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There you go, it’s done: Focal finally gives us headphones that live up to its prestigious reputation. Called Utopia and Elear, these two audiophile headphones are made in France, and benefit from innovative technical solutions. It will hurt a lot!
Focal Utopia headphones
Let’s start with the more advanced of the two, which, from the top of its 3990€, bears the Utopia name with the greatest pride. It offers for the first time a 40mm wideband transducer with Beryllium M dome. It is completely open at the back, and is capable of operating without any active or passive correction from 5 Hz to more than 50 kHz… We are promised a sound of exceptional purity, without equal! The headband of the Utopia helmet is made of carbon fiber, and topped with an adjustable headband trimmed in Pittards leather (a leather made by the British company of the same name). The 4m shielded detachable cabling inspires great confidence: it is made of OFC copper, and equipped with Lemo connectors (with locking system). The 6.35 jack is of Neutrik origin, to establish a little more the high-end character of the headphones. Supplied with rigid box and detachable cable.
Focal Elear headphones
Then comes the Focal Elear headphones, more affordable but just as interesting. For less than 1000€, we have once again a sublime helmet, made in France, and worthy of the reputation of the manufacturer from Saint-Etienne. The 40mm Beryllium transducer gives way here to a unit of the same diameter, but this time in Aluminium/Magnesium alloy. The adjustable headband is made of solid aluminum and covered in leather over its entire upper part. Elear is also exemplary in terms of comfort: the micro-fiber pads are filled with memory foam. Wiring level, we stay on low impedance OFC copper, but we lose the Lemo / Neutrik connectors of the big brother Utopia. Focal’s promise? “Finding the real sensations of a high-fidelity system in headphones”…
No date has been announced at this time. But you can be sure that these Focal Elear and Utopia headphones will be on display as soon as they are launched in BH auditoriums! Just like the little portable Focal Listen headphones, which we’ll talk about a little later…
Technical characteristics of the Focal Utopia headphones:
Open face helmet
Circum-auricular
Impedance 80 Ohms
Sensitivity 104dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHz
THD <0.2% @ 1kHz / 100dB SPL
Frequency response 5Hz – 50kHz
40mm Pure Beryllium “M” Dome Driver
Weight 490g
Cable length 4 m
Connectors 1 x 6.35 mm Jack / 2 x 9.5 mm Lemo®
Dimensions transport box 326 x 260 x 164 mm
Technical characteristics of the Focal Elear headphones:
Open face helmet
Circum-auricular
Impedance 80 Ohms
Sensitivity 104dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHz
THD <0.3% @ 1kHz / 100dB SPL
Frequency response 5Hz – 23kHz
40mm Al/Mg “M” dome driver
Weight: 450 grams
Cable length 4 m
Connectors 1 x 6.35 mm Jack / 2 x 3.5 mm Jack
Dimensions transport box 326 x 260 x 164 mm
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