cough cough yamaha yh5k
Before i’d say final d8kp, but I do think the utopia out resolves it on a higher-end chain IME (aside from bass)
But it was interesting comparing both the utopia and yh5k on my own system…
I know responses were mixed during canjam but I’m pretty positive it was because of burn-in, cause I asked and they said it was pretty much a new pair they had brought to the show.
I am curious about the Yamaha, but haven’t heard it yet. It’s definitely “on my radar” though. 
But if you want more bass, it’s not the answer, right?
It will probably depend on what you’d consider as “more” since, in terms of quantity, I think everyone’s perception of “more” will differ. I will say that personally, I never thought it lacked any quantity or quality-wise. It’s spot-on neutral with a bit of warmth, also depends on your chain too. But don’t let the looks fool you, this thing can hit hard when it needs to.
But does it come off as less than utopia?
The utopia can slam a bit harder, but that’s about the only thing it has over it in terms of bass imo, and even then the yh5k is not far off in that regard.
Edit: the pre-20 utopia btw
Yeah I understand. Just was trying to make sure Chris had solid info for his situation and I was actually curious too.
@chrisnyc75 Have you considered the Meze Elite? I haven’t heard the Utopia, but from the descriptions, the Elite would be an excellent complement. Planar bass, non-fatiguing tuning while maintaining excellent resolution, expansive soundstage vs the more intimate staging of the Utopia, easy to drive well with a variety of amps, supremely comfortable, and two great pad options that tweak the sound (hybrid and angled Alcantara).
I heard Elite briefly at CanJam. I liked it, but it didn’t strike me as all that much better than Arya… though I’ll certainly listen again when I have the opportunity. I’m in no rush, I won’t be adding another headphone until next year at the soonest, so I’ve got plenty of time to consider all options.
Have you ever listened to the Rosson RAD-0 Andris?
To me it has a lot of the “fun” of the Atrium, but it’s more resolving and more detailed in the treble compared to the AO. It’s just as punchy, and seems to go really deep in the bass along the lines of the Utopia.
Just a thought…
I don’t think the Elite is one of those headphones that immediately impresses. I had a similar experience to you at last year’s CanJam. But I got to borrow it for a week or two and and it’s virtues crept up on me, and then I understood why it was well loved.
But I still see it as a “comfortable sounding” headphone (I mean that as a compliment) and I don’t think that’s what your looking for.
I somehow have not gotten to listen to this one, and absolutely will first opportunity I can. Thanks for the suggestion! 
I listened to Rad-0 at CanJam last year and was quite impressed. “Planar ZMF” sound is what came to mind at the time. I have a feeling it is probably outclassed by Caldera now, but who knows.
I agree, that’s how I’d describe the RAD-0 too. But it has a different sound than the Caldera. I own a RAD-0 as a change of pace planar to my Caldera, and I know of someone else who owns both too.
They come in 3 different tuning. I have the middle/regular tuning, which I find to be on the “sit back and enjoy the warmth” side of things, and that’s with a silver cable. I like that, but know others prefer the brighter tuning. YMMV.
Recently picked up an OG Utopia to see how it compares to the Nutopia. I couldn’t resist not knowing and I needed to find out myself. I was prepared to part ways with the Nutopia if the OG could impress me enough.
Utopia (OG) and Nutopia (22) Comparison
This comparison was done using the following chain:
PP3>Innuos Zenith MK3 (using Sense and Roon)>Wavelight>EC Studio B - 300B
(stock focal cable to keep it fair)
Most of this is nitpicking because IMO these are very close. They’re definitely both a utopia. Both have very good detail, speed, punch/slam, depth, and that utopia trait where things just pop out in the mix and in a way that adds a sparkle to the experience. Very fun headphones.
Nutopia leans a touch warm in the low end. Guitars on the 22 have a bit more growl and come off fuller to me. Utopia/OG is still very good but if I had to pick I’d go 22. Depending on the recording the 22 seems to hit a tad harder at times too. The bass fills up some of the space and makes me feel it’s more complete. This is going to be a preference thing but I like the warmer tilt. With something like orchestral music I could see someone liking the OG a bit more but the increase in the low end doesn’t bother me here. It’s actually nice with upright bass, certain strings, horns, etc. If you’re a bass fan and listen to modern pop/hip hop/EDM/etc. I don’t know why you wouldn’t choose the 22 (outside of the cost difference). I’d say the same for most rock too.
Some recordings vocals can seem a tad fuller on the 22 as well. When I would do an A/B of the two to test clarity of the vocals, I think it’s too close to call. Both are great in this area. It’s not like the additional low end bleeds into the mids and hurts the vocals. I like how they accomplished this.
Stage is close too but I think the 22 can seem slightly larger. It’s very close but some reverbs and micro details in the distance seems a tad bit farther on the 22. Depth in the stage is pretty close too, I think this one is a toss up. I do think the 22 can be a tad bit more holographic at times. Some recordings will reveal this better than others.
Throughout the midrange I say it’s very close. Probably a preference thing again. Some recordings the 22 will have a slight touch of more body. Nothing crazy in one direction or another IMO. I’d take either.
When it comes to the high frequencies I think they both extend very well. I don’t want anything more from the 22 (heading into this I was thinking the 22 would lose here). The OG is just as good but occasionally, and I mean occasionally because most of the time it’s fine, but it can get just a touch spicy. While the 22 will extend just as high to me, it slightly takes that edge off with its touch of warmth. I’m not saying it’s blunted or dulled in anyway it’s just more pleasing to me. This typically happens in something like rock.
Timbre is close as well but I think at times I like the 22. I think I prefer the touch of body and warmth throughout the signature. Some recordings will show this better than others. Again close and nitpicking.
If I come up with anything else I’ll add some more to this. Overall they’re both great. Again, a lot of this is nitpicking. They’re close and I couldn’t see owning both. If I didn’t have the 22 I’d be completely content with the OG. Which makes me think I wish I would have tried the OG years ago. Probably would have saved some money along the way in my audio journey, IDK? The current OG prices are amazing and I don’t fault anyone for picking one up over the 22. As for me, I’ll stick with the 22. Even tho there’s a price difference, I feel the 22 fits my preferences a bit more. I could sell the 22 and get some cash back but I don’t know if I’d be as happy knowing what I’ve heard.
Oh and the OG is really nice looking in person. I wasn’t really a fan when looking at pics online, but they’re pretty in person 
Nice comparison and good to hear your take on it. I know a lot of us, self included, wonder whether the differences between them justify the price for the 22.
Personally, I prefer the look and aesthetics of the OG and if the sound difference is that negligible, I would lean towards the OG for myself. What gives me hesitation is that part of the redesign was to address the driver failure issue.
So going for the 22 also comes with some piece of mind, maybe? Though I haven’t heard people really complain about any issues with warranty or service for their OG Utopia.
Thoughts on going for one over the other for warranty/dependability sake?
From what I hear the driver failure thing is overblown. But they tweaked the driver for a reason and from what Jude said on headfi, if I remember correctly it was for durability purposes.
Some think they’re different enough to own both. I’m obviously not in that camp and I honestly could own either. With a cable change and some tube tweaks I’m sure it’ll be fine. I do slightly prefer the 22 tho.
I bet the OG would be a better pair off the envy due to the envy leaning a little warm. I felt the 22 was ok on the envy but after some time I think it worked better on something like the EC or DNA. OG works great off both of those amps as well.
And on the looks, I like the 22 more. Not a ton more as the OG looks much better in person but I do like it a little more.
From a warranty standpoint they are the same, 5 years. Dependability, who knows? Supposedly the driver in the OG had a minor revision along the way to help address driver failure in early units, but I’m not 100% on that.
If you get an OG Utopia perhaps try to get one manufactured more recently? Hopefully others here can shed some light.
I like the look of the OG better too 
Had a driver failure on my OG Utopia, and Focal replaced it without a whimper, and quickly too. I would not hesitate to buy an OG Utopia again, as long as the original purchase was within 5 years.
Just a quick note of interest… I bought my Utopia used about 2 years ago, from a probably inadvisable ebay auction (though I got lucky and it’s in excellent condition). I am not entirely sure how old it was when I got it, but the pads seemed fine - no signs of wear and they were quite comfortable. Still, I set an alert on headphones-dot-com for the Utopia pads and got a notice awhile back that they were in stock, so while there was no immediate reason to replace my pads, I decided it couldn’t hurt to pick up a fresh new pair. Anyway, I just got around to putting the new pads on my Utopia and HOLY MOLY, turns out my original pads were not alright at all. Despite the lack of any obvious signs of wear on my old pads, the new pads feel ENTIRELY different on my head, and my Utopia is giving me a sense of ease and finesse that I honestly didn’t even realize was missing before.
Which is all to say: don’t skimp on those pads, folks. Even if you think your old pads are OK, they might not be OK at all.
And thanks to headphones-dot-com for their handy dandy “notify me” feature.
