Focal Utopia Review (collective stream of consciousness)

that is good... if you don't expect to be wowed, but then get wowed its better that way. But someone like @Maxx134 who needs a huge soundstage etc may not really be wowed at first until he gives it proper time. That was a guess at his propensities. He may need to compare it to his gear to see how though its soundstage is not what may be ideal to him, the other attributes clearly make it a statement piece.

I only mention the 4k statement because when I buy gear (personally) for my conscience I have to not be able to take a HUGE hit if I try to resell it. That usually goes for gear over 2K. that is all I am saying but in short I find the MSRP of the 4K somewhat justifiable from the perspective of the manufacturer and it being the best headphone out there. Just not justifiable to my fam if I have to lose almost 1K if I need to resell it. I would definitely hop on a deal if I had funds ready at the time.

 

Sure, soundstage can be a personal thing. But my feeling is quite simple: bigger != better. And Utopia went for better, everywhere.

I was at the Analog Room this week listening to an amp populated with Western Electric 300b tubes driven by some mega bookoo buck SME table. And my god, what a massive and beautiful sound. Bring in your non audiophile friends, and immediately they'd say "holy shit"! But was it accurate? Hell no. It sounded like the Jolly Green Giant was playing some kind of guitar the size of a house. A xylophone sounded like it was the size of an F150. Etc. Fun? Yes. But better? No.

 

I disagree with that kind sir.

As a lover of music I am in the right one. All the other gear costs even more, is harder to resell, heavier to ship and if it doesn't play music, make music, or feed me I don't care about it.

I do agree with waiting though. I just dont always have the patience

 

Exactly this.
IMO the $4k price was a marketing move, it's like having pocket aces and raising when the dude with the big stack is obviously over betting... it's Focal's way of saying... "f you senheisser and Mr. Speakers... here is the best I've got and your customers will pay more for our flagship than yours because it's better... ftw" That's it... I wouldn't be surprised if the next Utopia will sell for the same 4k and the current model will sell for 3k at some point.

 

your comment makes me think that you missed one of my main points, which is basically that speculations over price setting, the relationship between price and cost, willingness to pay, resale value, "next" utopias and their effect on current price, etc etc are all pure noise and should generally be discouraged IMO.

also @gbeast you know i like you but can we stop discussing whether buying a $X headphone, whether it'll hold its resale value, etc is a good move for one's family situation. everyone's family situation is different and i'd hope everyone would just use common sense and not compromise stability and happiness over the pursuit of increasing diminishing returns.

and @Maxx134 how can you criticize Focal pricing while also spend the price of a Utopia already in Ethers, Ether Flows, and HEKs? the reason is probably because you like exploring and modding phones and that is part of what gives you joy. i would rather not do those things, so instead i buy the Utopia once and call it a day. but that doesn't mean that i'll make value judgments over how you decided to spend time and money (probably haha). i definitely agree with you, however, that the Code-X still rules the planar world. Whoever likes planars should just pray that they find a Code-X and call it a day, or maybe get an HE6 and mod it.

 

You are right, I read your post after and I do apologize.
It is a very interesting discussion though and a bit relevant in the context of where this headphone fits among the other flagships and the fact that Focal is a newcomer to the segment. Nevertheless, I'll refrain from commenting any further on the above noted topics.

 

"we stop discussing whether buying a $X headphone, whether it'll hold its resale value, etc is a good move for one's family situation. "

I only spoke for myself. I am not preaching to everyone on what they should or shouldn't do. Simply posting my perspective for me. A real community should be able to be vulnerable about things like this. Otherwise the title "friend" is just a badge.

 

you are my friend gbeast

actually this is a great point, i think it absolutely makes sense to discuss the utopia in relation to other (flagship) headphones! that kind of discussion and comparison is super helpful both for context and for understanding ideas surrounding value. so if headphones costing the same or less than X headphone just put it to shame, then it speaks to the relative value of them. also i don't consider myself an expert at all, so it sometimes makes it easier to understand what one headphone sounds like when it's described in relation to the attributes of another headphone. just speculation on pricing trends etc is where the level of speculation and assumption makes me uncomfortable.

 

Can we get back to the Utopia now?

 

The current price appears to be a bluff. Focal has guts, that is certain. The reader at their stand is a testament to that. They even show driver models to brag about "look how small our driver is" and you know what, I appreciate that.

Guts.

 

Am I the only one who prefers the LCD4 over the Utopia here? :/

Borrowed it from my friend and tried it couple days with my set up (Rockna Wavedream DAC and GSX MK2 amp). It didnt wow me and didnt let me think it worth 4k USD. Tonal balance wise its very good tho. Great treble reproduce.

But if i have to choose one between Utopia and LCD4 i prefers the LCD4. Maybe it's just me. I normally listen to a lot of things, jazz, classical, female voice pop, bass etc.

 

different strokes for different folks. i would like to hear the lcd4 myself. Some folks have different listening priorities.

 

I listen almost exclusively to classical. I listened to an LCD4 driven from a GSX mkII. It was directly compared to my Andros, a hifiman HE1000 (via same GSX mk II) and Stax SR009 (+BHSE).

As soon as I heard cymbals clash on the LCD4 I noted the lower treble was barely present compared to the rest of the frequency spectrum. The clash disappears and reappears again when the higher treble is reached. This was a huge deal breaker for me. This is seriously skrewed up frequency range! I would not pay $400 for the LCD4 let alone 4K!

The Utopia on the other hand had an impressive tonal balance like my Andromedas with no dips of note. Cymbals clash naturally, i.e. normally, (unlike the LCD4), violins sound the same in the upper and lower registers (unlike HD800/S) and the bass is gorgeous and extended (unlike my bookshelf speakers).

 

The Utopia is one of those headphones that simply sounds right. That is a rare pleasure.

 

^^ Yes. 'Be' for the win!