FOCAL STELLA UTOPIA EM EVO Loudspeakers User Manual
- June 5, 2024
- FOCAL
Table of Contents
FOCAL STELLA UTOPIA EM EVO Loudspeakers
Thank you for purchasing a Focal product. Welcome to our High-Fidelity world. Innovation, tradition, excellence and pleasure are our values; our one and only aim is to bring you a sound that is rich, pure and true. To get the most out of your product, we recommend that you read the instructions in this booklet, then store it in a safe place to refer to in the future.
INSTRUCTIONS
The exclamation mark represented in an equilateral triangle is intended to alert users to the existence of important instructions in the user manual relating to the use and maintenance of the device.
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Read these instructions.
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Keep these instructions.
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Take the warnings into consideration
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Follow all the instructions.
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Do not use this device around water.
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Only clean with a dry cloth.
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Keep the loudspeakers away from sources of heat, such as radiators, stoves, heat register or any other devices which give off heat (including amplifiers).
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Only use fixing devices, stands, tripods, supports or tables recommended by the manufacturer or those supplied with the product. If using a trolley or cart, pay particular attention when moving the equipment to avoid any risk of damage or injury.
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All maintenance must be carried out by a qualified professional. Maintenance is necessary if any damage has been caused to the device, damage due to liquid spilt on the device or objects inserted into the device, exposure to rain or humidity, a malfunction or physical damage.
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Do not use accessories not recommended by the manufacturer to prevent any risk of damage or injury.
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Never insert an object into the vents on the device. It may come into contact with high-voltage components or cause a short circuit which may lead to fire or electric shock. Never get liquid on the device.
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Never try to repair this device yourself; opening the device may expose you to high-voltages and other risks. For any maintenance
or repairs, contact a qualified professional. -
When it’s necessary to replace components, make sure the technician uses the components specified by the manufacturer or ones which have exactly the same characteristics as the original. Components which aren’t compliant may cause a fire, an electric shock or other accidents.
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After any repairs or an intervention on the device, ask the technician to test the equipment
in order to check that the product works correctly and is safe. -
The device must not be mounted to a wall or ceiling unless intended by the manufacturer.
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In order to avoid damaging your hearing, do not listen to speakers at high volumes for extended periods of time.
Listening to speakers at high volumes can cause damage to the user’s ears and may lead to hearing problems (temporary or permanent deafness, buzzing in the ears, tinnitus, hyperacusis).
Exposure to excessive volumes (over 85dB) for more than one hour can cause irreparable damage to your hearing. -
Your loudspeakers use a tweeter with an inverted dome made from pure beryllium, a substance that is harmless in solid form. However, given its nature, certain precautions should be taken to avoid exposure to unnecessary risks:
- The beryllium dome must never come into contact with abrasive materials.
- If the beryllium dome is damaged in any way, use the protective adhesive strip supplied to cover the entire surface area of the dome, as soon as possible. You will find the adhesive strip in the plastic packet containing the leaflet for the tweeter with an inverted dome made from pure beryllium. Contact the retailer to have the tweeter dismantled and replaced by trained personnel at the distributor.
- If the dome is broken, any beryllium particles should be carefully collected using sticky tape and then placed in a hermetically sealed plastic bag and sent back to the retailer along with the loudspeaker. For more information, please refer to the safe use manual in the box.
You can also address your questions directly to: [email protected]
Installation
- Type: 3-way, floor standing bass-reflex loudspeaker
- Drivers: Electro-Magnetic 13″ (33cm) ‘W’ woofer 2 Power Flower 61/2″ (16.5cm) ‘W’ midrange drivers with TMD suspension and NIC magnet IAL2 pure Beryllium inverted dome 1″ (27mm) tweeter
- Frequency response: (±3dB) 22Hz – 40kHz
- Low frequency point: (-6dB) 18Hz
- Sensitivity: (2.83V/1m) 94dB
- Nominal impedance: 8 Ohms
- Minimum impedance: 2.8 Ohms
- Recommended amplifier power: 100 – 1,000W
- Filtering frequencies: 230Hz / 2,200Hz
- Dimensions (HxWxD): 611/3×213/4×3211/16″
- Net weight: 374lbs
Connection
Settings
Connections
Stella Utopia EM Evo connectors provide reliable, multi-purpose contacts for stripped cables (up to 3.5mm diameter), spade terminals or banana connectors. It is imperative to respect the connector polarity of both the loudspeaker and the amplifier. The connector marked “+” must be connected to the positive output on the amplifier and the connector marked “-” must be connected to the negative terminal (fig. A). Stereo image and bass perception will be seriously compromised if these conditions are not respected. Choose good quality cables with a cross-section appropriate to their length: your retailer will be able to advise you. Stella Utopia EM Evo can be connected via mono-amping, in which case, the “straps” provided should be connected as indicated (fig. B), or via bi-wiring/bi-amplification, in which case, the “straps” should be removed, and each cable or amplifier should be connected to the BASS and MAIN inputs as indicated (fig. C).
Power supply connection
Connect the power supply on the Stella Utopia EM Evo. with the supplied
cables.
Switch ON (Auto power mode). The power supply automatically switches on or off
when an audio signal is present or not.
Warning: Do not use the loudspeakers without the EM power supply. Unplug
the EM power supply only after switching it OFF.
Positioning
These loudspeakers have been designed to deliver the most faithful reproduction of all kinds of music or Home Cinema programmes. Nonetheless, we recommend following these simple rules to optimize their performance and to guarantee good tonal balance and a realistic sound image. The loudspeakers should be positioned symmetrically, facing the listening area, ideally forming an equilateral triangle with it. However, these distances may be adjusted to find the ideal compromise according to the design of your interior (fig. D). The loudspeakers should be positioned at the same height, in the same horizontal plane. Ideally, the tweeter should be positioned at the same height as the listener’s ears in the usual listening position (fig. E). Do not position your loudspeakers too close to a corner of the room and do not place them too close to a wall. This will induce some unwanted room resonance and artificially increase bass response. On the other hand, if the bass level is considered to be insufficient, you could try moving the loudspeakers nearer a wall to re-balance it (fig. F).
Optimization
For perfectionists, here is a formula for optimal positioning:
If A is the distance from the center of the woofer to the nearest floor or wall, B is the distance to the next closest floor or wall, and C is the greatest distance (A < B < C), the equation B² = AC defines the ideal loudspeaker position.
- Example:
If the center of the woofer is 20″ (50cm) away from the rear wall (A) and 24″ (60cm) above the floor (B), then the side wall will be ideally 28″ (72cm) away [C = B² ⁄ A = 28″ (72cm)] (fig. G).
Recommendations for use
The behavior of the loudspeakers depends on the acoustics of the listening
room, on the correct positioning of the loudspeakers within the room, and on
the position of the listener. It is possible to tweak each of these parameters
to obtain or improve a desired effect.
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Stereo perception is imprecise and poorly centered: try moving the loudspeakers closer together and/or have them facing the listening point.
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The sound is harsh, aggressive: the acoustics of your listening room are probably too reverberant. Consider using sound-absorbing
materials (carpets, upholstered furniture, tapestries, curtains, etc.) and sound-reflecting materials (furniture) to absorb or diffuse resonance. -
The sound is “flat”, strangled: there are too many sound-absorbing materials in the room, the sound is soaked up, it has no relief. Look for the best compromise between sound-absorbing and sound-reflecting materials in your room. In general, aim to have a reflective wall behind the loudspeakers for the sound to develop correctly. The wall behind the listening area, on the other hand, should ideally be sound-absorbing to avoid rear reflections “contaminating” the stereo image. Furniture can be judiciously placed near the side walls of the room to diffuse sound waves and ensure certain frequency ranges are not excited, particularly in the midrange (suppression of flutter echoes).
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Spikes
Stella Utopia EM Evo floor standing loudspeakers are equipped with decoupling spikes. These spikes give the floor standing loudspeakers very good stability, particularly on uneven floors. The height of the spikes supplied can be adjusted to ensure that the 4 spikes rest evenly on the floor to prevent any wobbling. We advise that you place the counter spikes supplied between the floor and the spikes in order to not scratch your tiles or wood flooring. The counter spikes are magnetic, making them extremely easy to put in place. Lift the loudspeaker (fig. H), making sure to keep the blue protective foam on the base. Then, bring the counter spikes towards the spikes. The magnetic force will pull the counter spikes into place on the decoupling spikes. -
Break-in period
The speaker drivers used in Stella Utopia EM Evo loudspeakers are complex mechanical components, which require a certain time to adapt in order to operate at their best and to become acclimatized to the temperature and humidity of the listening environment. This break-in period varies depending on the climate and may last a few weeks. To reduce the break-in period, we recommend operating the loudspeakers for approximately twenty consecutive hours. Once the loudspeakers’ characteristics have totally stabilized, you will be able to enjoy your Stella Utopia EM Evo loudspeakers’ performance to the full. -
Opening the trap door
Gently push at the base of the drawer compartment of the low midrange driver until the trap door tips over (fig. K). -
Special precautions
The only maintenance required for the Stella Utopia EM Evo loudspeakers is dusting with a dry cloth. If the loudspeaker becomes dirty, we recommend simply cleaning it with a damp cloth. Never use solvents, detergents, alcohol- based or corrosive products, scrapers or scourers to clean the surface of a loudspeaker. Keep the loudspeakers away from sources of heat. -
Choosing the right amplifier
It is not an excess of amplifier power that can damage your loudspeakers and speaker drivers but a lack of power. Moreover, if the volume is turned up too high, the amplifier saturates and generates parasite signals that may damage the tweeter. The dynamic capacity and definition of Stella Utopia EM Evo loudspeakers are sufficient to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of whatever amplifier is connected. Your retailer will be able to help you choose the amplifier best suited to your tastes and budget. -
Conditions of guarantee
All Focal loudspeakers are covered by warranty drawn up by the official Focal distributor in your country. Your distributor can provide all details concerning the conditions of warranty. Warranty cover extends at least to that granted by the legal warranty in force in the country where the original purchase invoice was issued.
Settings
Power Supply Setting
Adjustment obtained in positions 1: reduced bass Settings 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.
Quality Factor Setting
Adjustment obtained in positions 2: enhanced bass Settings for:
- A room with excellent acoustics (as in previous page) but with large or very large dimensions.
- Electronics lacking bass.
Level Settings
Adjustment obtained in position 1: reduced Bass Settings for:
- Normal rooms with hard walls.
- Electronics which push up the Sub-Bass.
- Cables which add bass.
Slope Settings
Adjustments in position 1: reduced mid-range Settings for:
- Normal rooms, with little overall damping: concrete/brick walls, large windows, floor without rugs.
- Electronics which tend to peak in the mid-range.
Level Settings
Adjustment obtained with all the jumpers in position 2 :
The ideal setting in the ideal conditions (linear frequency response curve –
see diagram p.48):
- Rooms with moderate damping with thin curtains, few windows, wood flooring with a thick rug between the loudspeakers and the listener, a few plants, a sofa with fabric upholstery (possibly leather, with additional seats with fabric upholstery).
- Neutral electronics, sounding neither too bright, nor too muffled.
Tweeter Level Adjustment
Adjustments in position 1: reduced treble Settings for:
- Rooms with little damping, windows with thin curtains.
- Bright-sounding electronics.
- Bright-sounding cables.
Correct Elimination of This Product
This marking indicates that within the EU this product should not be disposed
of with other household wastes. To prevent any risk to the environment or
human health, please recycle them responsibly to encourage the reuse of
material resources. To return your used device, please use the return and
collection systems available, or contact the retailer where you purchased the
product. They can recycle this product safely.
References
- Top-of-the-range speakers and hi-fi equipment | Focal
- Extension de garantie | Focal
- Se connecter à focal-naim