By Eric Schwartz
Photo courtesy of Focal Naim – Sylvie Bessou
Some years ago, Sonos popped onto the home audio scene with wireless, powered speakers that were simple to set up and use. Today, there are tons of self-powered speakers that connect to Wi-Fi and can be easily positioned around the house. Admittedly, these products are basic audio components in the grand scheme of things. They can’t really compete sonically against traditional high-fidelity products, but then again, they don’t carry the same price tag either.
While the simplicity of set up and use was not lost on the audiophile community, wireless technology at the time had inherent limitations. Internet speed limited the bandwidth of streamable audio files, which led to the use of compression schemes – in essence, removing up to 90 percent of the data in order to be able to transmit the audio file over the internet. These compressed files seriously degraded the quality of the audio. Additionally, the wireless connections within the home itself weren’t nearly reliable enough for purists in the audiophile community to embark on creating state-of-the-art wireless, self-powered audio components.
Sure, there were small portable all-in-one wireless audio products from revered names in the industry, but no one was creating truly high-end wireless systems until quite recently, now that wireless technologies have matured and are reliable, lightning fast and affordable. The high-end is adapting.
Connectivity and ease-of-use are becoming the baseline benchmarks for a new breed of high-fidelity product that combines pristine sound reproduction with ease of use. No more pre-amplifiers, amplifiers, equalizers, music servers, etc. No more troublesome components that need to be wired together and take up an enormous amount of space in one’s great room. Instead, everything is now built directly into the speaker cabinet itself. Plug it into the wall, open the music streaming app of choice, and you’re dancing around your living room enjoying your favorite tunes. It seems manufacturers have become hip to a luxury crowd who appreciate fine music and audiophile-grade sound reproduction but want nothing to do with all of the hassle in selecting various components and figuring out how to rig it all up. Luxury consumers just want to open an app and let the music play.
Recently, a tremor rippled through the audiophile community as the latest all-in-one audio loudspeaker systems were unveiled by legendary sister companies, Focal and Naim Electronics, as well as the release from another legend, Marantz
Photo courtesy of Focal Naim – Sylvie Bessou
DIVA UTOPIA
Focal is a French company based in Saint-Étienne that has been designing and selling high fidelity audio products since 1979. Focal’s industrial strategy concentrates on having full control over the entire production process, from the design and manufacturing of the speaker drivers to cabinet fabrication to the assembly of the final product. Its products are entirely designed and developed in France.
Focal’s sister company, Naim Electronics, is a British Hi-Fi manufacturer based in Wiltshire and was founded in 1973. Following the 2011 merger with Focal, the two companies are now owned by VerVent Audio Group. Every Naim product is conceived, designed and engineered entirely in service of the sound, revealing a pure experience of music that is as close as possible to its original source.
Diva Utopia combines the best of Focal Acoustics and Naim Electronics. This active bass-reflex speaker offers high-quality sound, the latest wireless technologies, and extensive connectivity for exceptional listening experiences. Whether it’s music, movies or video games, it revolutionizes home listening and frees you from all constraints. With Diva Utopia and its unique design, simply plug in, connect and enjoy musical perfection.
Diva Utopia takes its name from the elegance and power of opera divas on stage. Its performances captivate with their striking presence and spellbinding sound. With its remarkable design and exceptional sound quality, Diva transcends expectations, offering a musical experience of unparalleled richness. Its name evokes excellence and distinction, the perfect fusion of art and technology, honoring its musical heritage.
The result of five years of research and development, this new loudspeaker marks a revolutionary turning point in the offering from Focal. The model embodies a new dimension of Utopia philosophy: Focal excellence as a synonym for constant progress and innovation in the audio world.
This floor standing loudspeaker boasts an elegant and ingenious design, is exceptionally simple to use, and offers impressive, connected performance. Compatible with music streaming platforms (including Spotify Connect, Tidal, Qobuz, QQ Music) and major wireless protocols (Bluetooth®, AirPlay 2, Google Cast, UPnP™), Diva Utopia lives up to modern digital listening expectations without compromising on luxury or audiophile quality.
More than just an immersive listening experience, Diva Utopia unfolds as a stunning work of art, a beautiful creation with a unique aesthetic. With its slim silhouette, open profile, refined details, and a unique felt finish, it captures the light with elegance and character.
A true acoustic masterpiece, Diva Utopia combines sophisticated materials with an open design. The Utopia codes are visually represented by the tweeter’s dual red and black grille and the ‘ribbon’ surrounding the tweeter in a yin-yang formation, symbolizing the harmony of craftsmanship and technology. This creates a distinctive and symbolic “signature watch.”
Diva Utopia is extremely easy to install and use. It offers a new way to enjoy music, films and video games. There is no need for cabling between the two units, nor for any external amplification solution. The two loudspeakers play music perfectly: imperceptible latency, just remarkable precision. Listeners can control Diva Utopia using either the Focal & Naim app, remote control, or voice assistants (Google Assistant, Siri), making it even more simple and versatile to use.
The loudspeaker connects with all home automation systems, including Control4, Crestron, Savant and RTI or Homekit and Google Home. Syncing with various smart appliances, programming morning routines, activating music in time with the blinds—with Diva Utopia, all of these actions are not just possible in your home but are also accompanied by the highest quality sound.
The connectivity Diva Utopia provides is just as impressive across a full multiroom configuration — in other words, integrated within a complete home music ecosystem. This setup offers optimal flexibility and convenience, allowing users to enjoy music from anywhere in the home. With the Focal and Naim app, it is incredibly easy to control your music, either consistently across the system or independently for specific living areas, using connected Naim streaming devices.
Focal and Naim have designed an intuitive app that lets you easily control one or more products, including Diva Utopia. Thanks to the app’s optimized features, users can not only access their music quickly and easily, in addition to their favorite streaming platforms and radio stations — all in high resolution, they can also customize their listening experience. The app also offers usage tips, information about settings, and ideal multiroom system control for music lovers who want to create a Focal & Naim ecosystem.
One of the stand-out features of the Diva Utopia is its Ultra-Wideband (UWB): a technology co-developed with a trusted partner and unique in the audio world. Its wide bandwidth and exclusive innovations guarantee an exceptionally precise, stable wireless connection with imperceptible latency. The sound reproduction it offers is superior to CD quality, equivalent to Hi-Res audio (96kHz/24bits).
GRAND HORIZON
For over 70 years, Marantz has led the way in high-performance audio products that combine innovative technology and effortless musicality with beautiful, luxurious and intuitive design. Now, the brand is bringing its unique expertise to the wireless speaker category thanks to two radically advanced new models that will transform customer expectations in the market.
The Marantz Horizon and its larger sibling, the Marantz Grand Horizon, are two luxurious new wireless speakers crafted for passionate, discerning listeners who demand both exceptional sound and timeless elegance.
The embodiment of modern luxury statement audio, both Horizon and Grand Horizon elevate and seamlessly integrate the timeless elements of Marantz’s design ethos into their design DNA, incorporating instantly recognizable elements such as the brand’s iconic circular porthole motif. Here, the porthole is reimagined as the core element of each speaker’s unique circular form.
Combined with carefully arranged lighting and elevated trim materials that highlight Marantz’s characteristic architectural symmetry, the result is a tactile audio experience you can see, hear, and feel.
Both Horizon and Grand Horizon use thoughtfully conceived materials throughout. Each model is wrapped in Marantz RadianceTM 360o Seamless Ecofiber, a bespoke, sustainable fabric made from recycled ocean plastics. The three-color fabrics have a glowing, luxurious feel thanks to embedded gold lurex elements, further enhancing the unique warmth of Marantz’s design and sound.
Three finishes are available: classically dark Midnight Sky, subtly bright Moon Ray, and iconically warm Marantz Champagne. Each is complemented by a beautifully finished natural marble base that is color-matched to accentuate the elegance of each design. For users who prefer alternative solutions to incorporating wireless speakers into their home, Marantz also offers a beautifully
finished American walnut tripod floor stand as an optional accessory for Horizon, while wall brackets will also be available for both models if desired. Even the unboxing experience has been carefully considered, including an elegant protective case that cocoons each product in its box.
Both Horizon and Grand Horizon are powerful single-speaker wireless solutions able to fill even substantial rooms with full-range sound. Each model is designed around a unique configuration of high-frequency and midrange drive units that radiate outwardly from a single central subwoofer, ensuring a spacious listening experience.
Uniquely, the sonic characteristics of this sophisticated acoustic platform can be optimized to suit both your mood and your music using the powerful on-board Marantz MirageTM DSP. Accessible via the HEOS® app, the Mirage digital signal processing allows for a customized listening experience, with selectable options that can tailor the clarity, spaciousness and warmth of the sound to each user’s tastes. There’s even the option to select Sound Master mode, allowing listeners the chance to experience the sound of Horizon or Grand Horizon exactly as Yoshinori Ogata, the Marantz Sound Master, intended it to be heard.
Horizon and Grand Horizon have both been designed to reward the senses in more ways than one. Simply approach either product and its unique on-board proximity sensors will magically bring the speaker to life. Marantz AuraControlTM user interaction combines 100 carefully concealed LEDs with proximity and ambient light sensors to create a seamless symphony of light and sound. Just touch the illuminated ring around the central subwoofer to indicate your preferred volume and AuraControl will instantly bring the speaker up to the point you have chosen, clearly indicating the volume level with markings that reference the classic Marantz Star logo.
Both Horizon and Grand Horizon have been designed as contemporary and completely connected wireless speakers able to meet the needs of every modern luxury consumer. Built around Marantz’s HEOS® wireless music platform, they can access music content from a wide range of supported streaming providers including Amazon Music, Deezer, Spotify and Tidal, with more services planned to follow. For added convenience with mobile devices, Apple AirPlay2 and Bluetooth are also included, and even physical connected sources are well catered for.
Of course, as part of the HEOS® ecosystem, Horizon and Grand Horizon can join other HEOS-enabled products to create an extensive whole-home multi-room music system. Listeners can also choose to pair Horizons and Grand Horizons together to create a substantial two-speaker system for the ultimate music-listening experience in very large spaces.
Eric Schwartz is a Co-Founder and Publisher for Technology Designer Magazine.