Focal have long been regarded highly for their proficiency with drivers: their most recent releases in the loudspeaker department are a testament to that. Well, since the astonishingly well received Utopia range, they have taken some of the lessons learned and crafted something special for those who prefer their hi-fi in headphone form.
Combining over 35 years of driver and loudspeaker innovation, may I introduce…
Focal’s new high-end headphones: Focal Elear and Focal Utopia. Elear sit in the midrange (after the very successful entry-level Spirit model) at £800 while Utopia, much like their loudpeaker namesake, are the flagships sitting at the top of the range at £3250.
Let’s take a look at the Focal Elear first:
Focal Elear
Aluminium yoke, leather headband and super soft microfibre ear cushions are what make up Elear, combined with exceptional driver technology in the form of aluminium and magnesium ’M’-shaped domes (inspired by the flagship Utopia headphones, which we will get on to in a bit). All of this comes together comfortably with dynamic and exceptionally precise audio, which sounds gloriously Focal.
It’s worth mentioning that these, along with the Utopia, are the very first totally open-backed full-range speaker drivers. This makes for a very new aural experience. The kind of range and dynamic you would expect from loudspeakers, but with the intimacy (not to mention exceptional comfort) that only a pair of beautifully made headphones can provide.
Speaking of world firsts…
Focal Utopia
The deliriously high end Focal Utopias take the triumphs of the Elear even further. They are open-backed circum-aural headphones, suitable only for low-noise environments. They are crafted from the finest materials of carbon fibre yoke and lambskin leather (headband and ear cushions), which means they are extremely light and so comfortable you will likely forget that they’re there. Until you play something, that is.
What makes the Utopia and the Elear as special as they are, is the otally open-backed full-range speaker drivers they share, something that hasn’t been seen in headphone technology until now. Utopia take this one step further by employing the use of a a pure Beryllium dome to act as a “tweeter”. Why? Well, I’ll let the masters explain:
“Offering an unrivalled mass rigidity damping ratio. The result: a transducer with a frequency response ranging from 5Hz to more than 50kHz without any crossover or passive filtering.” ~ Focal
That’s not the first ‘first’ provided by Utopia. They also feature the very first monolayer voice coil. This is a big deal because it’s very light all the while being much larger (25mm in diameter by 4.4mm in height) than other voice coils (5mm x 1.5mm) used in comparable high end headphones. This results in excellent coupling to the aforementioned Beryllium dome, ensuring the extra light voice coil is always under control by the magnet’s field.
There is, of course, a purpose. The Utopia is directly pitched to compete with other very (very) high end models like the Abyss AB-1266, while sitting miles above the high end HiFi Man HE-1000, the Sennheiser HD800S and the Oppo PM-1. Much like the Abyss, the Utopia headphones carve out an existence almost all their own, shared by only a handful of other exceptional pieces.
And yes, they sound magnificent. And perhaps better yet, they feel lovely to wear. Want to try them for yourself? Get in touch and we will sort it.