Focal Utopia Open-Back Headphones - Official Thread

[KaranGovil]

As someone fairly new in the “flagship world” I feel like Utopia, along with Susvara, Abyss, and LCD5/4 are still perhaps the most common TOTL headphones, at least from a quick glance. Perhaps Utopias have become a bit old and the latest revision wasn’t that big of a change which might be a motivating factor when you say they are underrated.

I consider myself a newbie when discerning finer nuances between higher end equipment and have sometimes struggled translating some of the audiophile terms to a more physical experience. I feel like I have a decent grip of stage and imaging but detail, slam, dynamics, timbre still sometimes are hard to pinpoint.

But after doing a quick A/B between Utopia and some of my other headphones I had one of those rare aha moments which was very satisfying. Even my wife who is very skeptical of high end audio was able to tell the difference quite easily.

This is not to say I’m rushing to sell off everything and just keep Utopias. I think the others have their place and allow me to come back to Utopia (and others) and renew that aha moment periodically and hopefully keep me off the hedonic treadmill of constant upgradetitis longer.

[BoardmanGetsPaid]

Utopia is a fantastic piece of gear. As an overall package there’s very little to critique and is easily one of the most impressive headphone I’ve heard this past decade. Studio B is a solid amp pairing and probably as good as it gets with the Utopia. If what I’m hearing about the tuning on the new 2022 model is true then Focal has really dropped the ball here. The improved durability of the drivers is a definite plus though I’m not too keen on seeing reports of more laid back tuning. Though I really shouldn’t be judging until I hear one.

@KaranGovil

Didn’t need to do much A/B to realize that they ruined my beloved Atriums

Personally speaking I don’t think it ruin the Atrium as they do things very differently. In fact, hearing an Atrium on my Studio B has made me reconsidered getting my own Utopia. Since getting the Atrium back in April, I’ve lost a lot of drive in this hobby as a whole. For the first time in a while I’m very satisfied and I’ve since put all my attention back to listening and exploring different music. Coincidentally Black Sabbath is one of my favorites the ZMFs. Of course that is just my own experience.

@andris

I think the Utopia is probably the most underrated flagship these days.

Attention span are short and the fact that people are still talking about this in the upper echelon is testament to it’s staying power. It also require a bit more effort in finding a matching source component to bring out it’s full capabilities. I doubt anyone who owns an inefficient planar would consider a SET amp as it’s main amp, which is the type of amp that goes best with the Utopia and that in my opinion is losing out a lot of what makes it great.

[orrman]

@BoardmanGetsPaid

I’m not too keen on seeing reports of more laid back tuning.

In no way I would call the 2022 Utopia laid back, it’s energetic forward and punchy. It sits comfortably at the top of my headphones experiences alongside the Susvara and 1266 TC. I highly recommend listening to one if you get the chance.

[KaranGovil]

@BoardmanGetsPaid

For the first time in a while I’m very satisfied and I’ve since put all my attention back to listening and exploring different music

Totally agree with this statement. I was just being a bit hyperbolic as I have been really happy and still love my Atriums. It’s just that I didn’t really expect this much difference in SQ which took me by surprise. It was also just 2 mins on one song (Wizard) that I did the comparison on so it’s not really fair.

I’ll do some more detailed listening this weekend with variety of music but usually I prefer just exploring music rather than listening to gear and critical listening.

[tmarshl]

@BoardmanGetsPaid

It also require a bit more effort in finding a matching source component to bring out it’s full capabilities. I doubt anyone who owns an inefficient planar would consider a SET amp as it’s main amp, which is the type of amp that goes best with the Utopia and that in my opinion is losing out a lot of what makes it great.

After trying many other TOTL headphones I have come back to the Utopia’s as my favorite for relaxed listening. [Nucleus > Matrix Element X > Utopia + Transparent Ultra Cable]. The reason is that it does well at everything, and presents music in a very balanced, non-fatiguing way. Nothing gets in the way of the music.

I totally agree with the need for the right DAC, the right AMP (even the right cable and pads). Personal reviews of headphone performance without revealing the whole chain can be very confusing, as any element in the chain will make a difference.

[orrman]

@tmarshl

my favorite for relaxed listening

I grab the Utopia when I want a more engaging listening session. Shows you how much this hobby is subjective and personal.

[tmarshl]

@orrman

I grab the Utopia when I want a more engaging listening session

YMMV

For critical listening I use: [Roon Nucleus > dCS Bartok > Raal HSA-1b > Raal SR-1a + Raal SR728 silver cable]. It is so “present” that it demands my complete attention to every nuance in the music.

I do love both setups, I also very much appreciate the education and guidance that I have received in this and other headphone forums which have enabled me to assemble my end-game audiophile systems.

[eduh]

@tmarshl

Personal reviews of headphone performance without revealing the whole chain can be very confusing, as any element in the chain will make a difference.

Every reviewer should read this before starting a review!!

[BoardmanGetsPaid]

@orrman

I highly recommend listening to one if you get the chance.

I’ll try to see if I can get some listening in before the year ends. The original is such an accomplished headphone to my ears so it’ll be interesting to hear what’s changed.

[orrman]

Since getting mine I’ve been listening to it more than my Susvara… never thought that’ll happen with any headphones.

[noob47]

sadly I have the stereotype impression of the OG Utopia not good for classical (like hd800 no good for vocal), can anyone clear my midget mind… want to pull some trigger

[orrman]

I guess it depends on the type of classical and what you’re looking for. Detail and separation is top notch. Accuracy and instrument placement is also very good and staging depth is excellent. Timbre is good not the best out there. Dynamics are great. It’s not the widest or tallest but that can be mitigated to some degree with your chain.

It also depends on what you’re used to listening with and comparisons.

I wouldn’t cancel out the Utopia for any genre unless you have multiple headphones and looking for a specialist for something and then there might be a better TOTL for that.

[MokhaMark]

Just goes to show you a stereotype need not have consensus, in this case I could not disagree more. I find the Utopia to be the best “all rounder” I have encountered yet, for every genre. That goes for both the OG and 2022, and a good proportion of my listening is orchestral and chamber music. Dynamics matter with classical also, maybe even more, and the Utopia have this in spades. Their imaging is absolutely etched. The instrument separation is also top notch, so complex portions of music do not sound as congested as other dynamic driver cans. Until you listen for yourself, I’d take such generalizations with a grain of salt. At least you have one contrasting opinion.

*edited to remove the word “truth” as possibly inflamatory

[MokhaMark]

The new 2022 Utopia is like a James Bond. Their power lurks below a polished, sophisticated, well-dressed presentation. Think of Bond having his martini in a tuxedo, standing at a gilded bar, then when the music calls for it, killing every genre thrown his way and then fading into a black background. The new Utopia make me think of the cliché iron fist in a velvet glove. These headphones are just so suave and smooth. I think blind, most would find them more balanced than the OG in their over all sound. Is there “more” bass. Maybe. But to my ears, it is less textured than the OG, just slightly more euphonic down low.

The OG are in the same gilded bar, also in a tuxedo, maybe with a little stubble on the face and a mysterious scar on one cheek. They drink a brown liquid rather than a martini. They are the villain in the Bond flick, and they will also leave the bar fight alive. They do sizzle a little more, they engage in a different way that draws attention to detail. They are a photograph with a little more edge sharpening. They are also sublime. Truth is, the OG Utopia are the closest I have found to my beloved Raal Sr1a for the sense of air and space. But they can be driven off a Bic lighter which makes them more versatile, desk and travel friendly.

A musical example:

I am a huge fan of Tord Gustavsen. His quartet’s 2012 recording for ECM The Well has a track I have been using a lot for my comparison, the second track, Playing. It opens with a well recoded kit and the kick drum and rim shots set up dexterous snare rolls (drummer Jarle Vespestad). On the 2022 it sounds so real, with great resonance in the kick drum and long decay of the rim shots. The snare sounds like a snare. On the OG, the snare sounds like an angry rattle snake.

Truth is, I think there is not a lot of daylight between these two exceptional headphones. My personal opinion is if you have the OG and other headphones too, it is not necessarily an upgrade. If you are looking for one headphone to rule them all, a desert island set up, the 2022 may be the pinnacle. It is for me. The Utopia 2022 is the 23rd headphone I’ve owned in what has mostly been a search to compliment the Sr1a and fill in the genres that exceptional monitor are less convincing with. Either 2022 or OG do that, but the 2022 contrast the SR1a just a little more and I find them slightly more forgiving of recording quality.

In short, the Utopia are currently my favorite all-rounder, do all, every genre headphone with the added benefit of being easy to get a lot out of with affordable gear. Nearly perfect. I’ll not be selling my SR1a, but either Utopia will be my most listened to headphone.

Happy listening everyone.

[orrman]

Brilliant writing thanks for sharing!

[chrisnyc75]

@BoardmanGetsPaid

If what I’m hearing about the tuning on the new 2022 model is true then Focal has really dropped the ball here.

I feel like Focal fell into the trap of giving customers exactly what they asked for when in reality they didn’t really want what they were asking for at all (does that make sense?). Anyway, after so many years and falling residual values on preowned OG Utopias, they really had no choice to but to do a refresh, and they couldn’t very well just change the color of the logo and call it an update. They had to do something meaningful to it, so they gave it a bit more bass and a bit less treble, which addresses the only real criticisms anyone had ever levied against Utopia.

Much like the Clear OG vs MG, I suspect people fall into 2 camps: those that think more newer is more better and those that think if it wasn’t broke you shouldn’t have tried to fix it.

[generic]

Don’t forget the reliability issues / failed drivers with the OG.

Headphone technology reached the point of diminishing returns a long time ago.

[Rhodey]

True, but I honestly haven’t seen many who don’t like the Nutopia. And this is coming from people who own or owned the OG.

Most of the impressions here and other forums have been positive. Maybe one guy on headfi who had the Nutopia for 24hrs said he wasn’t a fan and probably would return them? Haven’t seen an update since haha so idk?

[chrisnyc75]

Fair enough. Being a Utopia fanboy, I wouldn’t expect any Utopia lovers to “dislike” any variation of Utopia. That said, given the choice between the two I am curious how many would opt for the Nutopia over OG. I genuinely don’t know. Personally I have NO complaints about OG and am not interested in changing anything about it.

[MokhaMark]

I’m just a few days in having both at the same time. So far I think it is hard not to consider the 2022 a refinement. Doesn’t mean the OG is anything less than it was, and it will come down to what kind of listening folks do and what they prioritize. I am quite certain the 2022 is not at all a fail. And I am equally certain the OG is an amazing headphone. They are not different enough IMO to call the 2022 a different model altogether, but I do think the refinements are more than a simple refresh. Again, early impressions but I am really enamored with the 2022. And I still love the OG.