Firstly they collected the “Best Home Theatre Speaker System $2,500 – $5,000 “at the “Sound & Image Magazine” awards. Not bad for a speaker pack that sells for $2,995, although we were hardly surprised. This is a great package, and one of the very few examples of a Home Theatre speaker rig that looks as good as it sounds.

During the same month the Utopia Diablo picked up the award for the European Hi-End loudspeaker of the Year at the prestigious EISA (European Sound and Imaging Association) awards. Again a great result considering that this speaker sells for $16,999 (plus stands) a pair here in Australia. These may not be the cheapest speakers on the market, but they are certainly inexpensive compared to the money that can be spent on Hi-End speakers.

Plus UK based magazine Hi-Fi News published a glowing review on the (yet to be released in Australia) Maestro Utopia.

2009 also marks 30 years for Focal, and to mark the occasion they have released an anniversary speaker, the Chorus 826W. While based on an existing model they have been considerably upgraded, and are an excellent sounding loudspeaker – performing well above what we would expect from a speaker costing $4,599 a pair.  This is due in part to the use of the exceptional ‘W’ cone Focal have developed for their more expensive lines of speakers.

This is a limited release, and Australia will only receive a total of 50 pair!