Focal Utopia (2022 Version)

Clear MG first gave us a taste of the gains an ultra-open Focal earcup could yield. Listeners imagined what such a new frame might be capable of were Utopia's original beryllium driver mounted.

Now, Utopia 2022 tangibly shows up the answer to our dreams – wilder than we dared hope – comprehensively exceeding any preconception or expectation we held. Headphone Guru writes "Utopia 2022 is a significant upgrade". Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity call this the one to rule them all.

"They are truly magical" to TechHive. Audioholics cites an evolved tuning compared to its Utopia predecessor from 2016 and praised this version of perfection. SoundStage! praised a flawless portrayal of the frequencies that matter.

Focal don't know how to build a better dynamic driver than out of signature pure beryllium, and their choice is vindicated. Utopia's beryllium driver is built as a trademark M-shaped dome for great structural rigidity, perfect for rendering the lowest, deepest bass. 

Beryllium's hardness also yields excellent air acceleration properties and Utopia propels micro-dynamics with an uncanny realism that leaves listeners in spellbound disbelief. A drastically more open honeycomb grille encourages airflow in tandem, for expanded macro-dynamics.

Contrary to many other metals, beryllium is both rigid yet extremely self-damped. Utopia's 40mm diameter is small enough to climb up in frequency without cone or modal break-up, always moving as a perfect piston.

Distortion is therefore amazingly low at all frequencies. A micron-thick suspension allows massive, linear driver excursion for rendition of bass waves. Focal's new acoustically open frame supplies plenty of air volume for Utopia to plumb deeper than before.

A copper-aluminium alloy former-less voice coil is suspended in the air gap of Utopia's magnet array capable of nearly two tesla. The copper element shorts inductance in the voice coil, maintaining a flatter impedance through the frequency range. And while one of the benefits of aluminium is suppressing eddy currents in the magnetic flux, another is in high reliability. 

Focal certainly designed Utopia for ultimate performance – and long-term reliability while pushing the limits of personal audio. It'll rule over your collection of flagships for years to come. Future-proofing also happens in performance, with Utopia 2022's ceiling pushing much higher than its predecessor.

Proof is how Focal's latest brainchild scales ever better with the myriad of the very best headphone sources now. Listening via the dCS Data Conversion Systems Lina is otherworldly. While Cayin Audio's HA-300B MK. II and Feliks Audio's Envy cannot but entice tube advocates.

An excellent three-metre 4-pin XLR stock cable comes packaged. But the 4.4mm upgrade via PlusSound's X6 and X8 will entice with opportunities abounding for use with Cayin Audio's C9ii, HiBy Music's FD5, R8II and RS8, or iBasso Audio's D16 and PB5. Cabling in Singapore silver is also achieved by Twilight from Ares Audio. 

At the end of the day, enough reading – time to start experiencing the new heights of Head-Fi that Utopia 2022 heralds. Certainly work your way up to this moment by browsing the rest of Focal's difference-makers here, or our other headphones here.