This is a great thread! It is looking at exactly the same process I went through. I ended up demoing the Focal 1037's against the Cremona M's against the Focal Alto Utopias. All of these speakers were demo'ed on Burmester, Halcro, as well as Mcintosh gear. I really put the dealer through hell with multiple visits but it worked out in the end. I, of course, liked the Utopias followed by Cremonas and 1037's.
I also listened to the Avalons but they did nothing for me. The Avalons compared to the others sounded dated and lifeless. I was also made aware of the new Utopias but the sticker shock was too much for me to handle.
My dealer took amzing care of me and I am not sure where everyone else on this thread is from but if you are in Southern California, I can refer you to the class-act of the industry, if you are interested. This exceeds my prior purchased in New York, Carolina, and Florida. |
I listened to the Watt Puppy 8 , the Alto Focal, and the Sonus Faber Cremona M( which I actually purchased initially).
Upon hearing the Avalon Indra, I would say they were the best I had heard driven by tube amplifiers. They are very revealing and transparent. I found that digital music sounded very "etchy" and "HI-FI ish", even through multi-thousand dollar digital setups.
Analogue sounds great, even a modest turntable will put you in audio nirvana.
I bought them and have them in an all Shindo setup.I am currently going through an upgrade path towards a high end analogue system.
The Indras are priced between the Sophias and Watt Puppy 8. |
When you listen to the Indra's, they may not have that excitement and slam as the Wilson's. In fact, you might find them a bit buttoned-up in comparison. However, they do everything extremely well without exageration. I think one has to ask how well a speaker will satisfy over the long run. If you have easy access to audition, you might go back and listen to the final 2 contenders one more time.
Anyway, I think you got it down to a great 3, and you cannot really make a wrong decision here. I think Wilson and Avalon are totally different speakers, and you should know right away which you prefer. |
Ok, things are coming down to the wire. Yesterday I auditioned Wilson W/P 8 and Sophia 2's. Gorgeous, detailed sound. Excellent clarity, soundstaging. I could see how people could say it's not the most musical speaker (W/P 8's) but I loved the sound. The slam, excitement was there. I would say the Sophia's gave 85-90% of the sound at almost half price. I really liked the W/P 8's but at 28K they're a little bit steep. I'm shopping around right now for a new and possibly slightly used pair of Watt Puppy 8's to figure out how much damage they would be to my wallet. I'm going to take a listen to the Avalon Indra's in the next week or two and finally pull the trigger. Focal speakers are out of the running as of yesterday. For almost the same money I wold go with the Sophia 2's. The final 3 contenders are Avalon Indra's (even though I haven't heard them yet), W/p 8's and the Sophia 2's. Anybody compare these speakers side by side???? I love the dark titanium finish on Wilson's btw. Anybody have any pointers about pricing on these beasts? |
Revamp is rumored for September. Not as many models in the new Utopia line. Getting rid of "lifestyle" model like the Diva supposedly. I do know that several dealers, distributor, etc have been over to France to see and hear them. |
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Is the whole Utopia Be line being revamped? Intesting because my local JM Lab dealer has a sale on all Utopia speakers. Made me wonder. |
I second the recommendation of the Diva BEs. Owning the Divas and having set up NOVAS on several occasions for shows, etc. I do like the Divas better. The Divas do require very careful setup to perform at their best due to the side firing woofers.
1037s have a bit more 'in your face' punch as the drivers are forward firing, but total sound integration is not as refined as the BE line. |
The Indra's are an amazing speaker, but all three you mention have quite different sound, so you'll need to pick what you like best and what meets your room and musical tastes. |
Haven't heard the Indra, but at that price range you really should try the Focal Alto Utopia Be - imo a very healthy level above the excellent Studio2 (great integration and solid bass) and the Focal 1037Be (superior midrange and tweeter). If you are interested, as noted, you better act fast as the line is changing as of end of September and what's in the pipeline with regard to the Alto is all there is; not to mention the healthy discounts. |
My dealer will give me 20% (+) on the Utopia Be line because they are changing soon. You should ask you dealers about it.
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If you like the Focal 1037 BE, why not the Diva Utopia BE? I do recall that the bigger Nova Utopia requires at least 11 ft. of listening distance. Assuming the smaller Focals are the same (then again, maybe not - smaller speakers tend to require less room to integrate), perhaps that would be an issue in your room. |
