Focal Scala or Diablos with subs?

Ok will wait for measurements, if there sharp dip at 150hz ther ewill be a bump in lower octave, I am quite sure about that (acoustical physisc)

So far better investment in sonic would be not second sub but placement and smoothing 150hz. Diablo is not watt puppies- those are the racers, some stereo subs( even not speaking about single sub) can not cacth them.

Of course better sub would not hurt either. :) But first and most matter-placement on room problems solving plan would be best.

About diablo placement on subs- you will get some vibrations from sub , sonic will suffer(imaging in first place) placement speakers on sub would be more benefit that harm only if sub works up to 120-150hz. Diablo have quite strong uppr bass so sub need to work only up to 60-70hz.

Has anyone experience with the Utopia series III (MKii) or Limited edition which has a redesigned crossover for the Hong Kong Market which were produced in limited quantities and better than the standard series?

You want to buy speakers which can give a wide and deep stage. But you use MF amp's ( I did demo's for MF and seold it many years. I owned a MF Nuvista)MF is a brand who are not good at 3d imaging. Brands like Pass labs are superior in 3d sound. MF are good in focus, but misses depth. Linn is also not so good in 3d imaging. 3 dimensional image is the most important and exiting property in highend audio.

If I were you I would try first to integrate your Diablo with your current sub before taking a final decision. Read this post for more info about sub integration:

SubWoofer Help ASAP...

If however, the upgrade bug has bitten you already, then I would proceed with caution. Please do not take this the wrong way, but for somebody into hi-end audio who's father is a sound engineer your knowledge is surprisingly limited. I will try to clarify my statement as it is not intended to be arrogant.

Firstly, there are three main advantages of sub-monitors combos over large speakers: 1) the ability to place the sub in the place that will give you the best bass response, and 2) isolate the monitors from the strong vibrations generated by the subwoofer, and 3) the ability to place the monitor in the room in the position that will yield the most natural midrange and the best stereo image. Placing the Diablos on top of the subwoofers will negate the first two advantages.

Secondly, unless your speakers are symmetrically placed with respects to all room boundaries (often not even then) the response of the two speakers will never be the same. The larger the speaker the more it will interact with the room. Now, because of this, and also because you mention that the position of the speakers and listening chair are basically fixed, it is more likely that a sub monitor combo will work better than large speakers. However, since every room is different one can never be sure of this. (The Scalas have the bass adjustment knobs so they are more flexible than "normal" speakers.)

My advise will be to try to convince the dealer to bring the Scalas to you home. Make a deal with him, e.g. if you do not keep the Scalas you will pay him by the hour. Also, I would not trade in the Diablo but try to sell them myself (but this depends on where you are located). The Diablo are rather rare on the 2nd hand market so chances are you will get a better price for them than your dealer will offer you.

Finally, I want to make a comment about (2nd hand) Focal Scala speakers. For whatever reason I have seen quite a few Scala on the 2nd hand market (here in Europe they go as low as 12k euros). I've even started a thread about this here on audiogon but did not find out much why this is the case. Probably just a coincidence...

Good luck and keep us posted.
Paul

I see you use an old Rel subwoofer. I sold these 10 years ago. For stereo they are much toooooooo slow. For stereo use subwoofers without bass reflex and the speaker unit should be single and placed in front. With Audessey pro I became fully stealth subwoofer sound with my speakers. Rel is always toooo slow. Wenn I use my own music you can easily here it is not synchroon with the speakers.