Audiophilepure

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1092-focal-scala-utopia-evo-loudspeakers

During my listening tests, I found that several subtle nuances distinguished each speaker’s sound signature, but the two characteristics that most differentiated the Scala Evo and 7F were bass reproduction and cohesiveness of sound. The Scala Evos consistently revealed punchier, weightier, and richer bass notes with greater volume and impact, despite the use of only one 10 5/8″ driver per speaker compared to the 7F’s twin 8 1/2″ drivers. This made the Scala Evos unequivocally more fun to listen to, particularly at low-to-medium volume levels. But—and this is a big but—the bass note delivery through the 7Fs was unfailingly more resolved, tuneful, and deeper when called for, and it ultimately felt as if this part of the frequency range was communicated through a clearer lens with the Paradigms. To give an example, after queuing up Boz Scaggs’s 2001 album, Dig (16/44.1 FLAC, Virgin), and focusing on the deep and rhythmic bassline on “Thanks to You,” I found that the Paradigms cleanly laid bare all of the bass notes contained within this track, whereas the Focals rolled them off more quickly and at times failed to illustrate the deepest notes altogether. In terms of resolution, the bassline through the Scala Evos was less articulately defined.

There’s a phrase used in audio; the ‘mug’s eyeful’. It summons up images of products that look like a bargain, but any notions of quality quickly stop at the word ‘look’. The Dynaudio Emit 30 is the absolute opposite of a mug’s eyeful; it offers superb value coupled with outstanding performance. They are every millimetre a Dynaudio loudspeaker, with the family sound and a deep, pounding bass that matches perfectly with the rooms in which such a loudspeaker will live. It’s a sophisticated design that cuts few corners to achieve that low price. Not only is it a good speaker, the Dynaudio Emit 30 throws down a gauntlet to other brands; if Dynaudio can do something like the Emit 30, why the **** can’t you?

The Trio15 Coax10 does not accomplish the full range, single point source sound signature perfectly. It obviously cannot, as there are two huge 15” woofers flanking the 10” driver. The ear perceives this, especially when bass-infused music is heard. However, this is not a problem, except for those who are willing to eschew lower frequencies in search of a perfect point source sound. You simply cannot have it both ways; the closest you can come is with a speaker like the Tannoy Glenair, which I reviewed back in 2008. But like the Glenair, with the Horn1 you are making a more difficult match of the 1.4” polymer tweeter to the 15” woofer. It works, and to many persons’ ears is a splendid result. But, by necessity, it leaves some room for improvement in the midrange and mid-bass, and that is where the Coax10 shines.

One of my system-building principles is that unless absolutely necessary, I will not be without deep bass, and ideally not without LF, i.e. lower than 20Hz from high-resolution audio files. I see those frequencies as necessary to grasping the extent of the performance. If it is a choice between having the pure point source with only a 10” driver or the PAP design with assistance from the 15” drivers, I will opt for the presence of the 15” drivers, because elimination of the bigger drivers forfeits not only the reproduction of those low frequencies, but also the potential for the tactile sense created by deeper and stronger bass. I do not wish to have a large set of forward firing open-air headphones, but a speaker system!

The LSA Signature 50 Speakers

There’s a cost to play because Underwood HiFi isn’t Amazon, Best Buy, or Nordstrom. If you don’t like the Signatures enough to keep them, there’s a 15% restocking fee. And you’ll have to pay to ship 50 pounds back. But remember, experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want, and everyone has to keep the lights on.

If the description of the LSA 50 Signatures ticks your boxes, you probably won’t want to send them back. That said, these are worth rolling the dice for. Should your system grow beyond the roots you plant with the LSA 50 Signatures, you’ll probably keep them for a second system or to pass on to your kids or a friend about to start their audio journey. They are that good.