Listening Tests:
The following is a write up of key differences that were heard while listening to the selections from the Track List. Many of the notes pertain to what is ‘missing’ as compared to the Focal Solo6 Be. This should not be viewed as ‘negative’, but as subjective differences that the author heard while training his own ears for speaker review. The Focal’s serve as the most accurate speaker the author has heard to date.
EOS 150SP:
Just like a book and its cover, never judge a speaker by its diminutive size. The perceived sound stage eminating from these petite black boxes often had me questioning which speaker was playing. It was only in critical listening that I was able to realize where the limits of this speaker could be found.
Tom Waits' piano keys lacked clarity, similar to what is heard in highly compressed digital music. His voice sounded quite full, but his characteristic tone was not convincing. However the perceived bass response helped lift the overall presentation to a comfortable place for casual listening or 'background' music. That same bass response helped the EOS give William Warfield a respectable treatment favoring the bass side of his voice, over the higher baritone.
For the female voices, an entry level speaker such as this has difficulty with high crescendo's. Any vibrato comes across as if it were in slow motion like Tori Amos was merely warming up and stretching her jaw. That lack of speed and authority came through with Nora Jones as well, as if the EOS could not determine if she was speaking or singing. Like American's attempting to speak French, Meschiya Lakes' lips did not seem to be articulating the lyrics, either.
However for the sparkle and twang of acoustic guitar strings, the EOS bested the next two higher competitors. Twelve string guitars provide a natural chorus effect when strummed, and the EOS was well versed. Yet as well as it did with extra body of sound coming from this guitar, it was forced to muddy together the symphony in Mr. Hollands Opus. The sound was similar to that of a middle school band performing Beethoven. Dah Dah Dah….blah!
Surprisingly, when asked to reproduce 'Into the Woods', it did so quite gracefully. Providing a respectably sized sound stage, the EOS only mildly struggled keeping the orchestra and singers in unison. This was similar to the experience heard with Bernadette Peters. This speaker lacks the accuracy necessary to put singers and orchestras on an equal sound stage. For casual listening, though, it was more than adequate.
Again, the EOS favored the bass section over the higher tones, and did a very respectable job with Geddy Lee's bass lines in Rush's 'By-tor and the Snow Dog'. I've heard actual bass players that could not even do as well.
For a new listener, the EOS certifiably provides an upgrade over generic TV and media speakers!
Pioneer BS22:
The BS22 was rather surprising with amount of clarity it was able to provide to both Tom Waits and William Warfield. It did favor the higher pitches in their voices, sometimes to a fatiguing extreme with too much emphasis on “Grraaaaaaape-fruit.”
It also exudes a large sound stage similar to even the Focal, even out performing its rendition of the bass guitar lines that support Tori Amos! Her crescendo's also received numerous accolades from the Pioneer's that let me know it was time to 'turn the page' from the EOS. Yet this speaker took the darker tone of Nora Jones' voice from the EOS, and inexplicably gave her the wind pipe of a life long smoker. I don't know why.
For the powerhouse New Orleans singer Meschiya Lake, what the Pioneer lacked in sound stage compared to the EOS, it made up for in clarity. This track was particularly tricky as despite the alluring presentation of her sultry voice, the Little Bighorn band was not able to usher in the excitement expected of a live performance.
In an interesting comparison, the Pioneer clearly lacked the dexterity of Alex Lifeson's fingers in the 'Hope' solo from Rush. It did so to the point of sounding like the chorus effect was divided between two different guitars. The brass and twang of the strings was largely absent, yet when Mr. Holland's 'American Symphony' called upon the first chair trumpet player, the brass was clear and not over powering. It did not give the symphony the greatest clarity, but was an impressive overall performance given the speakers price.
'Into the Woods' also found increased clarity and detail with the Pioneer's. As long as the volume did not reach too high, it favored an increased sense of realism over a slightly fatiguing experience. Yet the Pioneer struggled to improve upon the already impressive display of the EOS for Bernadette Peters' duet. It was, however, able to give Neil Pearts' drum solo the respect it deserves and kept up with his incredible pace and constant time changes in 'By-tor and the Snow Dog.'
Value is ever present when listening to this speaker!
Energy RC-10:
With the first hard dome tweeter in this line up, the Energy showcased a few of the benefits inherent to this design such as sparkling highs, accurate brass instrument reproduction, and a subjective increase in overall resolution. This was first made clear with Tom Waits, who’s voice gained clearer definition. The overall presentation and sound stage was enhanced over the former pair of speakers, but did make the piano sound as though there was a pillow on the strings.
William Warfield sounded a touch condensed like a 1950’s recording, yet his voice was very pleasing to hear. However the improved accuracy of the tweeter allowed this speaker to be the first to spotlight the audible break up in the final chorus that is only a fault of the recording itself. Again sounding condensed, like listening to tin cans connected with a piece of twine, Tori Amos’ vibrato could not be adequately resolved. The piano still suffered, but the drums and bass were much tighter than heard previously.
Although a smaller soundstage, much of the Focal’s resolution in Nora Jones’ voice was heard through the Energy’s. Her voice still sounded a bit darker, similar to the EOS and Pioneer, but was able to convince the listener of the lighter side of her voice. This was also true for Meschiya Lake, the size of her band on the perceived sound stage was a bit small, but her voice rang through loud and clear. The double-bass and drums were very forceful.
While the chorus effect of the 12-string guitar was lacking, its brassy sounding strings were very clear and pleasing. This was similar to Mr. Holland’s Opus with the trumpets sounding out quite balanced, only suffering with high volumes.
Into the Woods came through with an extra ‘coat of clear’ with all voices. The symphony did not command quite so much of the soundstage. There was a bit too much emphasis on the ‘esses’. However, with Bernadette Peters, the Energy’s simply were not up to the task of giving two operatic voices an equal share of the stage. The bulging veins in their necks were portrayed as harsh as the volume was increased to try and compensate for their unequal vocal balance.
Finally, with Rush’s ‘By-Tor and the Snow Dog’, the Canadians show they are all sticking together with how well this speaker performed even compared to the SVS. The instruments were only slightly muddled together.
Overall this was a very impressive presentation!
SVS Ultra Bookshelf:
While the high MSRP of the Energy’s is not fully understood, the Ultra stands in the way of those conventional distribution channels by providing distinctly higher performing drivers at a lower MSRP. With a rear port, the Ultra is the first speaker to give that ‘musical instrument’ sized sound and presence. This was true to the point of besting the Focal in its rendition of Tom Waits. The piano sounded like a ‘Concert Grand - sized’ in my living room and was ultimately more pleasing to listen to. Although lacking some minute amount of resolution with William Warfield, this actually served as a benefit in hearing the ‘esses’ more cleanly than the Focal’s.
For Tori Amos, this speaker is the first in the line up to really provide that ‘airy’ sense of realism. Close your eyes, and you will see her singing at her piano with great articulation of her voice, only lacking in a bit of bass reproduction. That light and airy side really came through with Nora Jones, and the song really starts to sound much more playful than with the previous three pairs. The Ultra only went a bit too far with crescendo’s if the volume was increased too high.
Naturally, much of what you hear being sung, is determined by the singer’s tongue. These speakers are accurate enough to begin to pick that up. For Meschiya Lake, you could imagine her mouth moving as she sings each verse, and her band is given the space they deserve. Like the Ultra’s presentation of the 12-string solo, ‘Hope’, if this was all I heard, I would not know to ask for more.
As compared to the Energy, the Ultra was an eye opener with Mr. Holland’s Opus. The trumpets were never pitchy or fatiguing, and the sound stage was as expansive as one would expect for a symphony. This was also true for Into the Woods, and the only fault I could find with the Ultra’s, was that each instrument was not so accurately placed on its own ‘pedestal’ as the Focal’s were able to offer.
However on the final track, with ‘By-Tor,’ the Ultra could not quite figure out what to make of Geddy Lee’s high voice, and gave it priority over the guitar! The drum and bass section were tight and accurate, but the guitar often faded to the background.
This speaker was also compared to the more expensive RBH 61 LSE, and as such, really proved its worth!
Arguably the best value in this line up!
RBH 61 LSE:
This speaker will forever remain one of the author’s favorites, owing to its incredibly soft and easy listening nature. This speaker could be listened to all day without fatigue. The volume only need be turned up a bit higher to really get it to sing!
As compared to the Ultra, Tom Waits was portrayed in almost the exact same light with the RBH. There was almost no discernible difference in detail or resolution between the two. This was true with William Warfield as well, as both the Ultra and RBH broke up at the same places with the lesser recording quality.
Tori Amos was quite a delight. The RBH being so relaxed in its presentation convinced me to crank the volume up just for fun. It remained composed through out the entire track, and because of the ease of listening at high volume, provided one of my favorite performances. Zero fatigue!
Nora Jones was also a treat, yet the only significant improvement with the RBH was an increase in perceived resolution with her voice as there was a touch of vibrato in her chorus line that was not heard before. And the crescendo in the second repeat of ‘You’ll be ON my mind’ was flawless and seductive!
Where this speaker falls short would be with brass instruments. The silk dome tweeter is renowned for its light and non fatiguing nature, but this is the intersection of those qualities with the need for high frequency sparkle necessary in accurate brass instrument reproduction. There was no ‘pop and sizzle’ for Meschiya Lakes band, and this track honestly sounded quite bland for a NOLA jazz recording.
Similarly, the brass sound of acoustic guitar strings were also held back by the silk dome tweeter. ‘Hope’ is a song that requires great finger dexterity to play, and uses many finger shredding ‘pull-offs’ that would often limit the practice time for the author. The sound and personality of this style is truly necessary for this song, and is sadly missed with the RBH.
For the remaining tracks, very little difference could be found between the RBH and Ultra. The Ultra had a touch more bass, but the high vocals were favored by the RBH.
A great speaker worthy of remembrance, and sought after performance in a ‘listen all day’ package!
Paradigm S2:
As my first taste with a beryllium tweeter, the sound is simply addicting. Subtle nuances, equal soundstage of one or dozens of instruments and voices can all be heard with either beryllium variant in this line up.
Due to the excellent accuracy already being heard by the RBH and SVS Ultra, the S2 was able to provide little else with Tom Waits. But its heightened accuracy really makes poor recordings such as William Warfield almost un-listenable.
The S2 has by far the deepest bass reproduction in this line up. For Tori Amos, it did not do quite as well with the sweet, airy side of her voice. But reinforced its respectable performance with the most accurate rendition of the low notes of a large Concert Grand Piano. Even the bass guitar that was largely absent on other speakers, was given new life on the S2.
Sharing in that spotlight, were also the bass sections for both Nora Jones and Meschiya Lake. The S2 was more forward and forceful with their voices than either Focal or RBH. This is not a criticism, but would fall under ‘listener preference’ as to what is
‘Hope’ received a very snappy and crisp treatment on the S2. And the forward presentation, again found with Mr. Holland, was subjectively preferred with the S2 for this track. The size of the symphony was as impressive as being there. The emotion conveyed was on par with seeing Mr. Holland being gifted the baton for this performance.
The operatic voices in both Into the Woods and for Bernadette Peters were a marvel. The superior bass reproduction of the S2 gave a slight edge over the Focal, but you really need to ‘pull at hairs’ to select which performed better. That bass would be the only determining factor for Rush’s ‘By-tor’ as it is so essential for the sound of this band. The low end is so tight and defined between the bass and drums, that the guitar has such a pleasant space to perform in and tie it all together.
Accuracy to rival the best available, with bass that raises the bar for bookshelf speakers!
Focal Solo6 Be:
The Focal’s beryllium tweeter took what was great about the S2’s, and gave it further accuracy and depth. For the S2, it was truly like having you ear hooked up to the other end of the microphone, while the Focal was able to eliminate the mic all together!
Every single track benefited from the Focal’s treatment of the high frequencies, even though that was sometimes an extremely subtle difference. While the Focal lacks the bass of the S2, its highs were very ear friendly and came quite close to the easy, ‘all day listening’ of the RBH. The male and female voices of the the first five tracks were all displayed with the similar quality of the other speakers. The Focal simply gave them all equal sound staging with their accompanying instruments while maintaining the clarity of their voices as was originally recorded. Even the chorus effect of the 12-string guitar in ‘Hope’ was undoubtedly the most accurate in the line up.
Simply put, a pair of these speakers with even my modest DAC, the Emotiva XDA-1, combined with the best subwoof-age one can afford;
Allows the listener to step up to a level of quality previously thought to only exist near five-figure price tags.
