A while back, I bought the Sonoro cable from Arctic Cables and used it with my Caldera, and I was impressed by the sound improvement it provided. I was debating for a long time what would be next, and I knew I wanted to invest in a great cable for the Utopia 2022, as I witnessed firsthand how the Utopia when paired with a great cable, will provide a transformative experience and take Utopia to unparallel territories.
As such, the decision of where to get that cable was easy, as I had a great experience with Arctic Cables before with my Sonoro Cable, but the difficult part was how much I was willing to spend. I adore the Utopia 2022, and Focal has a big place in my heart for the great headphones they released; I know Utopia 2022 will be a long-time keeper for me, as Focal does not release a new flagship headphone every year. So, with that in mind, I decided to simply go to their flagship palladium cable, the Opera 2.
Here are my detailed impressions about the Opera V2 build and sound quality:
The Opera 2 is built like a true masterpiece. Once you hold it in your hands, you just feel pride of ownership. It’s abundantly clear that the Opera V2 has been meticulously built with a lot of passion and attention to detail.
The first thing you will notice with the Opera 2 Cable is this amazing natural timbre, as if it irons out any imperfections. Also, I was amazed by the increased soundstage and how it improves instrument separation, giving an immersive listening experience. The pairing of the Utopia 2022 with the Opera V2 cable lets you experience what resolution means; I was so pleased with this new insight into improving the resolution of the Utopia 2022 as if layers of sound were being revealed and popping up more into the scene. The Opera 2 Cable revealed the best nature of Utopia 2022, where the depth and layers of the music became so vivid.
Sound Impressions:
Clarity and Detail:
-When I plugged in the Opera 2, I immediately noticed that the clarity and levels of detail have improved a lot. I literally hear a cleaner and more transparent sound; I can easily distinguish the amazing improvement in the separation and definition of individual instruments and vocals. It immerses you into a clear, detailed experience of sound, such as when listening to Dead Can Dance- Anabasis. The sounds of the birds at the beginning of the song were so realistic and mind-blowing, and instruments floated all over with a great perception of clarity. I also sensed in that song the amazing atmosphere as if I was experiencing that scene myself in real life. I guess this is the effect of the high-quality palladium in Opera 2, which makes everything more vibrant and closer to the real experience.
Mids and Vocal Performances:
-For me, it’s always about the mids and vocals. If that is not presented to perfection, then it will fail my test. So, this is the most important thing that I will base my ownership and evaluation on. What a relief! Using the Opera 2 with Utopia 2022, It passed the test with ease. I am witnessing a perfect vocal experience; the vocals are clear, musical, and rich, and simply Utopia 2022 got a noticeable uplift in performance when paired with the Opera 2. Hearing how great Leonardo Cohen’s voice is in the song “You Want It Darker” and how it comes through is just impressive. I hear his voice delivered emotionally with layers upon layers of depth and immersion. The chorus reverberation in that song is mind-blowing. The Opera 2 just captures all the nuances in that song and presents it to perfection. It is these moments that will let me appreciate the quality of the product and not look at the price I paid. I cannot stress enough the richness and musicality I am experiencing with the Opera 2; I simply adore this richness where the mids are presented to perfection, with the right dose of weight and placement
Bass Response:
Wow, with Utopia 2022 the Opera 2 takes the bass response to the next level and improves bass presentation. It offers a clean and powerful bass reproduction with good impact, depth, and control. It results in a more engaging and immersive listening experience, particularly for genres that rely heavily on low-frequency reproduction. Just playing the song “ Angel “ by Massive Attack, you will hear that headshaking sub-bass and bass impact in an unparalleled way. In addition, Opera 2 will allow you to distinguish different bass lines easily, even in songs with busy passages such as Metal music, whereas, with some other cables, these things can get jammed up, making everything sound awful, with the Opera 2 it takes care of this and allows you to separate those bass notes easily.
Enhanced resolution, imaging, soundstage, and separation :
I touched a bit on the resolution above, and this needs to be stressed again. The sheer improvement in resolution and imaging capabilities is where you can distinguish a high-quality cable from a lower-quality one. Opera 2 reveals small details and nuances in the music, allowing for a more immersive and realistic experience. Again, if you listen to the song Anabasis by Dead Can Dance, you will understand what I mean. The instruments in the song are floating all over the place, and you can identify the location of each with ease. You cannot capture that with lower-quality cables in the same way I do with the amazing Opera 2.
It is clear that Opera 2 achieves amazing instrument separation. This means that individual instruments and voices can be more distinct and clearly defined within songs.
Some may consider Utopia 2022 to have a small soundstage, but one thing the Opera 2 offers is an increased soundstage, creating a sense of spaciousness and dimensionality in the audio presentation.
Improved Dynamics:
Yes, it improves the dynamics of Utopia 2022; the Opera 2 just gives more liveliness to Utopia 2022; everything sounds more engaging and dynamic
Complex and Layered Music:
And finally, most of us who bought Utopia 2022 will tell you it has the best reproduction of layers of sound. Now, with Utopia 2022, you dial that to 11 in experience; layers and layers are unfolded, and complex passages are deciphered with such ease.
Finally, was it a worthy investment? Yes definitely, when you adore a headphone and you know it’s a long time keeper, then buying a cable that unleashes its final capabilities, that makes it a worthy investment. I invested in a cable made by an Artisan made by a top of the line company. Arctic Cables simply offer best there is in quality, performance and customer service
I recently tried a few 4.4mm to 4-Pin XLR adapters and I ran into the issue you have with the Voyager, I thought all 4-Pin XLRs would fit pretty much the same before this and don't want that to be the case with a nice cable.
