Focal Unveils Utopia Main 112 and Utopia Main 212 Studio Monitors

Focal is elevating its studio monitors with the introduction of the Utopia Main, a new range designed to take studios to the most demanding levels required by audio professionals with main and midfield options. Leveraging innovations from the company’s ultra high-end speaker range, the new Focal Utopia Main 112, and Utopia Main 212 are professional designs with completely new drivers, exceptional power, and advanced functionality.  The ultimate Focal studio monitors, these new models make a notable entry into the field of main monitoring systems designed for soffit-mounting, or stand-alone mode. A development effort that started in 2017, the Utopia Main range marks the most significant milestone for the Focal’s Professional Audio division since its inception in 2002, and represents over 40 years of Focal's research in driver design and 20 years of innovation in studio monitor development. 

Each component has been meticulously designed to ensure that these 3-way UM 112 and 3.5-way UM 212 revolutionize the landscape of main monitors. In the words of the French company, “a technological triumph dedicated to maintaining precision even at the highest SPL in the studio environment, ensuring an unparalleled monitoring experience for reference recording, mixing, and mastering.”
 
The designation “Utopia” is a direct reference to the many features and technologies that have helped take this focal ultra-high end speakers to the pinnacle of home audio industry. And in these Utopia Main monitors we find familiar technologies such as the ‘M’-shaped membrane, applied to both the all-new 5" midrange with a 'W'-membrane and the 1.5" Beryllium tweeter, for increased rigidity. Thanks to its reinforcement and the acoustic optimization of its magnet to avoid resonances, the dynamic range and transparency delivered by the 5" driver are unparalleled. The 'M'-shape, moving in and out in a perfect pistonic movement, provides a strong planar waveform and gives a true "phantom" center. 

In addition, its small-roll suspension integrates Focal’s Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) patented technology which deeply reduces intermodulation created by the suspension. This top-notch midrange allows the Utopia Main monitors to achieve surgical precision across all music genres and audio-related tasks while providing a very precise stereo image. The tweeter, with the combination of Beryllium with an 'M'-shaped membrane, offers exceptional transient response without causing listening fatigue. 
 
For the first time, the Focal TMD technology is also integrated into the high-frequency driver, halving the Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) at 3kHz. The voice coil diameter was also increased to 25mm, for better heat dissipation and reduced thermal compression. A fully optimized rear acoustic environment with a waveguide and an Infinite Acoustic Load (IAL) further enhances the tweeter's performance.

Main monitors require a low-end performance that can maintain its precision, even at the highest levels of sound pressure. For that, the Utopia Main range features 13" long-excursion subwoofers, housed in a massive enclosure, paired with impressive bass-reflex ports (one driver for the UM 112 model and two drivers for the UM 212 one). Combining very light mobile parts and soft suspension, these drivers deliver excellent articulation and definition. 

The cabinet is the result of an in-depth study that led to the use of 30mm-thick MDF panels, reinforced with a bracing network designed to remove any warping. Quarter-wavelength resonance reduction systems were also implemented. Simulations were carried out to figure out how to deliver precise bass while mitigating port noise. And since main monitors are frequently soffit-mounted, these require external electronics. The patented amplifiers of the UM 112 and UM 212 use a combination of a Class H design with a current-mode amplification, delivering the most natural and transparent amplification possible. Force submitted to a membrane is determined by the equation: F=B*l*i, where ‘B’ is the magnetic field within the voice coil, ‘l’ the length of the coil, and ‘i’ the current. Most amplifiers control voltage instead of current, however, the link between current and voltage is made via the impedance of the drive unit, which varies depending on temperature, frequency, and the coil's position inside the magnet. By controlling the current, instead of the voltage, these amplifiers directly control the force submitted to the membrane, eliminating any additional unwanted artifacts. Combined with analog filtering, these amplifiers achieve the lowest THD level ever measured in Focal’s anechoic chamber. “Behind the Utopia Main project is not only a team of skilled and passionate engineers, from fields such as acoustics, electronics, and other technical specialties, but also some of the most renowned audio engineers in the industry – Focal wanted to ensure the Utopia Main went from concept to completion with genuine feedback from real users in the field. This project went through complex testing phases, in legendary studios in Europe and in the USA, with producers, mixers, and mastering engineers – collectively boasting over 70 Grammy-award nominations – that tested the speakers, provided feedback collectively, and contributed to fine-tuning the final sound and features of these monitors. Thanks to them, the Utopia Main 112 and 212 will stand as industry benchmarks in professional audio,” Focal reveals in the announcement.

The Utopia Main 212 monitors feature two 13” ‘W’ cone woofers, two 5” M-shaped ‘W’ cone mid-range drivers, and a 1.5” M-shaped Beryllium tweeter. The Utopia Main 112 monitors feature a single 13” ‘W’ cone woofer, a 5” M-shaped ‘W’ cone mid-range driver, and a 1.5” M-shaped Beryllium tweeter. Each driver is powered by its own power amplifier channel, housed in a 4U-high rack unit. The Utopia Main 212 amplification features two 500W RMS Class-D for the bass amplifier stage, two 180W RMS Class-H for the midrange amplifier stage, and 140W RMS Class-H for the high frequency stage. The Utopia Main 112 amplification features 500W RMS Class-D for the bass stage, 180W RMS Class-H for the midrange, and 90W RMS Class-H for the high frequencies. Both models’ frequency response range (@-3db) is 28Hz to 40kHz, with a maximum SPL for the UM212 at 123dB, and the UM112 at 120dB. The Utopia Main 112 weighs 171 lbs. each, while Utopia Main 212 weighs 263 lbs. each. 

The Utopia Main 112 (UM 112) system has a retail price of $29,999 USD per pair, and the Utopia Main 212 (UM 212) has a retail price of $49,999 USD per pair. In North America, Focal products are distributed exclusively by Focal Naim America. The new Utopia Main monitors will be shown at the NAMM show on January 23-25 in Anaheim, California in Focal booth #14113.
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