My memory wins the internet!!
I have heard the Bartok is very analytical, which you would think may present an issue wth the analytical nature of the Utopia. Obviously you either appreciate that or are of another opinion. TBH, since it is very much outside of my price range I have only briefly looked in to it and mostly at the retail price. It’s cool that you can play with such gems.
Not an issue for me at all. For my old ears, it sounds close enough to a live performance. Of course, as usual, YMMV as we all have different perceptions of sound. These differing perceptions of music delivered through so many equipment options make for a constantly fascinating hobby.
LOL - Starlett for the win!
Nice, I’m curious about its sound and want to get my ears on a T4 (and for you to say it’s among your favorites at the moment)!
The Stellia don’t work well at all on the DSHA-3F for me, for some reason.
They sound great on the T4. Not sure why they are so different with the Stellia.
Unfortunately, I no longer own the Clear (sold when I got the Stellia, before I received my 3F) so I can’t really get the full 3F + Focal experience…
I wish I had the Utopia for another go now that I have the Elise Mark II OTL … I think that could be a real sweet spot…
I’m not quite sure why the Stellia would behave like that. Nice gear.
I just got a pair of Utopias a few days ago, and I completely agree with what you say here; “Music enthusiasts who are either not treble-sensitive at all, or who suffer from hearing loss. The Utopia’s nuances are very enticing except for the energetic treble. So, it could be a perfect out-of-box solution for some people.”, as that describes me perfectly; I have some hearing loss in high frequencies, so these Utopias sound perfect for me in timbre and not at all bright. They just get out of the way and deliver the music. I just wish they had a bit more of a head-rattling bass like my Meze Empyreans do, but those sound a little too ‘dark’ for me; for many others with better hearing, I’d think they’d be perfect… But other than that, I prefer the Utopias in every way. I use a Hugo 2 as a DAC, fed into an iFi iCan amp.
You know… I thought the Echo would be the right spot for them for me. I was wrong. haha.
Not relaxed enough? The echo is not the warmest of the bunch though I believe. I think the Euforia is what most people recommend with the Utopia, I am bummed I never got the chance. The Elise is back with Upscale now.
Echo is pretty warm… I think it may have been so punchy that the fatigue factor with the Utopia was amped up for me; I was disappointed that I didn’t like it. I have to find my impressions write up and post.
The Utopias can shake up your spinal cord. I was doing some tube rolling with my amp and was listening to a piece that had some potentially intense dynamics and at a certain point I thought a gun went off next to me, not pleasant, felt on edge with my Utopias for a while after. That tube mix went bye bye. Bloody Focal and their explosive dynamics.
Focal Utopia. Injecting detail since 2017.
And treble…
I consider Utopia as amp picky as the Susvara…one must indeed find the right synergy for them to shine. The WA33 allowed me to truly experience and understand what the Utopia are capable of…but because we all hear differently, ymmv of course.
I could very well see myself with this combo and be set…
I owe @TylersEclectic a review after the loaner tour.
I still have my notes. I have 60% of it written already.
Sigh
Don’t worry, take your time. I have already written a rebuttal to your review. 
Too bad you weren’t Stratified when you had it. Would have been interested to hear your thoughts on the combo.
If you are sensitive, the amp likely won’t matter with the Utopia. It’s the only set of headphones that made bloody Karen Carpenter sound shrill to me!!!
Agreed. Even if your not overly sensitive pairing issues are notorious. It should come with a list of recommended amps.
I’m still in the process of writing my review for the loaner tour, but I agree with you. I’ll expand on this in my review more, but in summation the Utopia seems to follow a pattern of TOTL tuning for older “audiophile” ears, imo.
Wait to read my review (posted above), but that’s exactly what I wrote…