"I couldn't even afford speaker stands" - two renowned audiophile brands went head to head to launch the best elite hi-fi tower speaker.

Focal presents another floor speaker
Sonus faber presents a series of speakers, including a floor-standing speaker…
…and several more affordable options

As cross-country derbies unfold on fields across North America, a certain rivalry between France and Italy is taking center stage… or should that be a sound stage?

Sonus faber, from Italy, and Focal, from France, have lined up in the tunnel to bring out new floorstanding speakers; The overlapping times mean that it would be remiss not to show them at the same time. It really is like Italy vs France… if Italy had qualified.

These are all premium hi-fi offerings that are well out of reach of the average speaker buyer (I couldn’t even afford speaker stands), but one series at least has a more reasonable alternative.

The Focal Scala Utopia Evo M

The Focal Scala Utopia Evo M in a living room.

(Image credit: Focal)

Let’s start with the spokesperson of the country that managed to reach the World Cup: Focal. The brand’s new Scala Utopia Evo M looks quite similar to the Diva Alta Utopia we recently covered, but with a few design details (and without the Porsche-adjacent price tag).

Borrowed from the Diva is the company’s new Prism tweeter, along with a midrange driver and woofer, all packed into a curved package designed to balance dome pressures and prevent driver suspension.

Judging by the images in the press release, and the lack of information to the contrary, it appears that these are largely wireless units, as the Diva Alta was.

At $46,000 (around £34,700, AU$69,000), they’re much more affordable than the Diva Alta… but still quite expensive.

Sonus faber Olympica G3 series

The Sonus faber Olympica G3 inside a resplendent arch.

(Image credit: Sonus faber)

Now, the Italian rival. The Olympica G3 series actually has five models. Two are floorstanding (the III and V), but there’s also an in-wall model, a center channel option, and the Olympica I, a two-way bookshelf speaker that ensures there’s something more affordable for the rest of us.

They range in price from $30,000/£25,000 (approximately AU$50,000) per pair for the Olympica V, up to $13,000/£10,000 (approximately AU$20,000) for the Olympica I. So if you were to buy any of these speakers, it would be this relatively affordable one (even if it’s still far from cheap!).

Taking lessons from several other Sonus Faber speakers, the Olympica G3 has a custom midrange driver and honeycomb-inspired construction. The exact number of speakers depends on the mode: the two floor speakers and the center channel get three, while the bookshelf and in-wall speakers get two.