Focal Utopia

[Ch1mera1989]

I sadly haven't heard them yet, but think they're stunning when it comes to their looks. The first good speakers I ever heard were a pair of Electra 1027Be at a friends house. And I really loved them, so I can imagine how great the Utopia line must be. So to those who've heard them, what do you guys think about the Focal Utopia line? And how do they compare to similarly priced speakers? And to those that have Utopia's, show us your beauties

[Ch1mera1989]

Grande Utopia EM:


Stella Utopia EM:


Maestro Utopia:


Scala Utopia:


Viva Utopia:


Diablo Utopia:


Sub Utopia EM:

[Glisse]

I am familiar with the Diablo and Scala. To me, they are much more demanding of partnering equipment and room placement than the Electra Be series you have heard, and which I use. The Utopias (that I have heard) are capable of excellent sound if you can manage to get everything right for them, but at these price points, I prefer SF. At the lower price points, I prefer Focal. Personal opinion only, of course.

[djwhog]

They are nice, one caveat make sure you have plenty of amp, they run good with a amp that has a lot of dynamic headroom like the 452, 501, 601s etc.

They are a very nice system

[No Regrets]

I listened to the Grand Utopia at the Chicago AXPONA this year. They were in a very large room as you can imagine that is a must for these speakers. The sound was HUGE! They were playing a vinyl recording of a man playing an acoustic bass being accompanied by a pipe organ. Let me just say that it sounded like we were in the church!

I personally can't ever imagine having a room large enough to have a pair of speakers like this though.....but if I did, those would be on my short list!

[enit]

Originally Posted by Ch1mera1989

Grande Utopia EM:

Stella Utopia EM:

Maestro Utopia:

Scala Utopia:

Viva Utopia:

Diablo Utopia:

Sub Utopia EM:

The diablo stated is actually the viva utopia, voiced for home theatre.

I've reviewed and tested all the utopia series speakers, with viva only for center channel, and not heard them on stereo.

I've enjoyed the Grande Utopia on numerous occasions, and I've best enjoyed them with the McIntosh Mc2kws. The amps deliver a somewhat perfect blend of what the grande can achieve, without being too sharp at the top ends.

The alignment of the top bass driver is quite key to achieving a fantastic sound, done slightly off, and there'd be a feel of cancellation, or a phase problem.

Done right and matched right, the grande Utopias have to be up there with the best speakers ever designed.

I tuned in on Tommy Emmanuel's Angeline. A song he wrote for his daughter.
There were very slight nuances of the way he handled his guitar, overtones on the upper frequencies, and some light tapping that just flowed effortlessly. Everything that was in the music became so very apparent, there was never one time that I felt like I was searching for an instrument, or a tone from the instrument. It just kept giving and giving. The Utopias are superior in their piano pieces. Bach on Steinway by Jeffrey Biegel really sounded like he was performing in front of you- you could effortless tell it was a Steinway... Not a Baldwin, nor a Yamaha. The space, the tonal accuracy, the overtones and harmonics were perfect for piano pieces, while considered a very expressive and musical acoustic monument, the Utopias, especially the grande and the Stella, are extremely accurate.

The EM Utopias all come with a panel for fine tuning, adjusting Q factors of bass frequencies, adjusting level of presence in the highs, as well as selecting for the amount of increase for the highs.

The grande EM comes with two more selectors than the Stella.

These are used to match a listener's taste, as well as the room.

There's so much more to the speaker than one can imagine, but I have to say, the mcintosh xrt2k, the grande and the Stella have one thing in common, and that's the effortlessness in the reproduction of music, life like performers. Mc Xrt2k especially in classical, rock, blues, while focal Utopias in jazz, percussion, and piano.

Amongst all the many many systems I've heard, the xrt2k, the grande utopia, and the Stella utopia are still the very best speakers that delivers the best experience to date. I'm keen to hear the helix from legacy audio powered by the mc2kw, but that's a far fetched combination that may never be put together.

I have the next to reference line with the mcintosh-ie Mc1.2kws, C1000, Mcd1100, Xrt1k, and these speakers that I've reviewed and tested are a step forward, but I must say, it's a giant step forward with regards to performance.

If you are looking to purchase the grande Utopias, I salute you. You've got it made for yourself! I highly recommend the mcintosh and utopia combination. Do try them out with the little known Tchernov cables from Russia. They do tremendously well with the Utopia speaker. Please bi-wire the grande, mcintosh speaker cable on the subwoofer, and the tchernov reference into the full range binding post for best results. All Interconnects should be tchernov reference series too.

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[Ch1mera1989]

Thanks guys. Keep 'em coming. @enit. Great post. Sadly I'm not even close to be able to afford a speaker like a Grande Utopia. A Diablo Utopia is afforable and I am curious how the Diablo's would be compared to my Guarneri Memento's. As they are similarly priced(GM €9.400 and DU €10.000).

[enit]

Originally Posted by Ch1mera1989

Thanks guys. Keep 'em coming. @enit. Great post. Sadly I'm not even close to be able to afford a speaker like a Grande Utopia. A Diablo Utopia is afforable and I am curious how the Diablo's would be compared to my Guarneri Memento's. As they are similarly priced(GM €9.400 and DU €10.000).

Diablo Utopias at about 100 hours in will give you good bass. Their highs and wonderful as it is.

The idea of the sloped mid bass driver angled towards the tweeter is a good and effective design. It helps very much with staging.

Try them out with piano pieces, they are fantastic. I think vs the mementos, the diablo's a clear winner with regards to what it can do for your sound. You just gotta give it a chance to run it in. The highs are addictive I say. Overall, I believe the diablos are more expressive, and doesn't have the feeling like it's holding back anything with the GMs in mind.

Sent from my iPhone using A.Aficionado

[Ch1mera1989]

Those were my thoughts too. But I do think my current system won't be enough, as I don't have a pre (yet). Considering their revealing nature.

[C2300MC275]

I own Maestro Utopias and love them. They are extremely resolving and are a transparent window through which you can enjoy the most glorious music. As others have said make sure your partnering gear is up to scratch and you will be rewarded. For me, The Focal Utopia line would be characterised by a really detailed mid/treble with incredible imaging and fast and very dynamic bass. They are not overly smooth or romantic per se. Look at sf if that is your thing.