Q: Why Clone? It looks like you can design your own speakers?

A:  After purchasing a used pair of JM Lab Daline 3.1, I fell in love with the sound.  After learning about the Utopia line, my dream speaker is the Utopia.  Alas, I can't afford it and the only solution is to clone it!  With nothing to work with besides pictures, it took ~2 years of refining and sharing notes to come up with something that is probably 98-99% accurate. I actually finished gluing one pair but decided it wasn't accurate enough and started work on Utopia 2 with the finalised diagram.  From my perspective, cloning lacks some creativity on the looks department, but no doubt, takes up more time compared to building a kit or designing on your own.

Q: When will I finish my Utopia clone?

A: The project has been on going for about 3 years.  It's currently on suspended animation. I'm holding back right now because I lack sound testing equipment. I probably would have a few completed big projects before I go back to Utopia.  I thought I would be the first to report a completed Utopia clone on the Internet. So far, 2 has beaten me to it.  However, it's nice to see that my information has helped them.

Q:  Will I ever design my own loudspeakers?

A:  Absolutely!

Q:  Will JM Lab shut me down?

A:  All Utopia series diagrams except the Grande Utopia was developed by studying pictures and dimensions from Focal's website and the Internet.  The Grande Utopia diagram was painstakingly measured by someone who had access to the real Grande Utopia.  All the internal structures were based on my own interpretations.  As a matter of fact, the webmaster from JM Lab probed my site because I accidentally linked their images to my site.  However, I was permitted to use their pictures and graphs provided that its on my server.  The webmaster also complimented my website.  So the answer is No! 

Q:  How can you have a Products page when your site is predominantly based on cloning?

A:  The website was created in 1999 and was dedicated to DIY and cloning the Utopia became the main subject in 2000. Over the years, the website simply evolved and ran into its first conflict of interest. The website created a small following of cloners and people just curious about the aspects of cloning.  Without a doubt, the content provided here is invaluable to some and would be silly to take it down just because I introduced a Products page and with only one product as of March/04.  

Q:  When will you start introducing your own Products?

A:  Until I get my hands on some sound testing equipment, I will not be introducing my own Products.  Of course, it's highly unprofessional to sell loudspeakers just saying that it sounds good without having some quantitative specs to back it up. Currently, I'm introducing new products that I strongly support with permission by the creator.