Focal Utopia Scala V2 or Persona (9H/7F)

Well, the guy above never responded and it really doesn't matter anyway, nothing Focal can do to the Scala is going to make it a Maestro - which is the big jump in performance.  If you are going to get the Focal, what you're thinking is correct - you pick up a V2 on a steep discount which is going to be a way better buy versus the EVO which will cost 20% more MSRP versus the V2 and be unlikely to be offered at any significant discount since it sill be brand new.  Plus the V2 as is is an excellent speaker so its not like you're not going to be very happy with the choice.

I agree.

What do you all think about the SASHA 2's being added into the equation??

Plus my listening room is on the smaller side, 12’ x16’ with 8’ ceilings. My room is heavily treated as a result with absorption on the side wall reflections, rear walls. Deflection behind the listening position and bass traps in the corners. Carpet on the floors. Haven’t had a chance to do anything with the ceilings yet aside from bass traps in the upper corners. I can listen at fairly loud levels. I am also planning on auditioning the Wilson Sasha 2’s as they are available here. Focals Scala V2's  I listened to while on a trip out east and liked them very much. They were in a larger room and were quite a bit brighter than my current C4’s. I worry they may be to bright with the Be tweeter in my smaller room and worry about the bass as well. Hence my interest and hesitation in the Persona with Be tweeter and Mid-range plus ARC room tuning tech. My concern is the added cost for this technology, class D amps,  over perhaps non amplified 3 way speakers. I have heard the Persona 3F and they were OK but again on the brighter side of the spectrum. No chance to audition their 7F or 9H and hence my hesitation. I guess the other small concern is re-sale if ever I get the bug (lol)  to change down the road. I am hopeful the Sasha 2’s sound great with the music I enjoy...... Anyone with experience in smaller rooms with Sasha's 2's please chime in. My listening is mostly at moderate levels and mostly, Jazz, Blues, Contemporary, easy listening. Not much rock or orchestral. I listen to Flacs thru my DA2. Cabling is Siltech.

If the reason you’re considering anything other than the Scala V2 is that they might be bright, I wouldn’t sweat it much - there’s a jumper on the base in the back that shelves treble down slightly if you have any issues. I’m really sensitive to treble and that took away the brightness. Same option on bass if you need it. It’s a great feature that Focal has included on all of their current Utopia models that almost completely reduces the risk of the speaker not working in a room.

In 50+  years of this game, I never heard a French speaker I didn't like .

Your room is way too small for almost all of these speakers. The Personas 9H might work due to the room correction of the speaker and their ability to tune out bass nodes and standing waves. 

The Persona 3F are similar the 9H, in many ways, the 9H do indeed sound better, the biggest issue with the Personas is setup many dealers are not up to the task of showcasing a speaker system with this kind of resolution. 

As per the Focals sounding bright they are a bright speaker it is only with setup that speakers with high resolution tweeters Personas, Focals, etc will sound good, the Dynaudios are a much more laid back sound without the incredible clarity that the Focals or Personas have so they are much less likely to overwelm a listener with too much treble information.

The Wilson Sashas are a bit over blown in the bass and will probably sound very boomy in that size room.

What you need is either a smaller reference speaker that won't overload the room or some kind of room tuning either in the speaker or external.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ