[mwr2700]

Think! Step outside your little world and think. A manufacturer the size of a Focal is not facilitated to address each individuals issue. They see the defective or damaged product and address it as it comes to their attention. They then look at production to decide what best actions to take, if any.

The dealers and distributors are the resource you should be looking at to take care of issues. They are making pretty sizable profit to enable a level of service Focal expects you’ll receive from them. To expect a representative to address each of your individual issues is crazy at the volume of products being made. It would take several hundred representatives to achieve that goal and financially very difficult. It’s never been a driver failure issue. It’s been a solder stability issue. Focal continually looks to this and has addressed nearly all of it if not all. It has been determined that most of the issues are as a result of asking the headphones to perform beyond the limits of the product.

When I read posts that seemingly demand personal baby sitting I try to be empathetic and understanding but things break. Audeze breaks, Sennheiser breaks, Hifiman breaks, MrSpeakers breaks. It happens. That should cause you to look at how and where you buy. The seller should be there to baby sit you and take care of service for you. But nothing is absolutely free from breakdown or abuse.

It is however reasonable to believe your purchase to be a quality experience and the product is made well regardless of price

What you say is not unreasonable, however it does not appear to me to be responsive to meomaps position. I read his remark as addressing Utopia failures in aggregate and not to a specific individual failure. Expectations the community has for Focal's response to this issue has been thrashed about in this thread ad nauseam and I'm not interested in dipping my oar back in that water.

 

[JLoud]

My only comment on reliability is I would like to see Focal extend warranty for this particular issue. Solder or driver, whatever the root cause is. I have three pairs of Focal. Listen, Elear, and Utopia. All have performed flawlessly and get a fair amount of use. No complaints about the pairs I own. But extending the warranty would help to ease concern over the issue. If it is not really a problem, then it is a PR win with no real cost. I work for the auto industry and people complain all the time about so called poor quality. Actual fail rates are in the tenth of a percent. In a vehicle with thousands of moving parts and some of the highest technology available today. I do see things from Focal's point of view.

 

[TSAVJason]

We have good dealers out there taken care for customers.
No doubt I agreed with that.
What about looking from customers point of view too where 2 yrs or 5 yrs warranty plan and keep hearing driver failures where all should be scared.
What if their warranty is already expired and starts to fail.
I am not afraid yet until end of 2021; however, Focal needs to investigate, address, resolve, and let dealers and customers have their trusts with Focal for future product as well.

If Focal fixes the problem then dealers should not bragging about baby sitting customers??????

That is entirely your assumption

 

[dontfeedphils]

My only comment on reliability is I would like to see Focal extend warranty for this particular issue. Solder or driver, whatever the root cause is. I have three pairs of Focal. Listen, Elear, and Utopia. All have performed flawlessly and get a fair amount of use. No complaints about the pairs I own. But extending the warranty would help to ease concern over the issue. If it is not really a problem, then it is a PR win with no real cost. I work for the auto industry and people complain all the time about so called poor quality. Actual fail rates are in the tenth of a percent. In a vehicle with thousands of moving parts and some of the highest technology available today. I do see things from Focal's point of view.

Agreed. A 5 year extended warranty for driver failures related to these issues would ease my mind. Like you I've had no problems at all with a lot of use and somewhat high volume listening, but I'm working on 1.5 years with mine, so another 6 months and I'm on my own if something were to happen.

I'd like to think they'd work with people outside of warranty on these issues, but that's not a guarantee.

 

[TSAVJason]

Agreed. A 5 year extended warranty for driver failures related to these issues would ease my mind. Like you I've had no problems at all with a lot of use and somewhat high volume listening, but I'm working on 1.5 years with mine, so another 6 months and I'm on my own if something were to happen.

I'd like to think they'd work with people outside of warranty on these issues, but that's not a guarantee.

They do help post warranty for some types of failures. They’ve even helped people that purchase used products under certain circumstances. Most of the time it requires a dealers to help. One thing I can say is “you get more flies with honey than you do with vinegar”. So I’d recommend not using meomaps technique but rather come at it from a positive approach so that people want to help post warranty

 

[meomap]

They do help post warranty for some types of failures. They’ve even helped people that purchase used products under certain circumstances. Most of the time it requires a dealers to help. One thing I can say is you get more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. So I’d recommend not using meomaps technique but rather come at it from a positive approach so that people want to help post warranty

My technique?
What Technique?
I am only a concern customer and along with others with a 4K $$$ headphone debating when it's our hp turn to die, before or after 2 years or 5 years.

So, what Meomap's technique are you referring to?

 

[Zhanming057]

I like Audeze's 3 year driver warranty service. Maybe someone with pull at Focal could suggest implementing it?

Granted, I've had some horrendous repair bills from just about every type of high end electronics I own. At some point it's a matter of realizing that overengineered things are more likely to break, and budgeting accordingly.

 

[GPD1]

When did you buy it, and how long had you owned the Utopia before this happened?

Mine failed on the first attempt..sadly it was a few weeks from buying to actually listening for the first time (I was away)so the shop did not replace ..it's in for repair and has been 6 weeks already and still waiting

 

[TSAVJason]

My technique?
What Technique?
I am only a concern customer and along with others with a 4K $$$ headphone debating when it's our hp turn to die, before or after 2 years or 5 years.

So, what Meomap's technique are you referring to?

With all good intentions and with no disrespect meant read what is in quotes in my post. I’m sure if you give a thought you’ll understand my point.

 

[JLoud]

Good to hear Focal is willing to work with owners. That is all you can really ask. I have purchased several items from The Source and found Jason and his staff very helpful. I'm sure if I ever do have an issue your team will do their best to help out.

 

[echineko]

Mine failed on the first attempt..sadly it was a few weeks from buying to actually listening for the first time (I was away)so the shop did not replace ..it's in for repair and has been 6 weeks already and still waiting

HK dealers, gg >.> And I thought we have it bad in Southeast Asia

 

[up late]

I like Audeze's 3 year driver warranty service. Maybe someone with pull at Focal could suggest implementing it?

Granted, I've had some horrendous repair bills from just about every type of high end electronics I own. At some point it's a matter of realizing that overengineered things are more likely to break, and budgeting accordingly.

i may have arrived at that point. i can appreciate that the utopia has been designed for high performance rather than durability. this is high-end audio after all, and it comes with an expensive price tag. i understood that when i purchased the utopia, but what i didn't consider is that it may be expensive to maintain. i probably should have given that more thought as ownership of the utopia may be beyond my budget once the warranty period expires.

 

[AmusedToD]

Ray Kimber and I are real close friends for 35 years. Let me know if you need my assistance since it is out of the norm. I may have black LEMOs if he doesn’t and can send him a set of its required

Sending you a pm right now!

 

[up late]

As a former dealer, I naturally agree with @TSAVJason. High price + high performance does not also mean indestructible. I treat my Utopia with utmost care, and I’m careful not to overdrive them with my amplifiers. I’m not suggesting everyone whom has had a problem abused their Utopia by playing them too loud, but perceived loudness is a function of distortion content—the higher the distortion level the louder the sound appears—and since the Utopia is so clean, at least to my ears, it’s tempting at times to crank the volume up beyond safe levels, for the headphone and for one’s ears.

i can't speak for anyone else, but i have also treated my utopia with the utmost care and have used it conservatively. for me, that means using it for an hour or two per listening session, a couple of times a week at the most. weeks go by when i don't use it all. as i wrote in an earlier post, i listen at low to moderate listening levels (because i value my hearing) and have never over-driven it intentionally or accidentally. i don't know what more i could have done to prevent mine from failing short of not using it at all, which is absurd.

 

[FocalOfficial]

Dear all,

I have read your messages and try to answer as often as possible, but feel free to contact me via private message if necessary.

Regarding defective Utopia drivers, as already previously explained in this thread, we experienced a voice coil fragility during early production batches. Not all headphones from these batches were affected. We managed to take on defective headphones returns, but some units could be left on the market. This problem which caused some drivers fragility has been analyzed and fixed.

As previously mentioned, our distribution network is informed and they know how to proceed in case of defective drivers. Indeed, all defective headphones under warranty (according to local warranty policies) will be repaired free of charge by the Focal Team (the driver will be replaced). Which is why we strongly recommend you to contact your local dealer (specifying the serial number of your product and attaching the invoice) if you are experiencing any issue with your headphones to ensure After Sales Service. Be sure we do our best to fix all defective headphones. Please note that the serial number and the invoice are compulsory to track your headphones.
The official warranty of our headphones is 2 years by default. There are then specific cases in some countries for potential extension (for example 5 years in the United States as you know), please contact the local distributor to know the local warranty policy.

Your dealer is your main contact if you have any questions about your headphones and After-Sales Service but I stay at your disposal if necessary.

Thank you all for your understanding,

Best regards,
Marine, Community Manager Focal