We’ve reviewed FOCAL headphones in the past and we’ve walked away impressed and they’ve walked away with two Top Pick Awards. This year we got to sit down with FOCAL and experience the brand new UTOPIA headphones they created in collaboration with TOURNAIRE. Let’s start by saying, these headphones aren’t for everyone. Yes, these things are going to set you back $120,000USD and that’s a lot of scratch for headphones. There are reasons, beyond the sound, that they cost $120,000USD and that’s the use of gold, diamonds, and the fact that every pair is handcrafted and assembled.
Before we give you the full press release below, we listened to the UTOPIA headphones for ourselves and these things not only sound amazing, but they’re extremely well built and beyond premium. FOCAL is very proud of the craftsmanship put into all of their headphones but this pair stands just a few heads above the rest. We probably won’t get our hands on a review unit of these but from what we heard using them for around 20 minutes, they sound phenomenal. Now you just have to decide if you want to pay for the amazing high-end materials being put on these things. If $120,000USD is just a bit too much for you, FOCAL does offer the Listen and Sphear which are much more affordable. They also sell the UTOPIA brand without the bling and those will “only” set you back $3,999USD.
What do you think about the UTOPIA by TOURNAIRE headphones? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
FULL PRESS RELEASE
FOCAL Unveils “UTOPIA by TOURNAIRE” at CES 2017
The Most Prestigious Headphone in the World
Las Vegas – January 5, 2017 — FOCAL®, a leading French speaker and headphone manufacturer, today unveils UTOPIA by TOURNAIRE, the most prestigious and expensive headphone in the world. FOCAL and TOURNAIRE, two French companies with the highest levels of expertise in their fields, formed a partnership to produce a unique work of art, requiring over a year to complete from design to the final assembly.
“UTOPIA by TOURNAIRE is the fruit of a unique partnership – the perfect symbiosis of FOCAL, a manufacturer of high-fidelity speaker drivers and loudspeakers for more than 35 years, and TOURNAIRE, a jeweler renowned for its symbolic and atypical jewelry,” said Sébastien Dumas, Focal Brand, and Communication Director. “Both companies are famous throughout France and worldwide for their exceptional expertise. They are also both “Living Heritage Companies” having received the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label.”
Customized with Jewels
The design of these exceptional headphones was customized by renowned jewelers Maison TOURNAIRE, designed and crafted by father and son, Philippe and Mathieu Tournaire. It bears the mark of the Trilogy, the symbol of TOURNAIRE jewelers, which represents the three stages of life: the past, the present, and the future. This universal symbol links the past, the present, and the future, represented respectively by the raw square, the triangle and the circle of abundance, achievement, and perfection. The Trilogy is comprised of 18 karat yellow gold mounted with a total of 6 karats of diamonds, entirely hand-crafted in the TOURNAIRE jewelers’ workshops.This technological and artistic masterpiece rests on its own dedicated stand representing a face composed of the three shapes of TOURNAIRE’s Trilogy sculpted in yellow bronze and hand burnished.
Giving Back
A portion of the profits from the sales of the “UTOPIA by TOURNAIRE” headphones and stand will be donated to the P’tit LOUIS association, dedicated to saving 8-year-old Louis Biscini who suffers from a rare degenerative disease, spinal muscular atrophy type 1.Ordering Inquiries
UTOPIA by TOURNAIRE will be available at $120,000USD / $165,000CAD. The dedicated stand will also be available for an additional $12,000USD / $15,000CAD. For ordering inquiries please contact info@focalna.com.UTOPIA – World’s first full-range loudspeaker in a pair of headphones
It all began with the reference headphones UTOPIA that FOCAL launched in June 2016. UTOPIA is a high-fidelity headphone designed and manufactured in France that feature exclusive FOCAL technology. These are the world’s first audiophile headphones on the market to be equipped with a totally open-back full-range speaker driver using a pure Beryllium “M” shaped dome. The sleek design, the high-end materials, and the genuine lambskin leather ear cushions make them the reference headphones on the market.UTOPIA is available now from qualified dealers for the suggested retail price of $3,999USD / $4,999CAD. For a list of dealers please visit, www.focal.com/headphones.
Last Updated on January 23, 2017.
