[DJJEZ]

Hey guys, those of you with the 2020 edition Utopias, how good it the new stock balanced cable and should one look for aftermarket upgrades?

It's one of the best stock cables I've seen. It feels and looks really nice

 

[AmusedToD]

It's one of the best stock cables I've seen. It feels and looks really nice

What about the sound? Any comparisons to the aftermarket options from the likes of DHC, Norne Audio, Arctic Cables, etc.

 

[DJW50]

Straight out of the box my Utopia's sounded wonderful but from past experience of using Moon Audio Black Dragons on my Stellia's I ordered the Silver Dragons straight away for my Utopia's.
On both I would say there is a noticeable difference now the cables have had about 200 hours use and the headphones about 300 hours use.
You can pay a fortune for cables as to whether they justify the extra cost over decent aftermarket cables is a rabbit hole.
PS I thought the Silver Dragons were expensive but the quality of finish and the improvement in sound has drawn me to the conclusion I won't be buying any others.

 

[up late]

it's always rewarding for me to return to this headphone after a hiatus and rediscover its excellence

 

[inseconds99]

So I just bought a brand new Focal Clear OG from Amazon and sadly I am going to return it tomorrow. I absolutely think it is one of the best sounding headphones I’ve ever heard. My issue is that the driver clips on a bunch of music a listen to even at moderate volumes. I do not push volume on my headphones as I already have tinnitus and loud volume makes it worse.

I am posting here as I am likely going to upgrade to a new Utopia 2020. Can anyone speak to the clipping on this driver in comparison to the Clear OG? I have read a bunch of info regarding the clipping but not much after 2020 revision and whatever is out there, not much differentiating between 2020 and older model.

Any info would be appreciated.

 

[ColSaulTigh]

Both my MG Pro's and my (older Utopias) will clip when pushed to extremes. It's one of the drawbacks to owning a dynamic driver-based headphone. If you want to push them to the limits, might I suggest a nice planar? The Focals are very technically precise with their sound, but they do have their limits (as do most things). Theirs just happens to be more apparent at "aggressive listening volumes".

 

[inseconds99]

Both my MG Pro's and my (older Utopias) will clip when pushed to extremes. It's one of the drawbacks to owning a dynamic driver-based headphone. If you want to push them to the limits, might I suggest a nice planar? The Focals are very technically precise with their sound, but they do have their limits (as do most things). Theirs just happens to be more apparent at "aggressive listening volumes".

I would not classify my listening levels as aggressive. I would say it’s moderate at best. As you can see by my signature, I have owned basically all dynamic drivers and have never heard one ounce of clipping or distortion to that level. Trust me, this was not anywhere in the realm of a normal behavior for a headphone. It was not even a overly bass heavy song (basic modern pop) nor was the volume overly loud.

If this is a “feature” as focal is claiming, then the feature is tuned too aggressively on this pair.

 

[DJJEZ]

What about the sound? Any comparisons to the aftermarket options from the likes of DHC, Norne Audio, Arctic Cables, etc.

I haven't compared to any other cables

Plenty of other people on here have though.

 

[inseconds99]

Anyone rocking red clear pro or red clear mg pro pads on utopia? Can you drop a picture? Also, anyone have a fr graph to see how it changes the sound? Those pads are so comfortable and I’m curious about the look and their outcome on the sound.

 

[Progisus]

So after listening for a year with the famed Lazuli Reference I broke out the OG rubber hose. Although the LR has a bit more body the hose is a great sounding cable with a very dark background. I wonder if anybody can compare it to the 2022 offering?

 

[Arniesb]

Both my MG Pro's and my (older Utopias) will clip when pushed to extremes. It's one of the drawbacks to owning a dynamic driver-based headphone. If you want to push them to the limits, might I suggest a nice planar? The Focals are very technically precise with their sound, but they do have their limits (as do most things). Theirs just happens to be more apparent at "aggressive listening volumes".

Lol no its not dynamic driver tech issue, but Focals feature.
HD800S you can listen as loud as you can and it never cliped on me.

 

[TDinCali]

I had the newer Utopia and listen at relatively loud levels and they never clipped for me. Neither did my Stellia or Radiance. Is that a QC issue?

 

[DJW50]

I had the newer Utopia and listen at relatively loud levels and they never clipped for me. Neither did my Stellia or Radiance. Is that a QC issue?

I listen loudly every now and then on both the Stellia's and the Utopia's not a hint of distortion unless it's on the recording.

 

[dontfeedphils]

So I just bought a brand new Focal Clear OG from Amazon and sadly I am going to return it tomorrow. I absolutely think it is one of the best sounding headphones I’ve ever heard. My issue is that the driver clips on a bunch of music a listen to even at moderate volumes. I do not push volume on my headphones as I already have tinnitus and loud volume makes it worse.

I am posting here as I am likely going to upgrade to a new Utopia 2020. Can anyone speak to the clipping on this driver in comparison to the Clear OG? I have read a bunch of info regarding the clipping but not much after 2020 revision and whatever is out there, not much differentiating between 2020 and older model.

Any info would be appreciated.

I've read a number of reports where some units seem to clip at lower levels than others. If you think it's a reasonable listening volume and you're still getting clipping I would make a warranty claim and try another pair.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I had the newer Utopia and listen at relatively loud levels and they never clipped for me. Neither did my Stellia or Radiance. Is that a QC issue?

Should test with strong sub bass sound/song. Actually Stellia never had this problem though.

I haven't tried any Utopia 2022, hope they fixed the problem already.