Focal Diva Utopia Wireless Speakers Unveiled
Focal's Diva Utopia high-end wireless active speakers are powered by 800 Watts of Naim Audio amplification.
Diva Utopia joins Focal's elite Utopia series of loudspeakers. While a new high-end speaker from the French audio brand is already newsworthy, the fact that the Diva Utopia is the company's first active wireless model makes it doubly so.
Diva Utopia is a three-way floorstanding design with a bass reflex system and sports amplification supplied by Focal's sister brand, Naim Audio. The towers feature a high-density moulded polymer body with “structural reinforcement” and floating side panels covered in grey felt material. With five years in development and available exclusively in approved stores in the Focal Powered by Naim network, the Focal Diva Utopia promises an “outstanding digital listening experience” to match its price tag.
Cédrick Boutonet, Focal & Naim CEO told StereoNET:
Our primary goal for Diva Utopia was to create a user-friendly experience without compromising on performance.
The speakers feature Focal's signature 27mm inverted 'M' dome beryllium tweeter, a 16.5cm 'W' cone midrange driver, and four 'W' 16.5cm woofers in a push-pull configuration that, in concert, according to the manufacturer, is enough to fill rooms as big as 80 sqm.
Each driver gets its own dedicated Class A/B amplifier - 250W for bass, 75W each for tweeter and midrange - adding up to 400W per speaker – that's 800 watts of total power output (116dB SPL (@1m) per pair). Très agréable. Focal says, “Naim Audio has designed the electronics especially to guarantee the faithful reproduction of every musical nuance” and quotes a (+/-3dB): 27Hz – 40kHz bandwidth.
Onboard is the Naim Pulse Platform, which, according to Focal, is an optimised technology platform for active systems and boasts “full connectivity with impressive calculation and upgradeability capacity.” We assume this is part of the streaming architecture that can handle up to 32-bit/384kHz hi-res quality in several file formats.
This will also require a wireless system that can cope with it. Enter Ultra-Wideband (UWB) wireless technology. We're told this was developed to deliver “high-definition audio transmission with no losses, compression or latency.” Focal claims this allows for wireless playback of audio “surpassing” CD quality and “approaching” the high-resolution audio of a professional studio.
The UWB wireless link between the speakers allows for 24-bit/96kHz streaming; however, swapping to a physical wired link (using RJ45 sockets and cable) bumps that up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution. DSD64 and DSD128 files are also supported.
Naturally, all the main names in the streaming arena are ticked off on Diva Utopia's shopping list, including Bluetooth aptX Adaptive, AirPlay, Google Cast, TIDAL Connect and Spotify Connect. You also have access to a host of other streaming services alongside internet radio via the Focal & Naim app. Meanwhile, UPnP support hands you access to your networked digital audio library.
Cables are still welcome, with connections for HDMI eARC, optical, USB type A and RCA line-level inputs, meaning your CD player, turntable, and TV also get in on the action. There is no mention of Roon, and we wouldn't hold our breath if we were you.
The Focal & Naim app also hands you control over all aspects of the Diva Utopia. Still, if you want to mix it up, there's also a bundled remote control and the expected voice assistants. This also means the new Diva can slip into an existing Naim or Focal ecosystem of up to 32 compatible devices.
The Focal Diva Utopia is available now and costs £29,999 per pair. It will make its UK debut at The UK Audio Show this weekend, October 5-6.
Visit Focal for more information
Jay Garrett
StereoNET UK’s Editor, bass player, and resident rock star! Jay’s passion for gadgets and Hi-Fi is second only to being a touring musician.
Posted in:Hi-Fi
Tags: focal naim uk audio show
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