Focal, Naim Acquired

Interesting.. Hope they will keep production in France..

Why would anybody buy these 2 companies, they must not have heard their terrible sounding divas or their new mezza speakers! Or maybe they have and they want to reengineer them for better sound. Yes yes I’ve heard both, and yes, if they cost $10k, I would still walk away. 
 

The only focal speakers that sound pretty good are the expensive Utopia’s, the smaller models have no low end, to shrill sounding IMO.

I would never look at Naim gear if buying audio equipment. 
 

If you want a very good sounding active speaker system that betters the focal/naim pieces, the Kef LS60’s blow them away for $6k. For a few bucks more than the Mezza’s, check out the YG Vantage Live system for $75k blows away speakers that cost 3-5x as much. These were the best of show at the Tampa Audio show hands down and cost peanuts compared to some of the other rooms that sounded worse.

Barco makes very good commercial projectors for movie theaters . I use a Barco in one of my theaters . The sound system in that theater cost , roughly , 3x the cost of the $90K projector . Barco has a fast growing installation business and this may give them the opportunity for a Barco/Naim/Focal package . I know this will not be at the top of the audio food chain but have you listened to most movie theater sound systems and what most people are listening to in their homes ? I have 10 movie auditoriums and a high end A/V retail affiliate with a complete MBL Reference system on display and another MBL X-treme speaker in my home . I have a good idea of what average people , i.e. , non-audiophiles , are listening to and , more importantly , what they are willing to pay for it . At about 1X revenue , this seems to be a very good acquisition for Barco if they can integrate their video and new audio business into a cost effective package for home and commercial applications .

As an owner of Focal Stella Utopias I’ve always felt that Naim and Focal were unhappy bedfellows. They exist in different sectors of the market and offer completely different presentations; driving Focal Utopias with Naim amplification never gave good results, the amps simply aren’t playing at the same level as the speakers, sounding dry and thin compared to what they are truly capable of.

If you want to get the best out of Focal Utopias you need to use Boulder amplification in order to create the rich, majestic textures coupled to the killer bass drive both are known for. A focal / boulder system can be summarised as ’sex and violence’, combining perfect timbre, exquisite delicacy and terrific slam.

A naim / focal system is thin gruel by comparison.

Edit: a previous poster recommended YG.

Personally i would never buy from an Israeli company for ethical reasons.