UTOPIA

Reference open hi-fi headphones

ULTIMATE LISTENING

Made in France, Utopia headphones are the fruit of over 40 years of acoustic innovation. Open-back, its Beryllium "M" dome drivers deliver the strikingly realistic listening sensations of the best Focal loudspeakers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A PIECE OF ART

Innovations are complemented by aesthetics that make these headphones a work of art. The honeycomb grilles and Black Chrome rings highlight subtle design details, such as the Yin & Yang symbolism on the outer shell, the red reflections on the loudspeakers...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UTOPIA, AN ICON OF SOUND WITH THE PERFECT BALANCE OF CRAFTSMANSHIP, TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN.

 

SOFTNESS AND COMFORT

For listening pleasure, the memory ear pads and genuine leather headband provide comfort and softness, while the recycled forged carbon yoke offers lightness and an even distribution of the headphones' weight on the head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RUNNING-IN

These headphones need a running-in period to reach full performance. This will happen naturally after several hours of listening. If you wish to accelerate the process, we recommend that you play the headphones for at least 24 hours at a relatively high volume level, on tracks rich in low frequencies. This will stabilize the loudspeakers and enable you to enjoy your headphones to the full.

 

 

SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES

Utopia comes with a black leatherette cabinet, a thermoformed case in the headphones' colors, and hi-fi cables for perfect, complete home use. A stand is available as an optional extra, allowing the headphones to be elegantly displayed in the home.

 

 

 

 

TECHNOLOGIES

"M" DOME BERYLLIUM SPEAKERS

Unparalleled purity and realism

Experts in high-fidelity loudspeakers, Focal engineers have applied their know-how to headphones. The patented full-range speaker drivers are open-back, M-shaped and made of pure Beryllium. They operate without active or passive correction, from 5 Hz to over 50 kHz: the headphones disappear completely, and the reproduction of the audio signal is of unrivalled purity, realism and transparency. As part of the perfect design, the grilles are also M-shaped, to follow the shape of the loudspeakers perfectly, while providing better linearity in the treble.

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNPUBLISHED COIL

An uncompromising sound signature

Along with the diaphragm and magnet, the coil is one of the key components of a loudspeaker. Its composition and materials play an essential role in sound reproduction. For Utopia, our engineers worked on a new coil made of two materials: copper for reliability and aluminum for lightness. An evolution synonymous with permanent innovation, but also with a renewed, uncompromising hi-fi sound signature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REVIEW & AWARDS

The 2023 SoundStage! Network Awards for Outstanding Achievements and Products of the Year - Read More

"The Utopia 2022s certainly rank among the world’s most expensive headphones, and I’d have to say they’re among the world’s best" - Doug Schneider

 

 

 

Focal Utopia 2022 Headphones - Read More

"The Utopia 2022s certainly rank among the world’s most expensive headphones, and I’d have to say they’re among the world’s best. They’re not perfect—they are a little soft on top, and they don’t sound as spectacularly spacious as a few competitors do—but I’d say from 12kHz on down (likely the range of hearing of most of the people who could afford these!), you cannot do better." - Brent Butterworth

 

Focal Utopia 2022 Review - Read More

"It’s a dual-zipper grey-black build with a fabric outer topped by a small leather carry strap. The thermo-formed interior compartment is perfect for holding both the Utopia 2022 headphones and the short 1.5mm cable as well as including a very small velcro strap on the inside of the lid for the 6.35mm adaptor. 

This is a durable and very secure headphones case. Probably not weather-sealed or element proof but it will give the Utopia 2022 headphones a measure of protection and is just small enough to carry with you for travel purposes. " -  Marcus

 

Focal Utopia 2022 Headphones | REVIEW - Read More

" Yes, at $5,000 the Focal Utopia 2022 swims in the deepest end of the SOTA headphone pool. It’s extremely well built, visually attractive, very comfortable to wear for long listening sessions, and sounds great with almost any decent headphone amp. It also will scale to as high as you care to go (spend?)

For the headphone nuts out there, this is a slam dunk. For the high end headphone curious – that can spend some cash – put these on your shortlist to audition. You can thank me later." - Dave McNair

 

 

 

 

FutureAudiophile.com 2023 Gear of the Year Awards - Read More

"The Focal Utopia headphones (2022 edition) are great sounding and truly a beautiful design. They are a bit pricey (unless you are comparing them to Stax) but there is a lot to love here " - Future Audiophile  

 

Focal Utopia (2022) Headphones Reviewed - Read More

"The Focal Utopia (2022) headphones ranks as among the finest dynamic driver open-backed headphones currently available. Fit is superb and finish is exquisite. Sonically, the headphones deliver an outstanding sonic presentation, with bass extension that you will rarely hear from a headphone. While I strongly recommend that  you try a pair before you commit to buying them, with the Utopia (2022), even if you buy a pair without trying them first, I seriously doubt you will entertain any thoughts of returning them once you’ve had them on your head for more than five minutes. They are simply that good… " - Steven Stone 

 

SECRETS BEST OF AWARDS 2023 - Read More

"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. "

 

 

 

FOCAL UTOPIA OPEN-BACK HEADPHONE REVIEW - Read More

"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! " - CARLO LO RASO

 
Focal Utopia 2022 Headphones - Read More

"I’d like to leave you with this – to find your ideal headphone, you will have to try them on and see if they are “the one” in terms of fit. In terms of sound, I seriously doubt you will find the Utopia 2022 wanting. But for me, and I suspect for you as well, the fit will be the primary determining factor in how much you will use and enjoy a reference pair of headphones after you purchase them. If you find the Focal Utopia 2022 as comfortable as I do, it may qualify as your lifetime reference-quality headphone. The Utopia 2022 is simply an outstanding component from a company with a long history of creating high-value, high-performance transducers. And, to quote my previous Utopia review, “They are a true reference component worthy of the finest system.”

 

World's Best Headphone: The Focal Utopia - Read More

"The Focal Utopia is a sexy beast with rock-solid build quality; looks with just the right mix of conservatism and bling; brimming with technological innovations; and sound quality to die for. I love this headphone. " 

 

Focal Utopia (2022) review - Read More

"Regardless, in our opinion these new Focal Utopia sit comfortably among the very best headphones money can buy. Feed them with a system of suitable quality and you’ll experience one of the finest sounds we’ve yet heard." - What Hi-Fi?

 

Recommended Reference Component: Focal Utopia 2022 Headphones - Read More

"Brent chose a great pair of headphones for his swan-song review, even if he found the Utopia 2022s “a little soft on top” and sounding not quite “as spectacularly spacious” as some other competitive designs. These were obviously insignificant issues for Brent, because he declared that the Utopia 2022s are “among the world’s best” headphones: “From 12kHz on down (likely the range of hearing of most of the people who could afford these!), you cannot do better.” The praise in his review left us with no doubt that, like the original Utopias, this latest version of Focal’s flagship headphones fully deserved the Reviewers’ Choice award presented when the review was published—and these superb headphones also merit our Recommended Reference Component award this month."

 

Yamaha YH-5000SE vs. Focal Utopia 2022 Comparison Review - Read More

"...the two are nonetheless very different from another and suit very different subjective preferences. I’ll try my best to sum this up with the following generalization: the Utopia offers more in the way of warmth, neutral balance, general pleasantness, and a realistic soundstage. The YH-5000SE is better suited for people who like hearing some extremes in their balances, highs and low alike, and a more eager and active sound stage... " 

 

The fantastic Utopia has become more complete - Read More

"The latest version of the Focal Utopia is high-end at your fingertips, with a build quality and comfort that’s truly top-notch. And with a sound to match. The dynamics and precision are extreme, there is plenty of air here, and the timbre is so clear that a lot of other things become grey and boring in comparison. " - Geir Nordby

 

Review: Focal Utopia (2022) – Second Time’s a Charm - Read More

"Let those heavyweights duke it out; there are no losers in this category, only those that hit the mark closest to your personal tastes. Pound-for-pound, I’m betting that the Utopia (2022) can reclaim their predecessor’s glory. " - Trav Wilson

 

Focal Utopia 2022 Headphone Review - Read More

"The Focal hits back by being cheaper (a relative term but still, numbers are numbers), easier to drive, more comfortable and simply easier to live with. If you’ve used any of the post 2016 high end Focal headphones, this just feels like a honed and evolved version of the same - neither intimidating nor possessed of the quirks that make some rivals a rather more divisive choice. It does this while offering a level of performance that is, at times supernatural. Beneath that sober black exterior is a headphone that offers you truly astonishing performance while asking very little of itself in return. It is realistically, the best headphone on the planet right now and as we don’t have a badge for that, it has to make to with a Best In Class one instead. " - Ed Selley 

 

Focal Utopia 2022 Headphones: Review - Read More

"One of the best headphones we’ve certainly ever tried. Well done Focal. " -  W. Jennings

 

Focal Utopia headphones - Read More

"The Utopia is a headphone worthy of its name and one that shows what’s possible when a firm like Focal turns its engineers loose to create the finest headphone they possibly can. In fact, I consider this headphone a masterpiece—one that will probably still be considered a benchmark product long after would-be competitors have come and gone. " - Chris Martens

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS

Sound - Acoustics
Product type	Open-back headphones
Loudspeakers	15/8" (40mm) pure Beryllium ‘M’-shaped dome
Frequency response (+/- 3dB)	5 Hz – 23 kHz
Harmonic distortion rate	<0.2 % @ 1 kHz / 100 dB SPL
Impedance	8 Ω
Maximum SPL (peak@1m)	104 dB SPL
Design
Weight	490 g / 1.08 lb
Accessories
Carrying case depth	120 mm / 4.75 in
Carrying case included	Yes
Carrying case height	250 mm / 9.87 in
Carrying case width	240 mm / 9.5 in
Cables provided	• 1 x 5ft (1.5m) Jack 1/8" (3.5mm) cable with Lemo® connectors • 1 x 10ft (3m) 4-pin XLR cable with Lemo® connectors • 1 x Jack adapter,1/8" (3.5mm) point socket – 1/4" (6.35mm) point plug
CONNECTORS	Jack (6.35mm) Jack (6.35mm) XLR 4 pin