[DesiGuy79]

First of all thank you Todd from ttvj for making this possible for me to demo Focal utopia at home.  This is my first ever reviewing any product so please excuse for any mistake. I am not professional so I am not going to get in to those technical terms and wording. I am just going tell you how I felt compare to other headphones I have used in past.
Device used for review purpose
Source: Lampizator Golden Gate Dac
Amp:  Headtrip by Wells Audio.
Software: HQ player & JRiver
Built Quality: I think it’s one of the best looking HP. I have used Audeze XC, Th900, Mr. Speaker Ether c, Stax Sr 009,  Lcd-3 and LCD-4.
If I have to rank for built quality and material used, I would say focal Utopia, stax sr009 and LCD-4 are very close. After that Mr Speaker ether c, LCD 3 , LCD 3 and th900.
Focal is very comfortable and light in compare to LCD4 . I can use utopia for 3 to 4 hours without any discomfort.
Comfort wise I would rank Utopia & stax sr009  > Ether C > th900 > LCD 4 > Lcd 3 > Lcd Xc
Let’s talk about sound. I will just compare it to LCD 4 and stax sr009.
High: Defiantly utopia is one of best out there of what I heard. I think it’s very close to stax sr 009.  As other reviewer mentions at point sometime it’s just get too bright specially if you are listening it with higher volume.  High is for sure   better then LCd-4 to my ears.
Mid: I would rank LCD 4 better then Utopia. Don’t get me wrong but if I rate mids on lcd4 10 then utopia definitely 9. LCD 4 just sound very intimate and it has little more weight to it then Utopia.  
Bass: Lcd 4 has very deep bass but utopia is no slouch either in that department. Once again I would say they are very close.  LCd 4 bass goes deep where utopia bass has more impact.  Either way both has bass is better than stax sr009.
Utopia is very good at instrument separation compare to LCD 4. It is very detail Hp. Very close to Stax sr009.
Utopia is very easy to headphone to drive. With my headtrip volume set at 9 sound as loud as volume set for lcd 4 at 12.  You can easily drive utopia from your iPhone or Chord Mojo. I can’t say same thing for LCD 4.
Here is table of what I would rate each of headphones.

	Utopia	Lcd-4	Stax sr-009
Built Quality	10	9	9
Comfort	9	7	10
High	9	8	9
Mid	9	10	8
Bass	9	10	8
Instrument Separation	10	8	10
Efficiency	10	7	7
AVG Rating	9.44	8.43	8.72

 
I would say Utopia wins or come close in pretty much every department.
Once again Thank you Todd for making this possible.

 

[Dillan]

Really nice, honest review. I like to hear other people's impressions and opinions. Also nice amp, I have been considering it.

Thanks for taking the time to write!

 

[DesiGuy79]

Thank you Dillan. I know it's not as professional as your review lol

 

[Dillan]

Thank you Dillan. I know it's not as professional as your review lol

I think different perspectives and writing styles are important!

 

[gintamafans]

Just found this thread from the post in the impression thread. I own a pair of Utopia and I think both of the reviews here are quite nice, especially DIllan's very detailed and well written. Then I saw DesiGuy79's review and I would have to say, the scores and numbering you have is almost like a conclusion to Dillans' review. Utopia doesn't have a unique sound signature, but it does everything so nice and good. The average of 9/10 on DesiGuy79's chart is very true IMO, as it does better job than others in some ares, but not as great as other in their stronger field. Though I would put it in 8.5/10 instead of 9/10. And I found both reviews would give the audience a very good understanding of what Utopia is, IMO a very well balanced headphone, but nothing magical in them. 

 

[DesiGuy79]

Thank you

 

[Whazzzup]

Magic is elusive and fleeting in head fi it seems.

 

[goldendarko]

Here's my review of the Utopia guys, hope you enjoy!.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/focal-utopia/reviews/17027
 
FOCAL UTOPIA REVIEW:
 

 
 
Intro:  First I just wanted to start by saying thanks to Todd over @ TTVJ for letting me demo the Focal Utopia's. I had meant to post this review sooner, but my wife has had some medical issues and we ended up spending the better part of last week in the hospital so this review went on the back burner. Fortunately she is doing better now and I've had a chance to reflect on my week with the Utopia's. My review will include comparisons of the headphones I tested them against (HE1000, LCD-3F, TH-900 & Ether C) and the gear I used was an Auralic Mini feeding hi-res music into a Schiit Yggdrasil DAC and my amp was the Studio Six. I will say having the Studio Six really made my job easier as I made good use of the 4 headphone outputs, switching between headphones very easily in mid-song to help make better comparisons.
 
 
Design:  For the first part of this review, I want to say a few words about the design of the headphone, because it really is it the best designed headphone I've ever experienced in almost all aspects. First, it's a stunner. Hands down, best looking headphone I've ever seen in person. Pictures don't really do it justice, but everything about it feels premium, including the carbon fiber headband. And that's good because it's what you would expect for a $4000 headphone. That being said, it's not always the case, as my HE1000 feels anything but uber premium despite costing a slightly less, but still very expensive $3000. Besides just looking and feeling the part, the headphone is also very comfortable. It fit my head perfectly and there was no looseness like there can be with my HE1000, and no extreme weight and hot ears that comes with the LCD-3. The only knock I would have on the Utopia's design is the 13 foot long cable. For my listening room this was just way more cable than I needed but after reading someone's comments about how well this headphone does with movies I kind of wish I thought to try it in my living room. Maybe that's what Focal was thinking as most people sit around 9 feet or so from the TV, it would have been great to try it late at night when I'm watching TV and my wife is asleep. But since I didn't think to try it I can only guess and say I think it would work splendidly with movies and TV also.
 

 
Sound Impressions:  So this is no doubt the part you've scrolled down to while eyeing the pictures along the way, right? It's always difficult trying to put into words how a headphone sounds, but for me the things that stood out with the Utopia were how Dynamic it was, how much Resolution into the music it offered and how Balanced it's sound signature was. It is quite simply the best imaging headphone I've ever heard, and honestly after hearing the details it was picking out of the music, my HE1000 and LCD-3 in particular sounded muddy by comparison. Despite reading some impressions stating that it was a bright headphone, I have to state that I disagree. Perhaps with a brighter source, but with a tube amp like the Studio Six and an analog sounding DAC, like the Yggy, it didn't give me any brightness issues like I've had with other headphones (namely the HD-800). I actually kind of thought it was similar to the HE1000 in terms of balance, but offered a slightly more closed in sound or smaller soundstage while improving on the bass and attack that the HE1000 needs. In terms of soundstage, it's not huge but it offers a different experience that's more akin to speakers in that the imaging is so excellent you can really hear every aspect of the music. A cymbal crash stands out from piano being pounded where on other headphones (even TOTL ones) similar sounds like those may often blur together. And the dynamics really are spectacular too, you're able to really feel the force the musician puts into their playing aside from just being able to separate out the individual instruments. Let's move on to some comparisons now:
 

 
Utopia vs. TH-900:  Really not a fair comparison. Two totally different headphones and the Utopia is eminently better than the TH-900 across almost all genres, except Electronica/EDM where the TH-900 still reigns supreme. The V-shaped sound signature just lends itself better to music that needs bass/treble but lacks the midrange. I also like a more closed-in sounding headphone for EDM to give it the "club music" appeal and the TH-900 also has that so I will still hang on to them for those genres but otherwise the Utopia pretty much outclasses the TH-900 in every way, as it should for the price.
 
Utopia vs. Ether C:  Again, these two headphones are in a different league so this also isn't really a fair comparison. I will say the Ether C actually has a somewhat similar flavor to the Utopia as it's a very balanced sounding headphones (with some tuning to boost the bass anyway) but that's about where the similarities end. The imaging, dynamics and clarity are a mile aboveon the Utopia. I will say that if you're a fan of the Ether C, chances are you'll like the Utopia's flavor. Balanced sound is on offer with both. 
 
Utopia vs. LCD-3F:  These two on the other hand couldn't be more different. Chances are you all know the Audeze "House Sound" by now if you're reading a review for a $4000 dollar headphone so I'll just say this headphone goes in the opposite direction. Audeze has that boosted midrange and bass that creates that lovely warm sound signature of theirs but it pays the price in having rolled off treble and a more closed in and less resolute headphone. Switching from the Utopia to the LCD-3 in mid song was actually a bit shocking and kind of sounded like someone dropped the headphones in mud. I finally get that "lifting the veil" cliche audiophiles are always using, this was exactly that. The Utopia were a much more well rounded headphone and so again the Utopia is the winner here, but I still love the LCD-3's also for when you want that kind of sound signature that they do so well so they won't be going anywhere. 
 
Utopia vs. HE1000: Lastly I will compare them with my current favorite headphone, the HE1000. For me, until now, the HE1000 were the most well balanced headphones I'd ever heard. They have good bass, good midrange, good treble, wide soundstage and are very dynamic and have great resolution. The Utopia takes all of that and improves the bass, dynamics and resolution while sacrificing only a bit in the soundstage department. They don't blow the HE1000 out of the water, but they are definately the new standard for TOTL headphones IMO. 
 

 
 
Conclusion:  So to conclude I think Focal has just moved the yardstick a little bit further and have produced a new TOTL headphone that takes the cake as best headphone I've currently heard to date. Granted I haven't heard some big ones yet (SR-009, Abyss, LCD-4, Orpheus) but all of those have things that turn me off from them based on what I've read about them, Abyss is too bass heavy, SR-009 is probably too bright for my tastes, LCD-4 still has the nice, but ultimately unbalanced "Audeze House Sound" and the Orpheus is just way too expensive, just to name a few. The HE1000 was my favorite because I felt it offered a very balanced sound which is usually what I lean towards, or slightly warmer than neutral. I will say that whoever thought it was bright should try some different gear because if anything it leaned to the warmer side on my setup. The only complaints I would lodge are the cable is a bit long (though maybe it would work in the living room for movies), that it can reveal poor sources (but any good headphone will really) and for me, the big one is the price. I think the headphone industry seems to be going the way of the speaker industry in that every new darling of the moment feels the need to raise the price. Not that long ago people were upset that the HE1000 cost $3000, and here already it's gone up to $4000 for a new TOTL headphone can. Because of that I won't be buying them at this time, despite how much I enjoyed them. For me it's just a personal decision because to sell my HE1000's and then buy these would probably mean sinking another $2000 into this hobby and honestly they are not $2000 dollars better. So I will stick with my HE1000's as my go-to can for now, but no doubt I will covet the Utopia until one day we can meet again. Anyway, sorry if I rambled too much, hope you enjoyed the review, feel free so shoot me any questions if you want. Also, thanks again to Todd for making the demo available to me, it was a pleasure getting to listen to these wonderful headphones!
 
TL;DR
 
PROS:
-Beautiful Looking
-Premium Construction
-Very Well Balanced Headphone
-Excellent Dynamics
-Reference Quality Imaging
-Best Overall Headphone I've Heard to Date
 
CONS:
-PRICE!
-Super Long Cable
-Reveals Poor Sources for what they are!


Main Rig: PC->Synology NAS->Auralic Aries Mini->Schiit Yg

 

[jlbrach]

My 2 cents FWIIW...I own both the LCD-4 and the Utopia that i purchased from Todd and have been comparing them for about 3 days now....I use a Chord TT and a Moon 430 amp.....my listening is mostly jazz and rock and blues
 
Very briefly I love both these HD's...the LCD-4 was my favorite HD before I received the Utopia and the truth is after listening to both I cannot name a clear winner.I happen to love the Audeze sound people speak of and i am able to listen to my LCD-4 for longer times without fatigue than the Utopia.The 4's have a wider soundstage and better bass.To me the 4's have the most realistic soundstage of all HD's.The Utopia is more comfortable,it is FAR more efficient and is more forward in its presentation.It is a bit more detailed and has a bit less bass.
 
The 2 cans are really very different and when i put one on my head and listen I find myself saying this is my favorite and when I switch to the other one i find myself saying the very same thing.The comparison is difficult because one has to try to deal with the tremendous difference in efficiency in order to approximate the volume levels......the hype about the utopia is well deserved,they are fine HD's but the LCD-4 more than holds its own and i can imagine many people preferring its presentation.....different strokes for different folks!Two of the very best,if not the 2 best HD's available today and you can't go wrong with either

 

[goldendarko]

Nice, I really need to hear the LCD-4 they sound like awesome headphones

 

[wormsdriver]

I received the loaner pair of Utopia yesterday. They got here safe and sound.

Impressions later....

 

[DesiGuy79]

I received the loaner pair of Utopia yesterday. They got here safe and sound.

Impressions later....

Damn they told me you will get it on Thursday lol

 

[goldendarko]

Damn they told me you will get it on Thursday lol

Well I'm the one who shipped them to you and I remember you live in Florida so I'm sure there was problems getting them out of your state with Hurricane Matthew.

 

[DesiGuy79]

Well I'm the one who shipped them to you and I remember you live in Florida so I'm sure there was problems getting them out of your state with Hurricane Matthew.

May be.... I am in panhandle florida area so hurricane didn't effect us at all.

 

[wormsdriver]

Ok guys, these are my impressions of the Focal Utopia.
 
 
First off I would like to thank Todd Green aka Todd the Vinyl Junkie for the opportunity to hear these in the comfort of my own home. I've bought a few cans off of Todd in the past and I HIGHLY recommend him as your HiFi dealer.
 
Ok, on to the Utopia!
 
Build quality is excellent as you would expect from this TOTL headphone. They are definitely on the heavy side as far as their weight, but they most definitely make up for it in comfort! I was able to wear them for hours without any complaints, so weight isn't an issue.
 
On to the sound...
 
The Utopias to me are definitely neutral. Nothing jumps out at you. No frequencies are over emphasized over one another (unless the track was recorded that way). 
They never sounded thin or thick whatsoever, not really cold or analytical either. I'd say they are very resolving, revealing, layered and their tone is just spot on. 
 
Being that they are neutral I did tend to not get totally drawn into the music for the most part as I would have liked. For what it's worth, I felt like with each passing day I appreciated them a bit more and more so I feel like these are not the type of headphones that really knock your socks off from the first listen, but instead are most appreciated over a period of time. Personally, I felt like I was missing a bit of transparency, airiness and I would've also liked for the bass to have more impact (feel more impact that is).
 
Speaking of bass, don't get me wrong, these are not bass anemic at all, you can hear it JUST Fine, but a bit of a boost would be nice, again, just a matter of preference.
 
The mids, again, neutral. Not thin, not thick, excellent tonality. Voices sound human, electric guitars do have bite when it calls for it.
 
Treble is lovely, oh so well behaved! Non fatiguing, yet not necessarily soft or rolled off. Cymbals and the tambourine are amazing(in rock music), because they sound like they're supposed to as opposed to a sizzly mess! ...or too quiet to actually hear them clearly

. Again, they simply sound neutral, not thin whatsoever, excellent resolution and natural decay. 

As far as imaging, these are very good and the best I've heard in this department. I saw a few live performances on my laptop with these and it was a real treat to hear things as clearly as you can see them! One example was Eric Clapton's Unplugged. I've own this CD for years but I've never actually seen the whole performance on video (maybe a song or two many years ago). Using the Utopias for this was a revelation as they are very resolving and nuanced that made it great fun since I had more than a couple of "wow" moments hearing subtle things and being able to see them visually. 
 
I don't know exactly why but I kept feeling underwhelmed as far as the soundstage goes. It's not that it is small, but just the fact that it brings me back to reality and the painful truth that these are headphones and they have their limitations. The Utopias do so many things right that my brain seems to automatically expect more out of them. I keep wanting them to extend further out as far as the stage goes in order to make them sound more convincing. 
 
...I wonder if deeper/angled pads would help this without messing with the sound too much? nah, it would probably mess things up and end up not being worth it. Still one can still dream! 

 
 
Another thing I almost forgot to mention, these cans have excellent speed and dynamics. Very fast and articulate, I don't recall hearing them get cluttered or confused, always kept up with the music. 
 
Amping:
 
I found the Utopias are easy to drive as even the Chord Mojo on it's own did a decent job, but of course there's always room for bigger and better gear! Using the Mojo as a DAC and my Mad Ear+ amp definitely opened things up vs just using the Mojo by itself. In comparison the Mojo sounded more closed in and I felt like the music was a bit choked up on busy passages vs using it with my amp.
 
 
Other notes:

Right before shipping these out I briefly plugged them in to my Yamaha CA-2010 vintage Integrated Amp for a few tracks. While the headphone amp did not sound as detailed as my headphone amp, it did give the Utopias a more punchier sound and I could've swore I felt some rumbling when the bass went lower. It felt like speakers in the sense that I felt like the air was being moved.  It also sounded more spacious. The Yamaha is a beast of an amplifier BTW.
 
 
..."Comparison is the Death of Joy" - Mark Twain
 
I dedicated most of my time listening to the Utopias while I had them here, currently my only TOTL headphone I have is the Grado PS1000, which I've had it now for a couple of years and has been my overall favorite headphone to date. I compared the Grado Ps1000 and the Utopia, the Utopia is more controlled and precise. The Grado's highs are much hotter and sizzly, definitely more pronounced than on the Utopia. The Ps1000 also has a very noticeable mid bass bump which warms thing up. The Grado is definitely not neutral and as far as technicalities the Utopia is on another level of Grado's previous flagship. Perhaps a better comparison would be to the newer e version Ps1000e as it is more balanced than it's predecessor and I remember it having similar treble to the Utopia. With all it's faults I still find the Ps1000 more musical and more engaging though, but comparing the two has definitely left me wanting more from my current gear and so the search must go on!
 
Music, source and amp:
 
I mainly listen to rock music. Be it classic rock, hard rock, metal, acoustic, etc. All redbook FLAC files, along with a few 24/96 vinyl rips.
 
I used the chord Mojo as my DAC and MAD Ear+ HD as my main amp.
 
Thanks again Todd for letting me audition these, the Utopias are on their way to the next head-fier in line for this loaner program.