clear because the mere thought of using the Elex made me wince and I came to avoid it over time.