The Speakers
Focal Solo6 (Solo)– Thanks to FirstReflection, I discovered Focal makes the Solo6, an active studio monitor with a 150Watt BASH amp driving a 6.5” mid/bass, and a 100Watt Class A-B amp driving an inverted dome Beryllium tweeter. These descriptions fit the drivers of the Focal 1028, but Focal’s literature doesn’t confirm they are the same. I auditioned the 1028’s against the S2’s and the 1028 is definitely a better speaker than the S2, but not $5000 better (IMHO). Naturally, the possibility of getting some of the 1028’s sound without the extravagant cost required investigation.
After you consider that the amplifiers are included, the Solo6’s are competitively priced at $2600 MSRP. These speakers have balanced XLR inputs and “Lo” and “Hi” “Contour” controls on the back.
40Hz to 40kHz +/-2dB is the manufacturers claimed frequency response.
Here is a picture of the back panel:
Paradigm S2 (S2)– This is Version 2 of Paradigm’s Signature series.
$2600 MSRP.
52Hz to 45kHz +/-2dB is the manufacturers claimed frequency response.
Salk SongTower (ST) – This is the Salk SongTower QWT with the Ribbon Tweeter option.
$2400 with Ribbon Tweeter ($1700 with the standard soft-dome tweeter).
42Hz to 20kHz +/-3dB is the manufacturers claimed frequency response for the standard tweeter. The ribbon tweeter matches the Be tweeters for high end extension (to whatever extent I can perceive).
Setup - I have two identical receivers (Marantz SR6001’s). The CD player is connected to Receiver1. Receiver 1 feeds the ST as speaker A and the S2 as speaker B and the Tape Output of Receiver1 feeds the CD input of Receiver2. The Preamp output of Receiver2 feeds the Solo6’s amps. Both receivers were set to “Pure Direct”. No bass management was employed, and the subwoofer was disconnected. Once the levels are matched, I can mute one of the receivers then use the remote control’s mute to instantly swap the receivers/speakers. As luck would have it, the ST and the S2 have the same efficiency which made the switch between A and B speakers on Receiver1 easier than expected.
Most of the listening was done with a fast response, C weighted SPL of 65-75dB. The room has wall to wall carpeting, vaulted ceiling, bed, and drapes; otherwise it is all sheetrock, glass, and hardwood furniture with ample clutter on the desk, dresser, and nightstands. No acoustic treatments have been applied. I have been listening to them for the better part of three days.
Warm-up - I wanted to make sure everything was warmed up before starting, and I needed to get the levels matched, so I put in Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill Acoustic”. In the process, I was surprised to hear Alanis’s voice change between speakers. Alanis’s voice has a unique metallic/reedy/edgy character which pairs well with her lyrics. This aspect was most pronounced on the ST’s and much less pronounced on the Solos. One place where this difference was especially obvious was on Track 2, “You Oughta Know” at 3:15. On the Solo6’s her voice sounded more natural and open than I am used to hearing it.
Other immediate impressions noted were:
ST’s had fuller bass
Solos were more open
ST’s were warmer and smoother
The S2’s fell between the Solos and ST’s in many aspects. As a generality, I found that the sound of the Solo and the S2 were closer in sound, with the ST having a more distinct character.
Bass - As stand-alone speakers (no sub), the ST had the most pleasant low end. The Solo went deeper, but the ST seemed to have a slightly tipped up low end (which rolled off more quickly when it reached its bottom). Just to be clear, the ST's sounded best, IMHO - tipping up the bass is a common method of compensating for notes missing at the bottom, and it is done very well on the ST’s. The tuning of the ST gave it more warmth and felt fuller than either of the others.
For use with a sub, the Solo gets my vote. It was just damn tight and accurate. Low notes were more distinct on the Solo. Listening to Chris Squire playing on Yes-"Fragile"-"Heart of the Sunrise" was a treat. The growl which so defines the character of his Rickenbacker bass thrives on this speaker! Both the ST and the S2 did a great job with this "growl", but I'm convinced the Solo mid/bass is an exceptionally quick driver. This speed was also apparent on the syncopation of Tony Levin’s bass on Joni Mitchell’s “Wild Things Run Fast”, Track 9, “Man to Man”, starting at 0:18. These fast low notes were exceptionally distinct on the Solo’s.
The Solo6 also puts out the deepest notes with the most authority of these three. After listening to lower bass, the conclusion I have is that the ST’s drop off faster below the port tuning while the Solo6’s roll off more gradually. The added depth of the Solo6’s compared to the ST’s was apparent on Steely Dan’s “Aja”, Track 7, “Josie” with the bass line starting at 0:15.
The S2 was the weakest on the low end by a good margin. What bass the S2 produced was done well, but I feel most people would be compelled to add a subwoofer to the S2’s, whereas the ST and Solo could satisfy some.
Soundstage - The S2 has the widest Soundstage, followed by the Solo6, then the ST. When I listened to the Solo vs. the ST, I thought that the ST's weren't as narrow as I had remembered from comparing the S2 with the ST. However, once I had the S2's in the loop, it was apparent that they were wider than the Solo6’s and the ST got comparatively narrower. With the ST’s, it sounded as if most of the sound was coming from a (non-existent) central speaker. I swapped the position of the speakers, but the comparative width of the soundstages stayed with the speakers.
The width of the soundstage seemed to correlate directly with off-axis dispersion. I moved my chair about 3 feet to the right and the ST’s had a significant decrease in treble compared to the Solos and S2’s. I never had the chance to listen to the ST with the standard dome tweeter, but I believe it is safe to expect a better soundstage. Anyone contemplating the ribbon tweeter should realize that it is best suited for dedicated listening from the proper spot.
Treble - The inverted dome Be tweeter of the Focal was the best of the bunch. The Paradigm's Be, the Salk's ribbon, and the Focal’s Be are three stand out tweeters to my ear. The differences between these and other tweeters I've heard is far greater than the differences among these three. Nonetheless, the Focal Be has the fuller sound. This difference was pronounced where the chimes come in at 0:27 of Track 4, Frank Zappa’s “Pound for a Brown on the Bus” of Ed Palermo’s “Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance” Album. The ST and the S2 sound pretty much identical to one another.
I had the ST's pointed a foot behind my head and the Solos and S2's pointed about three feet behind my head. The ST's were the most “up front”, followed by the S2, followed by the Solo. The ST's did not seem “hot” and I experienced no fatigue. On the other extreme, the Solo did not seem veiled. It was more like the cymbals, etc. were closest on the ST's and farther away on the Solos with the S2’s in-between.
Midrange/Accuracy - The Solos offer more detail, transparency, and accuracy than any other speaker I have heard! Sudden attacks such as rim taps were excitingly quick and many sound details such as fingers touching guitar strings were maintained as a clean and distinct component of the sound. They are not overblown, but the edges (both attack and decay) of these sounds are much better defined than on the other two speakers (which are very good at this!).
Perhaps bi-amping and being able to design amplification specific to the crossover and drivers affords Focal an advantage in the speed of the Solo. My inner geek is disappointed that I could not find any specifications on the electronic guts of the Solo6’s.
As a good place to demonstrate this aspect of the Solos, starting at 0:15 in Track4, “Peg” of Steely Dan’s “Aja” there is staccato guitar in the background and the Solo’s exhibited outstanding speed compared to the other two.
Similarly, the characteristic of various instrument voices are better conveyed. The timbre of the alto and tenor saxophone on the Solos surpassed that of the S2 and ST. However, this difference disappeared on the higher and thinner notes of the soprano sax where the sound was very close for all three. The “blatt” of a ballsy trombone solo was clearly captured better on the Solo’s. I think these are differences in transients – it is all about speed.
The ability of the Solo's mid/bass to distinctly present voices is uncanny. Harmonies as sung by Steely Dan are well blended, but the Solos had me listening to the interplay and exchange between the singers – “Aja”, Track 2, “Aja” at 6:25. On the same passage, the ST’s created a smooth and mellow sound which I think Steely Dan would be proud of, and the S2’s were in-between, smoother than the Solo’s with more definition than the ST’s.
Simply put, the Solos are well suited to their design function of providing a monitor for a professional audio mixing studio. It was easier to isolate the distinct voices comprising the music. The Solo6 is undoubtedly the more accurate speaker, followed by the S2, and then by the ST. There were places where any one of these three speakers sounded best.
Continued below.