Focal Utopia 2022 Review, Measurements

[meomap]

I have the WA6SE with OG UTOPIA...
To me it sounds like SS than tube base....

Aegis and Studio-Six tubes amps are more tube base Euphonic 3D like.

But you can get used WA for reasonable prices.....

 

[chesebert]

Are the feliks tube amps and woo audio tube amps still a good choice in 2025? Saw those being recommended a few years back. Not sure if theyre outdated now and if theres just better choices for the money

Eddie Current amps are by far the best tube amp for the money for dynamic headphones. That Studio B is equivalent to Envy (actually a little more transparent and bigger soundstage) if it helps. If you want to drive planars and dynamics maybe look at Envy or WA33.

 

[moki]

Eddie Current amps are by far the best tube amp for the money for dynamic headphones. That Studio B is equivalent to Envy (actually a little more transparent and bigger soundstage) if it helps. If you want to drive planars and dynamics maybe look at Envy or WA33.

From a small search on the used market i saw the feliks amps at roughly $1k-1500s,wa23 at around $1800-2ks if i recall,wa33 were much pricier at like $5-8ks and i saw 1 studio b at like $2500-3k but normally go for like 4k from looking at a few sales, which based on the comments was a steal. Do all these prices seem justifiable based on the quality you get? I assume the studio b at that price is probly the better pick but curious if any of these are punching way above their price point or if the prices correlate with the sound quality youll get

 

[chesebert]

From a small search on the used market i saw the feliks amps at roughly $1k-1500s,wa23 at around $1800-2ks if i recall,wa33 were much pricier at like $5-8ks and i saw 1 studio b at like $2500-3k but normally go for like 4k from looking at a few sales, which based on the comments was a steal. Do all these prices seem justifiable based on the quality you get? I assume the studio b at that price is probly the better pick but curious if any of these are punching way above their price point or if the prices correlate with the sound quality youll get

IMO, both Feliks and Woo Audio products are overpriced for the sound quality they offer.

 

[jlbrach]

I think on a relative basis the envy compared to the far more expensive amps is almost a bargain but I happen to be a big fan..

 

[moki]

IMO, both Feliks and Woo Audio products are overpriced for the sound quality they offer.

Noted. Any other names i should consider? Cant find any reviews on youtube for the studio b so ill have to check some forums. Also checked out the zmf aegis and the reviews were good.

 

[chesebert]

Noted. Any other names i should consider? Cant find any reviews on youtube for the studio b so ill have to check some forums. Also checked out the zmf aegis and the reviews were good.

DNA. I tend to steer clear of amps that are heavily promoted by influencers and YouTubers. I generally assume they are overpriced or meh sounding until I can judge their quality firsthand.

Aegis is a well known DIY design so it may be decent given folks wouldn’t waste their time building one if the circuit is a POS.

 

[moki]

I think on a relative basis the envy compared to the far more expensive amps is almost a bargain but I happen to be a big fan..

Looks to be sitting around 5k used. Quite pricy compared to the others i mentioned apart from the wa33. I was looking at the euphoria evo and wondering how it compares. Seems to be more reasonably priced at around $1400s used

 

[chesebert]

I think on a relative basis the envy compared to the far more expensive amps is almost a bargain but I happen to be a big fan..

I suppose among all the commercially available offerings you are right. I think DNA Stellaris costs just as much as Envy but no 300B so limited application in terms of power. Craig retired so that was the end of any reasonable priced high performance 300B and 2a3 amps.

 

[K3cT]

From a small search on the used market i saw the feliks amps at roughly $1k-1500s,wa23 at around $1800-2ks if i recall,wa33 were much pricier at like $5-8ks and i saw 1 studio b at like $2500-3k but normally go for like 4k from looking at a few sales, which based on the comments was a steal. Do all these prices seem justifiable based on the quality you get? I assume the studio b at that price is probly the better pick but curious if any of these are punching way above their price point or if the prices correlate with the sound quality youll get

I love my Eddie Current amp to death but one has to consider what headphones you plan to drive it with, EC amps seem to be suited best for dynamics and maybe high efficiency planars.

 

[noirceurfg]

After comparing these two headphones, to me, it’s crystal clear: the first-generation Focal Utopia outperforms the Utopia 2022. The newer version feels like a step backward, a compromise made in the name of reliability due to the V1’s problematic drivers — but it comes at the cost of sound quality.


The pure aluminum voice coil of the original Utopia is lighter and superior to the copper-aluminum alloy used in the 2022 version. The V1’s transducer is noticeably more responsive, the imaging is more precise, and the dynamics are simply on another level.


The Utopia 2022 only surpasses the original in terms of timbre and long-term reliability — but in terms of sheer sonic performance, the original still reigns supreme. IMO