Focal Maestro Utopia III Review by J. Atkinson, Stereophile

[Jerome W]

I heard those speakers at a dealer in Paris.
Simply stunning.
Stereophile: Focal Maestro Utopia III loudspeaker

[jdandy]

Jérôme.......At 116 kilograms (256 lbs.) each uncrated, the Focal Maestro Utopia III might be a bit difficult to get up those stairs to your listening room, not to mention the €38,692 ($49,995) price tag.

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Jérôme.......At 116 kilograms (256 lbs.) each uncrated, the Focal Maestro Utopia III might be a bit difficult to get up those stairs to your listening room, not to mention the €38,692 ($49,995) price tag.

Dan,
I was just passing by... ! I have no intention to buy them. I'm delighted by the EB1i !

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by C220MC275

Dan,
I was just passing by... ! I have no intention to buy them. I'm delighted by the EB1i !

Jérôme.......I feel exactly the same way. I am sitting here completely immersed in a Chris Botti CD. The PMC EB1i's truly are amazing.

[howiebrou]

I demoed these with a pair of Mc2301, C1000, MCD1000, MDA 1000. I'm sorry to give a conflicting view but the Maestros were absolutely horrible. I wanted to stop the demo after 5 minutes. The sound was harsh, brittle and head ache inducing. This was not a new pair. It was the main importer's pair and had been broken in for 6 months at length.

I was actually demoing the 2301s. I still have no idea what they sound like!

[JSCC]

Originally Posted by howiebrou

I demoed these with a pair of Mc2301, C1000, MCD1000, MDA 1000. I'm sorry to give a conflicting view but the Maestros were absolutely horrible. I wanted to stop the demo after 5 minutes. The sound was harsh, brittle and head ache inducing. This was not a new pair. It was the main importer's pair and had been broken in for 6 months at length.

I was actually demoing the 2301s. I still have no idea what they sound like!

My first encounter (together with Jim) these speakers were using the GAMUT integrated amp and CD player. They did sounded so-so to me. At that time, I thought its because of the electronics. BUT they never did made an impression on me.

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by howiebrou

I demoed these with a pair of Mc2301, C1000, MCD1000, MDA 1000. I'm sorry to give a conflicting view but the Maestros were absolutely horrible. I wanted to stop the demo after 5 minutes. The sound was harsh, brittle and head ache inducing. This was not a new pair. It was the main importer's pair and had been broken in for 6 months at length.

I was actually demoing the 2301s. I still have no idea what they sound like!

Howie,
Pairing 2301's with clear speakers is just a non sense. 2301's are too clear and detailed for those.
They are wonderful with warm sounding speakers : PMC and KEF for example but also some JBL and SF . BW could be too clear for them. And most of all, forget about Wilsons, Cabasse, JM lab/ Focal....: you're right, those are not easy amps to demo !

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by howiebrou

I demoed these with a pair of Mc2301, C1000, MCD1000, MDA 1000. I'm sorry to give a conflicting view but the Maestros were absolutely horrible. I wanted to stop the demo after 5 minutes. The sound was harsh, brittle and head ache inducing. This was not a new pair. It was the main importer's pair and had been broken in for 6 months at length.

My experiences mirror your own exactly. i heard them at RMAF last October in Denver, and they drove me out of the room in less than 5 minutes. Head ache inducing is right....I went back to the Dynaudio room.

[m.tonetti]

Originally Posted by howiebrou

I demoed these with a pair of Mc2301, C1000, MCD1000, MDA 1000. I'm sorry to give a conflicting view but the Maestros were absolutely horrible. I wanted to stop the demo after 5 minutes. The sound was harsh, brittle and head ache inducing. This was not a new pair. It was the main importer's pair and had been broken in for 6 months at length.

I was actually demoing the 2301s. I still have no idea what they sound like!

I am interested in these speakers.

Your experience worries me.

I have carefully read the review by John Atkinson and the only issue raised is the very low impedance module and its phase.


Fig.1 Focal Maestro Utopia III, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed) with jumpers set to "3" (upper traces below 100Hz and between 1 and 2kHz; lower traces above 2kHz) and with jumpers set to "1" (2 ohms/vertical div.).

By John Atkinson on Stereophile:

"As all music has considerable energy in this region, the Focal's owner will have to use an amplifier that can genuinely deliver high powers into 2 ohms if the speaker is to be allowed to sing as it should. Even then, as I found with the otherwise superb Simaudio W-7 amplifier, the high phase angle at infrasonic frequencies may well cause the amplifier to go into protection with a wideband pulse as it encounters what appears to be a short circuit on its output."

and

"There are loudspeakers that thrust their virtues forward at you. By contrast, the Focal Maestro Utopia III invites the listener into what it has to offer. Its balance is a little warm in the upper bass in absolute terms, and a touch mellow in the top octave, but the Maestro Utopia is otherwise an intensely musical-sounding loudspeaker, with smooth, uncolored mids, tight, controlled lows, stable, well-defined soundstaging, and superb dynamic-range capability. However, it demands to be used with amplifiers unfazed by its wicked load impedance in the upper bass."

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Jérôme.......I feel exactly the same way. I am sitting here completely immersed in a Chris Botti CD. The PMC EB1i's truly are amazing.

Dan,

I think they will be both in our homes for a very long time, with God's will.
I haven't meet yet speakers that gave me the will to let the EB1i go... !
My "Linn friend" came yesterday to borrow me the Lyngdorf ( an other one ! ) because we are leaving for Florida tomorrow for 3 weeks.
He was very impressed by the sound of the system.
What I read on his face was " why the Hell did I spend so much money on my system..." but I may be wrong. That could just be my personal thinking regarding his system. But he had to admit with no difficulty that the bass the EB1i give in my room, with the RP-1, is just night and day with the bass he gets from his Komris, with 2 x 1000 W of internal active Klimax amplification, only dedicated to the 4 boomers of the Komris.... ( ! )
GO MCINTOSH GO.......................!