How does one describe the offer of a pair of speakers at $169,000 as a ‘bargain’?
By special arrangement, LWA have just received the last new pair of Focal Grand Utopia EM speakers (in white). This discontinued model is the predecessor to the current EVO model, which sell for a cool $450,000 a pair. When still in production, the Grand Utopia EM sold for $295,000 a pair with much of the increased price coming from the falling Australian dollar and rising costs coming out of the factory in France.
What is the difference between the new and old you may ask?
The EVO range has added a new suspension system to the mid-range driver and the structure of the speakers have been strengthened. Together, with minor improvements to the crossover the new models sound better– marginally.
Is the difference worth $281,000 – we don’t think so.
Yes, $169,000 is a lot of money to pay for a pair of speakers, but this is a lot of speaker and surprisingly, represents an outstanding bargain.
The pair are available for sale on our website.
