[3ggerhappy]

I wonder if the poll on the reliability of the Utopia is useful anymore. It’s a small sample size, so the percentages are misleading. The initial problem with the Utopia was corrected, and the warranty has been increased to 5 years no matter which type of dealer one purchased from, and the warranty is now transferable. I’ve owned my pair now for a couple years, and they continue to perform flawlessly.

Is this really the case now especially the "no matter which type of dealer part"(purchased mine on amazon and unauthorized seller )? If it is I could totally take advantage of this right now, because mine just suddenly lost the left channel just last night after a year and 1 month. May I know some links or post regarding this? Thanks you

 

[jwbrent]

Is this really the case now especially the "no matter which type of dealer part"(purchased mine on amazon and unauthorized seller )? If it is I could totally take advantage of this right now, because mine just suddenly lost the left channel just last night after a year and 1 month. May I know some links or post regarding this? Thanks you

The unauthorized dealer may be a sticking point, but I wouldn’t hesitate to assume you will be taken care of since Focal’s warranty change was made to instill greater confidence in the durability of the Utopia, as well as make amends to its Utopia customers. Perhaps they will overlook the dealer’s status since you bought the headphones from Amazon. You will need to provide a copy of the Amazon receipt.

In my original statement, I should have been more clear that the dealer had to be an authorized one. Focal has two types of dealers, brick and mortar and online only.

 

[TSAVJason]

The unauthorized dealer may be a sticking point, but I wouldn’t hesitate to assume you will be taken care of since Focal’s warranty change was made to instill greater confidence in the durability of the Utopia, as well as make amends to its Utopia customers. Perhaps they will overlook the dealer’s status since you bought the headphones from Amazon. You will need to provide a copy of the Amazon receipt.

In my original statement, I should have been more clear that the dealer had to be an authorized one. Focal has two types of dealers, brick and mortar and online only.

Unauthorized would definitely be problematic. The warranty states 5 years when purchased from an “Authorized Dealer” by the original purchaser. Second hand warranty is whatever the balance is from the original date of purchase by the original purchaser

 

[3ggerhappy]

Unauthorized would definitely be problematic. The warranty states 5 years when purchased from an “Authorized Dealer” by the original purchaser. Second hand warranty is whatever the balance is from the original date of purchase by the original purchaser

Understood, thanks for the clarification guys. I guess my next step is to contact the amazon seller and ask if they could provide the original receipt hoping they got it from an authorized dealer. Longshot but I will just try this once then I guess I just have to move on.

 

[catscratch]

I wonder if the poll on the reliability of the Utopia is useful anymore. It’s a small sample size, so the percentages are misleading. The initial problem with the Utopia was corrected, and the warranty has been increased to 5 years no matter which type of dealer one purchased from, and the warranty is now transferable. I’ve owned my pair now for a couple years, and they continue to perform flawlessly.

Polls like this are statistically meaningless. An opt-in sample is always going to skew the picture as people who have experienced problems are far more likely to participate than people that haven't. I guess if you really want accurate numbers, you'll have to ask the dealers, or Focal themselves, though they'll probably keep that information to themselves.

FWIW my Clear has been performing flawlessly since I bought it in early 2018. My Utopia hasn't... had a chance to show me yet. Yes, I couldn't resist and finally bought one. Impressions to come.

 

[RustyGates]

These numbers mean absolutely nothing.

There are products with excellent numbers that sound like crap, and vice versa.

dCS is the top of the game when it comes to DACs, Chord is still not there (yet). But then again, dCS is much more expensive. The Bartok is “entry level” in dCS world, lol

Doesn't help that Chord DAVE took first place at RMAF for the best DAC award two years running, and second up was the Vivaldi stack which requires you to sell your house.

 

[emrelights1973]

Anyone tried the new focal amp with utopia?

 

[jwbrent]

Polls like this are statistically meaningless. An opt-in sample is always going to skew the picture as people who have experienced problems are far more likely to participate than people that haven't. I guess if you really want accurate numbers, you'll have to ask the dealers, or Focal themselves, though they'll probably keep that information to themselves.

FWIW my Clear has been performing flawlessly since I bought it in early 2018. My Utopia hasn't... had a chance to show me yet. Yes, I couldn't resist and finally bought one. Impressions to come.

Congrats on your new Utopia! I’ll be interested in reading your thoughts on the difference. There are some here on Head-Fi that feel the Clear is better sounding to them.

 

[RustyGates]

Congrats on your new Utopia! I’ll be interested in reading your thoughts on the difference. There are some here on Head-Fi that feel the Clear is better sounding to them.

I used to have the Clear initially, but I bought the Utopias and eventually sold the Clear.

The speed and textural qualities of the Utopia are just unmatched. Also, with the right DAC and Amp, the Utopias bass is far better, tighter, punchier than than the Clear.

The Clear is tonally well balanced though, but I would say go with the Massdrop x Focal Elex instead, just better value.

 

[catscratch]

Got the Utopias today. Vaguely incoherent early impressions follow.

First thoughts are that whoever decided it was a good idea to use a garden hose for a headphone cable should be fired.

The comfort level is good. Same as all the other Focals. The pads are very nice, but the headphones are a tad heavier. No real complaints here (though I expect I'll have a few choice words to say when it comes time to buy replacement earpads).

Sound-wise, I don't want to get too into detail since I only had a few hours with these, but they sound surprisingly... normal. I say "surprisingly" because the Clears have a somewhat metallic tone to the mids and highs that makes them sound a bit artificial, and I was expecting these to be more of the same, or even worse. But they're actually a bit more natural sounding.

The bass is all there but it's a bit light. The mids are present, full, and very clear. Midrange tone is close to correct, but there's a bit of a bump around 1khz. Stax headphones spring to mind as they often have a similar coloration, but it's less severe in the Utopia.

The lower treble seems overly sharp. However I wouldn't call these headphones sibilant - they seem to emphasize the "th" and "sh" sounds, rather than "s" or "ch" sounds. The upper treble is extended and smooth, but not overblown. These actually sound less airy than the Clear, or Stax headphones (which, to be fair, are overly airy most of the time).

The overall sound seems to be slightly lighter and sharper than neutral but also not that far from it. Of course, these are just day 1 impressions talking.

The midrange resolution is simply stellar, world-class and easily on par with electrostatics. I'm not sure if the bass and treble resolution is as good, but it's still excellent. The imaging is also top notch, and after languishing in mid-fi land, imaging-wise, it's nice to finally have a headphone that images properly again. Soundstage size isn't very large, but does seem to change size depending on the recording. Dynamics are good, as they are in all Focals.

Yeah, these can stay. I think I will need a different amp for them - maybe tubes, or zero-feedback solid state. Right now I'm using a simple Gilmore Lite Mk2, which sounds decent with these, but is a tad dry. I don't think these necessarily need more warmth, but they do need some more lushness, right now they're a bit analytical.

More impressions, comparisons, EQ settings, etc to come.

P.S. are these supposed to come with multiple sets of cables? I don't see a balanced cable in the box, but this was an open box store demo.

 

[DaYooper]

So were these second owner for you and already burned in? I noticed when I got mine with around 20 hours on them, according to seller, (they were wtty replacement for him) I was not all that impressed. But they did improve some after another 30 hours.

 

[Slim1970]

Got the Utopias today. Vaguely incoherent early impressions follow.

First thoughts are that whoever decided it was a good idea to use a garden hose for a headphone cable should be fired.

The comfort level is good. Same as all the other Focals. The pads are very nice, but the headphones are a tad heavier. No real complaints here (though I expect I'll have a few choice words to say when it comes time to buy replacement earpads).

Sound-wise, I don't want to get too into detail since I only had a few hours with these, but they sound surprisingly... normal. I say "surprisingly" because the Clears have a somewhat metallic tone to the mids and highs that makes them sound a bit artificial, and I was expecting these to be more of the same, or even worse. But they're actually a bit more natural sounding.

The bass is all there but it's a bit light. The mids are present, full, and very clear. Midrange tone is close to correct, but there's a bit of a bump around 1khz. Stax headphones spring to mind as they often have a similar coloration, but it's less severe in the Utopia.

The lower treble seems overly sharp. However I wouldn't call these headphones sibilant - they seem to emphasize the "th" and "sh" sounds, rather than "s" or "ch" sounds. The upper treble is extended and smooth, but not overblown. These actually sound less airy than the Clear, or Stax headphones (which, to be fair, are overly airy most of the time).

The overall sound seems to be slightly lighter and sharper than neutral but also not that far from it. Of course, these are just day 1 impressions talking.

The midrange resolution is simply stellar, world-class and easily on par with electrostatics. I'm not sure if the bass and treble resolution is as good, but it's still excellent. The imaging is also top notch, and after languishing in mid-fi land, imaging-wise, it's nice to finally have a headphone that images properly again. Soundstage size isn't very large, but does seem to change size depending on the recording. Dynamics are good, as they are in all Focals.

Yeah, these can stay. I think I will need a different amp for them - maybe tubes, or zero-feedback solid state. Right now I'm using a simple Gilmore Lite Mk2, which sounds decent with these, but is a tad dry. I don't think these necessarily need more warmth, but they do need some more lushness, right now they're a bit analytical.

More impressions, comparisons, EQ settings, etc to come.

P.S. are these supposed to come with multiple sets of cables? I don't see a balanced cable in the box, but this was an open box store demo.

All of the initial things, or dare I say faults, you are hearing now will improve over time. The biggest change that happened for me with the Utopia's came when I added the Danacable Lazuli Reference cable to it. It's not a cheap cable but it fixes a lot of the shortcomings of the Utopia's. I listen to my Utopia's with the GL Mk2 and it sounds great. But it sounds even better with the warmer, Cavalli Liquid Carbon 2.0.

 

[Roasty]

All of the initial things, or dare I say faults, you are hearing now will improve over time. The biggest change that happened for me with the Utopia's came when I added the Danacable Lazuli Reference cable to it. It's not a cheap cable but it fixes a lot of the shortcomings of the Utopia's. I listen to my Utopia's with the GL Mk2 and it sounds great. But it sounds even better with the warmer, Cavalli Liquid Carbon 2.0.

Yes I agree. The lazuli reference really completed the Utopias for me. It took off some harshness, and added good middle and low end weight. The bass is better and tighter as well. Whether or not these changes are worth their price, well..

 

[MacedonianHero]

All of the initial things, or dare I say faults, you are hearing now will improve over time. The biggest change that happened for me with the Utopia's came when I added the Danacable Lazuli Reference cable to it. It's not a cheap cable but it fixes a lot of the shortcomings of the Utopia's. I listen to my Utopia's with the GL Mk2 and it sounds great. But it sounds even better with the warmer, Cavalli Liquid Carbon 2.0.

Agreed...this cable made the biggest difference with the Utopias that I've ever come across. These headphones also scale with better amplification and sources (more for the latter than the former however).

 

[BassicScience]

Got the Utopias today. Vaguely incoherent early impressions follow.

First thoughts are that whoever decided it was a good idea to use a garden hose for a headphone cable should be fired.

The comfort level is good. Same as all the other Focals. The pads are very nice, but the headphones are a tad heavier. No real complaints here (though I expect I'll have a few choice words to say when it comes time to buy replacement earpads).

Sound-wise, I don't want to get too into detail since I only had a few hours with these, but they sound surprisingly... normal. I say "surprisingly" because the Clears have a somewhat metallic tone to the mids and highs that makes them sound a bit artificial, and I was expecting these to be more of the same, or even worse. But they're actually a bit more natural sounding.

The bass is all there but it's a bit light. The mids are present, full, and very clear. Midrange tone is close to correct, but there's a bit of a bump around 1khz. Stax headphones spring to mind as they often have a similar coloration, but it's less severe in the Utopia.

The lower treble seems overly sharp. However I wouldn't call these headphones sibilant - they seem to emphasize the "th" and "sh" sounds, rather than "s" or "ch" sounds. The upper treble is extended and smooth, but not overblown. These actually sound less airy than the Clear, or Stax headphones (which, to be fair, are overly airy most of the time).

The overall sound seems to be slightly lighter and sharper than neutral but also not that far from it. Of course, these are just day 1 impressions talking.

The midrange resolution is simply stellar, world-class and easily on par with electrostatics. I'm not sure if the bass and treble resolution is as good, but it's still excellent. The imaging is also top notch, and after languishing in mid-fi land, imaging-wise, it's nice to finally have a headphone that images properly again. Soundstage size isn't very large, but does seem to change size depending on the recording. Dynamics are good, as they are in all Focals.

Yeah, these can stay. I think I will need a different amp for them - maybe tubes, or zero-feedback solid state. Right now I'm using a simple Gilmore Lite Mk2, which sounds decent with these, but is a tad dry. I don't think these necessarily need more warmth, but they do need some more lushness, right now they're a bit analytical.

More impressions, comparisons, EQ settings, etc to come.

P.S. are these supposed to come with multiple sets of cables? I don't see a balanced cable in the box, but this was an open box store demo.

Unless something's changed in the last couple of years, you only get the one cable. I think it's passable, but you'll definitely get better sound with a good aftermarket cable. The headphone is so resolving, you really need a fine amp and source (in addition to the cable) to experience what it's capable of. Once you get it dialed in, the bass is as good as I've heard from a headphone. Planar magnetics may exceed it in bass quantity, but they're rarely as agile or dynamic. I don't find anything to complain about with the treble, either. It's an amazing headphone.