Top-notch speaker technology from Focal

Their reputation for loudspeakers has long been known among audiophiles. Speaker series like the Utopia, Electra and Cobalt are considered legends amongst audio enthusiasts and critics. For car audio, the Utopia Be is probably the most reputable series due to its cutting edge Poly K-sandwiched cone technology.

For home and car loudspeakers, Focal's patented proprietary polyglass cone is breakthrough technology first developed in 1980. By combining glass micro-balls with cellulose, the speaker cone diaphragm gains superb high strength, yet is light enough for fast signal response. In addition, due to the properties of cellulose, a polyglass cone - as opposed to the conventional polypropylene material - offers a higher damping factor with up 10 times more elimination of undesired resonance. The result is high fidelity, wide bandwidth and expansive frequency response across the frequency range, midrange in particular.

Polyglass cone drivers make use of new alloy basket, a product of the Zamak family of zinc alloys, the primary components of which are zinc, aluminium, magnesium and copper, rather than the usual ABS, a type of rigid plastic. By using alloy material, the basket becomes lighter, but with higher tensile strength, while the flange is small and thin enough to minimise the airflow resistance of the diaphragm, thus allowing smooth movement.

To optimise the benefit of the polyglass cone drivers, the magnetic structure has been increased in size while the size of the voice coil is reduced for more expansive dynamic range. The impulse response has also been upgraded by 40 per cent for better peak-load handling and deeper bass and midrange.

The speaker employs a pure beryllium inverted dome tweeter, which is the same technology used in the Utopia Be. In actuality, the inverted dome tweeter is Focal's hallmark, developed over the last 20 years. The pure beryllium inverted dome tweeter used in the Utopia Be reproduces incredible bandwidth up to five octaves and a frequency response up to 40Khz.

According to the company research, aluminium is a good candidate for making tweeters due to its lightness and rigidity, but aluminium is only "good", not "good enough", because its rigidity does not come up to Focal criteria. They discovered that "aluminium/magnesium alloy" is more appropriate due to the low density, which allows enlargement of the dome tweeter. That is why the new tweeter has enough rigidity to eliminate any undesired resonance and simultaneously handle a frequency response up to 28Khz - way beyond the human audible range.

In addition, the new tweeter makes use of an all-new "N45H" Neodynium magnet, which has extremely high strength even when hot. Focal developed its patent ferro-fluid called Ferrotec 2000 to relieve temperature stress from the voice coil.

Wijit Boonchoo

Ultimate in Luxury

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