CES 2026 brought plenty of flashy tech, but few things surprised us—and impressed us—like Focal’s Mu-so Hekla. It’s a sleek, all-in-one speaker that connects to your TV, handles all your music and movie streaming, and delivers full-blown Dolby Atmos sound without the usual mess of surround speakers and wires.

And yes, it’s that good. We were so impressed, we gave it a Best of CES 2026 award.

Most people want great sound, but not everyone wants five or more speakers (plus a subwoofer) scattered around their living space. That’s where the Mu-so Hekla comes in. It’s designed to sit neatly on your media console and do it all from one box—movies, music, gaming, you name it.

Built from a sculpted slab of black aluminum, the Hekla doesn’t just look sharp—it’s loaded with serious audio tech. Inside are 15 drivers, including up-firing and side-firing speakers, powered by 660 watts of Class D amplification. It supports up to 7.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos, and yes, it can thump—bass goes down to a deep 30Hz, which we felt during the demo.

From the first few minutes of our CES demo, the Hekla proved it wasn’t just another fancy-looking box. The sense of immersion was honestly impressive. Whether it was an Atmos music track or a movie scene, we could hear sounds swirling above, behind, and all around—and all from one speaker.

Hooking up the Mu-so Hekla is simple: HDMI eARC and optical digital input handle the TV side of things, and if you want more bass, there’s even an RCA output to plug in a separate sub.

But the real magic comes from Focal’s partnership with Naim. The Pulse Platform powers everything under the hood, handling Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify Connect, and Google Cast, plus AirPlay 2, UPnP, and Bluetooth. You can stream hi-res files up to 32-bit/384kHz, and sync music across up to 32 Focal & Naim speakers throughout your home.

You can control it from your phone, your smartwatch, your voice assistant—or just walk up and twist the oversized volume dial on top, which is styled like a high-end watch crown. Little touches like that make it feel genuinely premium.

And it’s not just about power and connectivity. The Mu-so Hekla includes ADAPT, Focal’s room-tuning tech that adjusts the sound based on your space. Even in the chaotic demo environment of CES, the soundstage felt tight, focused, and evenly spread across the room.

Focal also cooked up two custom listening modes—Sphere Music and Sphere Movie. These aren’t gimmicks. They use beamforming and crosstalk cancellation to help shape the sound more accurately in space.

In other words: when watching a movie, voices feel like they’re coming from the center of the screen. Effects move across the room. Music feels open and layered, even when you’re just streaming in stereo. It’s not true multichannel audio, but the illusion is pretty convincing, and a massive upgrade over a standard soundbar.

The Mu-so Hekla already launched in South Korea and China in late 2025, but it’s heading to North America in March/April 2026, priced at $3,600 USD. That’s premium territory, no doubt—but considering it replaces an entire AV setup with minimal footprint and no complexity, it could be a smart pick for design-conscious audio lovers.

You’ll find it through Focal’s “Powered by Naim” dealer network, alongside their full line of streaming and high-end audio gear.

Of course, Focal wasn’t just showing off compact systems. At the same booth, they also unveiled the Diva Mezza Utopia—a jaw-dropping pair of wireless speakers priced at $69,000. These are for the no-compromise crowd: three-way towers with beryllium tweeters, “W” cone midrange drivers, and four 8-inch woofers per speaker, all powered by 500 watts of Class A/B power per side.

Even more interesting: they talk to each other wirelessly using Ultra Wideband at 96kHz/24-bit resolution. Want even more? A hardwired Hi-Res Link boosts that to 192kHz/24-bit. Add in IDC (Intelligent Dynamics Clocking) to keep everything perfectly in sync, and ADAPT room tuning like the Hekla, and you’ve got a system that sounds every bit as premium as it looks.

We heard several tracks through the Diva Mezza Utopia, and each one gave us goosebumps. Between the sonic power and the gorgeous design (floating felt side panels!), it was a showstopper—and it walked away with our Best of CES 2026 award, too.

The Mu-so Hekla is Focal’s answer to people who want cinematic audio without the complexity. It’s sleek, powerful, and packed with tech that genuinely makes a difference—from up-firing drivers and room calibration to high-resolution streaming and multiroom support. You can hook it up to your TV, stream your favorite music, and enjoy Dolby Atmos without running a single speaker wire.

What impressed us most was how it delivered not just volume, but immersion. The Sphere modes worked wonders in both movie and music demos, and the bass performance was way beyond what we expected from a single-box system. It’s not a budget speaker at $3,600, but for someone who wants premium audio and design without going full surround, this is a very compelling option.

Focal clearly came to CES 2026 with a mission—to show that great sound doesn’t have to mean big systems or complicated setups. And with the Mu-so Hekla, they absolutely delivered.

And for those seeking the ultimate in wireless luxury, Focal's Diva Mezza Utopia is a no-compromise statement speaker with flagship components, gorgeous design, and jaw-dropping performance. Between the two, Focal managed to impress both casual listeners and hardcore audiophiles in one CES showing.

Related Reading:

• Move Over Soundbars: Focal Just Dropped a One-Box Dolby Atmos Beast
• Focal’s New Diva Mezza Utopia Could Be the Most Powerful Wireless Speaker Yet
• Focal Just Dropped a New Speaker Line — And They Didn’t Tell Anyone
• I Tried the $1,500 Focal Bathys MG — And They Changed How I Listen to Music