Focal Utopia
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While the majority of headphone manufacturers are mastering isodynamic emitters or trying to bring dynamic ones to mind, Focal engineers have conducted a large-scale study of all available technologies and came to the conclusion that none of them is capable of providing sufficient sound quality. Of course, they decided to fix this annoying gap. According to rumors, it took four years to develop the new headphone emitter technology, but no matter how much time and effort was spent, the main thing is the result.
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Among high-end headphone manufacturers, the French Focal stands out for its serious “speaker” background and vast experience in the design of speakers for floorstanding loudspeakers. Can this experience come in handy in the field of personal audio? “Of course, yes!” – say the designers of Focal. And here is a real confirmation of their words – the flagship model of Focal Utopia headphones, in the design of which solutions are applied, which have been successfully tested by the company’s engineers on their full-sized High End acoustics.
You can make very good headphones only by using the most sophisticated technologies. The well-known French company Focal, when developing its flagship focal Utopia headphones, did a very original and, as it turned out, right, simplifying the design as much as possible, but using its patented technologies.
Design : Focal Utopia
A traditional dynamic headphone driver has a plastic basket with a flat magnet. It is about the size of a ruble coin, and around it is a voice coil and a diaphragm attached to it; the curved ribs at the edges of the diaphragm give them flexibility, acting as a suspension. This formula is simple and unchanged for the vast majority of dynamic emitters that are used in headphones.
The diaphragm is made, as a rule, of mylar or similar plastic, which is lightweight and sufficiently rigid. The surface of the diaphragm can be metallized, for example, by sputtering titanium, but more often it has a pristine appearance.
French design does not accept insignificant details. Even the design and materials of the box make an impression, not to mention the headphones themselves
Most importantly, the back of a conventional speaker is always damped with an acoustic filter. This can be a layer of nonwoven fabric covering the holes in the basket, or a calibrated hole in the center of the magnet that restricts airflow from under the diaphragm. Without applying an acoustic filter, it is impossible to properly adjust the speaker.
Try to de-damp the headphone driver, and its more or less flat frequency response will turn into one large mid-frequency peak with a sharp drop in the low and high frequency regions. And if you make the music louder, the coil will fly out of the working area, and the speaker will fail. Loudspeaker damping acoustic filters help control the movement of the diaphragm and obtain the desired frequency response.
But then why is damping bad? Firstly, the fact that when the diaphragm moves forward and backward, it is loaded in different ways, and secondly, any damping restricts freedom of movement as such and leads to a compression effect.
Compression manifests itself in the loss of detail at low volume, the inability to provide good macrodynamics and a truly open, wide stage. In short, listening to a damped speaker is like driving a car without releasing the handbrake all the way. What difference does it make if the car does not drive at all or does it drive with difficulty? Even slightly slowing down, the car will not be able to do what it is capable of with the brake fully released.
Speaker : Focal Utopia
In the diaphragms of the Focal Utopia speakers, rare-earth beryllium is used instead of the usual polymer film, designed to provide an optimal combination of damping, rigidity and lightness (the weight of the moving part of the radiator is only 135 mg). Such a device allows the dynamics to move in a mode close to the ideal piston, practically without deformation during vibrations.
Even more unusual is the serrated M-profile of the diaphragm, which is the latest development from Focal. It is designed to compensate for the difference in sound between the speakers and headphones caused by the different distance between the speakers and the listener’s ears: in the first case it is a few meters, in the second – at least a couple of centimeters.
The M-shaped profile, according to the calculations of Focal engineers, significantly improves the sound of the speakers at close range, allowing the headphones to perform music on an equal footing with great acoustics. To provide the membrane with additional mobility, the creators of Focal Utopia installed it on a unique ultra-thin suspension. Its thickness is only 80 microns! And in order to give the dynamics a special lightness, we have developed for it a special single-layer coil without a core.
This reel combines solid length and diameter with minimal weight. At 25mm in diameter and 5mm in length, it weighs less than the conventional 15mm diameter and 1.5mm deep coils found in other High End headphones. This reel combines solid length and diameter with minimal weight. At 25mm in diameter and 5mm in length, it weighs less than the conventional 15mm diameter and 1.5mm deep coils found in other High End headphones. This reel combines solid length and diameter with minimal weight. At 25mm in diameter and 5mm in length, it weighs less than the conventional 15mm diameter and 1.5mm deep coils found in other High End headphones.
comfort
The new headphones focal Utopia look solid , comfortable and original. Responsible for the originality is the mesh cover of the cups with special “windows”, which ensure the design is completely open. And for solidity – exceptionally expensive materials: metal, carbon, genuine leather. Particularly impressive are the efforts made by the designers to make the headphones as comfortable as possible. A new headband has been developed especially for them, which adapts itself to the size of the head.
The headband is, of course, trimmed with genuine sheep leather. But in the decoration of the ear cushions, genuine leather is used in combination with microfiber – the use of these two materials allows you to achieve an optimal balance between comfort and durability. Inside the ear cushions – an extended 20 mm layer of memory foam, thanks to which the headphones do not press on the auricle and fit it tightly, but unobtrusively.
High-tech carbon forks give the structure maximum strength while significantly reducing weight. The length of the detachable cable in the new version of Utopia has been reduced to 3 meters, and its attachment to the headphones is made using the same connectors as in the Sennheiser 800 series, providing owners with a huge selection of custom cables for the upgrade.
Sound
The sound of the new Focal is primarily distinguished by its excellent spatial characteristics – the stage has not only width, but all three required dimensions, and any group of musicians from a jazz trio to a large symphony orchestra has enough room for arrangement. The accuracy of this arrangement can surprise even a sophisticated listener! In headphones, not only wind or keyboard instruments are perfectly localized, but also, for example, a double bass, the location of which is usually difficult to determine by ear.
Rows of musicians do not mix even at dynamic peaks: everything remains clearly distinguishable, the acoustic “picture” is not blurred or blurred. This also applies to complex textures: Focal Utopia equally accurately convey the hoarse sound of a saxophone and piercing violin passages.
The bass doesn’t seek to dominate but it gives out such precision and detail, as if I was listening to headphones with planar emitters. However, the delicate softness in the high-frequency range reminds us that we are still dealing with traditional speakers, albeit improved by Focal engineers through the use of unconventional materials.
The absence of annoying “loudness” in the performing manner ensures their sounding comfort, thanks to which you can sit up late into the night listening to your favorite music in these headphones.
And excellent ergonomics guarantee no headaches, even if the listening drags on until the morning. that we are still dealing with traditional speakers, albeit improved by Focal engineers through the use of unconventional materials. The absence of annoying “loudness” in the performing manner ensures their sounding comfort, thanks to which you can sit up late into the night listening to your favorite music in these headphones. And excellent ergonomics guarantee no headaches, even if the listening drags on until the morning. that I am still dealing with traditional speakers, albeit improved by Focal engineers through the use of unconventional materials.
The absence of annoying “loudness” in the performing manner ensures their sounding comfort, thanks to which you can sit up late into the night listening to your favorite music in these headphones. And excellent ergonomics guarantee no headaches, even if the listening drags on until the morning.
Conclusion
So lastly, The key words are “space” and “realism”. In these nominations, Focal Utopia easily compete not only with the best dynamic flagships, but also with the top planar models. For lovers of jazz, symphonic music and not too aggressive rock, they may well be a real discovery.
I personally feel that the price of Focal Utopia is bit overpriced and if you are fan of the product then you should buy for sure.
Thank You!!!
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