In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Focal. Focal Scala Utopia Evo is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Diablo Utopia Colour Evo is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Scala Utopia Evo and Focal Diablo Utopia Colour Evo first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Scala Utopia Evo | Focal Diablo Utopia Colour Evo |
|---|
| Brand | Focal
France · founded 1979 | Focal
France · founded 1979 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Inverted Dome | 1.1" Inverted Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 10.5" W sandwich | 6.5" W sandwich |
|---|
| Frequency response | 27-40k Hz | 44-40k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-500 watts | 25-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 85.00kg / 187lbs | 39.00kg / 85.8lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 49-1/8" x 26-3/8" x 15-1/2"
1247.0 x 670.0 x 393.0mm | 16-15/16" x 10-3/16" x 16-13/16"
431.0 x 258.0 x 427.0mm |
|---|
Scala Utopia Evo and Diablo 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 Scala Utopia Evo and Focal Diablo 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 Scala Utopia Evo |
Focal Diablo Utopia Colour Evo |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Good |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Good |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Poor |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Scala Utopia Evo is a 3-way design whereas the Diablo Utopia Colour Evo is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Focal Scala Utopia EvoFocal Diablo 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 Scala Utopia Evo |
Focal Diablo Utopia Colour Evo |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 10.5-inch
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
Scala Utopia Evo features a 1.1" Beryllium Inverted Dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 1 x 10.5" W sandwich Woofer. On the other hand, the Diablo Utopia Colour Evo features a 1.1" Beryllium Inverted Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" W sandwich Woofer.
Frequency Response
Scala Utopia Evo has a frequency range of 27-40k Hz whereas Diablo Utopia Colour Evo has a frequency range of 44-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 27Hz, the Scala Utopia Evo can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Diablo Utopia Colour Evo's min frequency of 44Hz.
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
Scala Utopia Evo and Diablo Utopia Colour Evo have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Scala Utopia Evo sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Diablo Utopia Colour Evo's is at 89 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Focal Scala Utopia Evo a more sensitive speaker compared to Focal Diablo 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.
Scala Utopia Evo can handle a max power of 500 watts RMS, whereas Diablo Utopia Colour Evo has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 300 watts less than the Scala Utopia Evo.
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 Diablo Utopia Colour Evo
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Scala Utopia Evo and Diablo 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 Scala Utopia Evo's and Focal Diablo Utopia Colour Evo's external dimensions. Focal Scala Utopia Evo has external dimensions of 1247.0 x 670.0 x 393.0mm (49-1/8 x 26-3/8 x 15-1/2inch) whereas Focal Diablo Utopia Colour Evo has external dimensions of 431.0 x 258.0 x 427.0mm (16-15/16 x 10-3/16 x 16-13/16inch).
Focal Diablo Utopia Colour Evo is 412mm narrower and 816mm shorter than Focal Scala Utopia Evo but it is also 34mm deeper.
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 Scala Utopia Evo needs about 139% more floor or shelf area. Focal Diablo Utopia Colour Evo is 34mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Focal Scala Utopia Evo is 816mm 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 Scala Utopia Evo is approximately 2633.1cm2 / 408.1inch2 and base area of the Focal Diablo Utopia Colour Evo is approximately 1101.7cm2 / 170.8inch2. The Scala Utopia Evo requires 139% more surface area than the Diablo Utopia Colour Evo which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.