Closer Examination

Focal is somewhat generous on the cable front providing two whole cables with the Utopia. Indeed, the 2019 refresh started this habit, and the new 2022 model revises the cable sheathing to go from the white/gray fabric that was misbehaving, prone to kinks, and just not fun to work with, all the way to a more basic rubber covering in black, to better match the headphones and the carry case. These are certainly easier to use and re-shape as necessary, although time will tell how well the rubber sleeves deal with finger oils and other contaminants. You get a choice of single-ended 3.5 mm TRS Focal-branded connection (6.35 mm with the provided screw-on adapter) or a balanced full-size Neutrik XLR connector depending on the source you use. I also appreciate that the single-ended cable, which is more ideal for portable use, and is shorter at 1.5 m/ 5 feet compared to the 3 m/10 ft XLR cable that's more intended for home/work studio use. These lead to strain relief on the outside, then a high-purity oxygen-free copper conductor in 24 AWG strands. Note also the Focal-branded leatherette cable minder to maintain this good balance of looks and usage. The y-splitter also has Focal branding here and continues the use of silver-colored accents which get all the more pronounced with the use of excellent LEMO push-pull connectors headed to the headphones. I adore these connectors for ease of use and durability although it does mean that aftermarket cables are rare and expensive when available. There are subtle L/R markings on the housing strain relief to help indicate the left and right channels, along with red dots closer to the connecting end to match up where these plug into the headphones.


Now we get to the main event, the Focal Utopia (2022). I first tried on the previous Utopia a few months ago as part of my testing of the Audeze LCD-5, and then again at CanJam London where I spent a good amount of quiet time to better appreciate them. I will say that, except for the Audeze CRBN, I have yet to have a set of headphones here that someone will look at and immediately know it's expensive. The new Utopia looks and feels premium to the touch, and I appreciate the design updates that make for a cleaner aesthetic at the same time. There are tweaks to the design throughout the newer model, although it's still clearly a Focal Utopia, down to the use of the same headband style, for better or worse. We get a genuine leather headband with no visible stitching, and foam padding to make for a wide and comfortable placement over your head. I personally would have rather seen a suspension-style headband and I should also mention there have been cases of Focal headbands cracking in the past—quite rarely perhaps and not something I can really talk about. The headband is perforated on the inner side for breathing room and this helps prevent hot spots on the top of your head. The headband has L/R markings on the inner side where it terminates to help indicate the left/right channels, and this leads us also to the new forged carbon fiber yokes that are a departure from the weaved yokes on the previous model. These are more eco-friendly, being a composite of fresh/recycled carbon fibers in no particular alignment and sharing similar mechanical properties to the weaved type, while being equally lightweight. I dig the aesthetics personally and feel it fits the new Utopia better, but also acknowledge that many would prefer to see the older weaved carbon fiber yokes.


A side benefit on the forged carbon fiber is the matte, smooth finish that is also less prone to showing signs of use or scratches. This comes in handy with headband sizing wherein I recall the previous Utopia had sizing marks visible on the sides of the yokes which are not obvious here. Focal has plenty of sizing options courtesy 10 clicky steps on the new Utopia, combined with a stretchy headband to where the Utopia should fit head sizes small and large alike. The discrete, audible steps also make it easy for users to match up both sides to the desired sizing. Note that the adjustment mechanism is contained internally to where it doesn't snag hair or mess with the use if reading/sun glasses.


The frame is predominantly aluminium with some specialist engineering plastics for further mass savings, and gets a matte finish with chamfered edges that catch the light when exposed. The yokes head into the frame directly without a pivot point,u so unfortunately the ear cups do not swivel much. The good thing is Focal put in a good amount of ergonomic evaluation to where these ear cups will accommodate pretty much all head shapes and ear placements given the deliberate headband shape and associated clamping force too. I also noted that the ear cups have a tension spring at the top prompting them to naturally resist an inward swivel, this can lower the potential of a broken seal all around the ear cups, although it can also apply extra pressure towards the bottom that may be uncomfortable for some.


The Utopia (2022) has some of the best looking ear cups on headphones in my opinion and Focal stuck with its honeycomb grills maximising the open-backs design ID while still making it distinct looking from the previous model. Gone are the lighter color accents yielding to the black top, red bottom double grill insert to make for a subjective aesthetic that will remind people of a variety of things. I was reminded of lava smoldering under molten rock, for example, and perhaps that is an analogy also to the power of the drivers contained underneath. There is ample branding here, and I'd also point out the yin/yang style effect around the centerpiece itself that is deliberate, claiming a balance of design and technology. This outer steel mesh is woven with larger openings to ensure ample air-flow for this open-back design, and the cups themselves are elliptical to better follow the shape of the human ear, while being large enough to ensure a circum-aural fit with the ear pads.

The ear pads are fixed in place by simple expanding extensions that click into the ear cup assembly. It makes for a decent seal while also allowing easy pad swapping/replacement. The stock ear pads are made of a 50:50 ratio of real lambskin leather and perforated fabric to allow for diffusion from the leather and absorption from the fabric, with the goal being to create a perfect listening room experience balanced between a live room with reverb and a cold/dead room with a lack of vivid sound. The inside is also perforated deliberately to avoid sound reflections from the ear pads as well as to maintain a flat response from 1-10 kHz. Finally, these perforations also help with breathability, helping avoid hot ears after just one hour with some other sealed pads. This does mean regular wiping/cleaning of the pads is a good idea and Focal mentions as much in the user manual. It gets a medium-density memory foam filling, and we see there isn't much contouring going on. There are aftermarket pads available from both Focal and 3rd-party solutions, although they are all fairly expensive—especially the OEM offerings that cost more than some headphones do, albeit now we do know these are somewhat more involved than generic ear pads.


An underrated feature with the new Utopia that many people seem to have missed is the svelter ear cup profile compared to before. This comes courtesy a new M-shaped grill on the inside that closely follows the shape of the driver itself. Focal claims it helps with "better linearity of the higher frequencies" but what it also does is make for more room on the inside, to where your ears are now less likely to hit the driver/grill than on the original Utopia. This alone can make the upgrade worth it for someone who loves the Utopia sound signature but had comfort issues on the inside of the ear cups. Note also the fine steel mesh that does double duty in preventing contaminants from entering the acoustic chamber. There is also the independant rubber surround, around the drivers. You can get a sneak peek at the drivers through the mesh, but I wanted to go further.


At this point you are certainly voiding warranty, and so allow me to do it for you with this review sample, after all testing was completed. There are six Torx head screws inset in the ear cups that need to be removed, before carefully prying out the driver section from the ear cups themselves. I am happy to see brass threads used to minimize any scope of the screws stripping the heads/materials around. Note also the springs that keep the cups pre-tensioned as mentioned above, as well as the cable routing channels for the two wires heading from the cable connector to the drivers. Everything down to the glue amount and application is carefully scrutinized in Focal's manufacturing department before the drivers are tested, approved, matched up, and assembled in the Utopia. You could go further here and remove the screws holding the driver in place but that's past the point of comfort for me knowing these are essentially miniaturized speaker drivers with powerful magnets, an independent surround, and the pure Beryllium diaphragm that requires careful handling, given the associated health hazards.


On the bottom of the ear cups, towards the middle and pointing outwards, is where we find small cutouts for the cable connectors itself. These are female LEMO connectors for the cable to plug into as seen above. Simlpy align the red dots on the matching channels and push inward until it clicks in place. Removing the connector is simple, in that you simply hold the knurled section and pull down. This makes the LEMO connector a push-pull style fitting and the two sections of the cable head down from the ears to naturally be positioned away from the body. I mentioned before how the two cables are of different lengths to where I can certainly see a use case for either or both of them, depending on whether you want to have a dedicated desktop setup for the Utopia or have something more relaxing on the couch via a DAP perhaps. Seen above is also the Utopia (2022) next to the Focal Bathys, which is a closed-back set of Bluetooth headphones that is far more portable. The Utopia is a much larger set of headphones with larger ear cups and headband too. You can see the Focal design scheme in place across both, with the closed-back sets going with a circular cutout grill whereas the open-back headphones having the hexagonal grill.