Over-Ear
Focal Utopia 2022
81Outstanding
$5,000
Full review dataFocal Utopia 2022 vs STAX SR-X9000: which should you buy?
On aggregated review scores the Focal Utopia 2022 comes out ahead with a HearWiki score of 81. The full breakdown - sub-scores, specs and what reviewers actually said - is below.
Our pick: Focal Utopia 2022 - Outstanding overall at around $4999.
Over-Ear
STAX SR-X9000
76Great
$6,200
Full review dataScore breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Focal Utopia 2022 leads on 3 of 4 measures.
- Focal Utopia 2022
- STAX SR-X9000
HearWiki score
81
76
Sound
9.7
9.8
Value
5.8
4.0
Price (USD)
$5,000
$6,200
Generation & platform
The scores rank quality. This is the other question: is the newer one actually newer technology, or the same platform in a new shell?
Same generation
Focal Utopia 2022 (2022) against STAX SR-X9000 (2021). These are the same generation of hardware - nothing in the radio, the codecs or the noise cancelling separates them. Nothing separates them on convenience features either, so the choice comes down to tuning and price.
- Utopia 202220221 yr newer
- SR-X90002021
Specifications
Utopia 2022SR-X9000
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $5,000
- $6,200
- HearWiki score
- 81
- 76
- Released
- 2022
- 2021
- Availability
- Still sold new
- Discontinued
- Driver
- 40 mm dynamic
- 2× electrostatic
- Driver type
- dynamic
- electrostatic
- Driver size
- 40 mm
- -
- Drivers per side
- 1
- 2
- Frequency response
- 5 Hz - 23 kHz
- 5 Hz - 42 kHz
- Impedance
- 80 Ω
- 145000 Ω
- Sensitivity
- 104 dB/mW
- -
- Active noise cancelling
- No
- No
- Weight
- 490 g
- 432 g
- Detachable cable
- Yes
- Yes
- Balanced connection
- Yes
- -
What reviewers said
Focal Utopia 2022
The Focal Utopia (2022) is a premium open-back flagship headphone that refines the original's celebrated sound with enhanced clarity, tonal realism, and a luxurious build. It delivers exceptional detail and articulate bass through its 40mm dynamic drivers, making it a top-tier choice for audiophiles despite its high price and open-back nature. The design is an evolutionary upgrade rather than a radical departure, retaining the core 80-ohm impedance and 104dB sensitivity.
- Pro:Exceptional detail and transparency
- Pro:Articulate, well-defined bass
- Pro:Premium, luxurious build quality
- Con:Very expensive at roughly $5,000
- Con:Open-back design leaks sound and offers no isolation
- Con:Included unbalanced cable is relatively short
STAX SR-X9000
The STAX SR-X9000 is a flagship electrostatic headphone designed for audiophiles seeking extreme transparency and resolution. It delivers a spacious, three-dimensional soundstage with exceptional detail retrieval, making it ideal for critical listening. Note that it requires a dedicated electrostatic amplifier, adding to its substantial overall cost.
- Pro:Outstanding detail and transparency
- Pro:Large, precise three-dimensional soundstage
- Pro:Fast transient response and realism
- Con:Requires separate driver unit
- Con:Very high total system cost
- Con:No active noise cancellation
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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