In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Focal. Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo is a Center Channel speaker whereas the Grande Utopia EM Evo is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo and Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo | Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo |
|---|
| Brand | Focal
France · founded 1979 | Focal
France · founded 1979 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 4-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Inverted Dome | 1.1" Inverted Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | 2 x 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8.25" W sandwich | 16" W sandwich |
|---|
| Frequency response | 39-40k Hz | 18-40k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 94 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-600 watts | 50-1500 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 57.00kg / 125.4lbs | 265.00kg / 583lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 15-1/2" x 52-15/16" x 26-3/8"
394.0 x 1345.0 x 670.0mm | 79-3/16" x 25-3/4" x 34-5/8"
2012.0 x 654.0 x 880.0mm |
|---|
Viva Utopia Colour Evo and Grande Utopia EM 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 Viva Utopia Colour Evo and Focal Grande Utopia EM 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 Viva Utopia Colour Evo |
Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo |
| Near-field |
Good |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Good |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Poor |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
No way |
Good |
(* 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 Viva Utopia Colour Evo is a 3-way design whereas the Grande Utopia EM Evo is a 4-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 Viva Utopia Colour EvoFocal Grande Utopia EM 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 Viva Utopia Colour Evo |
Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
4-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
2 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8.25-inch
|
1 x 16-inch
|
Viva Utopia Colour Evo features a 1.1" Beryllium Inverted Dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8.25" W sandwich Woofer. On the other hand, the Grande Utopia EM Evo features a 1.1" Beryllium Inverted Dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 1 x 16" W sandwich Woofer.
Frequency Response
Viva Utopia Colour Evo has a frequency range of 39-40k Hz whereas Grande Utopia EM Evo has a frequency range of 18-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 18Hz, the Grande Utopia EM 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 Center Channel class in our database.
Low Frequency
Center Channel Speakers
Impedance and Sensitivity
Viva Utopia Colour Evo and Grande Utopia EM Evo have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Viva Utopia Colour Evo sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Grande Utopia EM Evo's is at 94 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo a more sensitive speaker compared to Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Center Channel 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.
Grande Utopia EM Evo can handle a max power of 1500 watts RMS, whereas Viva Utopia Colour Evo has a max power handling value of 600 watts RMS, 900 watts less than the Grande Utopia EM 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 Viva Utopia Colour Evo
Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Viva Utopia Colour Evo and Grande Utopia EM 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 Viva Utopia Colour Evo's and Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo's external dimensions. 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) whereas Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo has external dimensions of 2012.0 x 654.0 x 880.0mm (79-3/16 x 25-3/4 x 34-5/8inch).
Focal Viva Utopia Colour Evo is 1618mm shorter and 210mm less deeper than Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo but it is also 691mm wider.
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 57% more floor or shelf area. Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo is 210mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo is 1618mm 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 Viva Utopia Colour Evo is approximately 9011.5cm2 / 1,396.8inch2 and base area of the Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo is approximately 5755.2cm2 / 892.1inch2. The Viva Utopia Colour Evo requires 57% more surface area than the Grande Utopia EM Evo which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.