Dynaudio vs Focal

HAving heard both lines though not in a/b comparison, I suspect they both can deliver top notch sound when set up properly in the right room. I like both very much and could probably live with either. Personal preference and synergy with the rest of the system will likely be the key determining factors in deciding between the two.

I think of Focal sound in a similar vein as their French brethren Triangle line, call it the "French" sound, very fast, detailed, and with a tonal balance perhaps slightly more tipped towards the high end.

The Dynaudio sound is articulate and well integrated top to bottom and the tonal balance more towards the warm side.

I am not convinced that Focal is as inherently articulate in teh bass as Dynaudio in general, but I could be wrong there.

per mapman and elvukai, i've gotta believe the focals can be top performers when paired with the right room and equipment. what was odd about my hearing of the maestros was that they were being driven by a monstrous megabuck (500w?) rowland amp in a dedicated, treated listening room--this wasn't like hearing something driven by a $300 avr at best buy. i do think that there are probably other great speakers in the same class, say revel salon or vandersteen 7, which are easier to drive and place. in any event, if you're gonna drop this kind of dough, you'll want to get an in-home, no-risk trial to make sure your choice will work for your particular setup.

Thanks to all for the feedback so far!
Elviukai, I would really like your feedback on my last post. I have no idea of how to email anyone anymore on this site.

"I have no idea of how to email anyone anymore on this site.”

Me too. Is that function still available?

I listened to the FOCAL UTOPIA and agree that is it tremendously detailed in harmonic structure and fast. But, it is somewhat poorly integrated in the drivers to my ear. What I mean by that is you hear sound coming from "there" in a source that is MONO to one channel or the other. The voice doesn't blend across the speaker so it sounds like a person standing there, but eminates out of a "spot" from "within" the speaker. The bass just doesn't go deep solidly enough. The speaker, or the room, had a persistent mid bass hump that wore me out after a few hours, though. That may not be the speakers fault. I didn't hear that hump with other speakers in that same room, though. Oh, I used a CD I listen to frequently at home. The C4's with subs (still 1/5 the price) go WAY deeper and have a more integrated sound.

Still, the UTOPIA ($100,00.00!) did a lot right. Guitars were the best I've ever heard. Mid range holographic imaging was spot-on and textured ever so well front to back. Here they were better than my C4's (hey, you get something for 5 times the price!). This was far from a bad sounding speaker. But, that darn sound to what you pay equation gets really tough at $100,000.00 and makes comments that it was fatiging and didn't go deep powerfully enough and had mono channel driver integration issues tough to ignore. Still, the general balance of the sound is what I like to hear, fast, detailed and rich. I just wish it sounded like more ONE driver in mono to one channel mix. I didn't notice that in "stereo" mixed information at all, though.

The tweeter was brighter, but no unacceptable and well within "taste". It was a "harder" detailed sound, though. I tend to like that more than a slower sounding trble so that aspect of this speaker probably would not be an issue for me. Bass depth and the driver integration would be, though. The bass linearity hump is too hard to call as it might be the room. OK, it's ALWAYS a lot the room.