[rthomas]

  Thought it is worth mentioning, my Utopias purchased in November 2016 were defective.
 
The left channel stopped working altogether
 
I absolutely loved them up until this happened...
 
Still waiting on a replacement pair from Focal

 
Does anybody know the cost of an out of warranty Utopia driver repair?

 

[syn959]

  Thought it is worth mentioning, my Utopias purchased in November 2016 were defective.
 
The left channel stopped working altogether
 
I absolutely loved them up until this happened...
 
Still waiting on a replacement pair from Focal

 
Sorry to hear. Hope it's not a sign of QA issues. I think this is the 2nd post I came across with driver issues with the Utopia.  
 
Luckily, I haven't had driver issues with any of my headphones yet. I would hate to have my Utopia's be the first.
 
I'm curious if you can share how Focal handle your return as well and if there were charges.

 

[Fredfung93]

Got the converter today for my hd800 Dhc prion 4s, maybe will get it burn in for one or two day and give a proper review.

For the first impression comparing with the stock cable, the sound is more delicate and background is quieter. Sound stage seems to be widen up a bit, but not a lot. Bass quality is better with a more punchy sound. Using vocal to compare, the stock cable has less detail and is not smooth enough comparing the prion4s. The imaging is better after changing the cable, and the dynamic change is smoother.

I do not think that prion 4s has a big tone colour difference from the stock cable which means it's a good result if you are looking for a cable that does not change the original tone colour.

I will consider prion4s as a refinement for the utopia more than a change of colour or a change in the sound. If you are expecting a change in colour or appearance of the utopia, I think other cable might be better as prion4s is aiming a more neutral sound rather than some fancy sound like gold plated silver.

 

[STR-1]

Got the converter today for my hd800 Dhc prion 4s, maybe will get it burn in for one or two day and give a proper review.

For the first impression comparing with the stock cable, the sound is more delicate and background is quieter. Sound stage seems to be widen up a bit, but not a lot. Bass quality is better with a more punchy sound. Using vocal to compare, the stock cable has less detail and is not smooth enough comparing the prion4s. The imaging is better after changing the cable, and the dynamic change is smoother.

I do not think that prion 4s has a big tone colour difference from the stock cable which means it's a good result if you are looking for a cable that does not change the original tone colour.

I will consider prion4s as a refinement for the utopia more than a change of colour or a change in the sound. If you are expecting a change in colour or appearance of the utopia, I think other cable might be better as prion4s is aiming a more neutral sound rather than some fancy sound like gold plated silver.

I've been living with my Utopia-terminated Prion for two weeks and am really liking it.

It did need some running in, sounded a bit odd to begin with, but now singing sweetly with 100+ hours on it. It is smoother than the stock cable. Not at all what you would expect from a silver cable, but very much in keeping with other dhc silver cables (as I understand it from other posts). It is more detailed than the stock cable, which might not be immediately apparent until you realise that the extra brightness and grain of the stock cable gives a false sense of more detail/air. At first, I thought the stock cable had more punch, but then realised that was because by comparison with the Prion it was a little lean sounding. Punch with the Prion is fuller and consequently not as attention-grabbing as with the stock cable.

I also have an adapter (dhc) for using my HD800-terminated Black Dragon with the Utopia. IMHO, That cable also improves on the Utopia stock, giving a warmer and richer sound.

 

[Allanmarcus]

 

  Thought it is worth mentioning, my Utopias purchased in November 2016 were defective.
 
The left channel stopped working altogether
 
I absolutely loved them up until this happened...
 
Still waiting on a replacement pair from Focal

 
Does it cost you anything to ship them back to the dealer or Focal ? Do they charge you for the return?  just wondering.. 

Mine has a rattle in the headband, like something was loose in there. I had to pay shipping back to the dealer (and insurance, of course). The dealer paid shipping back to me. Turn around was pretty fast; less than a week.

 

[Fredfung93]

I've been living with my Utopia-terminated Prion for two weeks and am really liking it.

It did need some running in, sounded a bit odd to begin with, but now singing sweetly with 100+ hours on it. It is smoother than the stock cable. Not at all what you would expect from a silver cable, but very much in keeping with other dhc silver cables (as I understand it from other posts). It is more detailed than the stock cable, which might not be immediately apparent until you realise that the extra brightness and grain of the stock cable gives a false sense of more detail/air. At first, I thought the stock cable had more punch, but then realised that was because by comparison with the Prion it was a little lean sounding. Punch with the Prion is fuller and consequently not as attention-grabbing as with the stock cable.

I also have an adapter (dhc) for using my HD800-terminated Black Dragon with the Utopia. IMHO, That cable also improves on the Utopia stock, giving a warmer and richer sound.

Glad that my impression is similar to your :thumbsup_tone1::thumbsup_tone1:
I will do some run in too, and but be send back to dhc to make it a utopia plug.

 

[Audio Addict]

Utopia.

I think the dogs like the Utopia as well as it looks like it means more mom time for them

 

[Audiofillet]

Focal covered shipping to them and I assume they will cover shipping back to me.

 

[Audio Addict]

Focal covered shipping to them and I assume they will cover shipping back to me. It's been over a week since they received them and haven't heard back from them. 

It takes multiple emails to get a reply

The distributor (Moon Audio) was not very helpful.

I need to contact Focal again to get an update

Three months seems pretty bad customer service to me. I would think they would at least get a loaner pair to you with this long of repair time.

 

[TSAVJason]

Utopia.

Hahahaha AWESOME!

 

[TSAVJason]

Three months seems pretty bad customer service to me. I would think they would at least get a loaner pair to you with this long of repair time.

I don't think 3 months is what he's saying. I think this repair/replace need was recognized recently and that they were purchased in November.

 

[up late]

bob Katz has done an in-depth comparison of the utopia and lcd-4 at innerfidelity

 

[Allanmarcus]

bob Katz has done an in-depth comparison of the utopia and lcd-4 at innerfidelity

Possibly a bit biased since he's very familiar with the LCD sound and new to the utopia.

 

[Exidrion]

bob Katz has done an in-depth comparison of the utopia and lcd-4 at innerfidelity

Scrolled down and saw he rated the comfort level 9.5, the same as the Utopia.

Closed the tab.

 

[up late]

Possibly a bit biased since he's very familiar with the LCD sound and new to the utopia.

i think he acknowledged that possibility

Scrolled down and saw he rated the comfort level 9.5, the same as the Utopia.

Closed the tab.

i don't think that the comfort levels are comparable either but i read his blog from the beginning...

his comparison focused mainly on sonic performance and i found it a worthwhile read from that perspective, having heard both