After the Diva Utopia presented at the end of 2024, Focal persists in luxury connected loudspeakers with the Diva Mezza Utopia.
Based on the same principles as the first speaker, whose new dresses have just been discovered after six months, the Mezza is boosted by several amplifiers developed with Naim to achieve 500 watts of power per speaker. Its ultra-wideband technology enables the primary speaker to communicate with the other without connection, as long as the music files are up to 96 kHz / 24 bit. To upgrade to Hi-Res files at 192 kHz / 24 bits, you have to connect the Mezze speakers to each other via a cable, and plug them into the mains to operate them, as they have no batteries. Also from Naim, Intelligent Dynamics Clocking controls the clocks to ensure perfect synchronization, while ADAPT, for Adaptative Acoustic Personal Tuning, comes from Focal and enables the Mezza to adapt to room acoustics and listener preferences.
Connected and active like the Diva Utopia, the Diva Mezza Utopia expands to include four push-pull side-mount woofers, each 20.5 cm (8’’) diameter, compared with 16.5 cm on the smallest. With Focal “W” diaphragms, as on the passive Utopia, the woofers are combined with a front-midrange driver of the same structure, while the Beryllium tweeter has an inverted M profile. For its release, the Mezza, like the Diva at the beginning, is fitted exclusively with a felt surround – not gray, but a very flattering ivory color. The price is almost double that of the Diva (35 000 €), rising to 65 000 € for the pair.
Chord Company has added two subwoofer cables to its catalog, in Shawline and Epic series.
Developed and extensively tested with a large number of subwoofers, these new cables are handmade at Chord Company’s headquarters in England. They feature three individual shielded runs of heavy-gauge stranded copper wire (14 AWG for the Shawline and 12 AWG for the Epic), silver-plated to ensure optimum signal transfer and high interference immunity. Both models feature PTFE dielectric and braided shielding, to deliver tight, controlled bass while enhancing the system’s overall musical performance and clarity.
ChordOhmic’s Choralloy® plated spikes and Neutrik Speakon connectors ensure a high-conductivity link for reliable integration and compatibility with the vast majority of subwoofers.
Naim Audio version to be released
To perfectly match Naim amplifiers, a compatible subwoofer cable will be available in September. It includes built-in resistors to reduce buzz when pairing certain subwoofers with Naim Audio amplifiers, often caused by mismatched speaker cables that affect impedance stability. These resistors guarantee a clean, interference-free signal, combined with a cable fitted with stackable banana plugs adapted to Naim Audio amplifier sockets, to make connections without adapters easy and reliable.
Acclaimed DAC since its release (Best DAC EISA 2023) and further expanded in its possibilities on the GoldenSound Edition (VU#55 test; Remarkable), Ferrum’s WANDLA has no streamer function, and no network player yet exists in the dynamic Polish manufacturer’s catalog.
So, to allow users to wait a little longer, while remaining as much part of the Ferrum environment as possible, the engineers have developed a new proprietary technology for managing dematerialized music playback, directly from the WANDLA. All you need to do is download firmware to Windows or MacOS-based computers, or use a Volumio or Volumio OS-compatible network player.
From there, FSCT (Ferrum Streaming Control Technology) can be integrated into all versions of WANDLA – including the WANDLA HP with headphone socket – enabling the device to directly manage track changes or the volume of the streaming application. These settings can also be adjusted by the remote control. To note: this technology also works for I2S-connected devices, enabling all information relating to the track currently playing to be displayed on the screen.
Already featured in our magazine at the time of its launch, Focal’s high-end active loudspeaker was until recently only available with a specific gray felt finish, intended to give the product a modern look, but inevitably limited in relation to certain interiors and the tastes of certain music lovers.
To offer other proposals, the French brand recently presented three new cheek frames, this time no longer in felt, but with gloss finishes to great effect. Off White High Gloss, Black High Gloss and Dune High Gloss have been added to the original gray ; they are available since the beginning of June.
On top of this, a special series has appeared to seal the partnership with the DS flagship – the presidential DS N°8 – with blue cheeks this time, covered with straw marquetry pieces from the Lison de Caunes workshops.
Technically, the Diva Utopia remains a very high-end Focal Beryllium tweeter loudspeaker, with a large 16.5 cm “W” midrange driver on the front and four “W” diaphragm woofers on the sides, active and connected thanks to the French manufacturer’s partnership with Naim. We don’t know yet how much the blue cheeks will cost, but the Gloss versions will nevertheless push the bill up by 7 000 € to 42 000 €, compared with 35 000 € for the felt.
Specializing in digital cables, AIM adds to its Ethernet range the NA4, positioned between the NA2 and NA6, and the NAX (for NA10), logically above the NA9.
With 8P8C modular RJ45 connectors on all its models, the Japanese manufacturer completes its Ethernet cable catalog by adding an intermediary and, above all, creating a new standard that uses silver in its conception.
NA4 In a green sheath with a total diameter of 7.1 mm, the NA4 incorporates a four-part design with 24 AWG (0.25 mm²) OFC copper conductors, protected by a double layer of aluminium, to which a braided copper shield is added. Designed to be particularly resistant to EMI interference, NA4 is available in lengths from 0.5 m (NA4-005) to 10 m (NA4100).
NAX Superior, the NAX retains the same structure as the NA9, with four sections in which two cables are enclosed, this time completely separated by sheaths, themselves enclosed inside a black sheath with a total diameter of 10 mm. The RJ45 connectors remain 8P8C models, but each conductive section incorporates 22 AWG (0.38 m²) OFC and silver strands in a polyethylene sheath, insulated with aluminum foil, followed by an insulating tape, a layer of copper covered by a second layer of braided copper shielding, before a conductive sheath, and then the final insulating sheath. Like the NA9, the NAX structure is now asymmetrical, and is only available in lengths from 0.5m (NAX-005) to 3m (NAX-030).
We are still awaiting final European prices for these two cables, but they should start at around 499 € for the NA4, and around 1 500 € for the NAX.
