Focal invested a lot of time into making the bass section shine by adding a new patended 16.5 cm Power Flower that has almost no saturation and also has an internal resonator. And to beging with, i feel like they do sound quite similar in the terms of pure sound. The major differences between these two pairs come down to their resolution, imaging, and soundstage. The earpads of the Focal Stellia and Focal Clear have the same size and shape. Real technological twin sister of the Grande Utopia EEM vo, it has absorbed the gist of the most outstanding innovations, in a 3-way version and with more convenient dimensions. To me it's "numb" experience. There is more to enjoy in the HD800S than in Utopias. The day I have to return these headphones will be happy, for I’ll no longer have to guard them with my life, but also super sad because I’ll be letting go of a truly unique way of experiencing my music. I feel that Utopias are more heavy (might do something with the cable) and the clamp force on these headphones was too tight for me. But the biggest downside for the Elear, crazy as it may sound, is that they’re not the Utopia. Focal has been creating benchmark acoustic equipment since 1979 for various high-fidelity markets such as home audio loudspeakers, headphones, car speaker drivers and monitoring loudspeakers. The first thing that stood out to me with both sets of Focals is that someone actually wore these headphones, and someone actually listened to them. Focal's Utopia headphones live up to their $3,999 price, the $999 Elear and the otherworldly $3,999 Utopia, Carbon fiber makes them light and easy to wear for long stretches, Expansive soundstage and pin-sharp imaging are just luxurious, No sound isolation or possibility to use on the move, Can swap the included cable for a shorter one. It absolutely blowed me away the first time and still i get amazed of it. Speakers, Warwick Acoustics, dCS, HiFiMAN, Audeze) CanJam London is the biggest headphone and portable audio show put on in the UK every year. And so in this review I’m going to ask the question of whether the F… Now i had the praised Focal Utopia next to me. But it's not day and night difference. Put the headphones on... Crank up the music..... Aaaaand dissapointment. Clear isn't Focal's top-shelf product. The question I opened with is the question I have to answer for myself: how much would you pay for really good audio? On on hand, the Stellia’s earpads are coated in super soft leather. How much would you pay for really good audio? I am not a basshead so the bass is more than enough for my taste in the Sennheisers. It feels really like closed back headphone in comparison. Focal's Utopia headphone at $3,999 represents an extreme no-expense-spared approach to design, components, and materials. Both of these headphones, though, are exceptionally comfortable, putting to shame many of their designed-by-numbers rivals. Now to the thing that dissapointed me the most.... Soundstage. At The Drive-In’s "Arcarsenal" is a good example: there are subtle cascading echoes of the vocals that propagate to the sides, as if dissipating out into the distance. I'm up dating my review. I was pretty excited to finally really hear how good they sound. Tyll's #1 headphone in the world that made HD800S sound thin and analytical. Tag: Focal Utopia CanJam London, part three: jamming with cans (HEDD, Raal, Mr. I’d say the Focal Elear are precisely my upper limit: $999. Make no mistake, they sound good straight out of the box and get better as they warm up. Scott Schumer explores Focal's flagship headphone, the Utopia. I didn’t have many complaints about the comfort of the HD 800 S, but the Focal Utopia is definitely ahead in this department and I’d even go so far as to say I prefer the Elear, too. off the cover price and get free digital access. I had high expections of this headphone. ), which can be detrimental to the quality of the sound. But the Clear bear a strong resemblance to the Utopia. Anyways, despite what I said above, the reason i'm asking about these specific headphones is due to the fact that they were "somewhat" modeled after their "Focal Grande Utopia III EM" and I just wanted the opinion of people who've used/own these headphones. The Focal Utopia and Focal Elear are available to preorder now. I have heard the HD800S before many times, and still with the massive soundstage it "wow'ed" me. So today finally i got to audition the Focal Utopia to HD800S. Speaking of sources, you’ll want to have something beefier than just a phone or laptop sound card to power either of these headphones. Diablo Utopia was inspired from Grande Utopia EM. First and most hilarious is the length (and weight) of the included cable. When listening Hans Zimmer with HD800S you can "feel and hear" the depth of the whole song. The Elear actually has the advantage over the Utopia in this case, as it uses standard 3.5mm connectors at each cup, which allowed me to swap in my Beyerdynamic T5p.2’s five-foot cable and enjoy a saner connector setup. The Elear is even warmer than the Utopia, so I really doubt anyone would be in a rush to accuse these of being the stereotypical "boring" audiophile cans. You’ll quickly start to hate low-quality streaming services and look for something of higher fidelity. Visit the post for more. This $4,000 open-back over-the-ear headphone features pure Beryllium drivers. Category Entertainment; Song Fearful stereo; Licensed to YouTube by Victor Entertainment, Inc.; Muserk Rights Management; Song Call Me Maybe Vintage Please look for our no-holds-barred h Focal Stella Utopia EM Evo joins the Utopia III Evo line. In terms of soundstage, the Utopia feels like a full 360-degree sphere around my head, spacing out sound both in front and behind as well as to the sides. Focal’s core values are based on the union of technology, mechanics, … I just wouldn’t feel comfortable using anything more expensive for such an everyday task as playing back music. I actually received the cheaper set first and grew to really like it, and was ready to dismiss the much more expensive sibling as just carbon fiber-clad overkill, but the experience taught me otherwise. The Grand Utopia is the latest step in this continuously evolving development—in essence, the field-test laboratory for the next generation of Focal drivers. You can use your phone as a source, but it becomes a tiny bit ridiculous as you’ll need one adapter to link your phone to your DAC, then another adapter to shrink the Focal cans’ big jack to the regular 3.5mm size. Its "different". But the "wow" factor was really really missing in the utopias. Focal has never made headphones as pricey as these, or anything that even hinted at so much ability. Both the Utopia and Elear come with a 13-foot cable that is the very definition of overengineering. With Focal Utopia, nothing stands between you and your music. Sennheiser HD800S vs Focal Utopia (My experience), The Bass was "better" than HD800S. Imaging is good. I only detected this detail on the Utopia, and I wasn’t even trying to listen critically. Since 2008, when Utopia III was launched, Focal’s technological heritage has grown enormously. (I had to travel couple of hundred miles to audition these) I have heard the HD800S before many times, and still with the massive soundstage it "wow'ed" me. Unfortunately, during the Susvara review, I didn't have both on hand to compare. Still, don’t let the numbers fool you into expecting they require 2.5 times the power. In HD800S the music is 3D around you and it has depth. With its 33 cm “W” woofer and latest technologies, its sound tuning reproduces mid ranges wonderfully. I ordered a balanced cable on Amazon. It’s like there are a million little speaker drivers to account for all the various instruments in a composition so that you hear each and every one of them distinctly. But your YMMV). Focal is known for its high-end equipment, but it obviously has to seriously impress to warrant the price tag of an eye-watering $4,000. Equipped with exclusive technology, they offer striking realism, neutrality, dynamics and clarity, for sound with unrivalled purity. The first thing i hear when listening the Utopia is just the lack of soundstage that is really noticeable. Focal might not be the most well-known audio brand to your average consumer, but anyone who has spent time in a professional studio might recognize the name. The result of this balanced approach is that these Focals take a little time to gain your affection. If there’s anything negative to be said about the Utopia or Elear’s sound reproduction, it’s the classic problem of really good audio equipment exposing really bad recordings. For 4000€/$ i did expect that you will get what you will get in HD800S and even more. And they both trade punches back in forth in this area i feel. I keep coming back to the Utopia again and again — even with its frightfully impractical cable. These two open-back headphone models are Focal’s first venture into the high-end headphone market, so it’s logical to expect the company would have some teething troubles, but there are none. I had to switch back and forth couple of times to hear the really small differences in sound. Focal Grande Utopia EM The third family of products to carry Focal’s flagship Utopia designation, this latest iteration represents not just an evolution of the technology and thinking behind these speakers, but a ground-up reassessment of its implementation. Save up to 70% off the cover price and get free digital access. It’s more than twice Sennheiser’s asking price of $1,700, but it’s also built out of legitimately exclusive materials like carbon fiber and beryllium. My first thought was that the $65,000 Grand Utopia was simply related to the Wilson Grand SLAMM. You’ll normally find their name attached to high end monitor speakers and headphones, including the $4000 Utopia headphones which have been touted as one of the best ever made. The microfiber-covered Elear pads use the same memory foam, but they can’t match the feathery softness of the more expensive pair’s perforated leather. I currently own the LCD X, Sony MDR ZR1, Focal Utopia, and DT48. Imaging is good and there is really a depth in the music. I tried a few FLAC files, I even listened on a Pono Player and an Astell & Kern player, and whatever difference there might be, I didn’t notice it. The first time i listened the original HD800's was the first eargasm i have had. Utopia are THE reference high-fidelity headphones manufactured in France by Focal. After all, almost all of the X-1's drivers are made by Focal. I don't feel that HD800S bass is lacking. Imaging is good. Sadly, to my ears the Clears are inferior to the Andromeda in the detail retrieval where the Andromeda renders the finest inflections in the timbre better than Clears and closely resembles the Focal Utopia. But the Utopia holds up much better in this department, thanks in large part to its less polite and more prominent low end. Focal is a French loudspeaker manufacturer that is well attuned to the developing trends in personal audio, and is this summer introducing two blockbuster pairs of headphones: the $999 Elear and the otherworldly $3,999 Utopia. Their coatings are different which not only will affect the sound, but will also affect how they feel. I really struggled to find difference in those two. “How does it compare to the Utopia?” is a common question among audiophiles whenever a new flagship comes out. Sound balance on both Focal pairs is basically beyond reproach. The Utopia’s got a fancier, less common connection at the cups, so you’re kind of stuck with the overkill cable and its 6.35mm jack for your audio source. Some other interesting facts about their technology: Helmholtz resonator › tweeter compartment cavity tuned as a resonator And, most importantly, those fancy bits contribute to making the headphone lighter and producing a sound characterized by spectacular precision and fidelity. 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