[FLTWS]

Never measured the outside, some of these I've auditioned, the others just repeating what I read in reviews about internal dimensions.

 

[gintamafans]

  This is my first post after joining Head-Fi today. I had been reading this thread and some others regarding the Focal Utopia HPs for some time to try to understand what others were experiencing. Being in the Denver area, I was able to finally hear the headphones at RMAF. Most of my listening was with the Woo WA5 LE and that pairing made me seriously consider adding to Audeze LCD3. Well, my number came up at a local audio store and I was able to bring my Utopias home this past Friday. Being a newbie here, I know that reading what other users experienced was helpful in my own decision-making. I figured that I'd post this as very initial thoughts about the Utopia HPs.
 
I am burning in the phones via the headphone jack of an Oppo player.  My headphone amps include an SPL Phonitor 2 and a McIntosh MHA 100. When listening through either headphone amp, the front end is good stuff......Aesthetix, BAT, Clearaudio, Koetsu, Tara Labs......that I know the sound of very well. My initial impression of the Utopia through either amp was that I had made a horrible financial mistake buying them! The sound was edgy, somewhat muffled and I had to wince a couple of times during certain piano notes before I decided to just let them burn in for at least a few hours. Not much change after 6 hours but things started sounding much better at about 10 hours. I decided to just wait for at least 24 hours before putting them on again.
 
Last night was a whole different ball game. I love the Audeze LCD 3 cans but immediately had the perception last night that the Utopia was preferable to my ears........even through just the Oppo player. They are very dynamic, open sounding and as transparent as I could imagine, with good weight and tonal balance. It's a cliche to throw on Brothers In Arms but it's a great SACD and I know it quite well.......or at least I thought I did. I was blown away by what I was hearing. It was extremely detailed but not grating in any way. The proverbial "I'm hearing things I've never heard before..." actually happened. I own JM Labs L&R Utopia speakers, which a older Utopias but still magnificent sounding. If I could only get my speakers to sound like what I heard last night! I went from being pretty worried that I had gone crazy spending so much on a pair of headphones. As of two days later, I'm starting to think that I got a bargain! I'll report my perceptions after at least 100 hours of breakin time. Nice being here!

 
 
Great reviews, Utopia by it self doesnt sound truly amazing but when you put them on for a while and swap back to another headphone you will find your self loving the sound of utopia so much already. However a 200 hours of breakin time is better. Because mine just reached 200 hours+ and they sounded much more better!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mortalcoil]

Just wanted to add that I am using the Heimdall 2 also....highly recommended.  Super light you barely even know they are attached. 
 
Sound sig adds to the Utopia, contributing some detail and precision to the sound in that typical Nordost fashion.

 

[SurFi]

List of Recommended Aftermarket Cables for the Utopia
 
 
(I will update / edit based on member posts and as I receive more details/specifics)
 
 
 

Cable Company​	Cable Type​	Head-Fi Member​  ​ (Uses / Recommends)​
DanaCable	Lazuli Reference	Hansotek; musicman59; gintamafans; SurFi (on order)
Double Helix Cables	Prion 4 / SilverComp 4	Hansotek
Double Helix Cables	Spore 4 Fusion	matthewhypolite (awaiting Utopias)
KimberKable	Axios	Hansotek
Moon Audio	Silver Dragon V3	MacedonianHero
Nordost	Hemidall 2	TSAV Jason; Toolman; pkcpga; guitardave; Mortalcoil;
Norne	Eternus	Toolman; pervysage;
Wireworld	Nano-Platinum Eclipse	TSAV Jason
WyWires	Platinum	Toolman

 
 
 
 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All cables are currently in-system with the Utopias, unless noted.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Please post cables you are using with the Utopia and impressions. Thanks!

 

[BScherzer]

  Great write up and good to to hear you are loving the Utopias!  You are correct; while they sound good they do not blow you away on an initial listen.  However, as they break in and the more you listen the more their special qualities sneak up on you.  They are very transparent to upstream components in a way I have not experienced before.
 
Curious as to your impressions of the Phonitor 2 versus the MHA 100 with the Utopia.  I have heard both amps, but never with the Utopia and think they both bring a lot to the table.  

 
I have continued playing the Utopia non-stop via the Oppo 105D and decided to listen last night for a while through the Oppo (which has a headphone out), the McIntosh MHA 100 and the SPL Phonitor 2. I have a feeling that what I'm about to write might make me lose any credibility that a newbie here might have. Only the Oppo had been on for hours, whereas the McIntosh and SPL were only warmed up for about 1/2 hour before listening....if that makes a difference.
 
I had waited until the phones had over 70 hours, figuring that were were closer to sounding broken in. I first listened to music via the Oppo and there was very definite change from previous listening. Some of the sharp edges I had experienced were mostly gone......although it seems with these phones that you have to be really careful about setting volume. If you're not careful and set the volume too high, it only takes a loud note or two before you're grabbing the volume knob! Quite bluntly, for whatever reason, the Utopia sounded best through the Oppo.....which is the least expensive piece of gear I own!
 
I next played the same CD through my Aesthetix Romulus, which was connected via unbalanced to the McIntosh. I'm not sure how to explain what I heard but that amp seemed to suck the life out of the dynamics that the Utopia is capable of. I felt like I had lost a lot of detail and that this amp was holding back the headphones. I really tried to love that amp but it works far better for me with my Audeze LCD2 cans than with the Utopia. Too much warmth at the expense of some of the punch that I like about these phones.
 
Continuing to play music through the Romulus, I hooked up the Phonitor 2 and found its sound to be similar to the Oppo. I really enjoyed listening with this combination, although I actually preferred the sound of the Oppo's headphone out. My sense of things was that the Phonitor 2 lacked a tiny bit of the weight I was hearing through the Oppo. Knowing that the Romulus is a bit warmer sounding than the Oppo, I'm not sure that I can explain why the Phonitor 2 sounded jjust a bit thinner.
 
I would feel very uncomfortable if anyone reads this and takes what I'm writing too seriously. I wasn't in the ideal mood to be listening, although the distraction from the election news was more than welcome. Still, I only spent a few minutes listening through each amp and only used one CD (rock). What you are getting are just initial impressions. I decided to wait until after 100 hours before I really do serious listening. I'll come back to the thread in a few days to report.

 

[bacon333]

   
Very interested to hear your impressions on that group of cables 

 
When are you expecting to get a loaner?

Hopefully I'll hear back from Focal in a few days. 

 

[musicman59]

   
I have continued playing the Utopia non-stop via the Oppo 105D and decided to listen last night for a while through the Oppo (which has a headphone out), the McIntosh MHA 100 and the SPL Phonitor 2. I have a feeling that what I'm about to write might make me lose any credibility that a newbie here might have. Only the Oppo had been on for hours, whereas the McIntosh and SPL were only warmed up for about 1/2 hour before listening....if that makes a difference.
 
I had waited until the phones had over 70 hours, figuring that were were closer to sounding broken in. I first listened to music via the Oppo and there was very definite change from previous listening. Some of the sharp edges I had experienced were mostly gone......although it seems with these phones that you have to be really careful about setting volume. If you're not careful and set the volume too high, it only takes a loud note or two before you're grabbing the volume knob! Quite bluntly, for whatever reason, the Utopia sounded best through the Oppo.....which is the least expensive piece of gear I own!
 
I next played the same CD through my Aesthetix Romulus, which was connected via unbalanced to the McIntosh. I'm not sure how to explain what I heard but that amp seemed to suck the life out of the dynamics that the Utopia is capable of. I felt like I had lost a lot of detail and that this amp was holding back the headphones. I really tried to love that amp but it works far better for me with my Audeze LCD2 cans than with the Utopia. Too much warmth at the expense of some of the punch that I like about these phones.
 
Continuing to play music through the Romulus, I hooked up the Phonitor 2 and found its sound to be similar to the Oppo. I really enjoyed listening with this combination, although I actually preferred the sound of the Oppo's headphone out. My sense of things was that the Phonitor 2 lacked a tiny bit of the weight I was hearing through the Oppo. Knowing that the Romulus is a bit warmer sounding than the Oppo, I'm not sure that I can explain why the Phonitor 2 sounded jjust a bit thinner.
 
I would feel very uncomfortable if anyone reads this and takes what I'm writing too seriously. I wasn't in the ideal mood to be listening, although the distraction from the election news was more than welcome. Still, I only spent a few minutes listening through each amp and only used one CD (rock). What you are getting are just initial impressions. I decided to wait until after 100 hours before I really do serious listening. I'll come back to the thread in a few days to report.

Did you make sure you have the impedance setting correctly in your MHA100 for the Utopia?
That said, I own the MHA100 and a WA5-LE and a Wells Audio Enigma (upgraded to almost a HeadTrip) and found the Utopias sounding better with the Woo and Wells. Couple of people talks about the MHA100 being too warm sounding but my opinion is that is very transparent and this may cause the Utopia to sound a little edgy (with the stock cable). To me the Woo and the Wells are warmer sounding matching the Utopia better for the type of sound I like. i am using a Dana Reference cable which IMO helped a lot removing the edginess the the Utopia can sometimes show. I am receiving today a Nordost Heimdall 2 fo rthe Utopia to try.

 

[ubs28]

How come $4000 headphones are sold out still. Guess they could have charged $7000 and they would still be selling like hotcakes?

 

[BScherzer]

  Did you make sure you have the impedance setting correctly in your MHA100 for the Utopia?
That said, I own the MHA100 and a WA5-LE and a Wells Audio Enigma (upgraded to almost a HeadTrip) and found the Utopias sounding better with the Woo and Wells. Couple of people talks about the MHA100 being too warm sounding but my opinion is that is very transparent and this may cause the Utopia to sound a little edgy (with the stock cable). To me the Woo and the Wells are warmer sounding matching the Utopia better for the type of sound I like. i am using a Dana Reference cable which IMO helped a lot removing the edginess the the Utopia can sometimes show. I am receiving today a Nordost Heimdall 2 fo rthe Utopia to try.

Yep. The specs state that the Utopia comes in at 80 ohms and I have the output of the MHA 100 set accordingly. I'm apparently hearing something different than you are with the McIntosh/Utopia combo. I now have over 100 hours and felt like today would be a decent read on how the phones sound and how they interact with the various headphone amps. The Focal sounds truly wonderful through the Oppo.......shockingly so! Everything others have noted in reviews seems pretty on-target with my own listening. The phones sound excellent through the SPL Phonitor 2 but, for whatever reason, still not quite what I'm hearing on redbook via the Oppo's direct headphone jack.
 
Now to the MHA 100. I gave up after 15 more minutes of listening. I still find listening to the combo of Utopia and McIntosh the least pleasing of my 3 options. It just feels like there is a haze over certain parts of the sonic spectrum that I don't note when I listen to via my other 2 amp choices. Music doesn't sound quite as open and, especially in moments of many instruments playing together (regardless of genre), it is a less open sense of music where I'm having a bit more difficulty clearly distinguishing between individual instruments......which I can hear more clearly via the Oppo or the Phonitor 2.
 
Just to check on something, I listened to a pair of Focal Elears through an MHA 100 at a local dealer (Listen Up). I heard exactly the same thing that I'm hearing on my Utopias. I'm only left to say that, at least for my listening preferences, the Focals and the MHA 100 don't seem like a good match. As stated earlier, My LCD 2 headphones sound superb when paired with the MHA 100, so I go back to the idea that it is a less than ideal match for the Focal.
 
Is the Utopia worth it to me? Probably not so much if I pair it with the McIntosh. It also doesn't, in my opinion, sound it's best with the Phonitor 2. I have heard what this pair of phones sounds like on the Woo WA5 LE, the only tube amp I've heard it paired with. THAT was magic! Yes, the Utopia is worth the price to me as long as it is paired with whatever amp works best for your ears. I guess that, in my case, I['m going to have to figure out a way to afford to buy the Woo!

 

[brams]

Thanks for the impressions @BScherzer. Your preferred pairings suggest that your preference is for a warmer than neutral signature. My preference as well as long as the deviation is slight.

Ultimately all that matters is what combination sounds best to you and there is no rule that says the pairing has to include the most expensive components. I'm a big believer in component synergy and have long moved on from the simple notion of "This unit is good and that one is bad". Having said that I still think some components are clearly "better" in absolute terms than others.

You do not have to match the impedance of the MHA100 with that of the Utopia. You may find that another setting works better for your preferences. Also, if you are using after market power cords are you using the same pc with each amp? If not and at the risk of some light hearted ridicule from some, try switching the power cords to see if you hear a difference. With some components it really doesn't make a difference, but with others the slight filtering effect of the pc may be enough to alter the perceived response of the amp when listening with the Utopia. Nothing to lose by trying.

 

[pkcpga]

Yep. The specs state that the Utopia comes in at 80 ohms and I have the output of the MHA 100 set accordingly. I'm apparently hearing something different than you are with the McIntosh/Utopia combo. I now have over 100 hours and felt like today would be a decent read on how the phones sound and how they interact with the various headphone amps. The Focal sounds truly wonderful through the Oppo.......shockingly so! Everything others have noted in reviews seems pretty on-target with my own listening. The phones sound excellent through the SPL Phonitor 2 but, for whatever reason, still not quite what I'm hearing on redbook via the Oppo's direct headphone jack.

Now to the MHA 100. I gave up after 15 more minutes of listening. I still find listening to the combo of Utopia and McIntosh the least pleasing of my 3 options. It just feels like there is a haze over certain parts of the sonic spectrum that I don't note when I listen to via my other 2 amp choices. Music doesn't sound quite as open and, especially in moments of many instruments playing together (regardless of genre), it is a less open sense of music where I'm having a bit more difficulty clearly distinguishing between individual instruments......which I can hear more clearly via the Oppo or the Phonitor 2.

Just to check on something, I listened to a pair of Focal Elears through an MHA 100 at a local dealer (Listen Up). I heard exactly the same thing that I'm hearing on my Utopias. I'm only left to say that, at least for my listening preferences, the Focals and the MHA 100 don't seem like a good match. As stated earlier, My LCD 2 headphones sound superb when paired with the MHA 100, so I go back to the idea that it is a less than ideal match for the Focal.

Is the Utopia worth it to me? Probably not so much if I pair it with the McIntosh. It also doesn't, in my opinion, sound it's best with the Phonitor 2. I have heard what this pair of phones sounds like on the Woo WA5 LE, the only tube amp I've heard it paired with. THAT was magic! Yes, the Utopia is worth the price to me as long as it is paired with whatever amp works best for your ears. I guess that, in my case, I['m going to have to figure out a way to afford to buy the Woo!

If it's a newer McIntosh than it's a solid state amp that's veiled to sound like a tube amp, so the utopia is very revealing and clearly reveals what McIntosh is doing to create its signature "tube" like solid state sound. Even using a McIntosh amp with my chord dave shows how veiled the amp really is even with my hd800's, but I never got to try the Utopias with the McIntosh since I demod it over a year ago. But even the hd800 shows how veiled the amp was even compared to a less expensive rega integrated amp or naim amp or the Dave's integrated amp. The hd800's even sounded better plugged into my mojo.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

How come $4000 headphones are sold out still. Guess they could have charged $7000 and they would still be selling like hotcakes?

 
Because $4K is a bargain compared to Utopia speakers. 

 

[meomap]

Because $4K is a bargain compared to Utopia speakers. :atsmile:

$4000 for hp is not a bargain.

 

[SHAMuuu]

$4000 for hp is not a bargain.

Im surprised they don't throw in like 10 extra sets of ear pads and 2 extra headbands
 
That would be nice.

 

[pkcpga]

I think the fact that it's selling very well and most people that purchased them are enjoying them (concluded that by very few resale or used ones available and reviews here and owning them myself) the utopias were priced very well for what they are.