For those with the winning Powerball ticket, this is definitely one high-end audio system option to consider. You might need a slightly larger listening room or home to experience just what this system can do.
EIC Ian White had the opportunity to experience the previous iteration of this system at the Focal Powered by Naim location in Houston and was left rather speechless by the performance and asking price.
Cost-no-object systems don’t always deliver the level of performance that you might expect; most of us here at eCoustics have been fortunate enough over the past 3 decades to experience some of the most expensive systems in the world and very few of them lived up to their billing.
Naim and Focal’s “statement” system might be a recent exception to that rule.
One of the most impressive exhibits at CEDIA 2023 was the Focal/Naim system consisting of the Focal Grande Utopia EM EVO Speakers and Naim Audio Statement Amplification System.
The sound of the Grande Utopia EM EVO speakers absolutely blew us away. For our impressions, refer to our CEDIA 2023 wrap-up article.
The Grande Utopia EM EVO Speakers and Statement Amplification system continues Focal and Naim Audio’s trend since their merger in 2011 in developing the highest-performing audio products possible as they see it. As part of their retail and marketing strategy, Focal Powered by Naim dealers have been opened in select cities in the U.S. and Canada. including, but not limited to:
- Timonium (MD), College Station (TX), Markham (Ontario, Canada)
- Newport Beach (CA)
- Dallas (TX) & Scottsdale (AZ)
- Miami (FL) & Austin (TX)
- Houston (TX)
Focal Grande Utopia EM EVO
The Focal flagship Grande Utopia EM EVO loudspeakers shown at CEDIA 2023 were the most recent version of the Grande Utopia loudspeaker that originally debuted in 1995. Improved iterations followed in 2002 (Grande Utopia Be), 2008 (Grande Utopia III), up to the now current Grande Utopia EM EVO debuting in 2018. Today’s model remains unchanged, except two new finish options in dark and light wood (Noyer Foncé and Noyer Naturel) became available in 2019.
Handcrafted in France, Grande Utopia EM EVO are 6 foot, 7-inches tall and weigh 584 lbs! Needless to say they’ll work best in a large room with high ceilings. For fine tuning, a crank in the rear adjusts the vertical angle of each driver compartment to pinpoint the perfect musical time alignment to the listening position. 1,458 possible adjustments are possible.
Latest Improvements
- Neutral Inductance Circuit (NIC) on midrange drivers
- Tuner Mass Dampener (TMD) on midrange drivers
- Machined Re-Enforcement Ring (MRR)
- Permanent grille placed over Beryllium tweeter
- Upgraded crossover design and components
- Upgraded internal dampening materials
- Upgraded internal cabling
Specifications
- Speaker Type: 4-way, floorstanding bass-reflex Loudspeaker
- Woofer: Electro-Magnetic 16″ (40cm) ‘W’ woofer
- Midbass: Multiferrite 11″ (27cm) ‘W’ midbass
- Midrange: 2 x Power Flower 6-1/2″ (16.5cm) ‘W’ drivers with TMD suspension and NIC magnet
- Tweeter: IAL2 pure Beryllium inverted dome 1″ (27mm) tweeter
- Frequency response (+/- 3dB): 18Hz – 40kHz
- Frequency Response (-6dB): Down to 14Hz
- Sensitivity (2.83V / 1m): 94dB
- Impedance:
- nominal 8 Ω
- minimum 3 Ω
- Filtering Frequencies (Crossover points): 80Hz / 220Hz / 2,300Hz
- Recommended Amp Power: 50 – 1,500W
- Dimensions (HWD): 79-13/16″ x 25-3/4″ x 34-5/8″ (2,012 x 654 x 880mm)
- Weight: 584 lbs (265kg) each
Naim Statement
To do these loudspeakers justice, you need a great amplifier, and so the Naim Statement was used to power the Grande Utopia EM EVO at CEDIA Expo 2023.
The Naim Statement was the culmination of a cost–no-object 10 year design challenge to build the ultimate audio amplification system. It’s hard to argue they didn’t succeed. The Statement combines a preamp (NAC S1) and two mono power amplifiers (2 x NAP S1) packaged in a uniquely designed vertical form factor. Each mono block amp boasts extreme amounts of power; 746-watts of power @ 8 ohms, 1450-watts at 4 ohms, and peeks up to 9,000-watts at 1 ohm. As a testament to its features and performance, the Statement System has remained unchanged since its release in 2014.
Tip: To harness the full power of each mono block, you may need a dedicated higher voltage circuit in your home.
NAC S1 Preamp
- Input Stages: The input stages are in the lower enclosure. The switching circuitry is mounted on a brass frame, which is suspended with a leaf-spring system that isolates it from mechanical vibration. An inert metallic cage dissipates electromagnetic radiation. All inputs are individually isolated from each other so there is no detriment to performance when multiple sources are connected.
- Dual Volume Control: This provides more precise smooth control of output volume.
- Vertical Suspension: The main circuit board is mounted on a brass plate suspended by springs, a combination with a resonant frequency of 9Hz isolates the critical circuits from external and internal vibration. Within the isolated system, a board housing Naim DRs (Discrete Regulators) is suspended in parallel to the audio circuitry, giving each stage its dedicated supply along the shortest path.
- Audio Inputs (Analogue): 3 x DIN, 3 x RCA, 2 x Balanced
- Audio Outputs (Analog): 1 x Balanced, 2 x Unbalanced (4 pin DIN sockets)
- Dimensions (HxWxD – with Stabilizer): 37″ x 10.6″ x 16.2″ (940 x 270 x 412 mm)
- Weight: 136 lbs (61.5kg)
NAP S1 Mono Amplifiers
- No Global Feedback: This supports higher speed operation, resulting in higher effective power output and bandwidth, as well as providing more effective gain control.
- Three-Stage Design: The amplifier is a bridged design, with three features. First, the instrumentation voltage gain uses negative feedback. The second is an ultra-fast error cancellation system, and the third is a unity gain high current output buffer. Each stage is optimized for only one task resulting in optimized performance.
- Naim 009 Transistors: These transistors incorporate Aluminium Nitride (ALN) – a substrate that has ten times the thermal conductivity of traditional Aluminium Oxide. In addition, the thermal paste used, to ensure good thermal conductivity to the heatsink is Nano diamond based. Diamond conducts heat 2.5 times faster than copper. This allows for the maximum possible temperature stability for optimized linearity.
- Statement Discrete Regulators: The NAC S1 preamp and NAP S1 power amps incorporate multiple heavily regulated linear power supplies. The power transformer of the NAP S1 is a 4000VA toroid with grain-orientated steel for maximum efficiency. This supports fast recovery and low noise.
- Audio Input (Analog): 1 x XLR
- Audio Outputs: Binding posts (spade & 4mm banana)
- Power Output: 746W into 8 ohms, 1450W into 4 ohms, 9kW burst power into 1 ohm
- Dimensions (HxWxD): 37″ x 10.1″ x 15.1″ (940 x 256 x 383mm)
- Weight: 223 lbs (101kg)
Pricing & Availability
The flagship Focal/Naim high-end audio system costs $579,997. That includes the Focal Grande Utopia EM EVO loudspeakers at $280,000/pair in your choice of finishes: Carrara White, Black Lacquer, Metallic Blue, British Racing Green, Ash Grey, Noyer Naturel or Noyer Foncé. The three Naim Audio components, which include one NAC S1 preamplifier and a pair NAP S1 mono power amplifiers, are priced at $99,999 each.
Available for order through Focal or Focal powered by Naim Dealers.
If you would like to see this setup in person, the following dealers have the system working on display:
- Acoustic Designs in Scottsdale, Arizona
- Origin HiFi in Austin, Texas
- DeVance Electronic Lifestyles in Dallas, TX
- The Grid in Houston
Related Reading
John-andre Kecskes
December 22, 2023 at 2:38 pm
I have heard the same system. A total disepointment… I have heard systems that cost 2500 – 3500 range that sounds more engaging and better. Tells you sound is personal. Same as audiovector. A speaker I would never own even if it was gifted to me.
Ian White
December 22, 2023 at 3:41 pm
John-Andre,
Indeed it is. When I visited the Focal Powered by Naim Houston location during the pandemic, I spent a solid hour listening to the Statement and the previous version of the Grande Utopia. I selected all of the music and had the room to myself.
Considering the $500,000+ price of the system — I was not moved at all.
I then walked into the headphone lounge and listened to a pair of Focal headphones through the Uniti Atom Headphone Edition and loved it.
The Naim NAIT 50 that I just reviewed — it sounds fantastic with some $1,000 speakers that I have in my office and I have been listening well past midnight recently.
I know what I would purchase for myself.
Best,
Ian White