At this year’s Festival of Sound (10am Friday 28th September – 5pm Sunday 30th September – Novotel London West, Hammersmith), Focal and Naim Audio will be offering visitors the chance to experience both in their room on the Mezzanine floor, by premiering its flagship 2-channel Hi-Fi system.  A UK first, Focal’s range-topping Grandé Utopia EVO 3 and Stella Utopia EVO 3 loudspeakers will be demonstrated to the public for the first time.  Driven by Naim Audio’s Statement NAC S1 and NAP S1 amplification paired with the company’s ND 555 reference network player, this system, which is valued at a cool £350,000, is a must listen for anyone attending the show.

The Festival of Sound also sees the UK exclusive launch of Focal’s Kanta No.3 and Kanta No.1 loudspeakers.  Completing the Kanta range, which was launched in 2017 with the arrival of the Kanta No.2, the Kanta No.3 is a 3-way floorstanding speaker system, utilising Focal’s Beryllium tweeter and Flax driver cone technologies.  For smaller rooms, the Kanta No.1 combines the same technology into a stand-mount design.

Amongst the Naim products on show will be the company’s latest range of network streamers, including the recently launched ND 555, NDX 2 and ND5 XS 2.   They feature a whole host of features such as high-res UPnPTM high-resolution streaming, AirPlay, Chromecast built-in, Bluetooth (aptX HD), Spotify Connect, TIDAL, Roon compatibility, vTuner internet radio and multiroom streaming as well as digital and USB inputs.

Elsewhere in the Naim and Focal room, visitors can look over the latest products from Naim’s Uniti range; the Uniti Atom, Uniti Star Uniti Nova and Uniti Core. All Uniti products bring  streaming to an accessible price bracket without any compromises in sound, functionality or connectivity.  Also on show will be the latest addition to the Naim Mu-so range – the Mu-so Special Edition.  Launched to celebrate four years of awards and 5-star reviews, the Mu-so Special Edition is available in an exclusive finish and limited to just two thousand units.

About the main system

Featuring the very latest Focal technology including Beryllium IAL2TM (Infinite Acoustic Loading) tweeters, TMD driver suspension, NIC (Neutral Inductance Circuit) magnet, MRR reinforced cabinet structure, ‘W’ constructed driver cones, Power Flower^TM driver magnet construction and extra-thick Gamma Structure^TM cabinet walls, the Grandé Utopia EVO 3’s Focus Time^TM tuning allows for 1,458 possible adjustments for total sound personalisation.  This means that it takes time to set up, which is not something that is possible every day, especially considering the immense weight of 265kgs – each!  Therefore, visitors will have this rare opportunity to hear these amazing speakers in their ultimate prime.

But this would all stand for nothing were the amplification driving them not up to the job, which is where Naim’s Statement NAC S1 and NAP S1 amplification comes in.  Delivering a hefty 746 Watts into 8ohms, the Naim Statement is not just about power.  It is the pinnacle of Naim’s 45-year history of designing and manufacturing some of the finest audio products in the world.  From earth-trembling organ bass notes up to the very subtle ambience of an auditorium, Statement puts you at the forefront of music reproduction.

Delivering the signal will be Naim’s recently-launched reference network audio player – the ND 555.  Offering a wealth of connectivity and compatibility options, the ND 555 can play anything from network-stored 24-bit high resolution audio files through to streamed music from Tidal, Spotify and Deazer.  However, were you to want to link your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone, it will happily play along.  All this can be controlled by the supplied remote control or a tablet – the choice is yours.

The entire system will be connected with Naim cable and connectors, whilst the electronics will be housed on Naim Fraim equipment racks.

Headphone users are also in for a treat, with Focal’s Utopia, Clear and Elear headphones available for demonstration in the headroom zone.

Focal/Naim will be exhibiting on the Mezzanine floor.