Hi Mike,
Any updates you can share with us on the Focals? It would be great to know more about these fine speakers!
Best,
Ken
Focal Utopia III Scala V2's in the house!
- Thread starter Mike
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Hi Mike,
Any updates you can share with us on the Focals? It would be great to know more about these fine speakers!
Best,
Ken
- Thread Author
- #62
Ken - they are still breaking in. I play them about 12 hours a day. I have not spiked them yet (they are still on wheels) because I'm still fine tuning their placement as the speaker breaks in and I'm waiting for the pin adapters for my Stillpoint SS's and I'm also investigating Nordost sort fut's as well in lieu of the stock spikes.
But I can tell you they play big, go low and the tweeter (which was a little hot out of the box) is definitely smoothing out. I also appreciate the bass/tweeter adjustability of the speaker as well. Until I spike them, I've toned down the setting of the bass a little.
I have noticed how musical they are and the driver integration is superb. They are also very easy to drive and pair well with the Devialet 400.
So far, I'm very impressed and their overall musicality and pleasurable listening experience has made a major dent into listening to my Strads.
But I can tell you they play big, go low and the tweeter (which was a little hot out of the box) is definitely smoothing out. I also appreciate the bass/tweeter adjustability of the speaker as well. Until I spike them, I've toned down the setting of the bass a little.
I have noticed how musical they are and the driver integration is superb. They are also very easy to drive and pair well with the Devialet 400.
So far, I'm very impressed and their overall musicality and pleasurable listening experience has made a major dent into listening to my Strads.
RLL1
Member
Mike - With my Diablo's, I found it took between 400 and 500 hours for the BE tweeters to fully break-in.
- Thread Author
- #64
Thank you. I was told 350+, so that makes sense. Thanks!
Glareskin
New member
Oh oh... that is what I would have expected. The Strads are very 'audiophile' and all but the emotional involvement a Utopia can drag you into is phenomenal. Something that is hard to resist!
I can imagine that SAM will give the sound an extra boost towards perfection. I have a similar affair going on right now with Linn's speaker compensation software that comes with the Space Optimization program. The improvement is remarkable. So good things to come for you Mike!
- Thread Author
- #66
The STRADS to be honest are the epitome of emotion from a speaker. They have such soul. But they give up a tiny bit of the audiophile goodies like laser like imaging and focus. The music with the STRADS is presented more as a "whole" rather than individual parts.
On the other hand, the Focals bring about a great balance of audiophile traits and musicality. I truly do not understand why Focal doesn't get more talk. They are super efficient, easy to drive, adjustable to fit the room, musical and my wife loves the look. I also love their adjustability for my room and the driver integration is perfection. Now with 500 or so hours on them, the tweeter is pure buttery smooth, but with all the detail. With the Devialet 400 on the Scala V2's, I just smile every time I sit down to listen.
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mep
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Could it be as simple as the fact that even their most expensive offerings are made from MDF?
Wow, sounds pretty awesome. Always liked the look of them. And when I've heard them at shows they impressed. I'd go for white though. : )
CDLehner
New member
That's what I've always heard too. They are a particular target, of Dynaudio guys. I seem to recall the words "running from the room" bandied about, lol.
But yeah...BE and Diamond tweeters; they've got to be expected, to be hot as hell. If you tell me they smooth out...I might have to start thinking about Diablos again; because I'm with Jax. I've always thought they looked, sexy as hell.
Nice Mike!
MDP
Behavior Moderator (be nice police!)
CD, not all Berilyum tweeters are hot. Revels are smooth as silk. And the new Focals are heard to be much smoother.
The B&W's diamond tweeter is good also, but still a little hot for my ears. But I'm sure that can be system dependant.
Mike,
It sounds like the Scala are very special speakers. I would love to hear any of the Utopia Series. They are purposefully built for pure function. I'm a big fan of any speakers that allow contouring of the bass or treble. I would like to hear that tweeter. There are a few companies that have done a nice job of implementing the beryllium tweeter without the bite.
Best,
Ken
Glareskin
New member
I think we have a slightly different definition of the term 'audiophile'. To me an 'audiophile' sound is always trimmed on the warm side. Making every track sound very nice. Unpleasant details are niced-up a little bit (not covered up!). The emphasis of the sound is on beautiful. You will not easily get tired of this sound.
The Focal's are in my opinion more revealing but at the same time rhythmically more inviting you to tap your toes, playing music in an honest way and throwing in a lot of dynamics without aggression, even though much more in-your-face than the SF's.
In Europe the Utopia series is seen as an absolute icon in high-end. If this is not the case in the US there is some missionary work to be done for you Mike!
Smiling when listening. Isn't that what its all about?
Can you tell that by looking at the outside? Because I think the finish is immaculate and the sound is great. What is the value of the material underneath the skin?
I know that is what they say about the Revel Be. That is why I want to hear yours Mark!
But next to the fact that the Revel berylliums are supposedly (I have to say since I have never heard the Revel's but I do believe it is true) smoother than the Focal berylliums I think the the hot tweeter reputation for Focal is still coming from the previous titanium generation. A very revealing tweeter which I truly still like but seen by many as very harsh and hot and especially in the Wilson Audio speakers trimmed on the bright side.
If you think the current B&W Diamond series is too hot you probably like the previous D range. Also diamond tweeters but trimmed in the old B&W 'audiophile' way of sound.
Personally I stepped in when they became Diamond because I am really into the detail. Right now, having the Diamonds for almost 4 years, I miss a lot of detail in most other speakers.
I choose my speaker on the high/mid. The bass should be good too but here we can change balance by acoustic materials, subwoofers, DSP's and now stuff like Devialet's SAM or Linn's Spave Optimisation but with the high-mid it is what it is.
And to go back to the Focal's I have to say I just love their balance.
mep
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Can you tell that by looking at the outside? Because I think the finish is immaculate and the sound is great. What is the value of the material underneath the skin?Originally Posted by mep
Could it be as simple as the fact that even their most expensive offerings are made from MDF?
Of course you can't tell that by looking at the outside anymore more than you can look at a Wilson speaker from the outside and tell it was made from some alphabet soup of different composite materials. I never said the finish on Focal speakers isn't top notch because that wasn't the point. Many of the top brands of audio speakers that compete in the stratosphere of pricing don't use MDF. Alon Wolf is on record as saying it's terrible sounding even compared to Baltic birch plywood and you can't keep screws tight in it. Both YG and Magico are using aluminum. Wilson and Rockport are using non-wood based materials.
Look, Mike asked why Focal wasn't getting the attention he felt they deserved in the U.S. marketplace and I offered up the MDF enclosures as one possible reason. I'm not trying to proclaim that MDF enclosures can't sound just dandy. If you are going to spend at least $50K on a pair of speakers, some audiophiles might question why they should be buying a pair of speakers that are made from common garden variety MDF (which the majority of speakers in the marketplace are made of) and not be buying something 'special' from one of the herd brands that is made from aluminum, composite materials, or resin.
Mike brought up the tweeter and he may have a point there as well. There are people on other forums who claim they can hear a Focal tweeter ring like they can hear their telephone ring. One guy who doesn't own Wilson speakers said that all Wilson owners should demand that Wilson upgrade their speakers with the new soft dome tweeter they are now using because of how badly the Focal tweeter rings. Of course this pissed off lots of the Wilson owners on the forum who have very expensive Wilson speakers with the Focal tweeter. The point here is that there is some amount of negative buzz in audiophile land about Focal tweeters.
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- #76
Is Alon Wolff an engineer? Is his word final? I seem to recall someone with his M Projects none to happy right now and a number of other stories. The use of MDF in the manner they use it works beautifully and typical left brain audiophile nonsense. The tweeter is also buttery smooth after 350 hours or so.
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mep
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Mike-You were looking for reasons, I offered up one. I'm not picking sides, just offering up commentary. Maybe Wilson, YG, Rockport, and Magico have wasted time and money explaining why they use the materials they do to build their speakers and the average audiophile has no idea what their speakers of made from when they plunk down their large green or they do know what their speakers are made from and simply don't care.
Mike, that owner needs a good slapping!! :lol:
- Thread Author
- #79
I would give my left you know what for those. Can you imagine those with my XS amps? OMG!
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mep
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If you are talking about Ian, he appears to have some other issues in his room that aren't related to his speakers that are causing his system to sound less than optimum. Ian has been getting a steady stream of advice on what he needs to do electrically in order to support his system and make it sound better. I hope he chases down the source of his issues and gets the SQ he deserves and paid for.