[New] Focal Diva Utopia

[Pearljam5000]

What do they mean by high density?

 

[dfuller]

Is this a cardioid design?

Nope.

Would be interesting to compare it to the Trio 11
Probably with subs
For much less
View attachment 396366

I mean, neither of them are going to be particularly good, if I'm honest. Focal stuff hasn't particularly impressed me in a long time. Relatively high distortion for their class and usually pretty epically bad directivity mismatches that sound bright as hell in room, and a lot of bad stored energy behavior that makes them sound messy.

 

[7Tiger]

Why did they use such small woofers in such a large cabinet? Could have been easily 8, 10 and even 12 inch.

Because smaller woofers are lighter=faster. Kii also uses 6,5" woofers in their BXT

On a side note... those side mounted woofers and their grilles pretty much remind me of Audio Physic speakers

 

[Axo1989]

Interesting to see another active implementation of the old Audio Physic side-firing woofer design (that KEF has taken up recently, and modified to more closely approximate point source).

I expect the plastic moulding is optimised by design software and performs at least as well as their MDF Utopia models. The aesthetics of the material where exposed aren't what I'd want in a high-priced object. The more expensive B&O Beosound 90 used similar materials in the chassis/cabinet (along with some aluminium, etc) but covers it completely.

I'd expect the sonics to be more than adequate.

Personally I'd want USB-C input (ie updating the old USB-B from computer that's been established for a while now). I think omitting that is unfortunate. Feline-resistant wood veneer or gloss finish shells would also be on my list (but I expect the felt is ideal acoustically).

Edit: ninja'd by mere minutes by @7Tiger

 

[Pearljam5000]

Because smaller woofers are lighter=faster. Kii also uses 6,5" woofers in their BXT

On a side note... those side mounted woofers and their grilles pretty much remind me of Audio Physic speakers

Yeah but even their
Grande Utopia EM Evo
Uses 16 inch woofer
So it's not just about speed.
I'm thinking they'll release in the future a Diva with 8 inch woofers and 10 inch woofers for more $$$ obviously.
6.5 feels a little small indeed

 

[dfuller]

Because smaller woofers are lighter=faster. Kii also uses 6,5" woofers in their BXT

That's not true. It was probably a choice based on the available dimensions to use 4x 6.5" instead of 2x 8".

 

[Axo1989]

Yeah but even their
Grande Utopia EM Evo
Uses 16 inch woofer
So it's not just about speed.
I'm thinking they'll release in the future a Diva with 8 inch woofers and 10 inch woofers for more $$$ obviously.
6.5 feels a little small indeed

Yes, I wouldn't be surprised by a similar concept in different sizes if this one sells sufficiently well (they won't all be called Diva though). I expect it'll be a while. Thinking long-term, active speakers with Naim built-in helps their in-house amplifier brand at the expense of everyone else.

The Grande Utopia happily goes down to < 20 Hz at high levels, is four-way and crosses to that 400 mm driver at 80 Hz (from a 270 mm mid-bass). It's more like the massive sub you might add to the smaller Utopias. Stella uses one 330 mm and Maestro uses two 270 mm, both in three-way, but there's nothing between that and 165 mm iirc, so pairing those fills the gap for this model (we need minimum two bass drivers/pairs for the Diva design of course) which is less massive than Maestro (116 kg) and closer to Scala (85 kg) in scale (but even lighter at 64 kg).

 

[dfuller]

Yes, I wouldn't be surprised by a similar concept in different sizes if this one sells sufficiently well (they won't all be called Diva though). I expect it'll be a while. Thinking long-term, active speakers with Naim built-in helps their in-house amplifier brand at the expense of everyone else.

The Grande Utopia happily goes down to < 20 Hz at high levels, is four-way and crosses to that 400 mm driver at 80 Hz (from a 270 mm mid-bass). It's more like the massive sub you might add to the smaller Utopias. Stella uses one 330 mm and Maestro uses two 270 mm, both in three-way, but there's nothing between that and 165 mm iirc, so pairing those fills the gap in this model (we need minimum two bass drivers/pairs for the Diva design of course) which is less massive than Maestro (116 kg) and closer to Scala (85 kg) in scale (but even lighter at 64 kg).

For the money the Grande Utopia costs they had better be self-sufficient.
Still, those speakers are beyond exorbitant costwise. When you make even the big PMCs (you know, the ones that aren't total disasters sonically that cost more than a couple of decent cars?) look cheap, you know something is out of whack.

 

[Axo1989]

For the money the Grande Utopia costs they had better be self-sufficient.
Still, those speakers are beyond exorbitant costwise. When you make even the big PMCs (you know, the ones that aren't total disasters sonically that cost more than a couple of decent cars?) look cheap, you know something is out of whack.

Yes, there are many pro-audio options that are far more cost-effective (I'm not thinking of PMC which generally look shite) but aesthetics and haptics won't necessarily suit someone in the market for Veblen goods. Personally, I think the Utopia series are very nicely made and finished, compared to anything by eg Genelec (which are generally well executed for pro-audio speakers) and I'd enjoy looking at them rather more while listening to music. Whether I'd buy either or both would depend on available budget and specific application.

 

[kemmler3D]

Sure... Oh, one last thing : that is a definitive no-go for cat owners...
View attachment 396199
I give this two weeks before it looks like garbage.

Indeed, it's a 35K scratching post. Neat...

I am sure they will sound great, but they're a bit too overtly sci-fi looking for me. Sort of a cross between a gaming PC and something from Blade Runner 2049. Looks futuristic but in the way that only (IMO) works on a movie set...

 

[dfuller]

Yes, there are many pro-audio options that are far more cost-effective (I'm not thinking of PMC which generally look shite) but aesthetics and haptics won't necessarily suit someone in the market for Veblen goods. Personally, I think the Utopia series are very nicely made and finished, compared to anything by eg Genelec (which are generally well executed for pro-audio speakers) and I'd enjoy looking at them rather more while listening to music. Whether I'd buy either or both would depend on available budget and specific application.

Oh I wasn't even considering the pro side, I meant their giant sized home audio floorstanders.

 

[7Tiger]

That's not true. It was probably a choice based on the available dimensions to use 4x 6.5" instead of 2x 8".

It's from personal experience, but of course I may be wrong

2 x 8" is less total cone area than 4 x 6,5" so the choice is obvious. I guess it may also be the question of enclosure rigidity - bigger holes make the construction less sturdy

 

[Axo1989]

Oh I wasn't even considering the pro side, I meant their giant sized home audio floorstanders.

Ok, I thought you were making the cost-effectiveness argument, which I would agree with. Looking at the largest offerings in PMC's consumer range I assume they have their appeal, but they aren't comparably finished luxury products (vs Utopia range) so I'm not following your comparison.

The Fenestria attempts luxury industrial design and finish, but the largest drivers are 165 mm, while MB2 is basically a wood-finished rectilinear box with a corner cut off (or two stacked boxes for the XBD and even that barely manages half the Grande Utopia's mass).

 

[DSJR]

Here are the only pics I found with the covers off (or "cats friendly configuration").

View attachment 396395View attachment 396396
Seriously? It just looks terrible.
See above: kind of.

They made of PLASTIC? For THAT money?

Apologies, already answered above

 

[VintageFlanker]

They made of PLASTIC? For THAT money?

So, the cabinet is confirmed to be made of polymer.

 

[Pearljam5000]

They made of PLASTIC? For THAT money?

Apologies, already answered above

Yeah but it's high density

 

[DSJR]

I agree with the poster above who likens the style to a giant lighter. It may well be a Focal styling cue, but to me it's fugly

Each to our own

 

[Puddingbuks]

Because smaller woofers are lighter=faster. Kii also uses 6,5" woofers in their BXT

Myth?

Ten Nonsense Myths About Subwoofers and Bass Busted!

There are as many myths in the audio industry as are written in the pages of a Tolkien novel. With that in mind, Audioholics is taking on the task of myth busting ten bass myths that are nonsense!

www.audioholics.com

Pursuing the Truth: Larger woofers displace just as much air as small subwoofers by moving a lot less in and out. By minimizing the amount of in/out movement, the driver tends to behave in a more linear fashion. In general, the “speed” is a function of group delay. Larger subs do not have more group delay. However, larger subs do typically have lower distortion, can play louder, and can play deeper. There is no replacement for displacement. No turbos for subwoofers. On the other hand, to make small subwoofers linearly displace a lot of air, they often need very large motor systems with very big voicecoils. These large voicecoils can lead to more inductance and this can cause several response problems such as a peaking midbass, roll-off in the upper bass, inductance related distortion, and increased group delay (See figure 2 as an example of the effects of increased inductance on the response shape). This can be just as true of large woofers. To combat the effects of high inductance, specially designed linear motors can be made that include things like inductance rings or specially wound coils that lower inductance.

 

[YSC]

As always for Focal, nice french styling, okish technical performance and art piece price, personally I am ok with this and kind of hope it will give some plesant surprise for objective performance.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Myth?

Ten Nonsense Myths About Subwoofers and Bass Busted!

There are as many myths in the audio industry as are written in the pages of a Tolkien novel. With that in mind, Audioholics is taking on the task of myth busting ten bass myths that are nonsense!

www.audioholics.com

I doubt they are slow even with their 15 inches