Focal Maestro Utopia III Review by J. Atkinson, Stereophile

[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."

[Face]

I would not call that a tube friendly speaker. It would bring most SS amps to their knees also.

[inga]

I have Maestro utopia /Pass Labs xa160.5 combo.They are anything but lean or harsh. The sound is weighty, same as my ex speakers (Sonus Faber Stradivari), but much more powerfull, and midrange isnt even comparable, same goes for imaging ( Stradivari image is blurred, Maestro pin point position is razor sharp). I have compared Wilson audio maxx 3 and Maestro side by side before purchuase in my home and it was no brainer- both speakers ofered better midrange and better reproduction of vocals (excluding opera, where Stradivarius have its own strength). I have tried Orpheus amplifiers, and was schocked HOW BAD they sounded- muddy, slow with sloppy bass, nothing like with Pass Labs. Maxx and Stradivari sounded much better. I suppose they are not easy speakers to drive. But when done right, I turn off light, put few CD on amplifers meters, and three dimensional hughe soundstage with amazing focus appear-just liek live performance. I have always searched for big expansive soundstage (Stradivari) and exact pin point focus ( Watt puppies) and never finf these two virtues in one speaker until Maestro.