Note that this is a discontinued product. You may want to visit the brand's page here to browse their newer products.
What reviewers think
Bloggers and YouTubers have tried this product—so we've summarized their strongest opinions below. Links to full reviews follow.
What are hifi reviews useful for? (1) Identifying products you should demo in person at a dealer. (2) Learning which products reviewers unanimously praise as the best they've heard (this means they probably are legitimately great). (3) Identifying a product's attributes that satisfy your idiosyncratic needs and tastes. Beyond that, we often discount what reviewers say because they heap praise on most products—and are often apprehensive about publishing strong criticism or comparisons between products. Further, they seldom have more than a few products on-hand, often relying on their memories to compare past products. Always listen for yourself.
All
Sub Utopia EM
reviews
Video Review
Manufacturer details
Features
Specifications
- Product type: Filable passive subwoofer
- Loudspeakers: Electro-Magnetic 13" (33cm) "W" bass driver
- Response at -6dB (Low frequency point): 19 Hz
- Frequency response (+/- 3dB): 22 Hz - 500 Hz
- Height: 634 mm / 25.94 in
- Width: 483 mm / 19 in
- Depth: 622 mm / 24.5 in
- Weight: 72 kg / 158.5 lb
Description
The Sub Utopia EM Colour Evo subwoofer is the ultimate Utopia building block. It is the perfect complement to the Viva Utopia Colour Evo multi-channel loudspeaker, and matches all the other models in the range, both sonically and aesthetically. An excellent audio product for music lovers and those who aspire to perfect listening quality.
Release Timeline
Manufacturer Site
Brand highlights
Taking a step back to look at reviewers' thoughts of the brand's entire lineup—not just this product—what stands out most is the following:
- Focal monitors are noted for their "mid-forward" sound, guiding users toward balanced mixes, particularly in the midrange frequencies, which aids in crucial EQ and dynamics decisions.
- They integrate an inverted dome tweeter crafted from Aluminum/Magnesium or Beryllium, optimizing high-frequency dispersion and minimizing distortion through back wave absorption.
- Focal frequently employs flax or "W" composite sandwich cones in their mid-bass drivers, providing a lightweight yet rigid diaphragm construction that delivers exceptional definition and controlled bass.
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Theva
- Positioning: The entry-level series in Focal's high-fidelity lineup.
- Description: Features Focal's signature technologies like the TNF tweeter for clear treble. Compared to the Aria Evo X, offers a more budget-friendly option with simpler cabinet designs. While it lacks the advanced materials found in the Kanta series, still provides a solid performance for its price range, suitable for basic home audio setups.
Aria Evo X
- Positioning: Sits in the mid-range of Focal's lineup, offering a balance between performance and affordability.
- Description: Features flax cone technology, providing natural sound and excellent dynamics. More refined than Theva, offering better build quality and soundstage.
Kanta
- Positioning: A premium series, offering advanced technology and design.
- Description: Known for their innovative design and use of materials like the Flax sandwich cone and Beryllium tweeter, delivering precise and detailed sound. They offer a more sophisticated sound profile than Aria Evo X, with enhanced clarity and warmth.
Sopra
- Positioning: A high-end series, just below the flagship Utopia line, focusing on compactness and performance.
- Description: Excels in sound transparency and precision, featuring technologies like the Infinite Horn Loading system for improved treble. They offer a richer harmonic experience than Kanta.
Utopia III Evo
- Positioning: Focal's flagship series, representing the pinnacle of their speaker technology.
- Description: Renowned for their exceptional sound quality and luxurious design, incorporating technologies like the Beryllium tweeter and W composite sandwich cone. They surpass Sopra in every aspect, offering groundbreaking soundstage and detail, ideal for large dedicated listening rooms and those with no budget constraints.
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Avg. Product Price
$20,001-$30,000
Used For Sale
239
Available (Scroll Down)
Brand Popularity
10
of 900+
Badges
Top 50 Brand
Top 250 Brand
Products Listed
79
Founding Year
1979
Our take on the brand
Focal is a French hifi brand that makes their own drivers in-house, including their highly-regarded beryllium tweeters and unique slatefiber mid/bass drivers made from recycled carbon fiber. Their speakers and headphones feature distinctive technologies like their "W" sandwich cone design for optimal driver performance and Mimi Sound Personalization that adapts audio to individual hearing profiles.
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Focal
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What if you spend more?
McIntosh
PS1K
35000
35000
/
1
Reviews
Experience bass excellence with the McIntosh PS1K Powered Subwoofer. Expertly engineered with a passion for audio excellence, the PS1K enhances your home audio system by delivering deeper, more precise low frequencies. Design and construction of the PS1K subwoofer embodies a no-compromise approach. At its core are two 13" woofers (also referred to as drivers), equipped with powerful magnets. These drivers feature our proprietary Low Distortion High Performance (LD/HP®) Magnetic Circuit Design, which significantly reduces distortion while boosting power handling and efficiency.
McIntosh is one of the most iconic amplifier brands in the world, recognizable for its signature blue LED displays and distinctive industrial design. With a legacy spanning decades, McIntosh is known to many, even outside the audiophile community, and is sold in both mass-market retailers and specialized hifi stores. Their amplifiers are characterized by a warm, tube-like sound that enriches the midrange and smooths out the overall tonal balance.
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Our summary
Product Strengths
- Two 13" drivers feature McIntosh's proprietary Low Distortion High Performance (LD/HP®) Magnetic Circuit Design, which reduces distortion and improves power handling
- Powered by two 500-watt Class D amplifiers for a total of 1,000 watts of output
- Designed to complement McIntosh speakers, but can be used with any high-end system
- Features McIntosh's Power Guard and Sentry Monitor to protect against overloading and short circuits
- Bass is tight and clear for both music and movies, filling large spaces with ease
Product Considerations
- Sheer size limits practicality, except in extremely large rooms
Takeaway: The PS1K offers undeniable performance with tight and clear bass for both music and movies. With protections against overloading, it ensures reliable, long-term performance for any high-end system
Video review
Our take on the brand
McIntosh is one of the most iconic amplifier brands in the world, recognizable for its signature blue LED displays and distinctive industrial design. With a legacy spanning decades, McIntosh is known to many, even outside the audiophile community, and is sold in both mass-market retailers and specialized hifi stores. Their amplifiers are characterized by a warm, tube-like sound that enriches the midrange and smooths out the overall tonal balance.
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What competes at this price?
JL Audio
Gotham™ v2
25000
/
Released
The beauty of the Gotham® v2 extends well beyond its exotic design and exceptional craftsmanship, aiming right at the emotional core of musical and cinematic enjoyment. This is a subwoofer system with limits that exceed the needs of the typical home theater application, delivering a weight and integrity of reproduction that can only come from a system that is always in control. Its allure lies as much in its ability to convey subtleties as in its prodigious output capabilities. It is simply devastating.
JL Audio is a hifi brand known for its subwoofer technologies, including the Automatic Room Optimization system that minimizes room-induced bass peaks and the W-Cone unit-body cone-assembly for superior bass performance. The company manufactures many of its premium loudspeakers in the U.S. and includes advanced features like the CR-1 crossover for seamless integration between subwoofers and main speakers, while their VXi amplifiers use internal DSP for extensive sound customization.
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Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Delivers dynamic, detailed, and nuanced sound with incredible clarity and power
- Incorporates an Automatic Room Optimization (ARO) system to effectively remove room-induced bass response errors
- Impressive low-end extension, reaching down to 19Hz
Product Considerations
- Due to its huge weight (163 kg), placement requires careful consideration, and frequent relocation may not be feasible
- As a very large product, it is not recommended for smaller or medium-sized rooms
- To achieve ideal performance, it is necessary to pair it with speakers of the same power and category
Takeaway: The product provides exceptional clarity and powerful bass, making it a great choice for larger rooms where the best possible sound is desired. Its room optimization features also facilitate maximizing an audio setup.
Video review
Our take on the brand
JL Audio is a hifi brand known for its subwoofer technologies, including the Automatic Room Optimization system that minimizes room-induced bass peaks and the W-Cone unit-body cone-assembly for superior bass performance. The company manufactures many of its premium loudspeakers in the U.S. and includes advanced features like the CR-1 crossover for seamless integration between subwoofers and main speakers, while their VXi amplifiers use internal DSP for extensive sound customization.
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Wilson Audio
Submerge
29500
/
Released
2023
Found deep in the groves of your favorite LPs, and concealed in the soundtrack of the movies you can't wait to watch, is the critical low-frequency information that provides the the sense of space of the recorded music hall and the impact of the explosions the movie hero narrowly escapes. Submerge reveals the tension and sonic foundation below the surface of your audio experience.
Wilson Audio is often considered the quintessential American high-end hi-fi brand, a staple in premium audio dealerships across the country. Many reviewers use Wilson speakers in their own home systems, reflecting their reputation for outstanding dynamics, bass depth, and the ability to reproduce classical music with remarkable realism. Wilson focuses on creating an uncolored sound, aiming to replicate the experience of live, unamplified performances.
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Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Enhances room pressurization and provides a sense of the recording's space
- Adds texture to both low-frequency and mid-range sounds, significantly enhancing the listening experience
- Improves deep bass and addresses room-related issues
- Flexibility helps to recover low octaves, ensuring the subwoofer matches the measured response
Product Considerations
- High price point
- The unit is very heavy, weighing just over 115 kilos (250 pounds)
- Requires careful setup involving the crossover, gain, and phase/delay to achieve perfect time alignment
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Builds on the success of the smaller Wilson Audio LōKē Powered Subwoofer
- Includes the same proprietary driver found in the Wilson Audio Subsonic Subwoofer
- Features a built-in crossover inspired by the Wilson ActivXO crossover
- Bigger than the Loke, with a larger cabinet and woofer, and increased amplifier power from 500 to 1,600 watts
- The WATCH Dog has a split port with a divider, but in the Submerge, the split is pushed back to improve airflow and quieten the cabinet
Takeaway: The Wilson Audio Submerge provides a more immersive listening experience by adding depth, texture, and improved bass response, making it a worthwhile addition for high-end hifi systems, especially when paired with Wilson Audio speakers. Its ability to address room acoustics and provide a balanced soundstage makes it a valuable addition.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Wilson Audio is often considered the quintessential American high-end hi-fi brand, a staple in premium audio dealerships across the country. Many reviewers use Wilson speakers in their own home systems, reflecting their reputation for outstanding dynamics, bass depth, and the ability to reproduce classical music with remarkable realism. Wilson focuses on creating an uncolored sound, aiming to replicate the experience of live, unamplified performances.
Product Page
Product Page
YG Acoustics
Basis
26648
/
Released
Basis shatters the notion that soundstage-enriching, deep and authoritative sub-bass must come from a large cabinet. Basis performs with the precision of a scalpel and the power of a sledgehammer. As a true ultra-fidelity subwoofer, Basis has huge bandwidth.
YG Acoustics makes speakers with unique DualCoherent crossover technology that ensures both perfect frequency response and phase coherence, while their BilletCore drivers are machined from solid aluminum billets for enhanced precision. Their modular design allows users to upgrade and expand their systems over time, and they use proprietary software that optimizes both frequency and phase response, capabilities not commonly found in other hifi brands.
Expand Details
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Exceptional bass precision and control
- Features a powerful 6kW RMS amplifier
- Has a sophisticated DSP crossover system
- Achieves bass extension below 16Hz with virtually no distortion
- Has high-quality BilletCore driver technology
Product Considerations
- Premium price point
- Substantial weight (70kg) may require professional installation
Takeaway: The YG Acoustics Basis Subwoofer redefines bass performance with exceptional precision and control. The flexibility of the DSP crossover makes it easy to integrate into existing systems.
Video review
Our take on the brand
YG Acoustics makes speakers with unique DualCoherent crossover technology that ensures both perfect frequency response and phase coherence, while their BilletCore drivers are machined from solid aluminum billets for enhanced precision. Their modular design allows users to upgrade and expand their systems over time, and they use proprietary software that optimizes both frequency and phase response, capabilities not commonly found in other hifi brands.
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