From bright sounding to bass heavy, and nobody said a thing. The reviews that describe the Utopia headphones as bright or treble emphasized are now out of date because Focal tuned up their bass to make them bass heavy. Focal provided no heads up on this change. There is no early production information as to serial numbers or factory shipping dates to allow one to order an early production unit. In this review I evaluate the early production version first and the current version second.
In early January I had a chance to listen to an early production (bright sounding) pair of Utopia headphones in a quiet retail location using a Unison Research vacuum tube headphone amp. I had one of my own audio CDs that I was very familiar with. Upon listening to it with the Utopia I was taken aback as to how identical sounding the Utopia was to my Beyerdynamic T1 (original). It was like I was sitting at home listening to my T1 (original) with the treble turned up. Its transparency (clarity) was as high as outer space just like that of my T1 (original). Its dynamic response was super high, also just like that of my T1 (original). Later on, when I was listening to a Utopia with high depth of perception in my home environment, I noticed that the Utopia is slightly more lush sounding than the T1. However, I could match this characteristic with the T1 by driving it with a vacuum tube amplifier having a moderate amount of harmonic distortion.
When I evaluated a current (bass heavy) Utopia at home I used my T1 (2nd Gen) headphones for comparison. I did this because both headphones have a tilted spectral balance in favor of bass. Their bass has been mechanically tuned up. This tune up is broad and boosts the lower midrange along with the bass. Since both headphones are super transparent through their whole midrange this lower midrange boost makes classical and other minimal bass recordings seem more dynamic. The drawback to this is those recordings will not sound natural and the lower midrange boost is not correctable with tone controls. It was with this at home comparison that I determined that the Utopia has a slightly more lush sound than that of the T1. Also, the Utopia's bass is far more tuned up than that of the T1 (2nd Gen). It is tuned up so much that it is boomy. I love bass but the current Utopia's bass is too boomy for me. Tuning up the bass of a headphone blurs detail. A better solution is the T1 (original) with tone controls. A bass control will boost bass without blurring detail.
I like the Utopia's leather ear cushions. The T1 has velour ear cushions. Beyerdynamic has leather ear cushions that will fit the T1. Their part number is "EDT 5pLB".
The Utopia and the T1 both have cavernous ear chambers. The outer rim of the Utopia ear cup is made of glossy black plastic which will over time dull due to finger print stain.
In my reviews I never use the terms "timbre", "imaging", and "depth of soundstage". The reason for this is that those characteristics are a function of or dependent on transparency. How good or bad those characteristics are is proportional to transparency. "Width of soundstage" is dependent on a stereo recording's original multi-track mixdown.
I like the early production version of the Utopia. But, I am reluctant to recommend a product that one cannot knowingly purchase. So, this is what I would do if I wanted to simulate the sound and feel of the early production Utopia:
a) Keep my Beyerdymamic T1 (original).
b) Keep my integrated amplifier with tone controls.
c) Acquire a budget priced vacuum tube headphone amp to embellish the T1's sound with harmonic distortion.
d) Purchase leather ear cushions from Beyerdynamic.
Now I can have the "sound signature" and feel of the early production Utopia without its heavier weight.
Embellishing the sound of a headphone with harmonic distortion is like taking a picture of a maple tree during winter and painting in leaves to make it look better.
Update: April 29, 2017
The current Utopia can best be described as a super transparent headphone with audible harmonic distortion and a boomy bass. Manufacturers by specifying the percentage of harmonic distortion imply that it is an unwanted attribute when, in reality, many audiophiles love the sound of harmonic distortion. It adds a lush, silky, and sparkly (from Bryan - Dec 16) character to sound. That is why they love tube type amplifiers. The original purpose of measuring harmonic distortion was to calculate the degree of non-linearity in amplifier waveform amplification.
A partial history of top flight headphone models that were recently modified with a tuned up bass and labeled "Second Generation":
a) 2015 - Beyerdynamic T1
b) 2015 - B&O H6
c) 2016 - Beyerdynamic T5p
d) 2016 - Focal Utopia (Except not labeled and not disclosed)
If one cannot swing the $4000 cost of the Utopia there is a cheap alternative. That alternative is the Nobsound MS-10D paired up with a Beyerdynamic T1, all for around $1000. The MS-10D is a tube type amplifier with tone controls and a headphone jack.
For those who are frustrated by having purchased the early production Utopia, instead of killing the messenger with negative feedback go buy an integrated amplifier with tone controls. The early production Utopia will have better bass detail with bass boost than the current Utopia will have without bass boost.
Update: June 14, 2017
I have increased my star rating from 4 stars to 5 stars. The issue of Focal's modification of the Utopia without notification is now old news.
Update: June 30, 2017
Tyll Hertsens Blog of May 6, 2017 has been updated with a note from the editor. I don't know when the note was posted but this is what it states. "Through a long and tedious process it was found that the Focal Utopia and Audeze LCD-4 reviewed here at InnerFidelity in numerous articles were found to be not representative of currently manufactured product."
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This Item  Focal Utopia Reference High-Fidelity Circumaural Headphones |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | -24% $379.00 List: $499.00 | -27% $109.00 List: $149.00 | -13% $199.95 List: $229.25 | $129.95 | $99.00 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 1 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 1 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 1 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 1 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 1 |
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| Sold By | — | HIFIMAN | HIFIMAN | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| connectivity tech | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired |
| headphones form factor | Over Ear | Over Ear | — | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear |
| connector type | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | 6.35mm Jack | 1/4-inch, 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | — |
| headphones jack | 6.35 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack |
| cable feature | Retractable | Detachable | Detachable | Detachable | Detachable | Detachable |
| control type | Volume Control | Media Control | Media Control | control | — | Noise Control |
From the manufacturer
About Focal
We Focal, strive to create sound equipment that honours the artist’s musical creation and empowers you to feel a new dimension of the music. We want every nuance to be revealed with precision and purity.
To do this, we push the limits of the current boundaries in sound technology, and go beyond the traditional approach thinking differently. With Focal, let the sound thrill your senses until you go beyond the usual perception of music and discover new fields of emotion.
ABSOLUTE ACOUSTIC PURITY
UTOPIAOPEN-BACKED CIRCUM AURAL HEADPHONES
Utopia are the reference pair of headphones from Focal. As a world first, it features the only full-range and fully openback loudspeaker, built within a pair of headphones, using pure Beryllium formed in the brand new 'M' shape dome. The acoustic quality of this exclusive solution allowed Focal to avoid the use of any crossover or passive filtering process to achieve a frequency response from 5Hz to 50kHz.
- Made in France
- Open-back circum-aural headphones dedicated to low noise environments
- Reference pair of headphones featuring full range loudspeakers made of a pure Beryllium 'M' shape dome
- Mechanical design offering a full compatibility to any size and shaped head
- Balanced cable with channel separation for fast and easy custom-made solutions (bi-amp)
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ACOUSTIC SOUND PURITYUtopia embodies the experience of intensely personal listening sessions at home. They are Focal’s reference headphones, the result of forty years of innovation, development and manufacturing of speaker drivers and loudspeakers in France. The listening experience is outstanding in its realism, natural sound reproduction, dynamics and clarity. When listening to them, the headphones virtually disappear and the audio signal is revealed with a level of precision never achieved before Utopia. |
'M'-SHAPED PURE BERYLLIUM DOMEUtopia are unique they are the world’s first audiophile headphones featured totally open-backed full-range speaker drivers with ’M’-shaped pure Beryllium domes. The acoustic quality of this exclusive solution allowed Focal to avoid the use of any crossovers or passive filtering processes to achieve a frequency response from 5Hz to 50kHz! The equivalent of two tiny loudspeakers over your ears… |
HIGH-END DESIGNParticular attention has been paid to the design of Utopia, in terms of use, comfort and overall aesthetics. These audiophile headphones feature elegant, high-quality materials, and comfort has been greatly enhanced thanks to the mechanical design which has been optimised to the smallest detail: the constant bend of the headband, an even distribution of weight, the design of the yoke and the memory foam ear-pieces. |
Reviews with images
Great Headphones, Great Sound, with Limited Stock Accessories
I am not going to deduct one star for the price, but I think these should be a bit cheaper. I got them through a promotional deal, so I paid less than the MSRP. Are they worth it? Absolutely! A little background: I love how beryllium sounds. My main speakers are Paradigm Signature S1 v3s, and I have cherished them for over 8 years now. I recently added KEF LS50s to my home office, and I like them too, just not as much as beryllium. My next speakers probably would be Paradigm Persona 3Fs. I am not an audiophile, but I enjoy good music and appreciate good sound.I recently got a couple of noise complaints from my neighbors regarding my music being too loud, and I finally gave up and started to search for good quality headphones. I auditioned almost everything from a couple of hundreds to the Utopia range, from big bucks electronic stores to private Hi-Fi boutiques. The only two phones that I really liked were Focal Clear and Utopia. Clear was actually pretty good, and if I haven’t gotten the deal on the Utopia, I would’ve gotten the Clear. The Utopia that I auditioned was perfect. Highs were absolutely amazing and the bass was tight. The one that I brought home, however, has a boomy bass while the highs are mellower. It hasn’t broken in yet, but I think the other reviewer is correct regarding some early production units being sharper. I think I prefer the sound signature of the early units as well, but nothing is wrong with the new ones that I got. They are just closer to the Focal Clear’s sound but with noticeably higher clarity in the upper registers. Weird, but I found that small adjustments to the head placement actually helps with the boomy bass a little and makes it a bit tighter. Maybe I play with different ear-pads later on.As for the 3D sound that people talk about, it’s not as glorious as it has been described. It definitely has clarity, channel separation, and instrument separation, and although very few headphones can do this, I’ve always had all of these qualities with my speakers at a greater soundstage. I guess it comes down to necessity. If you really have to listen with phones, then these are great, otherwise good monitors with a 10” sub have better sound and probably cheaper.My only complain is about accessories. Utopia has no 3.5mm adapter in the package. There is only one long cable with a big headphone socket. At this price point, they should at least include a short cable for personal DACs and a 3.5mm adapter. Seriously, the pretty box is useless, just give us more accessories. As for stands, I went with the AudioQuest Perch over the Focal’s. Focal stand is very nice, but I couldn’t justify them being triple the price. You should cut your losses at some point, right? Unfortunately, we can’t have everything!
