Focals latest - Cat Houses?

Scratching post and home. 

 

Single cat ladies unite!

I think the center channel doubles as a litter box. 

Ya, I've spent a few nights at the cat house, but it was a little cheaper than 70K.

Not just cat houses, they are fugly cat houses. Yikes.

Not my favorite finish color, unlike the Diva Utopia in Gray felt that would be ideal in a light controlled room or theater. A gloss finish tends to have distracting reflections. The Ivory Felt on the Diva Mezza Utopia would still be better than even a black gloss finish in a dark theater.

Gloss is my preference for 2-channel and/or a lighted room, and like Focal did for the Diva Utopia, different Gloss Finish options will soon be available.

Yep, a really bad design decision for sure...just horrendous and cheap looking.

Waste bins for the mall.

Our cats would be immediately suspicious by their appearance.  As trash bins they wouldn't hold enough to be practical, based on what I've seen nearly anywhere, and not in just mauls.....(misspelling intended).

We've enough trash containment objects of proper design, and speakers around here run a gamut of sorts in size, shape, and intent....

But I'm of two minds:
Either inobtrusive enough visually but delivering on intent, or weird enough as a form but still surprising enough to be not just be tolerated but enjoyed.

Create your own version of SOTA....SOYourA.... ;)

I really like the high end finish on my focal utopia grand.its heavy it's real it's a beautiful wood finish and has the waf. This looks like something from ikea.sad to see the new wave change.the 20 something croud this targets can't even get a home to put these in. Very sad.until then enjoy the music.

They would look good strapped to the back of a Land Cruiser.

 

DeKay

Trash bins is another interesting idea, as the tops do look like they should flip up when you press down on the foot lever.  That is a foot lever, right? 

Honestly if I was to be extremely generous they evoke haute couture luggage.  

As for component costs... well if you buy all your components you have to hit at least 10:1 selling to cost price on internals to run a business.  Of course there are exceptions but that seems to be the minimum ratio.  Given the integrated nature of Foal / JM Labs / Naim these days I’d say that if Focal spends even $2,000 on the electronics and drivers inside I’ll be shocked.  I’ll expect to see these in movies soon in the living room of villains or oligarch yachts. 

Also, no one I know of spends more R&D dollars driving down the cost of their cabinets as much as Focal does.  They also have an amazing marketing / sales team so I am sure they know how many of these they will sell, just not to folks like me. 

Interesting to compare them to past Focals.  The Grand Utopia Be for instance sold for $80k back in 2003.  Oh how times have changed. 

In modern dollars and performance however their competition for 3-way active systems may be closer to the Grimm LS1c, a "mere" $30k. 

 

Gents,

Meow. Why abhorrently catty?

RIP Honor Blackman. 

We really should not have discussed these without looking at the sides though... 

 

Sides are purrfect purrfection. Nah, scratch that. 

Giant butane lighter?

@erik_squires 

You just made me spit my coffee!

What were they thinking?

@viridian + 1 - that's what I think of as 'cat house'!  - that other I'd call a 'scratching post'. 

@jasonbourne71  - Love the lighter idea! 

I think I see where some of the decisions are coming from in terms of cabinet volume and the overall domino tile shape.  I’ve gone through some similar iterations in my current speaker design.  The desire to have high output, deep bass, plus opposing woofers has contributed to the multiple 8" woofers and large cabinet size. 

The insistence on keeping with linear amps despite the most likely heavy reliance on DSP technology also greatly increases the cabinet volume needed. 

This design would have been so much better off if they had stuck to two front mounted 8" woofers.  Despite the multiple 8" woofers, past experience with Focal tweets tells me they are unlikely to meet their output goals. That tweeter will compress early on and ultimately limit the dynamic range. 

I’m very very suspicious of this speakers capabilities at high output levels and if that's true then the added woofers and cabinet volume is a total waste. 

Giant fuzzy Pez dispenser? 

Oversized pocket lighter, Paul Bunyan’s?

@kennyc Paul Bunyan may have had French roots, so yes!

What a dud of a visual design.

Seriously though, has anyone heard these play?  Are they any good?

I'm not a fan of the Wilson Audio visual designs but I'd have them in my room all day long and twice on Sundays.  

I think I read that the exterior of the speakers is a plastic type material and that is why they covered it in felt.

Regardless, a truly poor design.

ozzy

I think I read that the exterior of the speakers is a plastic type material and that is why they covered it in felt.

@ozzy 

Well that totally justifies the $70,000 asking price. 

The world’s best sounding and most expensive scratching posts.  For the discerning audiophile feline.  Meow baby 

@dekay ...but one of those Really Nice LCs'....y'know, the one's that will never see mud, much less soil itself with such...*mock humph" 🙄

@wsrrsw ...because it's fun...parallels in design occur periodically....MCM, and all that... *Hisss!* *L*
*purrrr* ;)

I see a touch of the Moderne there for sure...could also be a PPD with "Patriot Approved Bear Spray", but a lighter for sure....

"It's So DeLightful...*sigh*..."
(Yes, leaden joke, couldn't resist...)  Deal.

@ozzy ....I'm a fan of plastics for speakers, but I wouldn't think of not letting it be what is... In fact, I count on it.
What kind and type and how much becomes the query. ;)
But I'm also ignorable, so carry on... 👍 J

Eric....Upscale Daleks.  That coo "submit.....submit...."

Hipnosis..... ;)

If you don't like the visual , Hit'm with a can of Shake'n Shoot