Focal Utopia Loaner Program
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Focal Utopia
By: Dillan Archer
Photographs by: Regan Hulvey
Introduction
I have spent the greater part of my evenings the last few days (and this morning) listening and comparing these gorgeous new flagships from Focal. I have been doing a lot of review programs lately and I was probably most excited for this opportunity above all the others. Why? Because this brand new release has generated an unbelievable amount of respect from almost everyone that hears them and there is so much buzz going around you almost can't help but water at the mouth for a bite of Focal pie.
Todd was nice enough to put me first on his list to try his Utopia and I am definitely grateful for the opportunity. His website (http://www.ttvjaudio.com/) is a warm inviting place for anyone to browse. I would definitely look at some of his unique tube amplifiers too. He was always really quick to answer any of my questions and if you were looking for a place to buy the new Utopia or Elear - I would look his way.
Box, Accessories & Build Quality
The box is a beautiful leather with red stitching. I definitely thought the experience of opening this was a notch above most, even for high-end flagship standards.
Focal definitely wanted the unboxing experience to be magical. The black foam engulfing the Utopia proves a protective environment when you want to move these $4000 headphones around. I feel the leather box with red splashing did a good job of both protecting the gear and creating a beautiful housing of representation. I wish all boxes were this pretty!
Inside of a hidden flap you'll find a very long cable. To me this is too long - I think there needs to be a happy medium somewhere in between in regards to cable sizes. In my opinion if you want something unnaturally small or long then you should buy those separately through a custom vendor. If I had to guess I think some people will be sitting far from their amplifier or rack, but most will not take advantage of this very lengthy 13ft cable.
The headphones themselves look very lovely. I feel like they have an aggressive masculinity with a modern technology-esque twist. Kind of hard to describe.. but beautiful to look at. Looking through the back you can see light right through them. These are incredibly open headphones. The grille is a mesh metal and a protective shinier metal sits right above the driver. You can see the red magnets at an angle looking inside.
A ventilated leather padding is used for the headband and earpads. These are actually very comfortable and have a memory comforming material underneath the leather. This wraps around lightweight carbon fiber which serves as the yoke. Overall these are comfortable and great to look at.
Sound
So lets get to the important stuff shall we? Let me start off by saying these headphones have generated so much hype that I didn't know whether I needed to put on a seatbelt and helmet before listening to these. If you were to go off reviews alone then you'd expect your toes to pop off when pressing play. I think this expectation bias actually served negatively in my experience, but I certainly didn't leave completely unimpressed by any stretch.
This is the first piece of audio equipment from Focal that I have had the pleasure of listening to. Focal is most known for their floor standing speakers which go up to six figures in pricing. Focal owners usually feel pride in what they buy from this French company as usually their products are both expensive and of high quality. Regardless of my impressions on sound - I do think the Utopia is beautifully made with a sound signature that a lot of people would enjoy.
Bass: The bass on these are good. Not pronounced, not audibly extended.. but just good. Listening to Master Blaster by Stevie Wonder gave me the impression that when the track calls for it, you hear it. I have read quite a few reviews so far and most impressions leave the listener slightly wanting in the bass department. Some tracks I got this impression, but for the most part I heard (not felt) their presence just fine. The sound through all frequenciy ranges on the Utopia is wide open. These are extremely airy and open sounding headphones and this definitely includes the bass. That open quality make for good transparency, but the grunt of the low end fell short consequently. Out of all of the excessive bass testing I did on these: Drums, deep voicing, low note cello playing and even some electronically produced tones - I enjoyed them all about the same. Nothing really stood out to me and that can be good or bad depending on the listener. I would say bass listening through all genres is pretty consistent which is good for those who have a wide range of musical preferences. The soft unexciting nature of the bass reproduction was overall quite accurate, but less detail than the SR009 or HD800s. Hearing drum solos showed me where the general direction of the drums were, but it almost sounded like a thin cloth separated the instrument from me and the player. The bass wasn't veiled - just soft with a low impact lushness.
Midrange: The mids on these were again good, but not the enveloping warmth that I am used to with my Audezes. As I pinpoint each individual variant of sound through the Utopia headphones I find a noticeable consistency. Nothing stands out whatsoever and almost everything I describe about one frequency range can somewhat be applied to the next. Maria Callas singing "Carmen" was very reminiscent of listening through an HD800S in certain characteristics. I personally enjoyed the HD800S' midrange especially in voicing. I think both have the same detailed, open and accurate "style" which lacks musicality, but promotes transparency. One good thing about the midrange was I felt like instruments and voices were present and absent when necessary. I don't feel comfortable describing this as "attack and decay", but I just was very pleased with how the mids didn't linger or bleed ever. The bad part was how thin they sounded. Overall the sound signature is partially thin so if you like listening to a sound that engulfs you with a warm, thick lushness then I would look the other way. The mids were like what you would find out of a modern HD650, but with more detail and accuracy.
Treble: The treble was quite nice for me when coming from some of the headphones I am used to. I always felt my (now sold) HD800's were too bright. I think the SR009 are one of the best reference headphones on the market, but to me they too are sightly bright. One of my favorite headphones to date are the LCD-4's, which oddly enough have both too much and too little treble. I think having an emphasized top end will give you better imaging and also help create a transparent sound. The higher frequencies are what help shape the sound of the entire range and can usually be the sole factor in what gives you a warm or cold signature. Focal really did an outstanding job here in the fact that the top end is definitely present, but at a sweet spot that allows great imaging without introducing fatigue or harshness. This is one of the best ways of handling this range that I think I have heard. The soft nature of this headphone probably helped with smoothing the treble/high frequencies. Personally I liked listening to the clashing of cymbals the most, but other things like the high end of piano and violin were enjoyable as well.
Transparency: Focal created a very transparent headphone. Do I think it is the most transparent? No. But it's pretty good. I noticed some complicated sounds such as Olafur Arnalds orchestral ensembles were a lot easier to follow with the Focal than it was with my LCD-4, albeit less enjoyable. This may sound harsh or hypocritical, but the transparency was about on par with my Grado RS2e. People will think "Oh so this flagship is on par in regards to transparency with a headphone that cost $3500 less?" .. Well yes it is, but I think the RS2e is very transparent. The Focals are like looking out of a window on a clear day while the SR009 is like not having a house between you and "it" at all. To me the dynamic softness help to hide some things which should be more clearly exaggerated. If you were to simply listen to a triangle being played you can understand. A simple tone has less transparency due to the nature of this signature.. while more complicated music has a separation and transparency due to the soft dynamism.
Accuracy/Detail: I would say the Utopia can be proudly called very accurate with an extension of detail rivaling most mid-level headphones and almost better than other flagships near its price range. I feel like the bouncy, dynamic softness should be quite forgiving of low quality recordings.. but that wasn't the case. I think this is a testament to how good it is at detail and transparency. I could hear every guitar note during a complicated "Muffin Man" by Frank Zappa. A recording that also showed the flaws in the quality of the album. I was not blown away by the detail compared to some of the best headphones in the world. I was also not disappointed.
Soundstage/Instrument Separation: I think the separation of instruments were impressive, but at the very least it was expected. It's very hard to describe the way instruments and voicing are placed around you while listening.. so to me it is necessary to describe the Utopias soundstage as confusing. It isn't large, but isn't small. I could tell you the direction of what was playing, but not pin point it like I can with most other flagship out there.
Overall sound signature and comparisons: Switching between various headphones gave me a much better understanding and opinion overall.
It honestly is pretty hard to describe the sound of these because they're bouncy and dynamic, but still sort of boring and the opposite of "in your face" (is there a word for that?) No matter how loud I played the Focal Utopias, I still felt like they were too "quiet". I would say these have a very rare quality in that they do not put their own spin on the music as much as they just spit out what you play. Nothing more nothing less. The Utopia is not cold, but definitely not warm. I say they actually have a good neutrality and allow hours of unfatigued listening.
I can't stress enough how open these sound. Although the separation between voices and instruments weren't mind blowing - it definitely was there. The astonishing quality is the audibility of the separation which might sound confusing, but must be brought up. You can almost feel the air between the different instruments which actually makes for a unique listening experience.
Compared to the HD800S I personally overall was left respecting Sennheisers headphone more. I was more objectively impressed with the sound and I could not hear at any point in time the reason for Focal charging a lot more than double the price. Comparing to the 800S just begged the question of what can the Utopia do better than others out there? If I wanted a detailed and accurate sound then I would reach for a Sennheiser HD800 or an electrostat. If I wanted heartfelt vocals and a grunting bottom end then I would grab the LCD-4. The list goes on..
The thought process I kept having was "If I wanted a soft musicality then I would spend a lot less and get a more enjoyable experience from Hifiman's HE1000." I thought the HE1000 was about the same comfort level and had the same soft, dynamic signature to them. The Utopia was not leaps and bounds ahead of the HE1000 in any category so why bother?
Compared to my RS2e was admittedly a slight favorable response to the Utopia, but with the difference of price/build quality/RND how could it not be? But keep in mind it was only a slight preference to the Utopia. The Grado was more raw and articulate, especially on the top end. The bass was about the same and the mids were about the same. If I nitpicked each frequency I might actually prefer the RS2e, but I felt the overall package of the Utopia was better. I liked the uniqueness of Focal having punchy AND "reference" sound.
My LCD-4 will definitely stay in my inventory after this review. The LCD-4 has more of almost everything. Changing back and forth left me quite bored with Focal's Utopia which is surprising. I would actually describe the LCD-4 as boring in and of itself, but for different reasons. I think the LCD-4 has a warm, laid back signature while the Utopia doesn't necessarily have a "signature" at all. The Utopia has no prominent twist on songs other than maybe add some noticeable attack/decay.. they just "play music". Which for some people could be a great thing.. For me I like the euphonics of different signatures. I like matching headphones to genres and amplifiers and with the Utopia I couldn't really have fun doing that. The only thing I would like to take from the Utopia and give to my LCD-4 would be the treble. The Utopia beat the LCD-4 in high frequencies.
I actually rushed this review and was only given a week with the Utopia so perhaps my opinion could have changed with more than 4 or 5 days of listening, but these were already broken in so that was not a factor. I would post a much more detailed review such as my LCD-4 review - but this was a very short trial to see if I were interested in buying these and if I looked at the $4000 price tag and compared it to headphones I own and have heard.. they just aren't worth it. The Utopia is certainly the flavor of the month and many people are pretending like it is the second coming of Jesus, which could be part of the reason I was left so unimpressed. If I were just handed these and told to give them a listen with no previous acknowledgement then perhaps I would've been more pleasantly surprised. This isn't to say that bias was a key influence however - because I completely listened critically with no emotion and almost no subjectivity.
Gear used was wildly changed in order to give a more even playing field. I wanted to review the headphones not the amp or the DAC. I listened with my Vi DAC Infinity, PSAudio Directstream, AmpsandSounds (a pre production, unveiled amp) and the Agartha. Also even swapped out the Lessloss Echos End DAC here and there. (look for a future review of all of these units)
Again, this is not a full review - just impressions. If you want to ask me anything please do and I will do my best. I will not be buying the Utopia, but if I were I would definitely be going through Todd for his honesty and professionalism. For only having a week to listen and a few hours to write this quick write-up, I definitely didn't explain some of the details I wanted to.. but I feel like you guys can still get a good idea of my impressions.
Considering price I would give the Utopia a 2.9/5 and without price in the equation I would give a 3.7.
Thanks for reading!
One thing I didn't mention is the best thing the Utopia does is reproduce Piano extremely well. I might make an edit to the original post or make another post entirely regarding that.
Whazzzup
Headphoneus Supremus
Good preliminary review. Interested in utopia but more so lcd4, given my hp stable. Seemed to confirm my intentions, thx.
TMoney
100+ Head-Fier
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Preferred Grado RS2 to Utopia. Ok... Different strokes, I guess.
goldendarko
Headphoneus Supremus
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Great read Dillan, kind of weird, seems like a $4000 dollar headphone that has no real "signature". Makes me more interested in the LCD-4 again, but I'm wondering if that's really much of an upgrade from my LCD-3. I really look forward to hearing it against my HE1000 though too since it sounds like they are kind of similar.
up late
Headphoneus Supremus
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interesting impressions. seems like you were underwhelmed by the utopia sonically.
That's the absolute brilliance of the Utopias...most like the least coloured and most headphones I've had on my head. Simply magical and with the SR-009s, LCD-4s and HE-1000s are at the paramount of personal audio for me.
To me I like a colored sound. I like swapping around gear and mixing and matching and hearing.. Well.. Changes to the music.
My personal preferences do not align with the Utopia, but some might love the fact that they almost eliminate the headphone between you and the music. It's just you and the songs you want to hear. There's no crazy bass thumping, no piercing treble (I think the high frequencies are amazingly handled with the Utopia).. It's just a connection between you and the music with no added coloration.
I think for someone like MacedonianHero who has it all.. It fills a void quite nicely. I don't actually think the Utopias are bad headphones. I actually think they are extremely unique with groundbreaking technology. You always hear about really comfortable headphones that make you forget that you are wearing them.. Well the Utopia actually has a sound that make you forget you're wearing headphones.
Hard to describe but I would encourage anyone to test them out.
Fastnbulbous
500+ Head-Fier
"Boring" is a very strange adjective in reviewing headphones. Maybe you need better music
Headphones often give very different experiences depending on the genres of music, and you don't really go into that.
"Boring" is a very strange adjective in reviewing headphones. Maybe you need better music
Well the opposite of boring is fun.. and in audiophile terms "fun" usually means V shaped or something similarly lively. Boring to me means a sound signature that doesn't quite standout to the other headphones in the same category (in this situation, no real signature at all). As mentioned above.. my personal preference is an enjoyable coloration - hence my use of the word "boring" for these particular headphones.
I don't go into the specifics of each genre of music, because I didn't have time or motivation to. I took a more general approach and hopefully gave enough information for each individual section of audio for people to form a decent opinion of what their preferred genres might sound like. If you wanted to buy or audition the Utopias and analyze dozens of genres I am sure people would appreciate that, but I don't have the incentive to.
Fastnbulbous
500+ Head-Fier
Free use of a $4000 headphone for a week isn't incentive? Lordy. Hopefully others will fill in the gaps soon.
Whazzzup
Headphoneus Supremus
"Boring" is a very strange adjective in reviewing headphones. Maybe you need better music
Well the opposite of boring is fun.. and in audiophile terms "fun" usually means V shaped or something similarly lively. Boring to me means a sound signature that doesn't quite standout to the other headphones in the same category (in this situation, no real signature at all). As mentioned above.. my personal preference is an enjoyable coloration - hence my use of the word "boring" for these particular headphones.
I don't go into the specifics of each genre of music, because I didn't have time or motivation to. I took a more general approach and hopefully gave enough information for each individual section of audio for people to form a decent opinion of what their preferred genres might sound like. If you wanted to buy or audition the Utopias and analyze dozens of genres I am sure people would appreciate that, but I don't have the incentive to.
Its exactly how i took the definition. distortion also can have a negative connotation which may in fact very positive for those seeking some.
It's incentive enough to write the short and quick review I posted. I am sure it will be about on par with the others you'll see written. Although you may see different writing styles and perhaps more positive experiences even, which could cumulatively "fill in the gaps".
I am very grateful for the loaner program and I think Todd is the guy to go for if you want these or perhaps one of his awesome amplifiers he carries.
As I said before, I encourage you to buy these or find someone who will loan them to you so you can give us a very thorough review.
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