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What’s everyone’s take on the new Focal Utopia M?

240K views 907 replies 111 participants last post by  Edwinoctavio 
#1 ·
#3 ·
seems like the new cone design does a really damn good job controling cone breakup. There are other drivers out there with this design and have the same characteristics. I wonder what the drawback is
 
#906 ·
Only one drawback, $$$$$$$$$$$
 
#7 ·
On paper the 6.5 seems pretty impressive. I’ve only ever heard These a couple years ago on a sound board at a local shop and wasn’t impressed at all (shocker). If I remember correctly someone said they were around 2300$. Don’t quote me on that though.
Couldn’t believe they had this high end of component set up as bad as they were when I heard them.


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#10 ·
Looks like retail pricing is out for the M.
8WM $999 each
6WM $1499 a pair
3.5WM $499 each
TBM $1499 a pair

When looking at the specs of the 8 it’s got me wondering how the 8’s paired with the tweeters would do. I’d be replacing an almost 13 yr old set of 165W’s.
 
#17 ·
Well yeah... but "fantastic" is a very vague reference for performance/quality.

I think the point was that they needed to be installed and set up/tuned properly to perform like intended, something that didn't shine through when hearing them on a wall display in the shop.

I did talk to our local distributor up here in Norway, just after he came back from the Focal factory having listened to these at their launch. And the one thing that really stood out from before was that they had all the refinement from the old series (not surprising), but also a loudness factor that went beyond even the K2 power series.

So much more headroom than before, also the drivers had a very broad usable frequency range, so you could really mix and match drivers to suit your setup. Like the 8" was suited to use with just the tweeter for a 2-way setup. But also usable as a subwoofer.

Sadly they're out of my price range, as I would have very much liked to upgrade from my 3-way Focal Flax setup (PS165F3) to some configuration of Utopia M. Selling my 1st gen Utopia 3-way setup (audiom tlr, audiom 6w and utopia 7w2) wouldn't even cash in a single TBM tweeter I'm afraid! :D
 
#19 ·
Ordered a set of the 6.5/3.5/tweeter combo to be run active.

First post here but I've been researching non stop for the past three months about which direction to go. I've heard all sorts of setups the last three months and in person, I've had a slight preference for the "brightness" or "harshness" of the ES165KX3 Focals over more audiophile/laid back speakers like Hybrid Audio Legatia series, Audiofrog GB series, JL Audio C7s, Morel Supremos, etc that I've heard. My dealer has the Focal 165wrc+ in his truck and I thought those were a good in between for me, but he encouraged me to go 3 way if possible. I was thinking BE 7 until I saw this thread and inquired about the Utopia M.

I was told that Focal was only selling these to "elite dealers" and my guy had to sign up as one of those elite dealers to get a set ordered. Not sure what that entails. They are supposed to be shipping from Italy to the US mid December. So I'm hoping to get them by Christmas if there aren't any holdups.
 
#20 ·
Ordered a set of the 6.5/3.5/tweeter combo to be run active.



First post here but I've been researching non stop for the past three months about which direction to go. I've heard all sorts of setups the last three months and in person, I've had a slight preference for the "brightness" or "harshness" of the ES165KX3 Focals over more audiophile/laid back speakers like Hybrid Audio Legatia series, Audiofrog GB series, JL Audio C7s, Morel Supremos, etc that I've heard. My dealer has the Focal 165wrc+ in his truck and I thought those were a good in between for me, but he encouraged me to go 3 way if possible. I was thinking BE 7 until I saw this thread and inquired about the Utopia M.



I was told that Focal was only selling these to "elite dealers" and my guy had to sign up as one of those elite dealers to get a set ordered. Not sure what that entails. They are supposed to be shipping from Italy to the US mid December. So I'm hoping to get them by Christmas if there aren't any holdups.


How much did the set cost ya [emoji23]


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#21 · (Edited)
Retail is $4000. You can guess if the dealer sold at retail or a slight discount.

They are definitely super expensive for speakers but in the grand scheme of things, they're about $1500 more than KRX3 I was looking at. It's not a huge difference when you're looking at a $15000 system.

The two other local shops I spent time with advised Sinfoni Tempo and Hybrid Legatia SE/Pro.

I wanted to try the Audiofrog GB series but as someone that is not a DIYer, the dealer for Audiofrog in the DFW area did not seem up to par with the other more highly regarded shops locally. I tried reaching out to the dealer in Round Rock and didn't get a response.
 
#24 ·
I’ve admired the QA on some of the Focal gear I’ve owned and tested. I also appreciate the R&D Focal puts into their drivers. They (weren’t) on top of the beryllium tweeter game due to poorer motor design versus Scanspeak’s SD2 design and others used in Satori and Bliesma drivers. However their cone technology has been great. These new neo motors might make this series into contenders, especially for those who like hyper-detailed sound.

I wonder if they have a paper on the motor design, like they did with the original utopia sandwich cone tech for the utopia line.
 
#32 ·
My sound system
Jl vxi 800/8
Focal es 165k2 front
Focal ec 165k rear
Jl C2 350x dashboard & rear roof
Jl audio CP108LG 500 watt sub
Jl vxi 600/1

Thinking of changing the c2 350x with the new 3.5wm uthopia to see how much Improvement in quality I get ,might change front k2 with old 165wrc or new m later on,checking with my guy if they can get new m in demo so that way it's easier to find out but yeah vxi are really good amps+ processor, expensive but reduces the need of extra amp & sound processors
 
#36 ·
In a two way especially for woofers at the bottom door panels the 1khz+ don't sound as clear as a 3 way 3" mounted at the a-pillar. I tried my best getting the mid-range to sound right but it was always so hallow due to the 500hz and 1.25khz null spot.

If you're spending this type of money might as well make the most of it and do 3 way.


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#641 ·
In a two way especially for woofers at the bottom door panels the 1khz+ don't sound as clear as a 3 way 3" mounted at the a-pillar. I tried my best getting the mid-range to sound right but it was always so hallow due to the 500hz and 1.25khz null spot.

If you're spending this type of money might as well make the most of it and do 3 way.


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This was exactly my dilemma. I had Morel Piccolo tweeters (awesome) and Utopia W-XP woofers (awesome) and yet I was in fact bothered by what seemed to me hollow-ness at the frequencies you state. I had the car at local Focal Elite dealer for tuning and while there listened to the Utopia M sound wall. I was blown away, not by the woofer, but the truly amazing M midrange. Added that and now I am happy. It also persuaded me that even an excellent two-way cannot compete with a great three-way.
 
#40 ·
Yeah going active with jl vxi amps is no problem only problem gonna be to upgrade my VX600/1i to 5 channel vx1000/5i later on for my rear pillar speakers as I will need 2 extra channels ,but that's not big of a deal as to how much better than k2 they are,without any kind of demo hearing its hard to find out,it would be great had they given one demo utopia m to each signature dealer so you can hear them with your songs before buying them in
 
#42 ·
You know i’m definitely not qualified to say this given my experience with extravagant or ostentatious systems but $4000 for speakers is nuts. Home audio, yes, but the noisy environment of the automobile, IDK.

Now this isnt to say I wouldnt do it myself if spending $4k felt like it does when I spend $10 now, lol.
 
#43 ·
You know i’m definitely not qualified to say this given my experience with extravagant or ostentatious systems but $4000 for speakers is nuts. Home audio, yes, but the noisy environment of the automobile, IDK.



Now this isnt to say I wouldnt do it myself if spending $4k felt like it does when I spend $10 now, lol.


There are luxury cars that have really sealed interiors. You won't be able to hear much outside. These are probably best installed on those vehicles. Get a test drive in an S Class, BMW 7 series or Lexus LS. The noise is pretty low.

If you had a Bentley or Rolls Royce you wouldn't even care about $4k and the interior is so quiet on those cars that you barely hear the noise.


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#45 ·
The newer trucks are very quite. My truck is less noisy than both of my cars. My former truck was from 2005 and it was extremely loud inside. I don't think truck could have been soundproof . From door creaking to wind blowing through the window seals, engine noise. The new trucks have really come a long way. They even drive smooth like a car. My old truck bounced all over the place.
 
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