Chance to hear the Grande Utopia EM

Audiophiles will have the chance to listen to one of the best and one of the most expensive speakers in the world by the end of November.


Asia Sound in Amcorp Mall is bringing in the Focal-JM Lab Grande Utopia EM which costs about half a million ringgit.


These speakers use proprietary Electro Magnetic woofers.


The Focal-JM Lab Grande Utopia EM.


From the Focal-JM Lab website: "To go down in frequencies, we can adjust the surround and the spider flexibility, but we should above all increase the cone weight. If we increase the cone weight, the efficiency drops. And to compensate this drop, we have to Increase the magnet power. That’s where the limits of the permanent magnet step in, forcing a compromise between efficiency and resonance frequency.


"Only solution for Focal, reconsidering the very existence of the permanent magnet...
We adopted an Electro-Magnet for our new 16” (40cm) woofer. Thanks to the simulation software and to the existing materials, this extreme solution goes back to the very origins of the driver and was optimized to supply the expected force (patent pending). The magnetic field in the air gap reaches 1.75 Tesla (0.9 for the woofer of the previous Grande Utopia Be that was yet equipped with a Multiferrite magnet) to supply a force factor (the real power of the motor) of 34T.m.


"The goal is reached: the efficiency for 1W @ 1m reaches97dB, whereas the resonance frequency drops to less than 24Hz."


The website www.soundbysinger.com adds: "Reintroducing a concept first pioneered in the 1930s by Bell Labs, Focal has replaced the limited magnetic force available from a conventional woofer, with the virtually unlimited and completely flexible force which electromagnetism affords.


"Until the Grande Utopia EM, this 'ancient technology' was seen as being too complex to employ in home audio speakers; too complex, that is, until Focal figured out how to do it!


"The external electromagnetic power supply uses a signal recognition system and offers 6 electrical adjustment levels for a delivered power to the 15.75" woofer of 9 watts to 90 watts permitting virtually unlimited control of the speaker/listening room coupling.


"As a result, the bass is as close to perfect as can be achieved in any environment; big room, small room, live room, dead room, or a completely acoustically neutral setting! In addition to solving bass/room coupling issues."


The EM Electro-Magnet is made of a 15.4lb (7kg) copper coil. The motor including the coil weighs 48.5lb (22kg). The 16” reaches a total weight of 52.9lb (24kg).


The speakers are huge - they are 2.01m tall and weigh 260kg each and the frequency response is rated to be 18Hz to 40kHz.


Asia Sound will also be bringing in two other models from Focal-JM Lab's Utopia range - the Scala and Diablo.


Call Eddie Tan of Asia Sound at 03-79552091 or 016-2733573 for an audition.

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