Going to the What Hi-Fi Show 2023, I had my eyes on experiencing the hi-fi headphones used by professionals to know what is the difference between them and headphones made for the general consumer. I came across a pair of headphones, Focal Utopia 2022 that cost Rs 4 lakh in India. My jaw dropped while listening to some of my favourite songs on these.
For the unaware, Focal is a French company that manufactures a variety of high-end audio devices, including home audio loudspeakers, car audio speaker drivers and amplifiers and monitoring loudspeakers for recording studios. A few years ago, they started making headphones as well.
The Focal Bathys is a pair of Bluetooth headphones that rival AirPods Max in the price segment. I got to experience the Focal Utopia 2022, which are open-back, high-fidelity headphones. These operate between 5Hz to more than 50 kHz frequencies with no active or passive correction.
The Utopia 2022 comes equipped with a 40mm full-range speaker driver with an open-back pure Beryllium-shaped dome, which is said to reduce distortion and deliver pure, rich and melodic sound. To be clear, I didn’t listen to them plugged into the MacBook Air directly. It was plugged into Hi-FiMan EF400 DAC (Rs 54,999) and Cayin HA3A amp (Rs 1,39,999).
I put on the headphones and the first few seconds of Ae Ajnabi’s instruments sounded like never before. My reference point is a maximum of Rs 50,000 headphones, so the clarity and details on the Utopia 2022 were on the next level altogether.
It’s as if when I closed my eyes, the instruments were playing in front of me. The vocals sounded as if I’m listening to the singer live beside me. And it wasn’t just on the slow Ae Ajnabi track.
My experience was similar across pop and rock songs from Strings. The sound was realistic, remarkably natural, and precise. The Focal Utopia 2022 reveal instrumental textures and vocals superbly. The earcups help offer more room and space with a speaker-like experience right between your ears.
Due to them being open-back headphones, the power of bass isn’t the same as the closed-back headphones but the clarity and insight in low-end frequencies here is the best I’ve ever heard and can’t be matched by closed-back headphones.
I didn’t feel I’m limited to listening to one type of music. These headphones offer a great overall balance throughout the frequency range on offer. The Focal Utopia 2022 headphones weigh 490 gm but in my 45 minutes of using them, I didn’t feel tired or fatigued on the head. They are comfortable to wear despite their weight.
The hexagonal pattern on the outside of earcups is said to be more open than the previous version and probably contributes to the dynamics of the sound. The headphones are constructed with genuine leather, aluminium and forged recycled carbon, which makes them luxurious and comfortable at the same time.
The Focal Utopia 2022 is likely one of the very best pairs of headphones that money can buy. You’ll need added assistance of amp and DAC to get the best out of them but wow, they are amazing.
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