![]() To be clear, this track still comes off as a cohesive mix. Listening through the Utopia, each individual instrument can be identified, and Ringo Starr’s exceptional drum part sits in exactly the right place in the mix. ![]() I grew up listening to the song on a late 1970s Capitol vinyl pressing, and George Harrison’s guitar parts and George Martin’s exceptional string arrangements blurred together into a solid chunk of midrange audio. I listened to a 24-bit/96kHz high-res Qobuz stream of the 2019 Giles Martin remix of The Beatles’ Abbey Road and the results were breathtaking. The Focal Utopia’s leather ear cups are exceptionally comfortable and well suited to long listening sessions. This change is designed to improve the linearity of the frequency response, mostly in the treble range. ![]() The M follows the shape of the dome and Beryllium driver inside, reducing the gap between the driver and the grill. The Utopia now has the M-shape grill that Focal introduced with its open-back Clear Mg headphone. There are changes to the driver grill, as well. The 100-percent aluminum version in the original Utopia proved to be a bit fragile, so the redesigned coil is fabricated from 30 percent copper and 70 percent aluminum to improve reliability while maintaining the same high level of acoustic performance. What’s new about the second-generation Focal Utopia? Should you buy one, Focal’s presentation will make you feel like you’ve made the right choice even before you start listening. Utopia is the maximum-price, maximum-performance audio equivalent of those exotic sports cars. That’s not a bad analogy for what’s going on here. The entire presentation has the kind of flash you’d expect if you were buying a Ferrari or Lamborghini.
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