Focal DIVA UTOPIA

Introduction

Vervet Audio Group came into being in 2011, and Naim and Focal have since been entwined. Their respective expertise in audio electronics and loudspeakers has come to an inevitable conclusion with the Focal DIVA UTOPIA 3-way active loudspeakers powered by Naim Electronics. Where a usual active setup, like the Kudos Audio Cardea Super 20As or the Kudos Audio Sigao Drive crossover, may have up to 9 boxes with amplification and loudspeakers (not to mention matching cables), here we have just two contemporary-looking floorstanding loudspeakers, very beautifully presented and understated.

Design

The Focal DIVA UTOPIA has a 3-way active design with a bass reflex configuration. It is powered by 75W of Class AB Naim electronics. The tweeter is a 27mm pure beryllium ‘M’-shaped inverted dome. The 16.5cm midrange is similarly powered by 75W of Class AB power. It has a ‘W’-shaped driver consisting of two sheets of glass on either side of a central foam body in a sandwich construction.

Focal uses Beryllium for its low mass combined with rigidity, making it fast and ready.  I first encountered Beryllium as a driver at the Sopra No.3 launch in 2016.

The four 16.5cm side-facing woofers are driven by 250W of Class AB power in a push-push configuration. They have a downward-firing reflex port to the fixed base.

The loudspeaker cabinet is made of a high-density moulded polymer covered with a grey felt called OEKO-TEX.

The DIVA UTOPIA includes primary and secondary loudspeakers, each needing only a power lead. Network connectivity can be Wi-Fi or Ethernet. The loudspeakers connect via a proprietary Ultra-Wide Band pairing system (24-bit, 96kHz) or a supplied wired ethernet cable (24-bit, 192kHz, about 4m long). The primary loudspeaker has inputs that include HDMI eARC with CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), TOSLINK optical, a single RCA analogue, USB A 2.0, and an RJ45 Ethernet input.

The loudspeaker and all the usual streaming services can be controlled in the Naim Focal App, which also features a room correction algorithm called ADAPT. The loudspeakers are compatible with AirPlay, Google Cast, UPnP, Bluetooth 5.3, Spotify via Spotify Connect, TIDAL via TIDAL Connect and QQ Music via QPlay. Tidal and Qobuz are built into the App as well. Maybe, surprisingly, there is no Roon connectivity; I have confirmed this. However, local servers can be accessed through the app.

Quality

As you would expect at this price level, the loudspeakers are simply perfect, the felt finish makes for a fingerprint-free experience; and I love this. This felt covering can be removed as it is attached with Velcro (well I have looked underneath anyway), revealing the firm moulded polymer cabinet structure underneath. It is very Kanta in feel and may be the same polymer. The removable felt hints at future aesthetic developments, maybe different colours or finishes will emerge. A wood finish is surely needed.

The rear of each loudspeaker has an oversized heat sink or radiator at the rear, Statement style, this is classy.

Specification and Price

Unboxing

The loudspeakers arrive on a pallet, with the peripherals (spikes, etc.) in a separate box. In the Box, there is a (Naim-looking) Zigbee Remote, a long HiRes Ethernet Link, and a set of decoupling spikes with a spanner.

The loudspeakers arrive on wheels, and inside each box, there is a wooden board in which you can turn out the DIVAs and wheel them out; this is rather clever, though the carton weighs nearly 80kg. Once approximately in place, spike attachment is a two-person job in truth.

Performance

Physically

Once the loudspeakers were in place, they could not be set up more simply. Though I have often criticised the Naim App, recent upgrades make it a much better experience. The Room Correction prompts you first. I have the loudspeakers 80cm away from the side wall (and window) and the same from a curtained rear wall. They are just shy of 3m apart, on a stone floor on some spare carpet tiles. I moved a sofa away that was between them after a little time; it absorbed the mid and bass response from the side-firing woofers.

I’m using WiFi for networking and did not need the Ethernet interconnector between the two units, though I added it for critical listening, as I did for the spikes. Pairing the second speaker with the primary one was otherwise simple.

I prefer the Ethernet cable link between the units, though the difference is negligible if I’m being honest with myself. I’m concluding the stone floor is quite aggressive, so a few rugs have been strategically moved in.

Soundstage

I generally start with Whiskeytown’s Dancing with the Women at the Bar (Tidal FLAC 16-bit, 44.1kHz) to check if my vocal is centred. It was perfect, and the resolution of the track hit you immediately. With this vocal, I realised the sofa between the two loudspeakers was affecting the lower midrange.

Tone

…the sound pressure in the room is immense and very impressive.

With a proper setup, it was time for some fun. Turning to The Chromatics’ Sound of Silence (Tidal FLAC 16-bit, 44.1kHz), the bass response is chunky and dominant but controlled. It is large and sternum rattling; the sound pressure in the room is immense and very impressive. To check, I played HUMBLE (Tidal FLAC 16-bit, 44.1kHz) by Kendrik Lemar/Skrillex; the bass response was impressively fast.

Despite the weight of the bass response initially from these opening tracks, I personally find the tonal balance neutral, with nothing drawing my attention. Vocally, I’m enjoying my preferred artists, such as Bowie, Ryan Adams, Ed Harcourt, Dylan, Ray LaMontagne, and the list goes on. I’m finding the overall performance fulfilling, rhythmic, and pacey. This dominant presentation leaves nothing behind.

Google Cast, AirPlay and Bluetooth

Half an hour of iPad fun with the Thom Yorke/Jonny Greenwood/CR7 YouTube classic The Numbers using AirPlay works fantastically, and the same seamlessly works from my Android phone using GoogleCast.

Listening to a Fantasy Football stream on these loudspeakers is hilarious but highlights their ease of everyday use. I wonder if anyone has watched a deadline stream on thirty thousand-pound loudspeakers!

Everyday casual listening to the radio is also very enlightening. Even just throwing on BBC Radio 2 over dinner is an eye-opening experience, and sometimes, when the odd notable track comes on, it makes you lift your head, such is the quality and resolution on offer.

USB

The USB Input at the rear is fun, too; I have a USB-A stick with a DSD copy of Dave Brubeck’s Time Out, which is about as good as it gets in terms of recording quality. Here, the resolution on offer is as dynamic and mesmerising as it can be.

Analogue Input

I simply could not resist hooking up my Michell Gyro SE since I currently have a sparking EAT E-Glo Petit II phono stage that has lifted my turntable’s energy and response. As I said on X, ‘When vinyl’s good, it’s good.’

The input to the DIVA UTOPIA sounds faultless to me, with the phono stage doing the heavy lifting. The App or the remote seamlessly switches the input to Analogue In.

Late-night Miles Davis vinyl fireside listening has never sounded so good with these loudspeakers.

Musical Interlude

Here’s the Musical Interlude Playlist.

Thoughts

Exclusive and tailored Naim amplification, … is delivering a sparkling system here, apparently without flaw

Slightly butchering the words of Roy Schnieder, “You’re gonna need a bigger room”, and a bigger wallet.

Some of my best reviewing experiences have been in an active configuration. Delivering exclusive amplification to each driver offers unparalleled grip in a HiFi system, which is evident here. Exclusive and tailored Naim amplification, with shorter and matching (presumably) cable runs, is delivering a sparkling system here, apparently without flaw. I felt the culmination of my active journey was with the Kudos Audio Sigao Crossover at the end of last year, maybe I’m wrong.

I have frequently pondered chucking in all my Old Naim Classic Naim gear and my R700 KEFs for a pair of capable active floorstanders by ATC, Dynaudio or KEF, but I just know I’ll always be a bit unhappy with the result from an auditory perspective. However, my wife would be happy to see the back of my Naim kit and unsightly cables and maybe finally get to listen to music in the lounge. This Focal DIVA UTOPIA bypasses that reservation. For a bit of high-end everyday usage, this is just simply brilliant. Just sit back and relax. Don’t worry about fancy cables; just go with it.

What about if you’re pondering some of the New Classic stuff, as I have been doing for the last six months in my various articles? A NAP 250, NPX 300 power supply and NSC 222 with a pair of Kudos Audio (my choice) Titan 505 or 606s is going to set you back over £30,000 anyway with a decent set of loudspeaker cables, interconnects, and a rack, so the DIVA UTOPIA may start to look like a bit of a bargain. The same is true of the Super 20A active project and the Sigao crossover. The only issue here is that there is no forward audiophile journey if you go this route.

I reviewed the above New Classic set-up in April last year, and it is genuinely wonderful. This DIVA UTOPIA may be the answer to my domestic and audiophile dreams, but they remain just dreams without a lottery win. Until then, I will sit back and relax with Miles Davis, Bill Evans, and John Coltrane in the time I have left.

Overall

This is a statement luxury product that fast-forwards or bypasses the audiophile journey. The soundstage and room presence are something to behold, as is the sparkling resolution from a crystal-clear Naim-inspired midrange and treble presentation.