NEW HIGH-END active speakers from FOCAL: the Diva Utopia. Powered by NAIM, of course.
Dear reader, the French speaker manufacturer Focal has just announced its first active speaker system, the Focal Diva Utopia. You may know that Utopia category in Focal’s lineup is the crème-de-la-crème when it comes to high-end speakers, but now it seems that we also have an ACTIVE high-end speaker system in this lineup. That’s something for sure. So, the concept behind the Diva Utopia is clear: a high-end speaker system with no reserve, great design, quality and top-of-the-line features. Let’s dive in and analyze.
In terms of design, the new series looks out of this world, with a modern design, featuring the tilted tweeter shape so familiar for the Utopia series, but also it comes with a fresh approach, more modern, more break-through, when you look closely you will see a very interesting texture, materials and colors.
Raising the hood we will find the power of Naim, of course Naim being a sister company of Focal. Some say that Naim and Focal matching is legendary. That’s probably why Utopia Diva is equipped with an 400W Naim amplifier per each speaker. The development of the Diva Utopia has spanned over five years and includes advanced material such as beryllium in Focal’s proprietary drivers and technologies.
The Diva Utopia is a three-way speaker system and has an M-shaped beryllium tweeter and 6.5 inch woofers. The speaker system is completely wireless, there is no need for a cable between the two speakers, they use the Ultra-Wideband UWB technology. Focal claims that this technology has no actual loss and allows streaming up to 24-bit/96kHz when wirelessly connected, however there is an option to link both via an Ethernet cable, this pumps up the resolution to 24-bit/192kHz.
The Diva’s support all the current formats and inputs: Bluetooth aptX Adaptive, AirPlay, Google Cast, Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect, many other services are also available via their dedicated Naim/Focal app. However, the Diva will not be Roon ready, that’s a bit of an oddball, judging by the fact that most likely the people who will buy the Diva will likely be Roon users.
So, the Diva Utopia speaker system certainly looks impressive, and it brings unprecedented refinement in the world of active speakers, and I have to say that these will not be an active competitor to the existing active speakers like KEF’s LS50 and LS60 series. These are very good, of course, but the Diva is a different cup of tea, bringing the active speaker category to the high-end realm. This is where the Diva will shine. However, this shine will cost you, the Diva’s price is: $39,999. Oh boy!
