The high-end audio show Capital Audiofest (CAF) came to Rockville, Maryland this past weekend and one system put together by high-end dealer, House of Stereo in Jacksonville, Florida practically stole the show. The system was comprised of Focal loudspeakers, a pair of REL subwoofers, electronics by T+A and cables and power conditioning by Synergistic Research.
Total system cost exceeded $600,000 (and this wasn’t even the most expensive system at the show).
What made it special? Read on to find out.
French speaker maker Focal makes some pretty impressive speakers, none more impressive than the current flagship Grande Utopia EM EVO. These sell for $279,999/pair for a selection of standard finishes or $349,999/pair for the exclusive Ziricote finish on display at the show.
These behemoths measure in at nearly 80 inches high and weigh 584 pounds each. They require a fairly large room to perform at their best and the Montgomery Room at the Rockville Hilton was definitely up to the task.
But even so, House of Stereo chose to augment the Grande Utopia’s low frequency performance with a pair of REL No. 2 subwoofers ($10,000 each).
I’d seen and heard the Grande Utopia speakers before, but only powered by sister company Naim amplifiers. House of Stereo did something different, pairing the Focals with a DAC, preamplifier and power amps from German electronics maker T+A (“Theory and Application”). The company prefers you refer to them as T-PLUS-A but who doesn’t like a little T&A?
The Focal Grande Utopia speakers feature a 4-way bass-reflex design with independent cabinet housings for each driver, aligned in a curved formation for proper time and phase alignment amongst the drivers.
They feature Focal’s Electro-Magnetix 16″ “W” woofer, dual 6.5″ “W” midrange drivers with TMD suspension and magnet and a 1″ pure Beryllium inverted dome tweeter capable of reaching 40 KHz. Rated frequency response is 18 Hz to 40 Khz (+/- 3dB). Sensitivity is rated at 94dB and power handling from 50 to 1500 Watts.
The source and amplification components in this reference system included the T+A P3100 HV Preamplifier ($23,750), T+A SD 3100 HV Reference DAC ($36,390), T+A M40 HV Monoblock Amplifiers ($62,850/pair) and a Wolf Audio Systems Red Wolf 2 SX Music Server ($16,500).
The system was completed with some truly over-the-top accessories and cabling, by Synergistic Research including their Galileo Powercell power conditioner ($27,995), and Synergistic Research SRX XL “Cable Loom.” The Cable Loom included SRX XL Speaker Cable ($39,995/8 feet), SRX XL Power Cables ($13,000 in 6 foot lengths) and SRX XL Interconnects ($16,995 in 1-meter length). So all in, we’re looking at a system price of over $600,000.
Was it worth it? That’s not for me to say. There are apparently people out there with the kind of disposable income to afford such a system. And those folks are definitely in for a treat. This system provided some of the finest stereo sound at the show. Whether playing EDM/House music, folk, classical, rock or jazz, the House of Stereo/Focal/T+A system offered crisp detailed highs, holographic midrange and deep, extended bass, all wrapped up into a coherent and seamless three dimensional soundstage that filled the back half of the enormous listening room.
That Focal Sound for 7% of the Cost? Say Hello to the Diva Utopia
On the other side of the room, the company was showing off a decidedly simpler and less costly system. This was the U.S. debut of the Focal Diva Utopia Active Speaker System. This powered pair of speakers sells for $39,999 and requires nothing extra to make music. It’s an active pair of speakers with built-in amplification and built-in streaming.
Of course, you can hook up additional components to the speakers, such as a turntable, disc player or even a TV via the HDMI/eARC port, but you can just plug ‘em in and start listening to music from your favorite streaming music source like Tidal, Spotify or QOBUZ. While not as impressive as the flagship Grande Utopia system, the smaller Diva Utopia put in an excellent showing with transparent and well-rounded sound overall. In a smaller room, a pair of Divas may be all you’ll ever need or want to lose yourself in your favorite music.
The Bottom Line
Focal continues to bring the heat when it comes to high-performance audio systems, and it’s refreshing to see that amplifiers other than sister company Naim are up to the task of powering the company’s flagship Grande Utopia EM EVO loudspeakers. And while the Focal Diva Utopia powered speakers aren’t exactly inexpensive, they can provide a truly excellent sonic experience for a fraction of the cost and at far less complexity compared to the flagship system. Would I rather buy a car – or maybe a house – with that kind of cash? Maybe, but if you already have a car and a house, then why not go for it? You only live once.
Related Reading:
Chesky Audio’s New $498 Bookshelf Speaker is Kicking Ass and Taking Names at CAF 2024
Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo Speakers and Naim Statement Amp – the UItimate 2-Channel Audio System?
