I've heard the Utopias in a shop and thought they were superb and powerful, but I ended up buying the Altos because of the beryllium tweeter. I think the older line Utopia series is excellent. I've also heard the Mezzos, but the new series is really something special. I think the Utopias might be the ticket in a larger room where more bass is needed. I think the Altos are the choice in a smaller space. it's a tough call. it really depends on your sonic preferences and musical choices as well as amplification, sources and cables. I recently upgraded the power cables on my amps and sources to Purist Dominus and the supposed deficiencies on bass response with the Altos simply went away. Now I have more than enough bass, so I'd be careful about making too many judgements on the Altos until the rest of the chain in the system is complete.