Focal Speakers Owners & Discussion Thread

[betty boop]

2 hours ago, Music monster said:

I have a pair of focal utopia headphones and love them.would love to own there flagship speakers but out of my league in price.cheers gary the music monster

love to check out the utopia phones one day  ...will just have to make sure can afford them though first before trying.... 

[spottie]

It is interesting to know there is a thread for Focal owners. Hi to all.

Like some of you, I currently have a pair of the Chorus 826W floorstanders.

I first saw them on Stereophile - could not resist their charm. 

They have been serving me very well.

Would like to hear from you what you like about your Focal speakers?

 

 

 

[stiben]

On 15/07/2019 at 11:40 PM, Sonny.Pham said:

what you like about your Focal speakers?

 

How much more I enjoy them with a good pair of subs 

[gpatt]

On 29/06/2019 at 7:01 AM, Stephenfabre said:

What speaker cable is everybody running 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm running Audio Quest Oval 9 Speakers,

do they make any difference, only when I turn up the volume for extended periods.

 

 

[gpatt]

I want to try a Valve Amp with my system

does anyone have suggestions as to listen to

at the moment considering a VTL, but i'm not really sure.

 

TIA

[Monster11]

40 minutes ago, stiben said:

 

How much more I enjoy them with a good pair of subs 

Really? More details please. 

[daviddsailor]

I suppose I shouldn't mention my Reference Monuments with the Elite crossover upgrade. All FOCAL drivers. Magnificent speakers. 

[stiben]

1 hour ago, Monster11 said:

Really? More details please. 

A pair of SVS SB13U with the crucial element of a miniDSP SHD preamp for integration (DSP, xover, delay and Dirac).

 

I can dial in the target curve I desire from 20Hz and up and switch between presets depending on the material being played.

 

The preset with the most added bass is used for movies. My curves are only slight deviations from the Harman Target and the bassiest one might add 4dB below 200Hz.

 

Adding the subs did not alter the character of the sound. As the Focals are high passed they do what they do well more effortlessly. I also had a corner loading issue with the bottom & front ported floorstanders which has vanished.

 

I mostly listen to rock and metal. An in-law was visiting recently who is a cello player so I put on some classical. Her comment was "it's so lifelike".

[Monster11]

31 minutes ago, stiben said:

A pair of SVS SB13U with the crucial element of a miniDSP SHD preamp for integration (DSP, xover, delay and Dirac).

 

I can dial in the target curve I desire from 20Hz and up and switch between presets depending on the material being played.

 

The preset with the most added bass is used for movies. My curves are only slight deviations from the Harman Target and the bassiest one might add 4dB below 200Hz.

 

Adding the subs did not alter the character of the sound. As the Focals are high passed they do what they do well more effortlessly. I also had a corner loading issue with the bottom & front ported floorstanders which has vanished.

 

I mostly listen to rock and metal. An in-law was visiting recently who is a cello player so I put on some classical. Her comment was "it's so lifelike".

Ah ok.  I used to have 826v running from a Emotiva XPA-3, and never really found them lacking in bass for music. But I did have a LFE sub for movies. 

[spottie]

18 hours ago, stiben said:

 

How much more I enjoy them with a good pair of subs 

I totally agree, for the music that I listen to, a sub will definitely enhance the bass of my Focal speakers. I guess a pair of subs like what you have will be even better.

[spottie]

16 hours ago, stiben said:

A pair of SVS SB13U with the crucial element of a miniDSP SHD preamp for integration (DSP, xover, delay and Dirac).

 

I can dial in the target curve I desire from 20Hz and up and switch between presets depending on the material being played.

 

The preset with the most added bass is used for movies. My curves are only slight deviations from the Harman Target and the bassiest one might add 4dB below 200Hz.

 

Adding the subs did not alter the character of the sound. As the Focals are high passed they do what they do well more effortlessly. I also had a corner loading issue with the bottom & front ported floorstanders which has vanished.

 

I mostly listen to rock and metal. An in-law was visiting recently who is a cello player so I put on some classical. Her comment was "it's so lifelike".

That sounds like a good approach. I've heard quite often about minidsp too. Quite tempted to get one. May I ask where you ordered it from? 

[stiben]

7 hours ago, Sonny.Pham said:

May I ask where you ordered it from? 

minidsp.com, shipped from HK and just shy of $2k landed.

Most mentions of miniDSP are regarding something like the 2x4 for multiple sub integration especially in HT. The SHD is relatively new and is an all-in-one streaming preamp for a system up to 2.2.

 

As I've said elsewhere some of the best $ I've spent on hifi. As a preamp its design suited me perfectly to fit between my sources and amplifier/subs. The fact that it sounds as good as it does is surprising. Several comments in other forums have given the same feedback.

 

If you have questions about your system, what you want and where to go you could start a thread in the "Beginners & Purchasing Advice" section to get a good spead of advice 

[Irek]

On 17/07/2019 at 5:27 PM, gpatt said:

I want to try a Valve Amp with my system

does anyone have suggestions as to listen to

at the moment considering a VTL, but i'm not really sure.

 

TIA

What system do you have? 

[Irek]

On 15/07/2019 at 11:40 PM, Sonny.Pham said:

 

Would like to hear from you what you like about your Focal speakers?

Well, first of all Focal sounds really good in comparison at the same price range. 

The second thing Focal pay extra attention to design. There speakers look very cool, different shapes and colors to choose from.  I have a feeling the new flax drivers primarily were developed because of the eye catching look.  

[gpatt]

11 hours ago, Irek said:

What system do you have? 

Hi

Sopra No.2's

Linn Selekt dsm

 

Also have a hegel h360 which I'm not 100% sure of, so that's why the option of a valve amp

[Audioshoppin]

On 27/03/2019 at 9:30 AM, betty boop said:

I don't think we seem to have an owners thread for focal here ?

 

calling all focal owners or just lovers of focals ... to share the love of Focal...

 

I fell in love with focal....unexpectedly ....about 12 years ago...at a dealer gtg where just happened to hear the lovely focal utopia Divas... and as they say all else is history... before I knew it was demoing them at home and convincing the wife these were the speakers for life   I have to be honest I never ever prior to that have ever given them a 2nd thought, seen pictures thought a bit odd ball looking. but in person and in hearing they are something that had me ... what is it about focal ? its their vocals.... yes rhymes  truly its the warmth of their vocals and their rendition... that is simply captivating for me ... then there is the delicacy of the top end (which if not partnered well with the room can be out of sorts) similarly the grip on the bottom end and fullness of it that can also be over done with not the right partnering and room and siting. 

 

anyways these are my beauties.. in the lovely focal utopia Divas...

 

 

which soon spread to including a Focal centre speaker

 

 

and then before you know it to a full focal 7.1.5 setup with focals all around including up in the ceiling  

 

and then even spread to the bedroom setup...

 

 

 

yep I got it bad... but its thats been the way for a few years so not a passing fancy...

 

hey I've even got some focal music ... sounds fantastic by the way

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Focal-The-Spirit-Of-Sound-Vol-5/release/479173

 

so any other lovers of focal out there ? come share the love some pics how you are using yours what you enjoy about them ? 

 

ps I have a very important tip for focal speakers especially those with the W cone mid range / woofer that my above two speakers have .... will share when get a chance .... 

 

That is one hell of a set up. Having head the BE's as a standalone I can only imagine how good your system sounds! Focal were my go to speaker when I went hunting for a new system. Unfortunately the dealer situation in regards to Focal speakers here in Melbourne is nothing short of pathetic. On the plus side I am more than happy with my Dynaudio's. 

[Kaynin]

On 17/07/2019 at 6:19 PM, daviddsailor said:

Magnificent speakers. 

 

To say the least...

[Irek]

2 hours ago, gpatt said:

Hi

Sopra No.2's

Linn Selekt dsm

 

Also have a hegel h360 which I'm not 100% sure of, so that's why the option of a valve amp

That is a very very good system and sopras are extremely honest.  The side effect is you can sometimes experience imperfections in some recordings as sopras were design for good or high quality only. You can try to use something like Primaluna to smooth the tweeter or get another set of speakers like aria or chorus for average or low quality recordings. 

At this level/price I would definitely try to audition at home for at lest 2 days before buying anything. It might cost few hundreds but can safe thousands. 

[spottie]

On 20/07/2019 at 5:55 PM, Irek said:

Well, first of all Focal sounds really good in comparison at the same price range. 

The second thing Focal pay extra attention to design. There speakers look very cool, different shapes and colors to choose from.  I have a feeling the new flax drivers primarily were developed because of the eye catching look.  

I can't agree more - Focal is among few brands that has high-quality design and build of their speakers consistent from flagship to entry models. I find my Focal speakers versatile: music, HT, or even karaoke - they just perform amazingly well with great dynamics for everything I throw at them. As for the sound, I find my Focal speakers  revealing with neutral mid range, warm bass, and good depth if complemented by a good sub. I've heard quite often people  saying that Focal speakers are not quite forgiving for bad recordings, but good recordings will shine. Probably true - I've recently come across Boyce Avenue  music on Youtube. Unbelievably real - the timbre of an acoustic guitar is faithfully played, the voice is warm and rich, and most of all it is the sound of the Kawai piano that is exactly what I expect: a full tone with defined rhythm on lower keys - the distinct characteristic of a low-tension string design and Japanese spruce soundboards that I'm used to with my Kawai piano. It is  the kind of sound not only to be heard but also to be felt. I've never been satisfied with piano sound coming from a speaker before before until now.  Faithful - may be the best word I can say about Focal sound.

[joeling]

I auditioned a pair of Stella Utopia Evo with FM amplification and was mightily impressed. Any insight on how a pair of Stella will pair with Naim Statement ? Vocal sweetness is important to me.

[Irek]

My wife is becoming an audiophile.  She said: " I like the refinement and soundstage, lets get them". 

 

[betty boop]

does anyone know whats going on with the focal brand in australia ? i see melbourne hifi and len wallis both no longer list as selling the brand ? ...seems to be going backwards ! 

[spottie]

There was a change in the local distributor and it might be that many retailers were not happy with working with them - that is the impression I got when talking to a store owner here in Perth when he was clearing out his Focal stocks.

 

https://www.stereo.net.au/features/celebrating-40-years-of-focal

 

[TDX]

12 minutes ago, betty boop said:

does anyone know whats going on with the focal brand in australia ? i see melbourne hifi and len wallis both no longer list as selling the brand ? ...seems to be going backwards ! 

I was told A2A is now the distributor?

[betty boop]

4 minutes ago, spottie said:

There was a change in the local distributor and it might be that many retailers were not happy with working with them - that is the impression I got when talking to a store owner here in Perth when he was clearing out his Focal stocks.

 

https://www.stereo.net.au/features/celebrating-40-years-of-focal

 

the len wallis dropping it would be a big hit, but makes sense....given they had the importer/distributor arm prior... to see melb hifi drop as well seems odd. who is left selling the brand in melbourne I wonder ?