Focal Utopia General Discussion
Sep 23, 2018 at 8:18 PM Post #8,776 of 20,433
I wonder whether those who’ve had driver failures were using EQ, especially boosted several dB.
 
Sep 23, 2018 at 8:25 PM Post #8,777 of 20,433
Another question: those with driver failures, did your Utopia come with the 4m cable or 3m cable? My understanding is the preponderance of driver failures occurred with inventory from the first year after release.

My late 2017 Utopia (when I bought it new) has been working fine the past year.
 
Sep 23, 2018 at 9:32 PM Post #8,778 of 20,433
I just wanted to pop in a congratulate anyone who owns a Utopia!!! ...I was able listen to a couple of tracks from Live at the Regal on a pair of Utopias yesterday and was blown away by the clarity and thought the sound signature was perfect.
 
Sep 23, 2018 at 9:54 PM Post #8,779 of 20,433
I appreciate the feedback from someone who has/had the gear the same, thanks. I of course have sampled this in a shop, but always better to get confirmation from someone who spent more time with the setup.

However, a 1k cable will never happen in my world/value system.
i have heard the hd800 and hd800s a number of times. i also compared them to the utopia. suffice to say, i bought the utopia.

I must say, this is a very sad state of affairs for Focal. Customers of 4k headphones are not beta testers, and should not need to resolve to such actions.
i will have had my utopia for a year in november. i was aware of the reports of driver failures when i bought it. i'm not going to deny that it wasn't a concern even though it may be statistically insignificant when compared to the number of units produced and sold. i've had no issues with mine and no buyer's remorse.
 
Sep 23, 2018 at 10:32 PM Post #8,780 of 20,433
With the retail price coming down, you could always sell the early production pair and use the proceeds to help pay for a more current new pair with warranty. You know, piece of mind.
You are joking right?
Surely you don't suggest that I cycle my $5K(in Australia) headphones every 2yrs just to get some peace of mind?
Maybe you have $1000's to burn on such a plan, but I don't.
 
Sep 23, 2018 at 11:36 PM Post #8,781 of 20,433
You are joking right?
Surely you don't suggest that I cycle my $5K(in Australia) headphones every 2yrs just to get some peace of mind?
Maybe you have $1000's to burn on such a plan, but I don't.
Consider youself lucky, the US warranty is only one year. Some folks feel better if they have warranty coverage on most everything they own, the extended warranty insurance industry makes billions of dollars annually due to the fact. Odds are the pair you currently own will last many years to come.

Seeing the production of Utopia drivers partially involves some hand assembly, there is always the possibility of human error. Maybe all the failed drivers were produced on Monday morning.
 
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Sep 24, 2018 at 12:27 AM Post #8,782 of 20,433
Sep 24, 2018 at 6:47 AM Post #8,784 of 20,433
If you are in Europe and the product failed due to a production faillure even out of warranty, you can get a free repair if you push for it based on my experience with Apple.

So you probably do the same with Focal.

I also got free out of warranty repairs with the Sennheiser HD 800.
 
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Sep 24, 2018 at 6:49 AM Post #8,785 of 20,433
Mine were manufactured Jan 2017, I purchased in March 2017, I swapped out the 3 meter cable it came with for an aftermarket fairly soon after purchase.
I understood the standard warranty to be 2 years,(in my case and from my dealer), with some other dealers (2 that I'm aware of) adding another 3 years to the package, somehow.
So far, so good. (Kiss of Death).
 
Sep 24, 2018 at 7:20 AM Post #8,786 of 20,433
But they're the best sounding headphones in the whole wide world!

Unless you mean this with a note of sarcasm, I will then have to state that I will resort to the second-best headphones in the whole wide world.

One of the few advantages of the crazy headphone hobby is that stuff tends to be more durable and long-lasting, and cable connectors more standardized. If the market leader in sound is not up to their game in honoring commitment to build quality. then some people will stay away.
 
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Sep 24, 2018 at 8:50 AM Post #8,787 of 20,433
Unless you mean this with a note of sarcasm, I will then have to state that I will resort to the second-best headphones in the whole wide world.

One of the few advantages of the crazy headphone hobby is that stuff tends to be more durable and long-lasting, and cable connectors more standardized. If the market leader in sound is not up to their game in honoring commitment to build quality. then some people will stay away.
No sarcasm involved, just my opinion.
 
Sep 24, 2018 at 9:19 AM Post #8,789 of 20,433
i have heard the hd800 and hd800s a number of times. i also compared them to the utopia. suffice to say, i bought the utopia.


i will have had my utopia for a year in november. i was aware of the reports of driver failures when i bought it. i'm not going to deny that it wasn't a concern even though it may be statistically insignificant when compared to the number of units produced and sold. i've had no issues with mine and no buyer's remorse.

+1
 
Sep 24, 2018 at 9:27 AM Post #8,790 of 20,433
i have heard the hd800 and hd800s a number of times. i also compared them to the utopia. suffice to say, i bought the utopia.

Was this an easy decision for you? I now probably might have done the same. But I have the HD800S and would be a very happy end-game owner if I hadn't sampled the utopias with a Rachmaninov concert at the shop, and I loved how lively the piano sounded. Or is it ... my mind playing tricks because I am aiming for a forbidden fruit?

I i was aware of the reports of driver failures when i bought it. i'm not going to deny that it wasn't a concern even though it may be statistically insignificant when compared to the number of units produced and sold. i've had no issues with mine and no buyer's remorse.

That's great to hear. The problem for me is that I personally do not mind buying open-box or second-hand, but I ruled it out for the utopia because of this concern. In addition, I am annoyed in principle that focal makes things so difficult for 2nd hand customers. I stated this in another post, and got plenty of emotional responses (it is normal etc), but for me it is a lack of customer orientation. I usually do not support companies having a reputation for not servicing 2nd hand owners with products still in the warranty period, and am mostly annoyed of myself that I am still interested in owning it. Again, the forbidden fruit thing.
 
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