focal grande utopia em evo

[DasguteOhr]

Has anyone heard the speaker. I find it very exciting. electric magnet woofer.
Type 4-way, floorstanding bass-reflex loudspeaker Drivers Electro-Magnetic 16" (40cm) 'W' woofer Multiferrite 11" (27cm) 'W' midbass 2 Power Flower 61/2" (16.5cm) 'W' midrange drivers with TMD suspension and NIC magnet IAL2 pure Beryllium inverted dome 1" (27mm) tweeter Frequency response (+/- 3dB) 18Hz - 40kHz Response at - 6dB 14Hz Sensitivity (2.83V / 1m) 94dB Nominal impedance 8 ? Minimal impedance 3 ? Filtering frequencies 80Hz / 220Hz / 2,300Hz Recommended amp power 50 - 1,500W Dimensions (H x L x D) 7913/16 x 253/4 x 345/8" (2,012 x 654 x 880mm)
OPC+ filtering › Extreme bass to the extreme treble integral adjustments › 1458 possible adjustment combinations › Audiophile type components › WBT connectors

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Has anyone heard the speaker. I find it very exciting. electric magnet woofer.
Type 4-way, floorstanding bass-reflex loudspeaker Drivers Electro-Magnetic 16" (40cm) 'W' woofer Multiferrite 11" (27cm) 'W' midbass 2 Power Flower 61/2" (16.5cm) 'W' midrange drivers with TMD suspension and NIC magnet IAL2 pure Beryllium inverted dome 1" (27mm) tweeter Frequency response (+/- 3dB) 18Hz - 40kHz Response at - 6dB 14Hz Sensitivity (2.83V / 1m) 94dB Nominal impedance 8 ? Minimal impedance 3 ? Filtering frequencies 80Hz / 220Hz / 2,300Hz Recommended amp power 50 - 1,500W Dimensions (H x L x D) 7913/16 x 253/4 x 345/8" (2,012 x 654 x 880mm)
OPC+ filtering › Extreme bass to the extreme treble integral adjustments › 1458 possible adjustment combinations › Audiophile type components › WBT connectors
View attachment 84566

Have heard it in show conditions (not the Evo version but previous version). Last time I heard it was with Naim statement electronics - sounded meh to me there but accept it at a show. Sound was very jumbled - drivers all sounded very discontinuous and bass boomed likely due to poor room.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Thanks. on hi-fi, it usually doesn't sound good, rarely heard a good demonstration. I will visit this shop when Corona allows it again.

Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo (Stück)

Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo Standlautsprecher (Stückpreis. Bitte 2 Stück auswählen!) . Vier-Wege-Standlautsprecher. Ab sofort bei uns in…

www.sg-akustik.de

listen to Fieldcoil bass

 

[infinitely baffled]

The Stella Utopias also have field coil bass drivers,
13.5 inch instead of the Grande Utopias' 18 inchers.
They're pretty epic?

 

[LL21]

Have heard it in show conditions (not the Evo version but previous version). Last time I heard it was with Naim statement electronics - sounded meh to me there but accept it at a show. Sound was very jumbled - drivers all sounded very discontinuous and bass boomed likely due to poor room.

Interesting...I have heard the Focal Evo Grande Utopia EM...also with Naim Statement electronics...led by the late Gerard Chretien who led Focal Audio at the time. He was very patient, passionate and clearly focused on not only playing each track at the right volume, but in answering everyone's questions thoughtfully. A really great opportunity to hear them and have an opportunity to listen to Gerard though I did not have long to stay.

Overall, I found the speaker did have prodigious bass, more powerful than the XLFs sounded in the same room with the D'Agostino Momemtum monos using the same track. It was also clear they had done 'something' to try to control that much bass and it was largely but perhaps not perfectly successful owing to the room? Not sure.

More than the bass, however, my primary impression was that I did not find the presentation as supple, nuanced as I would have liked...instead feeling a little terse to me. Not sure why I had that impression...stiff, bit dry? Something.

 

[infinitely baffled]

So many people who witnessed the Naim - Focal demos were similarly unimpressed.
It's inescapable that they were not a successful pairing. A number of dealers have visited here expecting to sell me replacement speakers as a result. All were shocked how good the Wavac - Boulder - Focal combination was, on one occasion the speakers they had brought to display remained in the van. Imho Naim electronics just aren't playing st the same level.

I understand Focal's Evo revisions were intended to make them a better match for Naim amplifiers. I should imagine that means they are less transparent, would be very interested to hear the views of someone familiar with originals and the Evo revised model.

Grande Utopias would be on my shortlist if, or when i get a room big enough.
But the Stellas really are more than enough in my current room.

 

[Coimbra]

Do evaluate Hifi products under show conditions more or less is impossible. I own a Focal Grande Utopia EM and find it with Gryphon Pandora together with Gryphon Mephisto Solo very exiting. Bass is very balanced, BE tweeter a dream. The presentation is powerfull but nuanced, detailed and for shure not dry.
Martin

 

[infinitely baffled]

Naim amps always sound dry to my ears

 

[LL21]

Do evaluate Hifi products under show conditions more or less is impossible. I own a Focal Grande Utopia EM and find it with Gryphon Pandora together with Gryphon Mephisto Solo very exiting. Bass is very balanced, BE tweeter a dream. The presentation is powerfull but nuanced, detailed and for shure not dry.
Martin

THAT...I could believe. My sense at the time (having hear the Focal Grande EMs a few times since with different amplification but never for lengthy periods) was that the speaker itself was very well designer...overall a bigger/more powerful sound than the XLFs which we own. For some reason, the combination I heard that evening (Naim Statement and Focal Grande EM) just did not work (for me) that day (and in a room I knew well having auditioned equipment at my local dealer's place for 10 years).

OTOH, being an enormous fan of Gryphon, I could imagine it has ample power to control/drive the big Focals and given its voicing (as a former owner of 3 Gryphons incl Mephisto Stereo)...I could well imagine it makes magic.

 

[Coimbra]

Focal Grande Utopia EM and the Gryphon Pandora/Mephisto Solo is for me a magic sound.

 

[LL21]

Enjoy!!!!! Fantastic system!

 

[HenryD]

The Naim Statement is superb. I heard it sound terrific on several occasions.

 

[mtemur]

a friend of mine used to have this speaker. it’s ok but nothing extraordinary. on the other hand a couple of my friends used to have the lower model Stella and I can say it’s a very very fine speaker. Stella has lots of gimmicks too including electro magnetic woofer.

 

[Yeti]

The Naim Statement is superb. I heard it sound terrific on several occasions.

But with Focal speakers?

 

[infinitely baffled]

The Naim Statement is superb. I heard it sound terrific on several occasions.

Have you heard Boulder 2100 series, or Gryphon?

 

[LL21]

Have heard Boulder 2100 series, or Gryphon?

I just noticed you are one of a few who also owns both Tripoint and Entreq...and actually some quite serious and more recent versions of each too.

I am still burning in the Entreq Olympus Tungsten series (dual Plutons plus a single Infinity Tungsten) while keeping the Troy SE in the system. Quite a substantial improvement...the kind of fundamental step-change I would not want to go without, that is for sure. Was wondering if you have considered revisiting grounding? For me, I had not experimented with grounding after getting the Tripoint Troy SE over 10 years ago...and then only in the last several weeks dove back in again with Entreq. Quite a sea change to the system.

 

[infinitely baffled]

Hello Lloyd
Top line- i use the Tripoint for chassis grounding, Entreq for signal grounding my interconnects.
At first i was a little underwhelmed by the Tripoint cables, so i used entreq ground cables instead. This was a mistake, what became apparent as i experimented was that the Tripoint cables were optimial for chassis grounding to the Troy.
(It's the version with the additional Empress filters)

For the first couple of weeks i could clearly hear a difference, but it wasn't necessarily an improvement. The sound was lighter, faster, but lacked bass weight. Further experimentation saw me remove some Entreq chassis ground cables from the Tripoint box and reduce every ground plane- there's four in the Tripoint, five including mains- to a single component per ground plane, Entreq included. This brought the bass back....with interest.
Then it just took time.
After a month i had gone from ambivalence to ecstasy; the most immediate thing to strike any listener was the way the music was now 'freed' from the speakers, replaced with a really strong central image. The new light touch was retained but is now complimented by powerful, propulsive bass and explosive dynamics. I could not be happier.
In summary, it's brought my system back to the level it inhabited when my Boulder 2060 was running.

The connections I've made:
preamp to Troy via a chassis screw from the Wavac's top box
Phonostage to Troy, i tried a chassis screw, no effect. Then i linked the earth binding post to the Troy and the improvements were instant and undeniable.
My AF turntable has a chassis grounding post, so that is linked to the Troy.
The Troy's final plane links to one of the binding posts on my Esoteric transport


As for being done with grounding....not even close?
I'd like another Troy Elite as i still have unused binding posts on my both dac and cd transport, and i already have logged interest in the new Entreq behemonth, the Olympus Hero.

But paying for the Troy knocked me flat on my arse, I'd be surprised if i do any more big ground purchases until i complete paying for my Boulder 2160, which will be this December.
I can certainly forsee one Hero per subwoofer stack, plus I'll be keeping an eye on the pre-owned market for a Tripoint ngs and Troy Elites.

In summary: one happy punter. My system sounds fantastic and i can't wait to get my mitts on my 2160 as it will benefit from the reduced noise, increased dynamics and musicality of my system as a whole.

Is this your first foray into Entreq Lloyd, and are you grounding your interconnects?

 

[LL21]

Fantastic story...very methodical! Mine:

Background
We tried Entreq the Silver Tellus around the time we were auditioning the Tripoint Troy SE. Overall, the overall clarity and articulation that came from the Tripoint won out, and I was very happy to go with Troy SE at the time. However, I still remember the Entreq possessed a particular strength with rhythm and particularly the power and timing of upper bass that was really special...and I never forgot that.

Fast forward 10 years Later
Like you, I was contemplating new things in grounding. However, my first approach was to REPLACE/UPGRADE the Troy SE to something bigger/badder...with Tripoint. At the same time, remembering the 'talents' of Entreq and now hearing about lots of other brands, I thought I should investigate SGS as well as Entreq. I did some calling around.

Enter Entreq Tungsten Generation
Entreq's distributor here made it super easy, and we ended up bringing over a sample system of 2 components to try. This was their latest Tungsten generation of grounding boxes.

Combine that with their Peak 4 binding posts and their Olympus grounding cables...wow. Remarkable density of tone, ease of complex orchestral music that removed the sense of mechanical reproduction...but overall, it gave the system a similar 'foundational power' that the original Gryphon Mephisto was so well known for...but now with the articulation and delicacy (and surprisingly greater extension) of the Robert Koda K160s.

Ready to substitute Tripoint for Entreq?
So with the trial going well, I removed ONE cable from the Tripoint in getting ready to have only the Entreq...big mistake! Things started to collapse from clarity and soundstage...yeeks...put it back right away!

Now What? Keep them both!
And that is exactly what we did:
Tripoint Troy SE (Tripoint Grounding Cables...standard)
- Zanden Chassis - all 4-boxes
- Torus and Burmester 948
- Kaleidescape

Entreq Dual Plutons & Single Infinity Tellus Tungsten (Peak 4 binding posts and Olympus reference grounding cables)
- Robert Koda Pre - Special Chassis Grounding point
- Robert Koda Amps - Special Chasses Grounding point + Plus using the Single Infinity Tellus Tungsten to add an entire extra module to boost the grounding for the heavier amps
- Signal - Zanden
- Signal - Robert Koda Pre
- Signal - Sub

Result?
The above is still burning in...around day 3...takes about 9.5 days to get there because the grounding cables are extremely long due to placement...normally takes around 5.5 days...but the improvements already are:
- all the clarity, extension that you get with Tripoint...and it is truly extreme in its ability to enable that clarity
- a remarkable sense of power, grace and ease with the Entreq...
- also a true sense of real-life body, density of tone
- and a sense of FILLED SPACE (ie, in the same way a jazz club does not have 5 separate instruments in their own space, but more a sense of a cohesive large sound wave coming forward, with occasional added locate-able sound from a single drum strike or sax note) With the addition of the Entreq you get that same sense of a properly filled, real-life space where you can tell where individual instruments are, but the space in between is not dead but comes alive with ambient noises, along with that sense of cohesive large sound wave
- And yes, bass and timing are just off the charts...electronic music is sensationally powerful, articulate and the timing brings multiple sounds like whispers or wind (once perceived as just randomly added to the track) together in perfect rhythm (on beat or syncopated) with the main beat...remarkable.