|
Focal’s Grand Utopia EM loudspeakers are the exceptions, it seems, because none of the journalists at the SMH could believe that a pair of speakers could cost $269,000. Sydney hi-fi retailer Len Wallis, who placed the advertisement advising the speakers were now available for audition at his store in Lane Cove, (Len Wallis Audio) had to field the calls about whether the price in his advertisement was a typographical error. ‘Every so often a product comes along in the audio visual industry that simply transcends price,’ he said, ‘and the Grand Utopia EM loudspeaker from French manufacturer Focal is just such a product. This is not a traditional offering, these loudspeakers are crammed with new technology stand two metres high and weigh 260 kg (each).’ Wallis went on to state: ‘In the forty years I have been in this industry I have heard many high-end high quality speakers and one thing I’ve learned over the years is that that just because a loudspeaker is expensive… or big… does not mean that it is going to perform well. The Grand Utopia EM is simply the finest speaker that I have ever heard, by a considerable margin.’
‘There is no disputing that this is an expensive loudspeaker, but this is not about the money. This is a statement of what is achievable given the appropriate budget. The popularity of home theatre means that many of us have forgotten what quality music reproduction sound like. There is also a generation of consumers who have been raised on compressed music played on portable MP3 players. They have had little exposure to what performance levels are achievable. For many listening to this speaker is a revelation and an education. More importantly, as with previous flagship models from Focal, the technology utilised quickly seeps down into less expensive offerings, such as the Focal Diablo, which is a more affordable $17,000 per pair and in which the influences of its larger sibling are obvious.’
Focal has had a meteoric rise over the last decade, morphing from being a manufacturer of speaker drivers for other companies to one of the largest specialist speaker manufacturers in the world. Focal’s range now covers the entire spectrum of the market, from the small Dome sub-sat speaker system to speakers such as the Diablo and Grand Utopia.
Both of the previous Grand Utopia models introduced new technologies to audiophiles, and this model is no exception with advancements such as ‘adjustable focus’, which allows you to tilt the top section of the cabinet via a small crank to focus the image exactly at the listening position. However the biggest innovation is the replacement of the conventional fixed magnet on the 381mm-diameter bass driver with an adjustable electro-magnetic (EM) motor. The power for the electro-magnet is external of the speaker cabinet, and adjustable, so you can tailor the bass according to room conditions and/or listening preferences. ‘This gives the listener unprecedented control of the bass, while still keeping control of the speaker/listening room coupling,’ said Nigel Macara, of Audio Marketing, which is the Australian distributor for Focal. ‘The Grand Utopia III EM shows what can be achieved given the expertise and the unlimited budget of a manufacturer like Focal. They are immensely imposing, both in stature and in performance.’
For further information, please contact Audio Marketing
.jpg)
Focal Grand Utopia III EM Speakers
|