Focal's Utopia series of loudspeakers is the French audio brand's most high-end range of passive speakers, with price tags usually in the high six figures. This luxurious, esoteric range now has a new addition: the Focal Diva Utopia.
The Diva Utopia is Focal's first foray into the world of active wireless speakers, joining a category dominated by similar speaker systems from KEF, such as the Award-winning LS50 Wireless II, LS60 Wireless, as well as strong contenders from JBL, Triangle and now Technics.
The Diva, however, has a considerably higher price tag than these speaker systems available on the market. The Focal Diva Utopia cost £29,999 / $39,999 / AU$60,000 per pair – a significant amount! The other headline is that the Focal Diva's electronics are all powered by sister brand Naim Audio.
The Diva are floorstanding models with a three-way design with a bass reflex system. The speakers feature Focal's signature 27mm inverted dome beryllium tweeter, a 16.5cm sandwich midrange driver and four 16.5cm woofers that combine to deliver powerful sound that should fill rooms as big as 80sqm, the brand claims. There are three dedicated A/B amplifiers for each driver section (250W for bass, 75W each for tweeter and midrange) adding up to 400W per speaker – that's 800 watts of total power output from the full system.
According to the press release, "Naim Audio has designed the electronics especially to guarantee the faithful reproduction of every musical nuance." We were told by a Focal representative during an early preview in the summer that elements of Naim's latest Classic 200 and 300 hi-fi series have made their way into these active wireless speakers.
Interestingly, the Diva uses a "unique" Ultra Wideband (UWB) wireless technology 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 that in a professional studio. There is no wire connection between the speakers; the UWB wireless method is used to transmit lossless, hi-res audio between the speakers.
There is a new streaming architecture inside that can handle up to 32-bit/384kHz hi-res quality across a variety of file formats. A dive into the specifications shows that the UWB wireless link between the speakers allows for 24-bit/96kHz streaming, while 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, but not MQA.
The Diva is chock-full of the usual streaming methods and services you'd expect from a modern wireless system of its ilk. There's support for Bluetooth aptX Adaptive, AirPlay, Google Cast, Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect, while you can access a host of other streaming services and internet radio through the Focal & Naim app. Thanks to UPnP support, you can also stream music over your home network from a connected storage device such as a NAS drive. Physical connections include an HDMI eARC, optical, USB type A and RCA line-level inputs, so you can connect other sources such as a TV, CD player or turntable to the Diva Utopia should you wish. Focal has confirmed to us that the Diva will not be Roon Ready.
Focal's aim is for the Diva to be easy to set up and accommodate in your home (provided you can afford them, of course!). You can control all aspects of the new speaker system with the existing Focal & Naim app, along with a provided remote control and voice assistants. The Diva can also slot into an existing Naim or Focal ecosystem that uses the same app and wireless network.
Visually, the Diva look impressive. They are a small tower, with floating side panels covered in grey felt material and crafted using premium materials and clever design touches that befits the high price tag. 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" – we can't wait to hear them in person.
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