In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Focal. Focal Maestro Utopia Evo is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Viva Utopia Colour Evo is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Maestro Utopia Evo and Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Maestro Utopia Evo | Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo |
|---|
| Brand | Focal
France · founded 1979 | Focal
France · founded 1979 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Inverted Dome | 1.1" Inverted Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 10.5" W sandwich | 2 x 8.25" W sandwich |
|---|
| Frequency response | 25-40k Hz | 39-40k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 93 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-600 watts | 50-600 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 116.00kg / 255.2lbs | 57.00kg / 125.4lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 57-7/8" x 30-5/16" x 17-15/16"
1470.0 x 770.0 x 455.0mm | 15-1/2" x 52-15/16" x 26-3/8"
394.0 x 1345.0 x 670.0mm |
|---|
Maestro Utopia Evo and Viva Utopia Colour Evo are members of Focal's Utopia III Evo series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Focal Utopia III Evo Series
History
What size room are the Focal Maestro Utopia Evo and Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Focal Maestro Utopia Evo |
Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Good |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Good |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Poor |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
No way |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both Maestro Utopia Evo and Viva Utopia Colour Evo are 3-way speakers.
Focal Maestro Utopia EvoFocal Viva Utopia Colour Evo
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Focal Maestro Utopia Evo |
Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 10.5-inch
|
2 x 8.25-inch
|
Maestro Utopia Evo features a 1.1" Beryllium Inverted Dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 10.5" W sandwich Woofer. On the other hand, the Viva Utopia Colour Evo features a 1.1" Beryllium Inverted Dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8.25" W sandwich Woofer.
Frequency Response
Maestro Utopia Evo has a frequency range of 25-40k Hz whereas Viva Utopia Colour Evo has a frequency range of 39-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 25Hz, the Maestro Utopia Evo can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Viva Utopia Colour Evo's min frequency of 39Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Maestro Utopia Evo and Viva Utopia Colour Evo have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Maestro Utopia Evo sensitivity is rated at 93 dB and the Viva Utopia Colour Evo's is at 92 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Focal Maestro Utopia Evo a more sensitive speaker compared to Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Both handle the same maximum of 600 watts RMS, though Maestro Utopia Evo is rated 25-600 watts and Viva Utopia Colour Evo 50-600 watts.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Maestro Utopia Evo and Viva Utopia Colour Evo features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Focal Maestro Utopia Evo's and Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo's external dimensions. Focal Maestro Utopia Evo has external dimensions of 1470.0 x 770.0 x 455.0mm (57-7/8 x 30-5/16 x 17-15/16inch) whereas Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo has external dimensions of 394.0 x 1345.0 x 670.0mm (15-1/2 x 52-15/16 x 26-3/8inch).
Focal Maestro Utopia Evo is 575mm narrower and 215mm less deeper than Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo but it is also 1076mm taller.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo needs about 157% more floor or shelf area. Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo is 215mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Focal Maestro Utopia Evo is 1076mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Focal Maestro Utopia Evo is approximately 3503.5cm2 / 543.0inch2 and base area of the Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo is approximately 9011.5cm2 / 1,396.8inch2. The Maestro Utopia Evo requires 61% less surface area than the Viva Utopia Colour Evo which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.