This is about the Focal Utopia TN51 tweeter....

It is hard to imagine not much I like this tweeter, in fact there is something insanely beautiful in this tweeter and from a certain perspective (narrow-certain) I like it even more then the HF of my Macondo.

I first was introduced to this tweeter in 1997 I believe. At that time I was driving Acura TL with horrible audio system and I decided to do something about it (it was my first and last parley in car audio). I got a hybrid amplifier from and bought Focal Utopia 165W set. The local guys put it all in and I have to tell you – it was quite good sound.

The lease on that Acura TL was over; I put the Focal Utopia set in a box and dump it to my storage. I decided do not modify audio on my next leased cars.  In ten year, playing with different solution for MiniMe I stumbled up the box with the Focal Utopia tweeter. I just for fun stick into the tweeter into my monitor and I was VERY surprised how wonderful it was. In fact for a couple month listening I almost dally pay attention that the tweeter does very interesting job and server it purpose superbly.

What attracts me in this tweeter? There are two factors.

First is dynamic. It is VERY surprising. The driver is 94dB sensitivity – sort of nothing special. However, I with my 109 sensitive Macondo feel absolutely no dynamic deficiency at HF when I listen the MiniMe with the Focal Utopia tweeter. There is only one know to me speaker that has low efficiency abut subjectively it does not impact me as a dynamic-restricted – it is Wilson Grand Slam/Alexandria. I have written before that dynamically the “biggest” Wilsons are sort of mystery of audio as they define the common rule of 94dB/sensitivity vs. the 94dB/auditable. Surprise, surprise but the “biggest” Wilsons use the same tweeter. I do not know if it is the absolutely the same model (visually they are the same) but they are certainly from the “same barrel”. The result is VERY attractive: the 93dB sensitive MiniMe sit next to the 109dB sensitive Macondo and I feel no Macondo advantage at HF in trim of dymick superiority. There are many aspects in HF that MiniMe can’t handle compare to Macondo but in the realms of subjective HF dymick the MiniMe with Focal Utopia tweeter hold its own VERY dignifying.

The second is the character of HF. Knowing well the sound of Wilsons Grand Slam and Alexandria I have to tell you that 75% of what I like in there is something that I today attribute to the Focal Utopia tweeter. The bigger Wilsons and MiniMe has that very special effect of “graining” sound. It is like you put a very fine artificial texture over the sound and this “texture” kind of increase the sharpness of the sonic presentation. It does not sound good, right? Right, but the key is HOW it done. Any artificial “super texture” shall be bad but the way in which the Focal Utopia tweeter doe it does not strike me as negative, quite in opposite.

Interesting that Focal uses that same tweeter in this Utopia and Grand Utopia like but in there the tweeter doe not sound as good as in the Wilsons or in MiniMe. I have no knowledge why, or a desire to investigate this subject.

The tweeter itself is in was ridicules and it is not something there I would expect an interesting sound might come from. It is a textured titanium inverted dome 49mm. It has neodymium ring magnet and the 20mm voice coil is dumped by ferrofluid. It has typical power handling of 15W with 150W of maximum. The dome is very interestingly suspended – in very long foam. I think this VERY long foam suspension and very interesting textured ripples on the dome were something that makes the tweeter to sound different.

Mind you: the sound of the Focal Utopia TN51 tweeter is not something that I would call “neutral” as it has no adaptable qualities. It has own character but that is VERY impressive character – for what I consider the Focal Utopia TN51 tweeter as a very much an exceptional driver.

A few months back a guy from Europe showed up at this site proposing to sell a set Vitavox K15/40 and Vitavox S2 drivers. I did not need them, I have my own stash, not one looks like needed us as well. In a couple months he reinstated that the drivers are still for sale. I did not need them but because I am perhaps an idiots who cannot pass this thing like this I extended to the guy an aggressive contra-offer, he accepted it....

Today I got the shipment from Denmark and decided to expect it. The S2 with the “narrow” horn was fine but the driver was something very different. I need to preface that I know Vitavox 15-inchers very well. I played extensively and own a few pairs of K15/40 and 151 drivers. I played with other Vitavox 15-inchers but decided do not keep them. The drivers I keep I consider the most interesting 15-inchers ever made sonically and I keep them for the times when I have room for my 45Hz bass horn. This new K15/40 from Holland was beyond my expectations and in the history of my drivers I will like to give to it like to the case with Struds, his own name – the Netherlandian K15/40.

I thought that was spoiled with my Vitavox 15-inchers but the Netherlandian opened a new definition of being spoiled. The Netherlandian came in original wooden box were it was sitting for 55 years. The driver is never use and the screen on the dust cap has even not dirt on it. The box itself is very cool thing as it made from a gyroscopic wood.  That keep the cone very dry and not saggy as most of the vintage drivers are is they are not installed in speakers.

I took it from the box and did what I usually do with all my bass drivers – I taped the cone, scratched it with my nail, listening how the driver will response. The sound the Netherlandian responseed with was the best bass I ever heard in my live in audio. It had that amassing tone of the Davidov cello – superbly crisp, superbly soft with smoked overtones and mysterious depth of harmonics reminding nothing else then the mysterious of Mona Lisa’s smile.  To scratched the Netherlandian driver and listen what it did with Sound was a completely separate esthetical pleasure… and this was what I did for a next hour. I sit on my couch, took a nice cigar, shut down my playback, hug the Netherlandian driver and spent a good hour of quality time, scratching the driver’s cone, listening how it response with own unique sound. The Netherlandian is not a transducer but it is in was a very fine musical instrument…

I so would like to put the Netherlandian in use sometimes…. Sometime it will happen…

be wrote:

Hi Herman. Did you hear the Scanspeak woofers like the 8565 or 8555 as a comparison? If you have, what do you think? Rgds. Erik

Romy the Cat wrote:

I met once the filed-coil version of KL-L405. The electromagnetic version was very poor sounding