Sound Impressions
Summary
The Focal Utopia 2022 was not what I was expecting based on my memory of the original I had stolen moments with at trade shows. Aural memory is a deceiving devil on your shoulder but I remember the highs on the original Utopia to be, well, flavorful to coin a phrase.
This time around, Utopia 2022 is anything but that. It’s rich and warm yet unbelievably controlled and resolving at the same time. It’s a beautiful combination, one where you miss nothing but at the same time get some welcome eloquence to the instrumental and vocal timbre to allow you to listen to it for hours without fatigue
There is a degree of transparency in that warmth. Paired with an amplifier that excels in clarity, such as the punchy dCS Lina amplifier, the propensity to produce more sparkle and stronger highs comes into focus right away. Pair it with a Cayin HA-300MK2 SET amplifier and it sounds as smooth as butter.
For bass lovers, the Utopia 2022 is not overloaded with a relatively neutral level of sub-bass presence. However, it punches fantastically and with just the right amount of bloom to give it an enveloping feel to that bass without it sounding soft or slow.
Vocals also have a fulsome rich tone to them but like the bass response, they stop short of being overly euphonic and lush sounding. Again, amplification and source pairing will move the goalposts a little in terms of exact harmonic balance but overall, this is more to the pleasing side.
And the resolution is just excellent, albeit within an intimate soundstage presentation. It is not expansive in the same manner as ZMF Headphones Atrium but it fills the smaller stage with more detail and for my money, it has the superior dynamics also.
Frequency Response
The Utopia 2022 pays its respects to the Harman Target Response Curve but there are enough deviations in there also to give it that distinct tonal signature. For a start, the sub-bass response is more neutral than elevated to my ear with a bias to the mid-bass presence.
The mid-bass is punchy but voluptuous at the same time. It has an extended elevation from 100Hz to 300Hz that gives it that dominant presence, perceived closer imaging, and a bit more bloom though I have to emphasize that bloom is very controlled, especially with solid-state amplifiers.
From there it stays more or less in line or just ever so slightly above the ideal curve and then a more noticeable spike around 1-2k. This gives most vocals some real presence and combined with the rising curve from the punch mid-bass some fullness also to their delivery.
What especially pleases me is how Focal gave enough of a lift in the 2-4k region but not so much that it was too shouty or dominant. From there all the to 10k is south of neutral and more to the relaxed side but not roll-off. Percussion has some presence but it’s a refined sound and is slightly relaxed in its delivery.
The treble detail is very much there but if you want a stronger treble lift there are other headphones that offer a more forward tuning. I will say though, your choice of source and amplifier can up the Utopia 2022 treble presence quite easily.
Timbre
The Utopia 2022 stock tone is rich and well-controlled with a nice bass fundamental and a fulsome timbre throughout. It’s really easy on the ear but I would not confuse that with meaning it is a lush or gentle delivery.
As an example, the ZMF Headphones Atrium has a similar description but its softer on the leading edges and more relaxed in its imaging compared to the Utopia 2022. The Utopia 2022 is a tighter sound and one also that can change depending on the source in question.
Solid state amplifiers will cool the tone as you might expect, but they will also tease out a stronger treble overtone from the Utopia 2022. The dCS Lina system and to a lesser extent the iBasso DX320 MAX Ti produced the most abundant treble sparkle from the Utopia 2022 of all of the tested pairings.
Tubes and R-2R DAPs tended to inject the most natural or at least a thicker weightier coloration to the Utopia timbre though I have to give the Cayin N8ii a special mention for just how sweet sounding the Utopia mids and highs were during my testing.
Vocals on the Utopia are a particularly strong suit. Not just female, perhaps even more so, the male vocal sounded very rich and detailed and with a harmonic balance that erred a little more to the even-harmonic side. You will be hard-pushed to extract any unnatural sibilance from Utopia 2022.
Staging & Dynamics
Some slight cons and some big pros depending on your preferences. The Utopia 2022 does not cast the biggest soundstage of the flagship headphones that are currently out there in the market. It’s more to the intimate side with a fulsome approach that can stretch or flatten depending on the source.
The stock listening bias is to the mid-bass and lower-mids with male vocals to the fore. The depth is good but the sub-bass is stronger on competing models such as the Dan Clark Audio EXPANSE. The mid-bass is more to the fore and here it really does bring it, right up to around 1-2k with an enveloping detailed soundstage quality.
Female vocals to me are a bit more on the neutral side depending on where they pitch with the upper mids onwards though the highs being more on the relaxed side.
Where it compensates is the excellent control and the dynamic range to go along with it. Nothing ever seems unevenly delivered or out of place. Imaging complexity is beautiful with the right source and it can show some real ‘speed’ also with quality amplifiers such as the Lina.
If you want improved power, go with the Felix Audio Envy, its solid-state rectifier will introduce a more satisfying level of note body and power over more neutral amplifiers.
However, if you want the package deal in terms of maximizing the holographic capability of that intimate soundstage then the Cayin HA-300MK2 will do it for you. It’s a slower pace, a longer level of note decay but the Utopia 2022’s staging width and depth performance were so much better for my tastes.
Synergy
Efficiency
The Focal Utopia 2022 is rated at 80Ω impedance with an SPL of 104 dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHz. The load is a little higher than your typical efficient 32Ω variant but not to the point where I would be focusing on dedicated amplifiers with impedance level matching.
If you do plan on using impedance variable amplifiers such as the Feliks Audio Envy and the Cayin HA-300MK2 then I would keep both on the ‘lo’ setting for the Envy and the lowest impedance setting for the HA-300MK2.
The HA-300MK2 medium impedance has a bit too much energy and can stress the driver a little in terms of performance harshness for me on the HA-300MK2 whereas the ‘mid’ power setting on the Envy is just too aggressive for delicate volume control despite being rated for 60Ω upwards.
It is not as voltage-demanding as something like the 300Ω ZMF Headphones Atrium. Nor will it demand more than the average planar headphone which usually sits around the 95 dB to 100 dB SPL marker.
For example, both the Final D8000 Pro and the Dan Clark Audio EXPANSE do require more volume, (in high gain also), from fairly powerful amplifiers such as the Ferrum OOR when fed a balanced line out from the iBasso DX300 MAX Ti. Compared to these two, Utopia 2022 was more efficient.
However, a good level of voltage and current headroom from any quality amplifier will improve the response of the Utopia 2022 though the same could be said for a lot of high-end headphones.
DAP Setup
I tested the Utopia 2022 with 5 quality DAPs including Cayin’s N7 and N8ii, the HiBy RS8, LP P6 Pro, and the iBasso DX320 MAX Ti which we just recently reviewed.
I also switched to a 4.4mm balanced output converter for the XLR cable as the DAPs SE outputs were lacking in dynamics compared to the balanced alternative.
DAP Performance
I thought the Focal Utopia 2022 never felt underpowered though the true dynamic range potential of this headphone is better heard on desktop units with stronger voltage rails. Nevertheless, I could happily listen to a Utopia 2022/DAP pairing.
Each one brought something different to the table with the DX320 MAX Ti the most resolving pairing, the best for articulation, and fleshing out background imaging cues.
The dynamic range was excellent but for those who want something a bit thicker sounding or muscular on the low end then the other DAPs will offer more of a presence on the lows but with slightly less speed and articulation.
The N7 is a thicker-sounding DAP but the Utopia pairing sounded less resolving compared to the MAX. The staging was really good on the N7 but not quite as filled in as the iBasso flagship.
A similar story with the P6 Pro which was more detailed than the N7 and just stellar for bass weight and vocal texture but lacked a little height. Of the five this one produced the darkest pairing.
Both the HiBy RS8 and the Cayin N8ii turbo and P+ modes make a distinct difference to the Utopia 2022 performance. They offered the punchiest bass with a more natural tone that I felt suited the Utopia 2022 tuning.
Of the two, I would pick the N8ii as the tube timbre in Class AB mode teases out more vocal presence and sparkle through the mids whereas the RS8 is more neutral and flatter sounding in the same region.
DAP Line Out
For those thinking of doing a line-out from a DAP to an amplifier, the Utopia 2022 does respond well to a stronger input Vrms with better dynamic range and a more impactful presentation.
For example, the 4.4mm line-out from the LP P6 Pro DAP is actually SE in design with a 2.45Vrms maximum output compared to the iBasso DX320 MAX Ti’s properly balanced 4.45Vrms output.
The P6 Pro sound is generally smoother and more analog in tone compared to the DX320 MAX Ti’s cleaner tone when connected to the Ferrum OOR but with the Utopia 2022, it also sounds a little diminished in dynamic range.
The stronger DX320 MAX Ti line out gives the Utopia 2022 more bass snap and expands the soundstage in all directions which I find is key with this headphone for a good performance.
Amplifier Pairings
It really depends on what you want out of an amplifier because despite its smooth tonal response I still found the Utopia 2022 to be quite transparent or responsive to the core sound signature of the corresponding setup.
Some examples. If you want maximum speed, and detail but also more treble presence then the dCS Lina headphone amplifier, Clock, and DAC system is the ultimate pairing with the Utopia 2022. It’s incredibly resolving, with perfect dynamic range but will also tease out more treble than some of the other amps we tested.
More so than something like the Ferrum OOR which offers excellent dynamic range, and more to the neutral side but not quite as much treble sparkle as the Lina.
If you want to dial down on the treble presence and enhance the bass warmth combined with upping the holographic staging performance of the Utopia 2022 then the HA-300MK2 is the best choice.
In truth, I found this pairing intoxicating, especially when paired with an expansive DAC like the Holo Audio Spring 2. Probably my favorite pairing for immersive long-term listening with the treble just a little softer and more languid in its pace compared to the Lina matchup.
Both the dCS Bartok and the Feliks Audio Envy will amplify the low end of the Utopia 2022 more than the first two pairings. If you want a stronger bass response from the Focal, tighter, and more impactful also, then these two rank higher for me.
However, the stage can seem narrower with the Envy pushing the bass and vocal presence more to the fore on the Utopia 2022. Both also seem to give the Utopia 2022 a firmer leading edge on notes and a slightly shorter decay though not as speedy and resolving as the Lina system.
