This is the official thread for the Focal Utopia
This thread is for discussion and reviews.
- Type: Over Ear
- Amp needed: Yes
- Open Back
Hifiguides Amazon Link[Reviews]
Z Reviews
What do you guys think of the Focal Utopia? Ive been thinking about getting an upgrade for my Focal Elex. Well everyone says the Elex sounds like the Utopia. Seems like a logical step up. They sell for 1900$ on ebay used.
If you are a dedicated focal fan it’s worth imo. I do think the signature might be up your alley imo. For 2k it makes more sense than the msrp
why is that? its was W shaped like the Elex
Kinda, but not exactly, it is more fun than the clear imo, but it’s not as w shaped as the elex, but it is still a bit more tuned for more impressive sound, focusing on clarity overall, I want to call it linear but it’s not quite linear either
one of the few really high end headphones I have had a chance to try and I really liked the really limited amount of time Ive had with them. but I havent tried much at that price point so in terms of value I dont know. its definitely a can you dont buy for price to performance
more exciting?
wow their almost identical
Yes, but the clear vs the elex looks similar too, there’s a lot more going on than just FR
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graphs also dont get to show off detail retention as well
yeah their probably detailed like crazy. are they more detailed than the Arya?
Imo yes they are
To me it sounded like a 15-20% difference in sound sig Over the Auteur. All I could say about it. Playing on prima Luna big boy amp.
I liked them very very much, wish I could afford to add them to the stable.
It will really depend on the amp and dac, they are fairly picky
The Focal amp I initially had them on was not doing them any justice in my humble opinion. The primal luma on high bias or whatever that feature is called really opened them up nicely. They really are a great HP. Just a bit $$$$
The focal amp sounds pretty weird, not a fan of it tbh. Dang I wish they had a nicer solid state there for you to try with them lol
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In my particular case the ZMF Autuer are my personal endgame. They provide me a value to quality ratio that I just can’t make myself go past. They scale well with quality amplifiers, tubes and SS both work well on them. Pad rolling makes a difference in the sound sig. They are beautiful and worthy of a desk centerpiece, and “better” HP’s offer only small percentages over them in sound relative to similar sound signatures.
I’ll be happy with some Grados and Senn 800s for the difference in sound not quality etc.
Also, the truth is I personally prefer to sink the big money into speakers and HT at this point. This has been a fun ride for me, and I have enjoyed learning so very much I just want to enjoy what I have in hand for now.
Maybe a year or 2 from now i’ll sell or trade off everything and go for a real TOTL set-up with some boutique items and limit myself to 4 or 5 really nice pieces total to get my office back and clean up the massive rats nest of wires and equipment, but not until I’ve managed to spend some good time with each and every piece I currently own.
When or if I decide to do it all again it will be with knowledge, experience and a bigger bankroll. Life is too short to hold back on some things if you have the means.
@Antpage2 if you can afford these you will like them but you will need a moocho expensive bad boy amp to go with them and DAC if you really want to push them to the max and squeeze every ounce of quality out of them. It’s just how it is with some products. You gotta pay to play.
That’s true, but from my experience they did preform admirably out of the rnhp when I tried them on there (for the price of course)
Something else to consider if you want the utopia, is the zmf verite actually @Antpage2, as they sound actually like a more fun utopia to me. They have a similar tonality, with similar detail but with more impact. With the angled pads they are pretty interesting (v shaped almost kinda), and with the flat pads they are more refined. I think they trade blows with the utopia a fair bit
Edit: don’t agree with this at all anymore, the utopia is leagues ahead of the verite and not really all that similar on proper sources
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There you go, another vote for some ZMF’s and it will save you $2K you could put to better use. Taco Tuesday baby, cash left over for some tacos!
It actually might be similar price to get utopias actually, the verite sit at like 2k used, and the utopia can be found for around 2k or less as well