'I wouldn't even be able to afford the speaker stands' — two big-name audiophile brands just went head-to-head to release the best elite hi-fi tower speaker

• Focal unveils yet another floor-standing speaker
• Sonus faber reveals a series of speakers, including a floor-stander...
• ...and several more-affordable options

While country-versus-country derbies are playing out on pitches across North America, a certain France vs Italy rivalry is taking center stage... or should that be soundstage?

Sonus faber, of Italy, and Focal, of France, have both lined up in the tunnel to bring out new floor-standing speakers; the overlapping timing means that we'd 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 far out of reach for the average speaker buyer — I wouldn't even be able to afford the speaker stands — but one series does, at least, have a more reasonable alternative.

The Focal Scala Utopia Evo M

Let's start with the speaker of the country which actually managed to make it to the World Cup: Focal. The brand's new Scala Utopia Evo M looks rather similar to the Diva Alta Utopia we covered recently, but with a few design flourishes (and without the Porsche-adjacent price tag).

Borrowed from the Diva is the comapny's new Prism tweeter, alongside a midrange driver and woofer, all bundled in a hunched package designed to balance dome pressures and avoid driver suspension.

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

At $46,000 (about £34,700, AU$69,000), these are a lot more affordable than the Diva Alta... but still pretty pricey.

The Sonus faber Olympica G3 series

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

They range in price from $30,000 / £25,000 (roughly AU$50,000) per pair for the Olympica V, to $13,000 / £10,000 (about AU$20,000) for the Olympica I. So if I had to pick up any of these speakers, it'd be this relatively affordable one (even if it's still far from cheap!).

Taking lessons from various other Sonus faber speakers, the Olympica G3 have a custom-built midrange driver and a honeycomb-inspired build. The exact number of speakers depends on the mode: the two floorstanders and the center channel get three, while the bookshelf and wall speakers get two.

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