Focal Unveils Utopia Cinema Range For High-End Custom Installs

As we saw in Theo Nicolakis’s recent review of the Focal IWLCR Utopia and IWSUB Utopia, the French loudspeaker manufacturer has been producing top-tier in-wall speakers for years. (The current Focal 1000 Series launched in 2021.) Now Focal is introducing a new high-end range called Utopia Cinema, designed for private cinema rooms of up to 2153 square feet, according to the company. The Utopia Cinema range includes just two models at launch, the 3-way Cinema LCR ($11,999 each) and the Cinema SUB ($5,999 each). Like the existing 1000 Series, the Utopia Cinema range is designed to be a complete, modular solution for custom systems. Focal says that these new products, which can be used in-wall, on-wall, or in-room depending on the customer’s needs, are the result of a “meticulous and extensive development phase,” and are set to “revolutionize the ultra-high-end integration market” in 2025 and beyond. The new products reportedly benefit from the latest technology from Focal’s professional division, which just unveiled a new line of high-end Utopia Main studio monitors on January 15th. Both the professional monitors and the new Utopia Cinema speakers use newly-developed drivers promising “exceptional immersion, unrivaled sound precision, and breathtaking low-frequency impact,” according to Focal. The company says that these new products can also be combined with the 1000 Series  loudspeakers, which feature similar driver technologies.

Focal Utopia Cinema LCR

Focal describes the Cinema LCR as a full-range, high-SPL-capacity loudspeaker with the ability to adapt to the requirements of a variety of listening environments, promising optimized performance however it is deployed. The speaker includes a 0–30° selector, which maximizes the unit’s performance for use as a center-channel or main left or right speaker. Like the 1000 Series speakers in Theo’s theater, the Cinema LCR can be positioned horizontally or vertically, and features a modular design that allows multiple Cinema LCR loudspeakers to be combined in a single channel to achieve the desired level of sonic power. 

The Cinema LCR can also be combined with as many Cinema SUBs as necessary, depending on the size of the room, the distance to the listening position, and other factors. The theme of adjustability continues with a number of selectable crossover settings designed to dial in the speaker’s performance with your room’s acoustics. There is a three-position mid-bass level adjustment, which allows the user to adjust the portion of the frequency spectrum between 100Hz and 400Hz (-2.5dB / 0dB / ±2.5dB). A similar midrange level adjustment affects the 400Hz - 2.5kHz range (-1.5dB / 0dB / ±3dB). Finally, the tweeter level adjustment affects frequencies from 2.5kHz - 10kHz (-2dB / 0dB / ±2dB).

Focal Utopia Cinema Driver Technology

Speaking of the tweeter, the Cinema LCR uses a new 1.5-inch M-shaped beryllium tweeter. Focal says that the combination of the pure beryllium material and the patented M-shaped profile of the driver results in “exceptional transient response and unique treble sound reproduction, with unparalleled precision.” A 1-inch coil and optimized heat dissipation contribute to the tweeter’s high power handling and ultra-high extended response with no distortion, according to Focal. The design reportedly benefits from dramatically reduced THD, thanks in part to Focal’s unique TMD (Tuned Mass Damper) technology, complete with a Poron surround. (More on TMD in a moment.) The tweeter also features a fully optimized rear acoustic environment, with a waveguide and IAL (Infinite Acoustic Load) technology, which precisely controls acoustic pressure behind the dome, considerably reducing resonance and distortion, according to the company.

The Cinema LCR’s midrange driver is a new 5-inch cone made from Focal’s patented W sandwich material, again formed into an M-shaped profile. This unique cone material has been used in the brand’s top speakers since 1995.  The handmade cone utilizes a central foam core sandwiched between two outer layers of glass fiber. Focal says that this construction provides an optimal combination of lightness, rigidity, and damping — the key parameters for a high-quality speaker driver. According to Focal, this new 5-inch midrange driver is capable of delivering an impressive dynamic range and transparency, thanks in part to “the sound optimization of its magnet to prevent resonance.” Meanwhile, the M-shaped profile of the driver contributes to “perfect piston movement,” according to the company. The shallow depth of the M profile reportedly allows the driver to create “a completely flat wave,” and the small-roll surround with integrated TMD technology is said to significantly reduce the intermodulation created by the surround, resulting in ultra-natural vocal reproduction.

Known solutions for increasing surround damping lead to an increase in mass, which in turn affects definition. The answer was found in a technique used in anti-seismic systems for skyscrapers, and also found in the surrounds of racing vehicles! This is the Tuned Mass Damper technique: an additional mass oscillates in opposition to the resonance to control it. Applied to the loudspeakers, the solution simply consists of two circular “beads” molded into the surround mass and judiciously sized and positioned. They constitute our harmonic damper (TMD) and stabilize the surround’s behavior at resonance to avoid cone deformation and not penalize dynamics. This innovation is patented.

— Focal

Finally, the woofer used in the Cinema LCR is a 13-inch high-excursion W sandwich cone housed in what Focal calls “an impressively solid cabinet” with a large port. Focal says that the woofer design combines a super-light moving mass with a flexible surround, resulting in excellent articulation and definition. The optimized port is designed to improve airflow and eliminate vent noise.

Focal Utopia Cinema SUB

The Cinema SUB is a passive subwoofer designed to work as an in-wall, on-wall, or freestanding unit. Combining a pair of 13-inch woofers in a ported cabinet tuned to 19Hz, the Cinema SUB is “the ultimate subwoofer for demanding audio environments,” according to Focal. The drivers are the same as those used in the Sub12 subwoofer in Focal’s professional range, featuring a W sandwich cone and a maximum-excursion design. It promises “uncompromising bass control for powerful, punchy bass” that will integrate perfectly into multichannel systems, “sublimating every musical explosion and nuance for an intensely cinematic experience,” according to Focal. For those interested in the latest bass-management configurations, Focal says the Cinema SUB’s advanced sound design makes it well-suited to wave-forming and other bass-optimizing techniques. It features a large front-facing laminar port designed to minimize distortion while maximizing sound pressure. Focal says this allows the sub to descend to lower frequencies while increasing efficiency, for an impactful sub-bass. Finally, its robust construction makes the Cinema SUB capable of meeting the demands of high-SPL configurations, according to Focal.

Focal says that the modular nature of the new Utopia Cinema products means that the possible configurations are “limited only by the size of the space in which the solution is integrated.”

More information: Focal Utopia Cinema

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