We review the $9,600 Legacy Audio Focus SE Speakers

[admin]

Bill Dudleston's 25th anniversary Legacy Audio Focus SE speakers are something you are going to want to hear... and if you can't, then read what we thought of the system...you may commence drooling.

Editor's Note: Measurements for this speaker will be forthcoming in a separate article.

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Discuss "Legacy Audio Focus SE Loudspeakers Review" here. Read the article.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Did I overlook the measurements somehow?

Where are the measurements?

 

[Irvrobinson]

Did I overlook the measurements somehow?

Where are the measurements?

I was thinking the same thing. The reviewer obviously liked them, but since Dudleston fully admits to creative voicing it would have been nice to see some measurements. As a previous Legacy Focus owner I can say that he does a nice job for the price, but I was never convinced my much older Focus was neutral. Recordings didn't sound as different from one another as they would on a very neutral speaker, like the Revel, the KEF 207/2, the Linkwitz Orion, or some electrostatics I've heard. Those AMT tweeters are intriguing.

 

[gene]

Did I overlook the measurements somehow?

Where are the measurements?

You need to sit tight. I've been working with our new loudspeaker guru/engineer (Joel Foust) and some former consultants (Mark Sanfilipo) to develop the industry's most comprehensive measurement standard. We will be publishing this standard next week and hopefully I can find time with our new writer Joel to head to Clint's house to measure these beasts before he sends them back.

Dr. Floyd Toole just ripped into our standard and gave us a bit of a bloody nose, so we are making some changes before publishing

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

You need to sit tight. I've been working with our new loudspeaker guru/engineer (Joel Foust) and some former consultants (Mark Sanfilipo) to develop the industry's most comprehensive measurement standard. We will be publishing this standard next week and hopefully I can find time with our new writer Joel to head to Clint's house to measure these beasts before he sends them back.

Dr. Floyd Toole just ripped into our standard and gave us a bit of a bloody nose, so we are making some changes before publishing

Sweetness! Proud to be an Audioholic !

 

[Hocky]

I thought that these speakers sounded very bright at axpona.

 

[HifiSystems1]

IMHO the best speaker under $10,000 (new Focus SE) is also possibly the best under $20k. I haven't fully evaluated the new Aeris yet and of course the Legacy Whisper XD is better at $20k, but at $10k I've auditioned everything and nothing beats the new version of the Focus SE.

Great review and video!

 

[Chu Gai]

Gene, can you comment on what Toole found lacking?

 

[bjski]

Anyone know if Legacy is going to update the previous version of the Focus SE to the new tweeter's?

 

[monkish54]

You need to sit tight. I've been working with our new loudspeaker guru/engineer (Joel Foust) and some former consultants (Mark Sanfilipo) to develop the industry's most comprehensive measurement standard. We will be publishing this standard next week and hopefully I can find time with our new writer Joel to head to Clint's house to measure these beasts before he sends them back.

Dr. Floyd Toole just ripped into our standard and gave us a bit of a bloody nose, so we are making some changes before publishing

Klippel Testing each driver and taking measurments of the completed system to insure it is integrated properly?

Audioholics should get some Klippel hardware.

 

[cpp]

You need to sit tight. I've been working with our new loudspeaker guru/engineer (Joel Foust) and some former consultants (Mark Sanfilipo) to develop the industry's most comprehensive measurement standard. We will be publishing this standard next week and hopefully I can find time with our new writer Joel to head to Clint's house to measure these beasts before he sends them back.

Dr. Floyd Toole just ripped into our standard and gave us a bit of a bloody nose, so we are making some changes before publishing

One thing Toole did say " Most listening tests are valid only at a specific time and place, for the specific recordings that were listened to, and for the people offering
their opinions"

 

[eugenius]

Why no measurements?

Edit: Oh, I see now that they're coming.

 

[Bderringer]

Do these still have plastic speaker grille pegs?

 

[David C. Snyder]

Anyone know if Legacy is going to update the previous version of the Focus SE to the new tweeter's?

I'm joining this thread three years late, but Legacy updated the previous planar ribbon tweeters in my original issue FOCUS SE to the new AirMotion tweeters. Cost of the upgrade is about $2k but well worth it in my opinion.

before

after
​

Same loudspeakers, but obviously different systems and rooms since I had the upgrade done as part of a move out to the west coast. If you have not done this yet, definitely give Doug Brown or your Legacy Audio dealer a call.

 

[David C. Snyder]

Do these still have plastic speaker grille pegs?

Sadly, yes. Unquestionably the lowest quality aspect of these loudspeakers. The pegs are necessary to support the weight of the fairly elaborate wood and fabric grills, but metal pegs sliding into rubber sockets might have been nicer than the plastic pegs and sockets. I have one socket that sometimes comes out with the peg. One of these days, I'll put some glue on it so that it stays put.

 

[Thunder240]

Clint, if you still have your notes from your listening sessions 3 years ago, can you compare to the Salk SS8, which the intro to your review you stated were in your house immediately prior to the Focus SEs? Also, any chance you can offer a comparison to the XTZ 100.49 Divine? These have been reviewed before on Audioholics, though I don't recall who was the reviewer.

Of course if anyone else is able to offer a comparison besides Clint, feel free to chime in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sonic Guild]

Are they on the warm side or just neutral? I can't stand bright speakers, any thoughts?

 

[Art Vandelay]

Are they on the warm side or just neutral? I can't stand bright speakers, any thoughts?

I heard them at my local store which is a Legacy dealer, and really liked them.

I certainly wouldn't label them as reserved in the treble, but to my ears they're not overly bright or etched sounding, though I can still imagine them sounding a bit bright in a reflective room.

With some Legacy speakers in the past I've been aware of a slight discontinuity in the treble due to the high crossover point to the super tweeter, but with this latest SE model it was difficult to fault the treble at all.

 

[Epsonfan]

The sucker is heavy .

 

[Bucknekked]

You need to sit tight. I've been working with our new loudspeaker guru/engineer (Joel Foust) and some former consultants (Mark Sanfilipo) to develop the industry's most comprehensive measurement standard. We will be publishing this standard next week and hopefully I can find time with our new writer Joel to head to Clint's house to measure these beasts before he sends them back.

Dr. Floyd Toole just ripped into our standard and gave us a bit of a bloody nose, so we are making some changes before publishing

Somehow I just love the imagery of Floyd Toole giving an audio standard a bloody nose. That's a great line.
Good to see that some heavy weights are involved.