[ra990]

I've been enamored with these since I fixed my headband issues with the Dekoni nuggets. I can now wear these all day and even forget I have them on my head occasionally. They are doing so many things right. I have zero complaints with them. I initially thought the subbass roll-off was too much coming from planars that have the typical linear extension into that region, so I was using a bit of EQ to push that up. But, I've been listening without that EQ and I don't notice it missing anymore. The bass sounds very clean and suited to the rest of the spectrum. They are so open and clean sounding. I could easily mix and master on these. It didn't take long for them to go on my favorites list. I was not happy with the OG when I gave them a try several years ago, but these are a big improvement to my ears.

 

[Godbluffer]

Since there appears to be an audience for both versions of the Utopia, why could Focal not choose to keep both of them in their line-up?

 

[iDesign]

Since there appears to be an audience for both versions of the Utopia, why could Focal not choose to keep both of them in their line-up?

Reliability

 

[Godbluffer]

Reliability

Sound signature

 

[Arnold Schwartz]

Focal said a few times the aesthetic of the 2022 is current with their new design language and I suppose it does not make sense to keep an out dated design on the shelf whereas Sennheiser kept both HD800 and HD800S on the self for awhile before discontinuing the HD800.

 

[NEXTLEVEL5]

I am very anxious to do a comparison now between my older versions to the new one. I've always loved the detail of the Utopia but I can see how maybe a tad less bite would be good too.

 

[iDesign]

Focal said a few times the aesthetic of the 2022 is current with their new design language and I suppose it does not make sense to keep an out dated design on the shelf whereas Sennheiser kept both HD800 and HD800S on the self for awhile before discontinuing the HD800.

Fortunately, they kept the Clear and Clear Mg. https://www.focal.com/headphones/

 

[Musicophilesblog]

Do you also have the Stellia and how do you think the sound of the newtopia compares?

So I just went back to the store and did a quick 10 min comparison between the Stellia and the Newtopia.

This was my first experience of the Stellia. On it’s own I really like what I heard but the increase openness and transparency made me clearly prefer the Newtopia over the Stellia. Is it $2000 better? Obviously not, far from it, but if in doubt I’d always go open back anyhow.

 

[Sound Quality]

More than a week ago, I got to audition the OG Utopia, the new Utopia and the Susvara. I never listened to the OG Utopia before so I was interested to see how it compares to the new one.

I found the new Utopia to be slightly warmer than than the OG and I could immediately tell the treble peaks were softened. Someone recently mentioned that the new one sounds muffled. They probably didn't listen to it but the 2022 Utopia retains that excellent tone and clarity, resulting in a natural listening experience. My auditioning time was limited so I can't be certain if the new Utopia had better soundstage, imaging, bass impact and transparency. Maybe OG owners who are getting the new one can chime in soon. Unsurprisingly, I did find the Susvara to be even more resolving than the two but it didn't sound as fun and dynamic as the Utopias.

In the end, I went with the 2022 model because it just sounded really good to my ears and I found it to be smooth and pleasing with a wider variety of music including poor recordings. It's fast, dynamic, very musical and I appreciate the slightly warmer sound signature. It pairs really well with my slightly warm Violectric V550 and cold, analytical RME DAC. I also EQ'd the bass +3dB, 110Hz. I listen to a lot of sub-bass and bass content at high volumes and so far, I have not experienced any clipping issues.

As for the design language, I feel Focal could have have went above and beyond, and give the 2022 model a unique character. Although, it is still aesthetically pleasing and nice to look at. The overall black design with a hint of red coming through the grill in the centre works really well in my opinion.

I've had it for a week now and when compared to my HD 800 S, it does everything better except for soundstage.

 

[Roasty]

finally got to try the new Utopia. I really like it and looking forward for my own unit to arrive (hopefully by end of the month).

build quality is very good, possibly better than the outgoing model. feels more solid and slightly heavier than the OG. Still very comfortable on the head.

there is definitely more low end than the OG. very satisfying thump and rumble. top end tuning feels like they have brought it back one or two steps; it sounds more balanced, more in line with the mids, than the more upfront and center presentation on the OG.

can't wait to hook this up to the wa33 and let some magic happen!

 

[vonBaron]

Is new Utopia have more warm sound than Stellia?

 

[Musicophilesblog]

Is new Utopia have more warm sound than Stellia?

Having compared them briefly yesterday I’d say no. You still get a significantly more transparent sound from the Newtopia than from the Stella. It is just a bit less bright than the OG Utopia.

 

[vonBaron]

Good to hear that!

 

[DenverW]

i did ultimately get a message from the name saying his account was hacked so who knows maybe it was..all I know is I have been on here since the year 1 and done tons of transactions and this was the first time I ran into this

Hey all, I know I’m a little late but I just noticed this. This Has been a major issue for well over a month now. There are a couple threads in the general section about this, and a group of us have been trying to keep this guy (or multiple people) off the classifieds.

These are hacked accounts. We‘ve been avoiding posting what to watch out for because he started modifying his posts and getting better with his scams, but when in doubt absolutely look for a time stamped picture of the item. Especially since he focuses on popular things like audeze, focal, and sennheiser For quick sales.

I‘m sorry he got you with this, and I’m glad you got a refund.

 

[Nomax]

@Sound Quality

I agree...my words from the past about NUTOPIA

NOMAX

PS.for more different kind of music/more different genres
Will take some time until one or the other comes with what Nutopia is ahead of the old one