Focal Utopia Open-Back Headphones - Official Thread

[TylersEclectic]

Holy … mother… of… GOD!!

I put these on after kind of a “meh” week of them…I’m blaming brain burn in with my other TOTLs…put these on after not listening to anything but Andromeda golds and my Cascades…

First track:
Dead Can Dance “Song of the stars” Remastered version
https://open.qobuz.com/track/2339184

the ambient noise had me freaking out…it was almost hyper-real! the rain sticks/shakers and drums are a trip in this track with the Utopias. Especially the way they move from left to right and back. Or hang in one ear. The bird calls are pretty cool as well.

I played a couple of greatest hits of Blink-182…just save yourself the trouble and don’t bother with these listening to the Blink-182s lol…it just isn’t enjoyable.

Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers “Slow Burn”
https://open.qobuz.com/track/61364756

Pay attention around the 32-35 second mark when the electric guitar kicks in just enjoyable. Also from the beginning if you pay attention the drummer in the background is just killing it…but this track is definetly vocal forward. But, I love the subtle drums in the background especially the snares.

Run River North “Wake Up”
https://open.qobuz.com/album/sdnu1foulmvoc
Another vocal and guitar forward track but the subtle details just kill me in this track especially the random guitar strums, and finger snaps. 1:55 in the guitar strum just hit so cool, this happens through out but was paying attention to the time there

I needed some more Blink-182 to sound good so I went with this cover
Luca Stricagnoli “Miss You”
https://open.qobuz.com/track/85447653
YES!! Relaxing detail is how I would describe it. You hear the strings vibrations, the way he is tapping and slapping the guitar… very enjoyable and relaxing. Also, when he gets going I can actually hear Tom singing in my head the lyrics…delightful!

Kevin Garrett “Gone Again”
https://open.qobuz.com/track/84890348
Bass is actually nice here…that is what I’ve been missing the most with the Utopia. It is there, but it is un-impactful. Here on this track it is a nice layer, but not in your face.

Tracy Chapman “FAst Car” (2015 Remaster)
https://open.qobuz.com/track/27956658
I think this is where the Utopias shine, acoustic and vocals…I think of it as “subtle” detail monsters that make this Jazz/blues/acoustic/orchestral/symphony music just engrossing and relaxing with the Utopia.

I was going to say the Utopia is like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, but that isn’t accurate… the styling is almost there but in reality they are a Bentley Phantom (or your preferred Bentley here lol). They are extreme comfort meets Audio Extremes, but only in the refined world…don’t you go feeding these anything below 92octane/high quality music.

I found these to be very relaxing and enjoyable with a very specific mix of genres of music (the above mentioned). Once I deviate from that they start to fall apart and are not as enjoyable. Mind you, they are still better than most headphones even with genres I feel they don’t shine, but when you go from a majestic orchestra score to a EDM track its like switching from snow tires in winter to summer tires in winter…doable but not the most enjoyable. EDIT: I’m listening to more Electronic music and I think that the tracks that I wasn’t digging on were just mastered poorly… as I’m really digging on the Electronic music right now! Going through a mix and majority are excellent…these still shine the best with what I said they do but they are also excellent with well mastered Electronic music end EDIT!

At the end of the day, these are the Bentley of the Audio world. I would like to get the Stellia in at some point as I think it would be the equivalent to the younger hipper Ferrari California brother lol (or insert Red Ferrari brown leather interior model Ferrari here lol). Also, the Elegia is to me the Porsche Cayman agile lovely and overlooked lol.

I’ll post up my pictures here once I edit them tomorrow morning (hopefully )

Damn…

Dido “White Flag”
https://open.qobuz.com/track/12361869
Just came on while I was writing the last few sentences and the triangles? can’t quite place the instrument but the detail with the Utopia is ridiculous with well mastered tracks.

This is definitely a High-brow headphone…don’t feed it junk food

It’s the drums…the Utopia just kills it with the drums in the background of tracks… they aren’t in your face but they just hover just on the edge of concious type feeling. It is that “subtle detail” I keep going back to…subtle in that it isn’t in your face…detail in, well just that detail monsters with extreme speed. I can see where this is addictive the more I listen to tracks…

Dermont Kennedy “Power Over Me”
https://open.qobuz.com/track/57525030
Some wonky-ness in the mastereing but the drums are excellent in the background.

Same with this track the details are crazy and the drums and tamborines are so cool to hear just on the edge…
WAR “Why Can’t We Be Friends”
https://open.qobuz.com/track/56046143

Jessie Ware “Night Light”
https://open.qobuz.com/track/54304999
Just a fun layering of sound and her vocals are a excellent. Broken record theme but the little details just on the fringe are so fun to hear. But just as easy to just close your eyes and have them meld into a fully layered track …

Ok…found an Electronic track that sounds excellent…while not a fully electronic track its still has a lot. Plus the Vocals are excellent. The back and forth “slapping/thumping” at 1:35(ish) was cool it hit when finishing up that sentence. Overall a fun listen and hearing how they placed all the sounds in the track cool…
Betty Who “Human Touch” (Aquilo Remix)
https://open.qobuz.com/track/37706549

Pros

*Detail
*Speed
*comfort
*style/build

Cons

*needs higher quality music (is this a con though? lol)
*bass is not impactful but clean
*soundstage is almost non-existant (small bubble just outside your head, at times inside your head)

Overall easily deserving its place in the TOTL lineup of headphones… it snuck up on me tonight…I didn’t really enjoy it earlier in the week and through out the week. But, tonight it came together and I am strangely becoming addicted to the smooth, subtle detail, clean sound, speed and how surprisingly relaxing it is to listen with the Utopia.
My strange addiction
https://open.qobuz.com/track/59754725
This track does everything right regarding the pros and alleviates a lot of the cons… Just when I thought I was out…this came on and pulled me back in lol…well deserving of the accolades won! Her brother and her and the sound engineers killed it!

Going to rack out now (go to sleep for you non-ocean going folk)

Edit: Bonus tracks
https://open.qobuz.com/track/46889054
https://open.qobuz.com/track/54368044
https://open.qobuz.com/track/51573624
https://open.qobuz.com/track/61206559
https://open.qobuz.com/track/34281507
https://open.qobuz.com/track/42215892
https://open.qobuz.com/track/58337161

[prfallon69]

Excellent writeup. Some great music to boot.

[Hansel]

Awesome to read!! I don’t know if buy the Utopias or a car!!
At the CanJam I was impressed with them, but for the 10 min that last my session the others 10 min with the Heddphones were better, slightly better mostly because the bass region impact.
I know you have spend time in the past with the Hedd’s … what do you think?

[ValentineLuke]

Nice right up.

I still need to get some play-time with the Utopia, but my instincts tell me I’ll prefer the Stellia, brown Buick looks and all.

This definitely seem to be the resolution monsters everyone’s described. And they look pretty damned sweet.

[boxster233]

Props for the Run River North mention.

[TylersEclectic]

Hansel, I agree with you… lol. I think the HEDDPHONE is a better buy for most people. They both have their place, but I think for the cost performance ratio the HEDDPhones are probably going to be the new King for that price performance bracket of TOTL headphones.

The UTOPIA is still king of speed detail and comfort. It really is the Bentley of the headphone world…just impeccably made and refined.

The HEDDPHONE is more of a Mercedes AMG maybe? Ooh remember the AMG Black model I think it was called… just a beast of a car… I digress… Lol I think you get my point ha

[Hansel]

And that’s another valid point, the price!! You can save easily $1,500 ( at least) by getting the Hedd instead.
No questions about the look!! Utopias are beautifully made!! You can use them on your wedding and people will admire them instead of the bride‘s dress and she will be mad and she will said NO, but you won’t care because you have the Utopias!!

This??

[TylersEclectic]

Yes! lol that thing is a beast! It is what I think is Mercedes interpretation of an American muscle car lol with European styling! HEDDphones need to come in black…

[ValentineLuke]

Merc’s AMG’s are German muscle cars with added luxury.

[MrCypruz]

Great write up! How do you compare the Utopia vs Verite Open? If you had to choose one, which one would be your pick? (I think I know the answer to the last question ).

[TylersEclectic]

Ha, yeah I think my preference is easy to guess lol…but VERITE lol

Utopia is still “technically” better…but I like the sound presentation of the Verite more.

Both have their place though. My two favorite headphone brands are ZMF and Focal…but my favorite near-near field speakers are the SR1A lol

[MrCypruz]

Hahaha as expected! Lol

I like the way you described the SR1a! That’s how I think of them.

So another one, what about Utopia vs HEDDphone? Which one would be your pick? Or putting it another way, based on your vast listening experience, if you owned a HEDDphone, would you still look into getting the Utopia?

[TylersEclectic]

I think the HEDDPHONE is the better buy as far as price/performance…

That being said the Utopia is better in speed, detail and comfort. Also the Utopia is a masterclass in build materials and quality.

Ok, all of that said… I would probably go with the HEDDPHONE over the Utopia for “my” preferred sound profile for enjoyment.

[Hansel]

@TylersEclectic

sound profile for enjoyment.

You nail it there!!!

[MrCypruz]

Awesome! Thanks for the insight. I sold my Utopia because of both the SR1a and ZMF VC combination that kind of killed the need for the Utopia. Let’s see how the HEDDphone performs to my ears whenever they arrive - the wait is killing me!

[Steve_Dollar]

There’s really not much of a price gap between HEDD and Utopia if you looked at the used market. I got my Utopias for 2350$, and I’ve seen them cheaper.

[Inkey31]

The ZMF VÉRITÉ is looking more and more appealing but the 5 week lead time is kind of a bummer.

After reading all the wonderful reviews. I think I might pickup the Utopias and give them a try.

I recently got the Stellia’s and they are an amazing headphone.

[antdroid]

Focal Utopia INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

Source: on loan from headphones.com

Packaging: Nice big box that’s well protected. Comes with a very big bulky cable that isn’t the easiest to handle and adds a bit of weight, but feels quite durable.

Design: Incredible design in both aesthetics and quality. Metal housing with beautiful lines and machining. Carbon headband with nice leather padding. It’s really stunning to look and hold in your hands. Easily one of the best looking headphones available, ever. The one down side is that its probably about 50 grams heavier than I’d like. While it’s not Audeze level heavy, it does feel weighty compared to my other headphones and more than the Focal Elex, which I previously owned (and absolutely adored).

Sound: For me, it is quite ideal. It strikes a wonderful balance for my tastes with nice dynamic presentation that is full of crisp detail and layers and layers of it. Soundstage is intimate, but it’s packed with depth. Bass response is really nice. It has a roll-off to it, but it’s tight, punchy, and has a sort of rumble that you don’t always expect, which probably has a lot to do with the excursion capabilities of the driver. The upper-midrange is boosted but not as much as the Arya, another favorite of mine, and treble extends well giving it a good solid sound that I have nothing really to complain about.

[TylersEclectic]

It is a rather enjoyable listen… I was actually underwhelmed initially with it…but once I actually sat down and “listened” it was the equivalent of staring into the ocean, but with my ears listening to the depths of the sound instead

The nuance, detail, layers and overall enjoyment of it are hard to describe. It is truly a masterpiece of a headphone both in design and performance. For me, it just took me a bit of brain burn in and actually “listening” to appreciate what it does.

A lovely headphone!

[Inkey31]

Ctrl F > Search for keyword Verite, found my answer. Thanks guys.