Focal Utopia Open-Back Headphone Review

Sitting at the top of the heap of Focal’s headphone line, the original Utopia headphones (launched in 2016) were the first shot across the bow and announced in no uncertain terms the company’s intention to become a major player in the audiophile headphone space. And what a shot it was! Coming out of the gate with headphones that many at the time considered the very best available. Jump ahead six years and a fully fleshed-out headphone line later, Focal has seen fit to revisit the mighty Utopia and give her a top-to-bottom refresh.

The headphone market, wait…let me qualify that, the higher-end headphone market is a bit of a crazy place. There is a seemingly constant flow of new products with refinements made on every aspect of performance. Starting with the basics like improvements in audio driver materials and technologies. This leads to new and improved tuning targets to help get the final sound closer to the designer’s wishes. Exponential improvements in wireless technology and active electronics are quickly closing the sound quality gap between wired and wireless headphones. The advent of spatial audio is beginning to change the audio experience that we are expecting from our headphones. And finally, with headphones being the most personal of HiFi gear, the demand for higher quality aesthetics, and frankly, just plain “bling” contributes to customization and uniqueness to stand out from the crowd.

Focal seems to have a firm understanding of what is required to thrive in such a competitive space. It currently has a 6-model headphone line with each SKU having its own distinct characteristics, tuning, and style. This “we’ve got something for everybody” approach has garnered a lot of fans and happy customers when it comes to Focal’s headphone offerings. Many regard the original Utopia headphones as a truly world-class design. How does one improve on that? Can the bar be set any higher?

Late last year Focal announced and released a newly re-designed and updated Utopia headphone. And while I never got a chance to formally review the original, I had sampled it enough times at various shows and events that I did come to consider it something of a benchmark among a handful of similarly capable cans. Focal was kind enough to send me a sample of the brand-new Utopias and after spending a good deal of time with them this spring, all I can say is WOW!

Comparing the design of the original Focal Utopia headphones to these new ones is an interesting exercise. Visually, from a distance, most people would most likely be hard-pressed to tell a difference between the two. On closer examination, however, it becomes clear that the new Utopia is a completely new headphone with almost every detail of the design having been revised. Back at CanJAM NYC, earlier this year, I had a chance to speak with Mégane Montabonel, Focal’s Product Manager for Headphones, and she walked me through some of the redesign on the new Utopia along with some of the general details of the rest of the headphone line.

Overall, the new Utopias have a more organic design with less breakup of shapes in the surface details. To my eyes, it’s a far more handsome look. Every line and surface flows into the next. There is a complete lack of any traditional chrome details or text with everything now being fully blacked out. Where there was once a tight-weave mesh on the back of the earcups, there is now a hexagonal pattern grille over mesh in its place. The forged recycled carbon fiber yokes look meaner and more serious than the more polished carbon fiber weave pattern they replaced.

The headphone cable Lemo connectors now plug directly into the bottom of the earcups versus how they used to plug into a nub on the outside of the earcup. The only details that look close to what once was are the genuine leather headband and the perforated lambskin memory foam earpads.

Focal continues the use of pure Beryllium for the drive unit of the new Utopias. In this newest implementation, the driver is a 40mm “M” profile shaped dome. Similar in concept to the inverted dome tweeters found on many of Focal’s loudspeakers, this M-shaped driver allows for the use of a robust surround for better cone travel and a lower level of distortion coming from the center of the dome itself. Focal states that the driver is operated at full range with no other passive or active augmentation or correction.

In terms of accessories, the new Utopias comes with 2 different cable sets. Both obviously use the two Lemo connectors on the headphone end. The first set is terminated with a 3.5mm portable connector that is threaded to screw on an included ¼” phono plug connector. The second set is terminated with a 4-pin balanced XLR connector. The cable sets have a rubberized sheathing which I kind of prefer less than the braided cords of Focal’s Stellia headphones, but this is a small styling quibble. A proper protective hard-shell case is also included in the package.

Ultimately, I can best describe the difference between the old and new Utopias like this. If you equated the original Utopias with, say a high-end Mercedes Benz car, the new Utopias would be the full-on AMG performance-tuned version of the same vehicle.

For indoor listening, I used the Focal Utopias with a variety of headphone amplifier combinations including the Topping DX7 PRO+, the Geshelli Labs Archel 2.5XL/J2 DAC combo, and my Benchmark Media HPA4/DAC3 B combo. Focal also sent along a Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition to play with as well.

For mobile use, I paired the Utopias with either a THX Onyx dongle amp/DAC or an OPPO HA2-SE amp/DAC when using my iPhone. Occasionally I also used my Shanling M0 DAP paired with an iFi Audio xDSD amp/DAC as well.

All the above home and mobile combinations provided more than enough power to drive the new Utopias to comfortable listening levels with plenty of headroom to spare.

Looking back at all the open-back headphones I’ve sampled over the years, most of them have had planar magnetic drivers in them. I most certainly have enjoyed them all, but I think I have gotten a little used to that kind of presentation. To me, the Meze 109PRO were the first open-back dynamic-driver headphones that gave me the punch and drive of dynamic closed-back headphones but with that natural spaciousness that open-back headphones afford. Planar magnetic drivers have a quickness and snap to their delivery that works well in open headphone designs, and many can generate plenty of bass these days, but they are different-sounding animals. I suppose you can mirror this experience when you compare planar loudspeakers like those made by Magnepan or Diptyque, to more traditional acoustic suspension or bass-reflex speaker designs. So where am I going with this train of thought? Well, I dearly love the Meze 109PROs as they were a bit of a revelation for me with the whole open-back, dynamic driver sound thing. The new Utopias, in my mind, take everything I love about the Meze and turn it up to “11”! I realize I may be dangerously close to becoming hyperbolic here but, without getting into the world of electrostatics, the new Focal Utopias are as close to a perfect pair of reference headphones as I have ever come across. They are beautifully put together, while not ultra-light they are ultra-comfortable, their tonal balance is exactly where I like it, and then there’s that bass. If your music has it, the Utopia will become a glorious sledgehammer of subsonics for your ears. For me, the Utopias absolutely do it all, with no exceptions or qualifiers.

And a quick mention about the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition that was sent along with headphones. Our Gene Hopstetter reviewed one about a year ago and came away exceedingly impressed. And now, having spent some time with a unit myself, I have to agree that the Uniti Atom HE is somewhat of a beast when it comes to listening with headphones. It’s beautifully designed and intuitive to use, the streaming section is a joy to use with ROON and it can drive just about any headphone I dare connect to it. Focal need not have worried as I have more than an adequate arsenal of quality headphone amplification around. But I’m glad they sent the Uniti Atom HE anyway. The new Utopias and the Uniti Atom HE make for an excellent combination and I’m sure Focal and Naim would love future customers to consider such an obvious and fruitful pairing.

The new Focal Utopias are one of the finest sounding (and looking) sets of headphones currently available. Full stop.

The new Focal Utopias certainly qualify as some of the best-sounding headphones that I have heard to date. It almost pains me to admit it actually because just when I think that there is no way headphone sound can improve, along comes something like the new Utopias to make me grudgingly readjust my expectations. They honestly do it all and do it extremely well. Out of the dozens of headphones I’ve reviewed over the years, I can count on one hand those that I consider reference class headphones to judge all others by. I am adding the new Utopias to that list. In a nutshell, it threads the needle between a balanced, natural sound presentation, with just enough extra “spice” added to make it a fun and enjoyable listening experience. Coupled with the tasteful styling and practical comfort enhancements and these headphones can’t help to be a winner. They sound as “alive” as I’ve ever heard a headphone sound. That alone makes them worth the cost of admission.

Focal has created an enviable line of headphones that cover the gambit of listener tastes and budgets. The new Utopias stand deservedly at the top of the heap, the one “ring” to rule them all!