[GrandNagus50]

Ok, apologies of sorts to the fellow who mentioned the $110 50mm beryllium headphone drivers. I expressed skepticism. These are just drivers, apparently. What do you do with them? Build your own headphones?
But they are, in fact, what he said they were. Of course, we don't know how good they are, etc. But they exist.

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32955937848.html

 

[dontfeedphils]

Ok, apologies of sorts to the fellow who mentioned the $110 50mm beryllium headphone drivers. I expressed skepticism. These are just drivers, apparently. What do you do with them? Build your own headphones?
But they are, in fact, what he said they were. Of course, we don't know how good they are, etc. But they exist.

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32955937848.html

They're beryllium, but that doesn't take into account the many other aspects of the Utopia driver, some of which I'm sure are proprietary including:
- Formerless voice coil/attaching that coil
- Cone surround/materials
- Magnets and their structure

It's just funny that people think they can reduce something as complex as the driver in the Utopia down to a couple of core components and then take shots at the price based on that. Completely discounting the R/D that goes into not only developing how these parts work in concert, but also the engineered materials themselves.

 

[makan]

Thanks, I will refund the buyer next week (still have some faint hope the parcel appears magically in the tracking system or with the buyer) and let him know of this. I feel bad for him (but he probably feels better than I do, I hope).

I have a good feeling that it will show up at its destination. Positive thoughts Dude.

 

[GrandNagus50]

They're beryllium, but that doesn't take into account the many other aspects of the Utopia driver, some of which I'm sure are proprietary including:
- Formerless voice coil/attaching that coil
- Cone surround/materials
- Magnets and their structure

It's just funny that people think they can reduce something as complex as the driver in the Utopia down to a couple of core components and then take shots at the price based on that. Completely discounting the R/D that goes into not only developing how these parts work in concert, but also the engineered materials themselves.

Yeah, I agree. I am sure that given the critical acclaim it has received, the Utopia is priced at a point where the company has a "generous" profit margin on each unit. When something is number one (at least in the estimation of many) and a kind of luxury item, the markup is big. But as the various comments have pointed out, we really do not know the total cost of the materials, parts, labor, etc., not to mention the amount of resources and time it took to develop a product of this sophistication.

 

[Gadget67]

They're beryllium, but that doesn't take into account the many other aspects of the Utopia driver, some of which I'm sure are proprietary including:
- Formerless voice coil/attaching that coil
- Cone surround/materials
- Magnets and their structure

It's just funny that people think they can reduce something as complex as the driver in the Utopia down to a couple of core components and then take shots at the price based on that. Completely discounting the R/D that goes into not only developing how these parts work in concert, but also the engineered materials themselves.

Yeah, I agree. I am sure that given the critical acclaim it has received, the Utopia is priced at a point where the company has a "generous" profit margin on each unit. When something is number one (at least in the estimation of many) and a kind of luxury item, the markup is big. But as the various comments have pointed out, we really do not know the total cost of the materials, parts, labor, etc., not to mention the amount of resources and time it took to develop a product of this sophistication.

Well, to cut to the chase here, I can’t manufacture them in my basement workshop even if I had access to all of the parts. I managed to find a new pair at a fair market price; patience pays off as it turns out. To those who think they are “overpriced”, move on. I wanted the “best ” and I’m very happy with my purchase!

 

[PointyFox]

Well, to cut to the chase here, I can’t manufacture them in my basement workshop even if I had access to all of the parts. I managed to find a new pair at a fair market price; patience pays off as it turns out. To those who think they are “overpriced”, move on. I wanted the “best ” and I’m very happy with my purchase!

All "high-end" headphones are overpriced. I'm just trying to figure out "how overpriced" considering the Elegia is sold for $399 retail and $110 50mm pure beryllium drivers exist. Also I could probably assemble the Utopia in my bedroom. I don't have a normal bedroom though. I've got overhead pull-down tools, electronics rework station, ultrasonic cutters, etc. I'm a product development engineer and it's also a hobby. I have more equipment than our lab at work and that's saying something considering I work at the headquarters of a company that produces $18 billion in revenue.

 

[paradoxper]

I don't know, a $1 bag of chips (costs them, say, .10 cents to produce) is pretty overpriced.

I guess that's why they say live within your means.

 

[Gadget67]

All "high-end" headphones are overpriced. I'm just trying to figure out "how overpriced" considering the Elegia is sold for $399 retail and $110 50mm pure beryllium drivers exist. Also I could probably assemble the Utopia in my bedroom. I don't have a normal bedroom though. I've got overhead pull-down tools, electronics rework station, ultrasonic cutters, etc. I'm a product development engineer and it's also a hobby. I have more equipment than our lab at work and that's saying something considering I work at the headquarters of a company that produces $18 billion in revenue.

I’d respectfully suggest you avoid assembling headphones with beryllium drivers in your bedroom.

“While most commonly associated with diseases of the lungs, beryllium may also affect such organs as the liver, kidneys, heart, nervous system, and the lymphatic system. Direct contact with beryllium fumes or dusts may injure the exposed areas of the body, such as the eyes or the skin. Skin sensitization may also occur.”

I think I’ll stick with a retail purchase and you may want to learn a bit more about working with hazardous products before proceeding with your bedroom assembly project.

 

[strojo]

Not to return to a previous thread, but Accessories4Less is selling refurb units (stated 3 year warranty) for $1449. This dealer is clearly a real, official reseller of Focal gear, legitimate, etc.

don’t see them listed on the website

 

[Gadget67]

Those of us who own Utopia headphones received the beryllium warning booklet with our headphones. Here is a link to it for those who haven’t seen it. Don’t be tempted to touch or remove the drivers.
https://www.focal.com/sites/www.foc...alog/document/beryllium_precaution-of-use.pdf

 

[GrandNagus50]

don’t see them listed on the website

[/QUOTE]
https://www.accessories4less.com/ma...Ob-RXUQN9HVky9r7jJK1amX5I-x8MX4hoC6_UQAvD_BwE

Remember I was/am referring to the Arche, not the Utopias, for which $1449 would be an unbelievable price.

 

[Ken G]

Remember I was/am referring to the Arche, not the Utopias, for which $1449 would be an unbelievable price.

I believe anyone who owns the Utopia can purchase the Arche brand new from an authorized dealer for around the same price. Focal is running that deal until the end of the year.
See here: https://www.focal.com/en/exceptiona...ombination-with-your-high-fidelity-headphones

 

[jlbrach]

Please give me some advice: I have been saving for HD800S because I want to buy a pair of full size headphones to complement my JHA Angie IEM. Also I'm very curious about how TOTL cans sound compared to IEMs. Then I saw a lot of folks here saying Utopia is superior to HD800S in every single way except soundstage, which made me tempt to get Utopia instead. My budget is enough for Utopia but I won't have anything left to upgrade other components of my audio chain (my only DAC now is Mojo). I also have some reservations about Utopia because it retails more than double the price of HD800S but has a dramatic drop in resale value (people are selling these 4k headphones for 2-2.2k used here...). Even more worrisome to me is Utopia's high driver failure rate (which really shouldn't happen given the 4k price tag) and lackluster customer service (based on posts I read) of Focal made me think if it is worthwhile to invest so much in their products. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

once a HP is 4 or 5 yrs old its resale value falls to about 50% normally...same holds for the LCD-4....

 

[PointyFox]

once a HP is 4 or 5 yrs old its resale value falls to about 50% normally...same holds for the LCD-4....

Both the LCD-4 and Utopia seem to suffer from high driver failure rates which is one of the reasons both have a comparatively low resale value. TOTL headphones generally hold their resale value better than mid-fi headphones otherwise. I think you'll also find some people saying the HD800S is superior to the Utopia. They have pretty different presentations. I've even seen more than a few people say they prefer the Focal Clear to the Utopia. So it depends a lot on the person and what they value in headphones and what kind of music they like.

 

[iamoneagain]

Resonate
Response
Radiance

These are my guesses. There’s a website where you can put in first and last letters and then search in different word lengths. I assume it’s an 8 letter word.

I was right, so it’s the Radiance. Saw it posted in the Stellia thread. Some new closed headphone. They only found pic with no other facts. So feel safe still buying the Utopia.

I made a little adjustment in my source and now Utopia sound the best I’ve heard them especially the bass. Nice full warm sound with plenty of punch. Really believe since Utopia’s are so transparent they’re a true reflection of your whole setup. Tiny changes can make noticeable difference.