What do you guys know about Focal???

[Method]

I was curious to get some educated feedback about the Focal speaker line.

A friend of mine who is well educated in audio engineering thinks extremely high of the brand (and he has access to listen to pretty much everything being he works @ Sound Advice).

Anyway, I am reading about all the hype on Axiom around here, and am really considering going with the Axiom 80/500 package. Bottom line is I won't be pulling the trigger on spealers for a while, and was just curious as to whether the two lines were comparable. Is Focal just a higher end speaker all together? am i comparing apples to oranges here?

While my boy works at Sound Advice, he's an audioholic his damn self, and he's a younger guy too, so he doesn't push sales on you, the kid has a genuine passion for the stuff and will literally wax on for hours about it.

I was just curious as to the forums thoughts on Focal, and how they compare to Axiom, or any other of the ines that this site thinks highly of...

 

[VS540]

Axiom might be comparable to the Focal Chorus line. I don't know though because I've never heard them.

The Focal Electra Be and Utopia Be lines are high end and very high end lines. Both get a lot of respect with the Utopia Be considered by many to be some of, if not, the best speakers around. Grand Utopia Be's are ~$80,000 a pair I think.

So as whole Focal JMLab is good company, how the lower end models sound though I don't know.

 

[Method]

Thank you very much for that input.

My guy never heard of the Axiom line, but like I said, he is a pure hobbyist, free and clear of working @ Sound Advice. I actually sent him a couple of reviews of the Axiom 80/500 package because he had not heard of the line, but I think he was intent on upgrading his current speakers to the Focal Utopia line.

One day I was hanging out in the store shooting the sh!t with him, and he sat me down in front of this $80,000 KRELL system that knocked my block off.

 

[Deathwish238]

I've heard a good deal of their car audio. Their speakers have excellent sound. I particularly like the sound of their 6.5" woofers that use Kevlar.

 

[Rooz]

i recently tried a bunch of focal's. they are excellent speakers but they do carry a price. at least where i am from. the chorus range is around the cost of boston vr3's and have a comparable sound. i actually prefer the sound of these 2 speakers to the axioms.

their elektra range was nothing short of outstanding. the most pure speaker i have heard on our side of the price hemisphere. i can only imagine what their top end $120K stuff sounds like.

 

[tritonstudio]

I'd gone thru those speakers experiments for months in that ranges with all floor standing models from B&W, Vienna Acoutics, Paradigm, PSB, Diffinitive, Energy, .. etc ... then I picked the electra be after all ! It's very clear & imaging if you like smooth & jazzy stuffs. You need to hear it set up w/ a decent separate amps to believe its sound quality. Once you get a good pair of speakers, it's going to last for years in your music room.

 

[outsider]

all of my experience with Focal is in the car audio speakers - I absolutely love them.
Without a doubt some of the nicest speakers you can get.

I have yet to look into their home speakers though since I only know of one dealer that is even remotely close to me.

 

[QED]

I spent about an hour listening to a pair of micro utopia be's and was so impressed I was ready to buy them on the spot...until I found out they were $6,000 a pair

That could really add up in a 5.1 set up