The Mighty Utopia: Focal Utopia Revisited

You finally have the right chain for it. Utopia is nasty out of the wrong chain but you're a Holo guy now so it makes sense.

 

the synergy of the Utopia with the schitt LIM, studio B is amazing. On Quboz they have a weekly line up of music with a lot of current pop, I am listening and really enjoying it not something I would usually do, it just sounds really good.

 

I just read all 15 pages of this thread! I learned a lot. I think I eventually want to try a DNA amp but they aren't cheap and I need to wrap my head around the 4k I just spent on Utopias (arriving in January). In the meantime, I'm considering things to hold me over for a bit. I am looking for something to tame the intensity of the Utopias... to take the edge off without losing resolution. (perhaps what I'm looking for is that attack overshoot to be decreased?) I'm thinking about the new Woo Audio WA7 (3rd gen). I haven't had the chance to hear it yet but I heard the second gens and they sounded almost euphonic with the Utopias. But the second gens left detail on the table. I'm wondering if you guys have heard the 3rd gens and I'm wondering if that sound is a bit more refined.

Otherwise I was looking at Schiit stuff... maybe a Bifrost and Asguard or Bifrost and Jot? Do you folks have any recommendations for a lower price bracket than the fine and expensive pieces of engineering that have already been recommended in this thread?

 

It is this fact and the generosity of one of the SBAF members that I have had a chance to spend time with Focal's Utopia and it has been an extremely satisfying experience.

My setup currently is M1 Mac mini >Spring 2 KTE> Quicksilver HPA (7728 tubes and upgraded internals) > Utopia
Streaming Apple Hi Res

I was not sure what to expect with these headphones. I had a long ownership with the Elex, which I enjoyed very much, then stepped up to the Clear and just and didn't like how they seemed to calm down everything I liked so much about the Elex. The Clear headphones did not sound bad, they just did not grab me the way the Elex did.

Fast forward many years and headphones and I am once again taking on Focal, but with their flagship and that energy that Elex had is back, but with something more. The tone and timbre of the Utopia easily is one of the most natural headphones that I have listened through. They certainly demand attention, but not in a sharp or bright/excessive way. The attention is more drawn from you by the ability of these headphones to produce details in a cohesive manner that layers them into the track.

My main headphones are the HD800 SDR and the ETA Genesis G...I also own the Ebony ESX900, but its on loan as I write this review.

I am a big fan of these two main headphones as they provide a good balance of immersion and fun, and a hybrid of the two is somewhat where the Utopia lands. In this case, the resulting Utopia is not the sum of the parts, but something else entirely that images so extremely well and enhances each part of the track that when going back to either headphone I need some adjustment time to really relearn the sonic qualities of each.

In direct, quick comparison...the HD800 sounds distant and a bit cold while the Gen G comes across as thick...and both of them sound a bit fuzzy. The Utopia is giving me lots of dynamics, with solid punch in the low end and smooth extended highs that enchant.

The Genesis does up the anti in low end extension and smoothness across the range, but at the reduction of those microdetail. Likewise, after some time readjusting to the HD800, I appreciate its qualities, expansive headstage and balanced presentation.

I happened to have the Liquid Gold X loaner for a bit of time with the Utopia and I thought it did a very good job keeping up with the QS HPA in terms of tonality and richness, but lost some of the "extra" smoothness and balance that I could achieve with the QS...the LGX did have a quieter black-ground, and more drive, but it was not really needed.


Some sample tracks that really impressed me are:
Traveler by Melissa Menago "Little Crimes" album : Never has the rain been so easily discerned and followed in this track

Hans Zimmer Live in Prague: I am transported to the orchestral pit for this whole album and really enjoy the Circle of Life vocals and guitar work.

We are Leaving by Naked and Famous: The drummers hits, stops, kicks from 2:20 and on become as vital a part of the track as the vocals, and have not come across as so textured and detailed in my other headphones.

Tearing Me UP (RAC Mix) by Bob Moses: Just a Party...smooth and detailed with lots of punch.

Closing Thoughts:

Positives:

• Hyper engaging and refined headphone
• Comfort is good
• materials and design are excellent and tasteful IMO
• imaging is hard to beat
• Soundstage is more realistic and lifelike than my other headphones

Negatives:

• Cost (headphone and parts)
• Takes some time to get the system correct. In my case had to go through a few sets of tubes to fine the best match
• creaky headband is a let down
• Treble can get bothersome over long periods of songs with lots of upper frequencies
• Sensitive to background hum, worse on some tubes than others

Having this headphone makes me want to sell everything and find one to buy...but also makes me glad that I have a future purchase to look forward to after some saving. I also am more tempted to try out another Focal Clear on my current setup to see if I can get close to the Utopia level for while I wait.

I think the biggest thing is that they get me excited. Excited to listen and excited to share my thoughts.

 

I found a clarity with Utopia that I don't find on the OG Clear (and let's not even bring the Clear Mg into this). OG Clear seems tilted a bit warm from the get-go and not as revealing of what it's being fed. Different synergies needed to reach balance.

Your combo of Spring 2 and Quicksilver seems good to tame the parts of Utopia that need to be tamed (via Holo), and bring out the sweetness that resides in it but has to have the right equipment to shine (Quicksilver). A much more expensive amp will give you more, but you're already doing really damned well where you're at so may not be worth exploring. You have a relatively "budget" combo there that sounds like it delivers in spades. Good to stick with awhile.

*Edit - "budget" at used prices but def not cheap regardless.

 

@Ksorota


I have the upgraded Quicksilver like you. I think its good enough that you can be satisfied with the utopia long term. I also have the Vioelectric v281 which is a very good pairing. It does a lot like the quicksilver does but also seems to show how fast the utopias can be and the insane imaging. I like having the option of both takes with the utopia.

I really liked the Utopia the minute I heard it (despite not thinking I would). I have had the Utopia for a while now and it is truly been at least for me one of the special pieces of gear that allows my to connect to music in an amazing way. It still amazes me. Probably my most satisfying audio buy ever.

Of course different strokes for different folks. But if you liked it that much initially the Utopia has the possibility for staying power.

 

Hello,
Did you notice the bass overlapping the mids on your Utopia compared to your og Clear? Thank you

 

I only borrowed a friend's Clear for a couple evenings a while back. I didn't really see what all the fuss was about, but I would imagine it just didn't have the right synergy with the way my system was tuned. I didn't really listen to it enough to make lasting impressions. It just wasn't connecting with me.

 

I think you may be onto something here. It didn't really come to my consciousness until I started comparing the Utopia to the D8000 Pro. I also regularly use the Clear OG, but not out of my main rig rather out of a DAP and with modified pads, so I'm somewhat reluctant to compare not being apples to apples but the Clear OG may have an advantage here over the Utopia. Regardless the Utopias sin of commission here is slight...

 

The mid-bass does, indeed.

That’s why I have the Lokius tuning it down.

Edit: WTF is it upside down?

 

I've got a Utopia on loan (thank you @mattvox ) - I figured I'd share some measurements while I've got em.

I've recently built a flat plate coupler with a Dayton EMM-6 mic and 3D printed baffle stuffed with a layer of silicone and neoprene and topped with felt (I'll post some pics of it in the measurement rig thread soon). Zoom H4nSP as a mic pre / audio interface into ARTA. I'm using raw->B&K compensation (meaning flat line = B&K curve ; note that B&K expects a raw downward slope above the bass to measure flat). Amplified straight out of my laptop jack (as far as I know, fairly low output impedance). I'm still learning how to interpret measurements from my system relative to others so take it all with some salt.

Frequency Response - this shifted around quite a bit with placement but I selected where the high treble measured the flattest (so I guess you'd call this an 'optimistic' measurement in terms of any top octave peaks). Everything below 4khz was otherwise very stable with placement.



Utopia (red) VS Stock HD6xx (white)



RAW (no compensation):



Distortion where -10db on the graph was around 85dB listening level. This reading is in percentage as marked on the right side of the graph:



CSD:



I'll be happy to adjust any parameters or measure from another amp on request for another reading. I did run the sweeps and CSDs several times and picked the cleanest looking result.

I'm not sure if I should refrain from offering subjective comments / evaluation as a MOT. Don't worry, I've used different amps with them than just my laptop jack. I haven't heard these in a long time and my opinion of them is slightly different now than before - mostly for the better

 

Thanks for the measurements @E_Schaaf. Keep as long as you need.

 

Hard to believe they track so closely in the bass (say, 35-70hz) and the mids between 500 & 1k. I hear more bass and less mid mid with Utopia. Laptop jack might explain the bass, but mids?...

 

I just added the RAW FR measurement to the post above without compensation which tracks a bit more with this feeling. Maybe Utopia's nearly open baffle design means compensation applies differently compared to other headphones?

edit - I have noticed that most headphones have more bottom octave rolloff on this measurement system than my EARS did. I wouldn't be too bothered by it. Not sure why the 6xx fares so well...

 

Okay, so the left side of my Utopias gave up the ghost about a fortnight ago. I had them checked by a guy I trust - I am not a technicians arse - in case it was just the loose wire, but no, the driver was gone. I bought them used a couple of years ago, so no warranty. Focal wanted 3K AUSD for parts, which is savage. I don’t like Focal but I still think these are magnificent Headphones, so I bought a new pair yesterday.

First up, the whole packaging is a lot more luxe - and they cost me 5K AUSD (RRP is 5,400 AUSD). They now include an XLR cable as well as a SE and a hard shell case. There is a little leather pouch with instructions etc and the cables come in a snazzy little compartment. The whole shebang is still made out of that shitty pleather though, so I know it will start to peel. The old box, while also shit, was a lot more user friendly and I’ll be using it.

Here is the thing; out of the box they sound better than the OG’s. They sound like they have tuned them somewhat - and in a good way.I never found them as bright as say, the 800’s without the mod anyway, but these now sound a lot more natural to my 62 year old ears. The sound stage also seems a little less ‘congested’, which was really the only downside I had with them. They still have what I always thought was accurate ‘placement’ but now there seems more space and the vocals are not as forward. I wish I could do an A B comparison with the old ones as I may be optimistically full of shit. Has anybody else heard / experienced anything?

The cable is an upmarket Kimber cable cable and they are a definite improvement on the single ended rubbery mess of the old one. They are now material sheathed but they are annoyingly stiff and are still about a metre too long in my opinion. Anything technical I know - which is very little - I have learned from you guys, so I have pasted the specs of the cable below and would appreciate any thoughts on it as I know a guy down here that hand makes really good cables if need be.

This is an audiophile grade, ultra-low capacitance cable for the Focal Utopia Consisting of eight individual TCSS conductors, four white and four clear that utilise Kimber’s proven braiding technique. The insulating dielectric is high pressure-low temperature-extruded Teflon®. The individual conductors are Hyper-pure copper, arranged in proven VariStrand™ conductor geometry. The aggregate wire size is two 2.63mm2 conductors. The focus, transparency, and transient speed of 4TC are stunning. Furutech Silver Solder with nitrogen assisted solder process has been used to ensure optimal clarity. Genuine Lemo Brand Fittings are used. Fitted with 4-Pin XLR but can use 6.3mm on request.

 

Hi @Rob the Comic , nice impressions. I have a similar story... A friend had his early batch Utopia sent for driver replacement (left side died) to France and he told me that the newly repair pair sounded warmer too. Focal replaced both drivers and the earpads as well.

I have no other Utopia to compare but his pair don't sound bright to me. Headphones like Arya Stealth and HD800S sound brighter and edgier. They're quite nice headphones although in technical performance are probably a step below Diana TC, LCD-5 and Susvara.

 

I hate to be that guy, but honestly the differences could simply be the new one had a fresh set of pads that were more plush than the "OG" ones, which probably had more worn-down pads.

 

It could well be, I rule nothing out. I will say though, it does seem a marked difference to me and the old pads are still in very good shape.

 

I've sent in my utopia 2x due to driver failures, and both times I've noticed a difference in the sound. I've assumed this was due to upstream changes, but it's entirely possible they have tweaked the driver. Your comment about it seeming less congested and more natural jives with my experience exactly.

My initial purchase of the utopia in 2016 was a huge disappointment, as I found the sound to project tiny images in a well-defined but closed-in space with crisp and fatiguing treble (at the time I felt it was only a marginal upgrade from my modded 650s and 800s). I no longer feel this way at all, and currently the utopias are by far my favorite cans.