[Energy]

I'd say EQ is your best bet. In my opinion no one should be listening to the Focal Utopia at stock frequencies. Those who says it is clearly hasn't tried the right EQ.

if you can, visit SonarWorks.com and try out their True-Fi desktop plugin. (https://www.sonarworks.com/truefi) From there you can choose the Focal Utopia as one of the available headphone options. I recommend disabling the "Adjust for Age" and "Bass Boost" options (as these slightly increases treble in unwanted areas or makes the bass a little sloppy). Give it a listen. You will see how much the bass is lacking on a stock Utopia and you'll notice that the bright peaks in 3-4 areas are now gone. Please not this is a generic equalization that was sent to SonarWorks. In short, it was someone else's Utopia. It gives you a good idea of how the frequency curve is for Utopia headphones. BUT if you want to use an EQ that is personally made to correct your individual pair, then you'll have to send it to SonarWorks for an individual correction (https://storeus.sonarworks.com/coll...ual-headphone-calibration?variant=51478803028)

Having said that, I recommend getting an individual correction. We spend so much on headphones yet we're listening to a pair that not only sounds non-balanced, it wouldn't be a feasible headphone to mix on in a studio. To to listen to music the way the artists intends it to sound like, your frequency range for BOTH headphone drivers, left and right, should be flat. The True-Fi is only a good glimpse into how a properly equalized pair of headphones can sound like. Individual EQ is the ultimate goal. Even if you were doing modifications to them, it wouldn't fix how they were naturally aspirated. The only way to solve this is through proper equalization.

Perhaps one day there will be some crazy technology that takes headphones (and speakers) to the next level. A method where all individual parts can be the exact same including the epoxy the binds them all together. Laser treated woofers to have all the same nano thicknesses so they can all resonate the same way. But until then, EQ is your best bet. There is of course other things that can be done such as OCC copper wires, switching to "audiophile" capacitors (like Elna Silmic II) within the amplifier to release some of the speed/brightness that comes from low ESR caps (when they discharge electricity too quick or their dielectric doesn't dampen enough), or to better shield your digital and analog cables, or reduce cable capacitance/inductance would also help with the sibilance. I've also noticed better power cords help but now we're walking towards a controversial topic so I'll stop there.

 

[dontfeedphils]

I'd say EQ is your best bet. In my opinion no one should be listening to the Focal Utopia at stock frequencies. Those who says it is clearly hasn't tried the right EQ.

Or maybe, just maybe, some people prefer them as they are?

 

[Energy]

I said no one “should” like the Utopia’s at stock frequencies. The reality is there’s always a number of people who will. Each to his or her own.

The fact of the matter is not all flat frequencies sound good and not all naturally aspirated frequencies sound fun.

The Idea i’m bringing up in the topic of equalization is that most people aren’t using it properly. There are some people out there who tries to hear what frequencies are peaking or dipping out of his/her headphones and make an attempt to fix it themselves using certain parametric’s only to find out at the end they preferred the natural sound all along. This result is often due to having poorly implemented equalization. ‘playing it by ear’ isn’t good enough. Increasing or decreasing a frequency a couple Hz away from where you were suppose to can turn a good thing bad and a bad thing somewhat decent. The result? Not as good as the original.

Proper EQ requires special testing equipment. Often times a molded head with a microphone attached within the ear canal to measure pink noise. Because of this complex setup, certain individual headphone calibrations provided from various companies can be better than one another. It has a lot to do with their methodology and software.

At the end of the day I have no problem with people liking the natural sound of their headphones. To be honest I can really care less. What I do care however is that we have love for the Focal Utopia’s and there is someone out there who might prefer theirs equalized. If it was presented to them properly. If they better understood it.

 

[xxx1313]

Guys, is there a way I can make the Utpoia a little less bright without EQ? I put two pieces of toilet paper in the cup. I like it.
Sometimes I like super analytical, but when I want that warmness, is there can I do? Thank you!

Try the Clear pads. They add 1 to 1.5 db to the bass and lower mids. Some cable options also do help (Crystal Cable Double Duet or Danacable Lazuli Reference), but they are much more expensive. Toilet paper is no good idea, imo. I did not even like toilet paper or kitchen paper for "tuning" 300 Euro headphones. You really sacrifice clarity here.

 

[dontfeedphils]

I said no one “should” like the Utopia’s at stock frequencies. The reality is there’s always a number of people who will. Each to his or her own.

Why "shouldn't" anyone like the Utopia at stock frequencies?

 

[Energy]

The low end bass is very recessed, the midrange to upper midrange is too forward sounding, there are treble peaks in 3-4 different areas starting from 6KHz, and after the upper midrange frequencies it recedes again.

If you don’t think so that’s fine. Less correction, time, money needed.

 

[Progisus]

The low end bass is very recessed, the midrange to upper midrange is too forward sounding, there are treble peaks in 3-4 different areas starting from 6KHz, and after the upper midrange frequencies it recedes again.

If you don’t think so that’s fine. Less correction, time, money needed.

Funny.. they have become audiophile holy grail for headphones with out of the box tuning. I also feel the stock cable is the way to go or it would never have been supplied. The designers have access to all measuring equipment and wire. Especially at these prices. Seems a lot of the audiophile public agreed with them.

 

[JMAX2016]

I'd say EQ is your best bet. In my opinion no one should be listening to the Focal Utopia at stock frequencies. Those who says it is clearly hasn't tried the right EQ.

if you can, visit SonarWorks.com and try out their True-Fi desktop plugin. (https://www.sonarworks.com/truefi) From there you can choose the Focal Utopia as one of the available headphone options. I recommend disabling the "Adjust for Age" and "Bass Boost" options (as these slightly increases treble in unwanted areas or makes the bass a little sloppy). Give it a listen. You will see how much the bass is lacking on a stock Utopia and you'll notice that the bright peaks in 3-4 areas are now gone. Please not this is a generic equalization that was sent to SonarWorks. In short, it was someone else's Utopia. It gives you a good idea of how the frequency curve is for Utopia headphones. BUT if you want to use an EQ that is personally made to correct your individual pair, then you'll have to send it to SonarWorks for an individual correction (https://storeus.sonarworks.com/coll...ual-headphone-calibration?variant=51478803028)

Having said that, I recommend getting an individual correction. We spend so much on headphones yet we're listening to a pair that not only sounds non-balanced, it wouldn't be a feasible headphone to mix on in a studio. To to listen to music the way the artists intends it to sound like, your frequency range for BOTH headphone drivers, left and right, should be flat. The True-Fi is only a good glimpse into how a properly equalized pair of headphones can sound like. Individual EQ is the ultimate goal. Even if you were doing modifications to them, it wouldn't fix how they were naturally aspirated. The only way to solve this is through proper equalization.

Perhaps one day there will be some crazy technology that takes headphones (and speakers) to the next level. A method where all individual parts can be the exact same including the epoxy the binds them all together. Laser treated woofers to have all the same nano thicknesses so they can all resonate the same way. But until then, EQ is your best bet. There is of course other things that can be done such as OCC copper wires, switching to "audiophile" capacitors (like Elna Silmic II) within the amplifier to release some of the speed/brightness that comes from low ESR caps (when they discharge electricity too quick or their dielectric doesn't dampen enough), or to better shield your digital and analog cables, or reduce cable capacitance/inductance would also help with the sibilance. I've also noticed better power cords help but now we're walking towards a controversial topic so I'll stop there.

Out of all EQ’s, is the SonarWorks what you would recommend then? Out of all programs? The only “EQ” I have ever tried is the filter on my Hugo 2.

 

[JMAX2016]

The low end bass is very recessed, the midrange to upper midrange is too forward sounding, there are treble peaks in 3-4 different areas starting from 6KHz, and after the upper midrange frequencies it recedes again.

If you don’t think so that’s fine. Less correction, time, money needed.

Overall, the Utopias are amazing. For me, I believe the voices sound very close, and the bass isn’t high enough. I would like a little more recessed voices.

 

[JMAX2016]

Try the Clear pads. They add 1 to 1.5 db to the bass and lower mids. Some cable options also do help (Crystal Cable Double Duet or Danacable Lazuli Reference), but they are much more expensive. Toilet paper is no good idea, imo. I did not even like toilet paper or kitchen paper for "tuning" 300 Euro headphones. You really sacrifice clarity here.

I haven’t tried the clear pads. I agree the toilet paper looses clarity and shape of the sounds. And that is exactly what I’m looking for, higher bass, and lower mids/voices. It’s almost as if the voices penetrate my ears before the rest of the sounds.

 

[catscratch]

I think there's not much reason to stay away from EQ. Yes, you may incur a slight cost in transparency but you gain much more by having a more linear FR. I would also suggest making your own profile instead of using someone else's. People do hear differently, and making a profile based off a set of measurements equalizes for how that headphone sounded on the measurement rig - which may not be the same as your ears. On the other hand, measurements are a good sanity check and a way to diagnose problems, so some combination of measurements and listening - as well as a lot of iteration and trial and error - should let you zero in on something that works well.

I would use a sine sweep and listen for where the peaks and dips in in the FR are directly, or use something like this which will give you more control. Then adjust EQ, listen, and repeat until the FR is smoother. Keep in mind that gradual rises and falls in the FR are much harder to hear than sharp peaks and dips, and it's always better to use less EQ rather than more. Do the minimum to fix problems and leave the rest be.

Also don't overdo it on the bass boost, Focal's drivers operate closer to the limits of excursion than many others and adding a ton of bass boost will probably leave the drivers bottoming out on bass-heavy material. This hasn't been an issue for me with the Utopia but with the others I've noticed it. Given how thin the driver surround is and that the voice coil is formerless, I would wager bottoming out the driver constantly wouldn't be good for longevity.

I hear the Utopia is neutral-ish. There is an obvious peak at 6khz and a smaller one at 4khz, a dip between 2-3, and the bass is a little lean. On the other hand, the highs past 8khz sound smooth, and I don't hear the peaks you often see on measurements there. There's also a resonance at 7.5khz which is clearly audible but isn't there on measurements. Hence the need to personalize EQ.

It should also be noted that the Utopia is perfectly listenable without EQ too. It's not that far off neutral and most other headphones have far worse problems.

Lastly EQ isn't going to solve all problems, and the inherent character of the driver - the slight sharpness and hardness starting with the upper mids - is always going to be there. You reduce its effect on the sound signature but it won't go away.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Guys, is there a way I can make the Utpoia a little less bright without EQ? I put two pieces of toilet paper in the cup. I like it.
Sometimes I like super analytical, but when I want that warmness, is there can I do? Thank you!

For me, Lazuli Reference cable + 'the right tubes' in my Liquid Platinum really helped. Much more cost effective than toilet paper, since even sturdy tissue eventually wears out

Seriously, a second alternative is pad swapping. I found the Elex pads got me close to the sound I was looking for, and I was pretty happy. They did nudge the sound a bit further towards warmer/less sharp/less detailed than I really wanted though. I only had SS amps at the time and, when I got the Laz Ref cable, I was in a bit of a quandary. Pairing that cable with the Elex pads definitely took the sound too far. Then the LP showed up and, with Siemens NOS CCa and E188CC tubes, the sound got pretty close to 'just right' with the stock pads. The Elex pads have been sitting in a box ever since.

BTW, I tried the Dekoni fenestrated sheepskin pads but did not like them at all -- too much lost detail, and bloomy bass.

All my ears/my gear, of course.

 

[JMAX2016]

I think there's not much reason to stay away from EQ. Yes, you may incur a slight cost in transparency but you gain much more by having a more linear FR. I would also suggest making your own profile instead of using someone else's. People do hear differently, and making a profile based off a set of measurements equalizes for how that headphone sounded on the measurement rig - which may not be the same as your ears. On the other hand, measurements are a good sanity check and a way to diagnose problems, so some combination of measurements and listening - as well as a lot of iteration and trial and error - should let you zero in on something that works well.

I would use a sine sweep and listen for where the peaks and dips in in the FR are directly, or use something like this which will give you more control. Then adjust EQ, listen, and repeat until the FR is smoother. Keep in mind that gradual rises and falls in the FR are much harder to hear than sharp peaks and dips, and it's always better to use less EQ rather than more. Do the minimum to fix problems and leave the rest be.

Also don't overdo it on the bass boost, Focal's drivers operate closer to the limits of excursion than many others and adding a ton of bass boost will probably leave the drivers bottoming out on bass-heavy material. This hasn't been an issue for me with the Utopia but with the others I've noticed it. Given how thin the driver surround is and that the voice coil is formerless, I would wager bottoming out the driver constantly wouldn't be good for longevity.

I hear the Utopia is neutral-ish. There is an obvious peak at 6khz and a smaller one at 4khz, a dip between 2-3, and the bass is a little lean. On the other hand, the highs past 8khz sound smooth, and I don't hear the peaks you often see on measurements there. There's also a resonance at 7.5khz which is clearly audible but isn't there on measurements. Hence the need to personalize EQ.

It should also be noted that the Utopia is perfectly listenable without EQ too. It's not that far off neutral and most other headphones have far worse problems.

Lastly EQ isn't going to solve all problems, and the inherent character of the driver - the slight sharpness and hardness starting with the upper mids - is always going to be there. You reduce its effect on the sound signature but it won't go away.

Very insightful...
What EQ system do you use? Which one would you suggest that I use?
I don’t have any type of EQ. I only have the filters on my Hugo 2.

 

[catscratch]

Very insightful...
What EQ system do you use? Which one would you suggest that I use?
I don’t have any type of EQ. I only have the filters on my Hugo 2.

I use Equalizer APO. It's not an ideal solution but it's free and works pretty well. It's a good place to start.

 

[JMAX2016]

I use Equalizer APO. It's not an ideal solution but it's free and works pretty well. It's a good place to start.

Unfortunately, I only have a Mac. Do you know of anything that is Mac compatible?