Awesome pic!
Yeah, could be due to the sound signature differences too (in treble area).
The more I listen tu Nutopia, the more I think it's a headphone that hard to fault. Tuning is very well all-round, easy to match to various set up and "forgiving" enough to many kinds of recording.
Awesome! I definitely would like to try out a Lazuli Ref+. I’m currently using a silver cable from cosmic cables and really like what it does too.
I had the OG Utopia for a couple weeks. I couldn't get over the fear of the driver failures, after a friend of mine had that happen twice. So, I sent them back and bought the 2022 Utopia for an absolute killer deal (under 4K USD) sealed. It is true that the high end is slightly less "sparkly" than before, but sound stage is certainly on par if not slightly wider than the OG Utopia. The ability to throw the sound so far left and right for sounds that are mixed that way, is really quite something. Imaging and instrument separation are phenomenal. An example if this would be I See Fire by Ed Sheeran, from the Hobbit soundtrack. When the song starts to ramp up and the snare drum comes in - I've heard this song many times on many different headphones, but I've never "noticed" that snare in quite the same way. I have heard a few Newtopia owners talk about them being more "airy"... well, as an audio engineer, that kind of language is just funny to me. But, I DO know what they mean. The 2022 Utopia, seems to have less congestion in the lower treble and upper mids. Somehow, even with a slightly reduce extreme upper treble (sounds like around 6k, 8k, and 12k to me) they do seem to have a clarity that really is noticeable compared to the already razor sharp gloriously clear, OG Utopia. More bass? Kinda. It is more like a slight boost in the sub bass (I would say around 40hz) and a bit more fullness in the lower mids, so voices sound a bit fuller... but not in a way that usually takes over the mid treble, although this is noticeable at times. Though I loved the OG for the treble, and just shocking clarity... the 2022 Utopia is just a joy, and I'm listening to music I don't even like, because of the details and highly enjoyable tuning of these headphones. They do NOT sound like an entirely different headphone, compared to the OG, to me. It is more like a fuller mid, slightly fuller sub bass, and ever so slightly pulled back upper treble. But don't think for a moment that the 2022 sound "Dark" and the OG sound "Bright"... it isn't anything like that kind of difference. Focal has shored up the weaknesses in the driver design, for which I am incredibly thankful. I was going to make a large music gear purchase (I play Keys) and for the same amount of money.. I bought these awesome 2022 Utopia headphones, and I don't for a moment regret it, NOR do I miss the OG. I'll say this. You could take the OG and EQ it to sound like the 2022 Utopia, and the same is true in reverse - and they would be within 5% of one another....so I can't think of a reason anyone should go for an OG now that the 2022 exists. It is phenomenal. Orchestral music in particular is stunning. Instrumental stuff fantastic. Unless it was mixed horribly, or mastered by a deaf person...most everything sounds great on these. I'm using a HART audio cable, which I know is WAY below what many of you have. The DAC/AMP is the new (for 2022) RME ADI 2/4 PRO SE, and it is pulling gobS of details out of the music, paired with the Utopia 2022. Back to QOBUZ!
They designed a new voice coil for the 2022 edition, made of aluminum and copper. I believe it's lighter and presumably more durable than the old one (not sure how or why). The grill pattern also changed, which probably changed the acoustic impedance seen by the driver to a degree. I'm not aware of any other salient changes with the new model. FWIW.I mentioned in my post that if this is the case, I think it bumps up the value prop for the 2022. Has this been confirmed/explained--specifically how they improved driver robustness/reliability? I know I haven't read through every single post in the threads, so I could be missing it. It's also ok if it's rather an assumption at this point given the update to the model. I'm simply curious.
This is their video, which specifically has Meghane commenting on that.
This was not 100% confirmed.
