Well, that would be the case - I’d love to keep it if I could - but sadly it has to go on to the next reviewer after I’m done my review of it.
Life will not be the same without it 
Can you maybe retain the tubes as a keepsake?
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If you’re wondering about Utopia tonal balance, reports of it being ‘bright’ are a bit exaggerated I think. Here’s the FR I got (from last year, so the scaling may be a bit different from what I’m doing now).
So… based on this, I’d say Chrono’s assessment is accurate.
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Based on this I’m seeing ‘relatively’ elevated FR on the far right, and this seems perfectly in line with my impressions/review. Having such a clean delivery all the way up lets the content in the sensitive highest range remain narrow (piercing) and audible.
It is extended high rather than bright per se.
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Actually most headphones that are well extended in the treble do tend to show this kind of behavior in the upper frequencies. There are a number of considerations that I think are worth bringing up. First, 16khz and up is like… at the very upper limits of human hearing, and while I can hear up to 17khz, it’s really quite quiet there. And of course, as we age, we end up losing the ability to hear those upper frequencies, so this may be less audible than it looks. Second, one of the common criticisms of this target is that it tends to roll off in the upper treble in general. Now, one of the reasons for this is because the target is extremely coarse grained, and so it can’t really account for all the variation that’ll exist up there. But then also, more importantly, these rigs aren’t as accurate above 10khz anyway. As in, they may provide some information, but they’re not rated for accuracy in the upper upper frequencies the way they are up to 10khz. And this means that the target is basically meaningless at the region where you see that elevation.
In short, that stuff up at like 16khz really does not indicate a bright sound. I think if anything what you may be picking up on is the slight 8khz elevation more than anything else. Also keep in mind that the 9khz dip should be there because it’s the concha ‘feature’.
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Okay. To me the clarity of reproduction in specific frequency bands is what makes Focal’s products sound like they do. I’ve played with frequency generators and know that for me there isn’t much value beyond 13K. However, some headphones seem to ‘wrap around’ where bass or treble can become spurious content elsewhere.
To my ears the Elex is clean but incredibly stabby, while the Utopia produces coherent and a bit less stabby tones in the high range. FR graphs have modest interpretive value IMO, as some things sound really different to my ears on different sources (e.g., HD600 utterly transforms on a balanced setup). It can come across as broadly bright or narrowly piercing on some setups too – all variants in high range clarity and the ability to produce intended high notes vs. interactions or spray.
From the very first time I tried the Elex, it came across as zig-zag peaky and trumpet-like in the mid to high range. Other (non-metal) drivers tend to be diffuse and random.
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Yeah I think a lot of that stuff is potentially audible if you’re scrutinizing the sound - like the somewhat raggedness you see in the FRs. The Focal Clear and Elex both have that perhaps to a more significant degree. So while the FRs are great, some may pick up on the more… gritty treble presentation (as opposed to the smoother kind of sound from an HD6 headphone). And that’s usually shown by 6khz or 8khz peaks in the FR. So when I hear people describe the Utopia is a bright or too fatiguing, I have to imagine it’s likely related to that quality in some way. Because the overall curve is quite balanced.
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Just send in Tyler and the boy’s. 
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Not a set of headphones I expect to be experiencing in the foreseeable future … but … good discussion !
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I’d be a terrible headphone reviewer because they just sound great to me.
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Great review @Chrono! It was nice finally getting your impressions of this behemoth as well.
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Is there a notable difference between the 2020 revision and the prior iteration of the Utopia?
Just accessories. The can is the same.
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Does anyone know if the headband (and/or its respective cushion) are replaceable on the Utopia ?
I’ve been considering these but I’ve read elsewhere about people finding it difficult getting Focal to replace and/or service their headphones.
Looking at the headband on mine I don’t see how it would be easily replaceable. The headband was more an issue with the Clear OG, people created headband protectors.
Focal has been reported to be difficult to deal with warranty wise and their replacement parts, like pads, are more costly than needed. The warranty is transferable for whats that is worth.
Not sure how their malfunction rate compares to any other company.
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Following up on this.
I went ahead and asked Focal. According to them, the headband is replaceable but at a cost of $1600 to $1700
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Completely f**king ridiculous. That’s almost half the cost of the headphones. I can buy a full leather couch for that!
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You can buy a fully functional used Utopia for perhaps $2.5K.
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The $200 for earpads always seemed a bit high, but I could stomach that. $1600 for the headband, however, seems positively outrageous.
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Yep, that’s a robbery. Maybe they have too replace the whole armature as they didn’t allow for just the headband cushion to be replaced.
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