Focal $69K DIVA MEZZA UTOPIA Active Wireless Speakers Preview

Last year, Focal introduced the DIVA UTOPIA ($40K/pair), the brand’s first active wireless speakers, and the result of a 5-year R&D effort. Although not for the faint of wallet, these speakers have found an audience among audiophiles who value the simplicity of an all-in-one package, but who also demand the performance of a component-based system combining UTOPIA-level speakers with high-end Naim electronics. (See our product launch video: Focal DIVA UTOPIA Audiophile Speaker Goes Wireless!) Now Focal is back with the new DIVA MEZZA UTOPIA ($69K/pair), which takes the DIVA’s striking felt-clad design and unique technology platform, and scales up the size for larger listening spaces.

The DIVA MEZZA UTOPIA is larger and more powerful than its predecessor, featuring four, force-cancelling 8-inch ‘W’ cone woofers per speaker. The original DIVA used 6.5-inch woofers. Focal says that the push-push layout of the woofers generates “exceptionally deep, dynamic, and controlled bass.” Like its smaller sibling, the DIVA MEZZA UTOPIA also employs Focal’s famous M-profile beryllium tweeter and a 6.5-inch ‘W’ cone midrange driver, which work together to create a wide and articulate soundstage, according to the French company. Under the hood, these drivers are powered by a completely re-engineered Naim Audio electronics package delivering 500 watts per speaker. The system features a dual-stage power supply for “exceptional dynamics and precision power management across the frequency range,” along with a sculpted, high-efficiency heat sink that promises optimal thermal stability and long-term reliability, according to Focal. The company claims that these larger DIVA speakers will perform effortlessly in rooms up to 100m² (1,076 square feet). 

Like the original DIVA speakers, the DIVA MEZZA UTOPIA is an all-in-one speaker with built-in streaming functionality, controlled via the Focal & Naim app, the included remote control, or voice assistants like Google Assistant and Siri. They are also compatible with smart home platforms such as Control4, Crestron, Savant, and RTI. For your streaming convenience, the DIVA speakers work with Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, AirPlay 2, Google Cast, and UPnP. Unlike most speakers of this type, however, the DIVAs don’t offer Roon Ready certification. Focal has expressed concerns regarding data protection, intellectual property, and other factors beyond the company’s control when asked about future Roon support.

The speakers connect to one another wirelessly via Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, which enables uncompressed, high-resolution signal transmission at 96kHz/24-bit with “the clarity and precision of a wired connection,” according to Focal. But for those who prefer an actual cable to make the inter-speaker link, doing so bumps up the resolution of that connection to 192kHz/24-bit. The DIVAs also feature Intelligent Dynamics Clocking (IDC), a precision clock-control system that “ensures exact synchronization between channels for a coherent, stable soundstage,” according to Focal. Lastly, the DIVA speakers can be calibrated to suit both room acoustics and user preferences via Focal’s patented ADAPT (Adaptive Acoustic Personal Tuning) technology. Accessible via the Focal & Naim app, ADAPT uses a sophisticated algorithm to deliver “a finely-tuned, personalized listening experience,” according to Focal. (See our video Seeing is believing: Focal Diva Utopia's ADAPT simplifies room correction.)

When the original DIVA UTOPIA was announced, I said that I wondered whether Focal was “just getting started with the DIVA UTOPIA. At 4 feet tall, and selling for $40K per pair, the DIVA UTOPIA is nowhere near as large, nor as expensive, as Focal’s top UTOPIA Series passive speakers. I have little doubt that the DIVA UTOPIA will sound superb. If it is a financial success, there’s every possibility that Focal could make a bigger and even costlier version.” So now that the DIVA MEZZA UTOPIA  has arrived, we are left to wonder once again: will there be an even larger active UTOPIA speaker on the horizon? Time will tell. For now, the Focal DIVA MEZZA UTOPIA is the flagship active streaming speaker in their line up, sold exclusively through the Focal Powered by Naim network of authorized retailers.

More information: Focal DIVA MEZZA UTOPIA

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.