Focal Speakers: Why They Are in the World's Best Listening Rooms

Focal has been engineering loudspeakers in Saint-Étienne, France since 1979. In that time, the company has produced some of the most technically accomplished speakers available at any price point, and built a reputation in professional studio monitoring and luxury residential audio that few speaker manufacturers approach.

The inverted dome tweeter

Most tweeters use a dome that curves outward — convex — toward the listener. Focal's tweeters curve inward — concave, inverted. This geometry was developed specifically to improve the dispersion characteristics and transient response of the tweeter. The inverted dome is stiffer than a conventional dome of the same size, allowing it to be made lighter, which improves high-frequency extension and reduces distortion at the top of the audio spectrum.

The sonic result is treble that is extended, detailed, and completely free of the harshness that characterizes many tweeters pushed near their limits. Extended listening fatigue — the feeling that compels you to turn the volume down after an hour — is dramatically reduced.

Flax and beryllium drivers

Focal's midrange and woofer drivers are constructed from proprietary cone materials developed in-house. Their Flax cones — used in several architectural series — combine layers of flax fiber between glass fiber skins, producing a cone that is simultaneously light, stiff, and well-damped. The combination results in a midrange that is fast, accurate, and free from the coloration that heavier or less-damped cone materials introduce.

At the top of the Focal range, beryllium tweeters and woofers push performance further. Beryllium is one of the stiffest, lightest materials usable in loudspeaker construction. Focal machines their beryllium tweeters in-house — a capability almost no other speaker manufacturer maintains.

Architectural range

Focal's architectural speakers — the 1000 and 300 series in-wall and in-ceiling designs — bring the engineering from their free-standing loudspeakers into a format that disappears into the home. The Focal Utopia 1000 series, which we specify in reference theater installations, delivers performance that competes with the best stand-mounted speakers in the world from behind a flush-mounted grille.

We are a premier Focal dealer, one of a small number in the United States with access to the full Utopia range and with Focal systems on permanent demo in our Scottsdale showroom.