Focal Grande Utopia EM User manual

Grande utopiaTM EMTM
user manual

Summary
pages
Warning ! 4
Grande UtopiaTM EMTM 5
Installation 6
Connection 8
Adjustable focus time 10
Fine tuning 12
SPecificationS 25
Memo 26
International guarantee 29

Focal-JMlab,incorporated company with a capital of 527 000 euros, which registered office is situated in 108,
rue de l’Avenir, BP 374 42353 La Talaudière, registered at the RCS of St Etienne under the number 309 645
521 000 76.
The loudspeakers use a pure Beryllium inverted dome tweeter that extends the bandwidth at 40kHz.
Because of the Beryllium potential dangerousness, the material that constitutes the tweeter, some safety instructions
described below must be followed by the user of the loudspeakers in order to avoid any risk of this material absorption.
However, the risks are extremely limited in its solid form, as the product dangerousness is linked to the inhalation, absorption
or contact of vapours or micro-particles.
1. Safety instructions
The Beryllium dome must never be in contact with abrasive material.
You must avoid any contact with the skin or the eyes, any inhalation or ingestion of the whole or a part of the Beryllium
dome. The manufacturer underlines that the Beryllium absorption by respiratory, digestive tracts or skin can lead to serious
physical troubles, because of its high toxicity for man.
We then recommend to the loudspeaker users to carefully keep the tweeter protection grille in place. If the protection grille
is removed, the user will have to carefully replace this grille after use.
Generally speaking, children must be kept away from loudspeakers and especially from the Beryllium dome.
2. In case of dome damaging
If the Beryllium dome is damaged in any possible way, you must cover it as soon as possible on all its surface with the
supplied protection adhesive tape. We recommend that you contact the retailer so that a competent department will take
off and replace the tweeter.
If the dome is broken, the possible Beryllium particles must be carefully collected with the supplied protection adhesive tape
and then be placed in a hermetically sealed plastic bag. It will be sent with the loudspeaker to the retailer.
In case of absorption by skin, eye projection or in case of inhalation or ingestion of Beryllium, see a doctor.
3. End of life for loudspeakers - Information
At the end of the loudspeaker life, you must not throw this product in the environment, but you must take it to an adapted
recycling center.
For more information, please contact us directly to the following address:
[e-mail]
Warning
04

Thank you for choosing Focal loudspeakers. We are pleased to share with you our philosophy: “the Spirit of
Sound”. These high performance speakers feature the latest technical developments from Focal in terms of
speaker design, whether it is for high fidelity or home theater systems. In order to (make the most of these
speakers) enjoy the maximum of their performance, we advise you to read this user’s manual and to keep it
carefully so that you can consult it later.
The Focal-JMlab guarantee only applies if the enclosed guarantee card is returned to us within 10
days of purchase.
Running-in period
The drivers used in the loudspeaker are complex mechanical devices and require run-in period before they deliver their
best performance. They must get adapted to the tem-perature and humidity conditions of their environment. This breaking-
in period depends on the encountered conditions and can last several weeks. In order to shorten this period, we advise
you to let your loudspeakers operate for about twenty hours at medium level, playing standard musical programmes, but with
a large amount of bass.
Once the components of the loud-speakers are completely stabilized, it is possible to enjoy the real performance of your
loudspeakers.
User precautions
All the products are lacquered in order to offer a resistant cabinet surface and to make the upkeep easy.We recommend
the use of a dry cloth to dust your pair of loudspeakers. If the loudspeaker is stained, then use a damp cloth.
Never use any solvents, detergents, alcohol or corrosive products, scrappers or scouring powder to clean the surface of
the loudspeaker. Avoid placing the loudspeakers near a heat source.
GRAnde utopiaTM EMTM
Your Focal-JMlab product was developed and manufactured with high-quality materials and components which can be recycled and/or
reused. This symbol indicates that electrical and electronic equipment must be disposed of separately from normal garbage at the end of its
operational lifetime.Please dispose of this product by bringing it to your local collection point or recycling centre for such equipment. This will
help to protect the environment in which we all live. 05

INSTALLATION
06
Positioning
The loudspeakers have been engineered to deliver the most faithful sound reproduction, whether they are used for music
or home cinema. In order to enhance their performance, to guarantee a high quality of listening, sound image and tone
balance, it is important to note the following basic rules.
The listening area must be located at the summit of an equilateral triangle whose two other points of insertion
are determined by the position of each speaker. Nevertheless it is possible to modify these distances to find an ideal
compromise according to the particular disposition of the room (fig. A).
Each loudspeaker must be placed at the same height and on the same floor plan. The tweeter should be at the
same height as the listener’s ear, when the listener is in their usual listening area (fig. B).
Avoid placing the loudspeakers too close to the room’s corners or walls. This will induce some unwanted room
resonance and artificially increase bass response. On the contrary, if the bass level proves to be insufficient, it is possible
to move the speakers closer to the walls to adjust the bass level (fig. C).
Optimization
To please the perfectionists, we shall give an optimum positioning formula :if A is the distance from the woofer centre to
the closest wall (floor or wall), B the intermediate distance and C the longest distance (A<B<C), the relation B2=AC
determines the ideal position of the speakers (fig. D).
• Example 1:
The woofer centre is 60cm (24”) from the floor (B=60cm) (mini speaker on a foot), standing 50cm (20”) from
the back wall (A=50cm), the side wall will be ideally 72cm (28”) (C=B2 ⁄ A=72cm).
• Example 2:
The woofer centre is 30cm (12”) from the floor (column speaker) (A=30cm), 1m (39”) from the back wall (C=1m), the
clearance with respect to the side walls will be B=√AC=54.7cm (22”).
User instructions
The sound rendition of the loudspeaker strongly depends upon the listening room acoustics, the place of the loudspeakers
and the listening area. These factors can be modified in order to correct or enhance a desired effect.
Should the soundstage be im-precise or not centred, try to move the loudspeakers closer to each other.
Harsh or aggressive sound means that your listening room is probably too reflective. Try to use any absorbing materials
(such as tapestries, sofa, wall coverings, curtains…) combined with reflective materials to absorb or diffuse resonances.
Should the sound be “flat” or muffled, there are too many absorbing materials in the listening room. The sound
appears to be closed-in, with a narrow stereophonic image. Try to find a better compromise between absorbing and
reflective materials within your listening room.
Generally the wall to the rear of the speakers should be made up of reflective materials so that the sound image exhibits
satisfying volume and width. On the contrary the wall on the rear of the listener should be absorbing in order to avoid
reflections damaging the perception of the stereo soundstage. These reflections may limit the impression of depth of the
sound image. Furniture, such as bookshelves should ideally be placed along the side walls in order to diffuse sound waves
and to prevent some frequencies from being amplified, especially in vocal range (it removes “flutter echo”).

INSTALLATION
A
C
D
B
07
Note:
For rooms over 30m2, take the 11" as a reference and
not the 16" driver.

Connection
Power supply connection
Connect the power supply on the Grande Utopia EM.
Switch ON (Autopower mode). The power supply automatically switches on or off when an audio signal is
present or not.
Warning: Do not use without continuous current power supply.
Nom = Nominal (normal mode)
08
Power cord
Alimentation
DC terminal
Subwoofer level setting
ON/OFF switch

Connection
Mono-amplification
Use the supplied straps and connect the inputs as indicated.
Bi-wiring and bi-amplification
Do not use the straps. Connect each cable or each amplifier on the BASS and MAIN inputs.
09
To Bass Amplifier To Main Amplifier

0 6. 0
Remove the handle from the inferior midrange compartment.
Insert the handle in its location.
Warning: Never use force on the handle when it’s beyond the adjustment limits (from 0 to
12 turns).
Adjustable FocUS Time
10

5 m
1,59°
1,72°
9,15°
2 m
4,52°
4,63°
00.0
12.0
Counter
Counter
Adjustable focus time
The Adjustable Focus Time permits to very precisely adjust the “Sweet Spot” (optimal listening point) according
to the distance. Always similarly adjust the Adjustable Focus Time on the 2 loudspeakers thanks to the counters
(fig F).
Adjust the Focus Time turns with the handle according to the listening distance (see table above).
11

Fine Tuning
Rotary switch of the EM power supply
in nominal positon.
12
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
23510 20 30 50 100 200 3k 5k 10k 20k 40kHz
Sub-bass section: power supply setting
Sub-bass section: quality factor setting
2
0
-2
-4
-6
23510 20 30 50 100 200 300 5k 10k 40kHz
20k
OPC + setings
Bass section: level settings
2
0
-2
-4
-6
2010 30 50 100 200 300 500 1k 2k 3k 5k 10k 40kHz
20k

Fine Tuning
13
2
0
-2
-4
-6
20 30 50 100 200 300 500 1k 2k 3k 5k 10k 40kHz 20k
2
0
-2
-4
-6
20 30 50 100 200 300 500 1k 2k 3k 5k 10k 40kHz 20k
2
0
-2
-4
-6
20 30 50 100 200 300 500 1k 2k 3k 5k 10k 40kHz
20k
Midrange section: slope settings
Tweeter section: slope settings
Tweeter section: level settings

Fine Tuning
14
The global speaker: linear nominal response
Rotary switch of the EM power supply
in nominal positon.
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
2010 30 50 100 200 300 500 1k 2k 3k 5k 10k 40kHz
20k
Linear setting for ideal conditions:
- Slightly absorbing room with light curtains, few windows, wooden floor with a
thick carpet between loudspeakers and listener, some plants, a fabric sofa (or
maybe leather with extra fabric seats).
- Neutral electronics, sounding neither too clear nor too muffled.
Response with all the settings in nominal position.

Fine Tuning
15
Rotary switch of the EM power supply.
Setting for:
- A room with excellent acoustics (as in previous page) but with large or very
large dimensions.
- Electronics lacking bass.
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
20
10 30 50 100 200 300 500 1 k 2 k 3 k 5 k 10 k 40 kHz
20 k
position 3
position 4
Obtained response in positions 3 and 4.
Sub-bass section: power supply setting

Fine Tuning
16
Rotary switch of the EM power supply.
Setting for:
- A room with excellent acoustics (as in previous page) but with small or average
dimensions.
- A loudspeaker placed too close from an angle or a wall.
- Electronics which pushes up the bass.
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
20
10 30 50 100 200 300 500 1 k 2 k 3 k 5 k 10 k 40 kHz
20 k
position 1
position 2
Obtained response in positions 1 and 2.
Sub-bass section: power supply setting

Fine Tuning
17
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
2010 30 50 100 200 300 500 1k 2k 3k 5k 10k 40kHz
20k
position 3
Setting for:
- Normal room, but with the sub-bass band recessed due to cancelling standing
waves.
- Plaster plate walls, absorbing the sub-bass band.
- Electronics sounding recessed in the LF band.
Sub-bass section: quality factor setting (damping factor)
Obtained response in position 3.

Fine Tuning
18
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
2010 30 50 100 200 300 500 1k 2k 3k 5k 10k 40kHz
20k
position 1
Setting for:
- Normal room, hard walls (concrete, stone, ...).
- Electronics which excessively pushes up the sub-bass band.
- Cable sounding plain in the LF band.
Obtained response in position 1.
Sub-bass section: quality factor setting (damping factor)

Fine Tuning
19
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
20
10 30 50 100 200 300 500 1k 2k 3k 5k 10k 40kHz
20k
position 3
Setting for:
- Normal room, floating parquet floor absorbing high-bass/low-midrange
band.
- Electronics or cables which deepen the low-midrange band.
Bass section: level settings
Obtained response in position 3.

Fine Tuning
20
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
20
10 30 50 100 200 300 500 1k 2k 3k 5k 10k 40kHz
20k
position 1
Setting for:
- Normal room, hard walls, resonance that increases the low-midrange band.
- Electronics forward in the low-midrange band.
- Cables which push up the low-midrange band.
Bass section: level settings
Obtained response in position 1.