Anyone compared Focal Scala to Maestro


Hi all,

I currently own the Focal Scala utopia, which I love very much. I have the chance to upgrade to the Maestro at a good price - has anyone heard the two and what differences can I expect?

My room is a good size - 30 ft x 27ft.

Many thanks
c2300mc275
My guys can you please give me some advise on what amplifier matches the Utopia Maestros. 

I currently looking for an upgrade from my Lynn LP12, YBA 1000 CD and pre-amp, YBA 600 power amp and B&W602D. All interconnects and speaker leads are MIT SG1.

Thinking of upgrading my speakers to the Scala Utopia but my mates tell me the Maestros are better. I should be getting a demo version soon.

It is worth it? Will the YBA PASSION 600 POWER AMP be enough to drive the maestros?

BW
Paris
Hi Focal Owners,

I was recently introduced to the stillpoints range under my maestros. The differences with them in position is quite profound. Overall, they are faster with superior resolution across all the frequencies. They are a must have IMO.
Thanks guys. These really are in quite a different league to the scala. My analogy would be going from playing piano on an upright and going to a grand.
Listening to cellos and basses, you get a very full bodied timbre. Piano has a weight to it.
Looking forward to when they break in properly.

Lovely.
congrats on new toy. it can do not only musicality- feed them accordingly with proper amplification and music material and they will blow your socks of as well :-)
Hi Guys,

I ended up buying the Maestro and what a speaker it is. Arrived today and already sounds out of this world! Humongous soundstage and incredibly musical.
It is easy to see why you love your Scala --- a brilliant stand out speaker amongst the ones i heard over the last few years in its price.
I can only add to Elviukai`s comments by suggesting you do a trial in your room and with your amp if you can. I remember hearing a dealer making the same comment about Maestro regarding the room (and the amp)
Maestro is not a picnic for most amps(somehow with amps which can not deliver huge amount of curent in lower load speaker sound muddy,undynamyc and slow, with right amp they "breathe" and fill room energeticaly with sound- not just making sound liek soem tiny speakers. its sounds HUGE) with Maestro you will nee find proper placement to prevent it sounding "boxy" another solution is to moove listening distance closer than 4.5-5meter to 3-3.5 meters. in some room which have overal uper bass boost its quite dificult to make it sound neutral. but almost always slight warmth are better than lean spizzy sound.
Hi Elviukai,

This does help immensely - thank you very much.

I do like my larger scale orchestral music, which was once of the main factors that was leading me to the Maestro. I also wanted more bass and so was considering adding a Rel G1 to my setup or going for Maestro.

I am using the Devialet, which is great with the Scala. I wrote to Devialet and they told me that a single Devialet will have no problems at all driving the Maestro and they have used the combination.

What is the optimal placement in room? Do they require acres of space behind them or are they difficult to get that 3D image working well?

Many thanks
I have compared directly side by side. it depends what are you looking from sound reproduction and what music you are litening. Scala suited for small scale music, it's polite in the bass, midrange slight recessed and sounds very crispy in hights (best sounds with jazz, opera, and some vocals which are recorder right- without added exciter and upped lower hights-easily provocated in sibilance)

Maestro sound diferently- more faster, more resolution in midrange, hights are more neutral, bass is MUCH punchier and more dynamyc. music soundstage and projection is majestic, grandiosic- in another words - huge. hight more neutral(if scala transaprent because oh hights, maestro is trapaprent because of midrange clarity) there is two posible problems with Maestro- 1) placement in room
2) amplifier (Maestro MUCH MUCH more dependable on amp then Scala, I have heard same Maestro in same room with very diferent results in dynamyc and bass with diferent amplifiers)

hope this helps