Focal Diva Utopia active speakers less than impressive.

Going to Axpona for critical listening and evaluation is like watching YouTube cooking videos.... Unfulfilled. WHY DO THAT?? 

@rick_n 

You say the line is long in the tooth, but I’m curious what you believe can be done to change that? There is precious little innovation in speaker design. Mostly revolving around cone/driver material. If the Utopia line sounds good today then why mess with that with some Audiophile jargon that has very little substance to offer because the technology is rather static at this point (other than styling )? 🤷🏾‍♂️

Interesting. There is a niche there. I guess the question is if it is large enough for a few companies to profit. At least for now, those trying for the apex of sonic performance, this isn't for them. Over time I'm sure they will get better.

Wswright20- I agree with you. In my 2nd/3rd system, I have an integrated amp that has all the streaming options that anybody would want that cost $4000, plus analog in, and is Roon ready. I have $1000 in cables and $5000 in speakers that blow away the diva’s: sound quality wise, looks wise, and functionality wise, and it only cost me  around $10k. So instead of just 2 speakers, I have an integrated streaming amp plus 2 speakers, and speaker and Ethernet cables. This system is what I will replace with the Kef ls60’s in the future.

I am impressed by my very low cost speakers ... Why ?

Because i improved them and put them to their true peak potential working level using acoustics principles...

Speakers cannot be judged in a showroom...Period...

They can be judged once  embedded electrically,mechanically and acoustically in a system/room for specific ears ...

 Also price over some threshold which vary in mutiple ways means not much...

Acoustics rules over all  even over speakers...

Bummer.  The Focal Utopia line is long in the tooth and about due for an update. I hope the launch of the active Utopias and the lukewarm reception doesn't stretch out the calendar.   

@onhwy61 

 "Did you listen to the Focal Diva Utopia speakers at Axpona?"

 " Yes I did, and I wasn't impressed."

To be fair you should not compare the Diva’s to $40K speakers but rather to $40K systems.  Focal is betting on a growing market for higher end lifestyle digital systems.  I have numerous friends that appreciate "higher quality sound" but look at the complexity and crazy cost of my main system and think I’m nuts. (which may be true!)  Diva’s are not my choice but could be a great solution for them.  Imagine relocating your entire system is only 2 boxes!

I have not heard the Diva’s personally; dealers have told me that that they are not comparable to the entry Utopia Scala’s but given the price point they shouldn’t be.  That certainly doesn’t mean the offering will not be successful.

I heard them at the Tampa show a couple months ago and they sucked. 
I was with a few other people and none of us thought they were any good. 
I heard the Kef LS60’s in a huge warehouse room and they sounded much better and the Kef’s were only $5k, nice finish not felt, and the Kef’s were Roon ready. I’ve turned a few people into the Kef’s and they bought them and I’ll be buying them for my 2nd or 3rd system. 

But then again, I’ve never heard a Focal speaker system I liked until you got up into their $100k Utopia line and then I thought other speakers were better at 1/2 the cost. When I was evaluating amps, I didn’t even look at naim.

I have heard very few systems that sound their best in a hotel room..

+1 @larsman 

Unless your listening space at home is just like the space you heard these speakers, they would sound quite different anyway. That's the problem with listening at showrooms, as the room itself is the biggest factor in sound. If there were several speakers in the same showroom, you could compare them relatively to each other... 

The price for active speakers is just amazing.  The price for speakers is also amazing, but the number of active speakers in the $20k+ range is really ballooning. 

I heard them as well and was pretty impressed with the sound, but not $40K impressed. I am sure they fit a niche for some owners, but I don’t think super high end, and quite large, active speakers are going to become a big segment in the audio business. What do you do if the electronics fail?

My cats would love the the large carpet towers though!

Should loudspeakers, or any other component, sound impressive?  Just wondering if that's a good measure of quality.

@hiendmmoe Wrote:

Trying to wrap everything in one package in my mind doesn’t work. More of a lifestyle speakers than a true high end product.

I agree! 

In my opinion, amps inside speakers is not a good idea because the amps are subject to all the vibrations and air pressure inside the speaker cabinet. 

Mike