Definitely pretty OK considering it’s $40k here in the states. Also the reviewer noted they don’t play quietly very well but love to go very loud plus they really need a larger room. They appear easily to EQ so if Focal would let the end user have greater control over the software they could be great.
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Focal Diva Utopia
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Pearljam5000
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For only $24K more...
kemmler3D
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Measurements look ok for the money (I am sure the ~2db smiley face is intentional) but (maybe I'm becoming too much of a fanboy) these feel like LS60 competitors with a tiny bit more bass extension and total output (specs have the focal at 116, KEF at 111, probably due to smaller mid cone), for 7x the price.Measurements by Paul Miller for Stereophile/Hi-Fi News :
Focal Diva Utopia Wireless Streaming Active Loudspeaker Measurements
Sidebar 3: Measurementswww.stereophile.com
OP
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- #165
...And they sound 7x as good.
Joke aside, I widely prefer the Diva over LS60 based on the few dozens of minutes I demoed them.
Vacceo
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Due to technical capacity (frequency extension, volume...) or due to important, yet very personal reasons such as radiation pattern?...And they sound 7x as good.
Joke aside, I widely prefer the Diva over LS60 based on the few dozens of minutes I demoed them.
OP
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- #167
The later, for sure. AFAIC, I do not like the narrow directivity of most KEF speakers (at whatever price). The Diva soundstage seems way bigger in comparison.
This aside, Diva seems to punch harder at high SPL, with less compression.
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Disappointing, not?
Focal Utopia Diva:
Kef LS60 (1/7 price):
Both stereophile measurements.
Look at that midrange! And the LS60 -2db @30hz, while the Diva is at -8db.
Focal Utopia Diva:
Kef LS60 (1/7 price):
Both stereophile measurements.
Look at that midrange! And the LS60 -2db @30hz, while the Diva is at -8db.
Last edited:
dedobot
Senior Member
No grills ...pass !
Seriously , the Focal's design is stunning gorgeous . At least for my taste. And Im sure large chunk of the owners took Divas solely based off it .
Careful. The scaling is very different.
Re: the bass extension, that is only present at pretty moderate levels on the LS60. It goes away pretty quick at higher levels.
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Combine the LS60 with 2 good subs and you are still below 10k. The diva just can’t reproduce 20hz.
Can anyone change the height of these pictures to compare better? Both from 10 to -10db.
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Same scale attempt, kef graph starts at 10hz.
kemmler3D
Master Contributor
I'm using the LS60 with two okay subs (kc62) and subjectively I am not missing anything in terms of bass.
I could believe the utopias hit harder and that the LS60 runs out of gas sooner with higher spl... But not that much harder. The LS60 has (I think) more watts on tap and similar total cone area, so it can't be that much of a blowout...?
Always room for preference of course... The narrow but very smooth directivity works well in my very suboptimal room...
Pearljam5000
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But the KEFs don't have a beryllium tweeter
kemmler3D
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This is true, but if that stereophile waterfall is right, it didn't do Focal any good...But the KEFs don't have a beryllium tweeter
OP
- Thread Starter
- #177
Actually Diva is done by Paul Miller for Hi-Fi News, the second by @John Atkinson for Stereophile. Also mind the 30dB VS 50dB vertical scale.
Both measurements are not quite apples to apples.
Vacceo
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The SPL makes sense if only due to the volume and size of the speakers.
On the other part, I actually prefer narrower directivity due to being easier to adjust for multichannel. However, on that, I see nothing strange with your preference, a wide radiation sounds quite amazing too.
kemmler3D
Master Contributor
That's pretty fair... they're way bigger.
phoenixdogfan
Major Contributor
Looks like they put indoor/outdoor carpet around it. Even if it looks good on the first day, can you imagine what it's going to look like in a couple of years? And if you have a cat how could you ever persuade it that your 35K Eu speakers are not scratching posts? For that kind of money, a nice resin finished in automotive paint or a quality veneer should be the options. I kind of like the look of the Sopras in Stormtrooper White, maybe that should be an option on all their speakers.
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