Focal Factory Tour

[elwoodblues1969]

The more I research Focal studio monitors,the more fascinated I become by them.I've read many positive articles & reviews...but this in depth,comprehensive look into the manufacturing process,really gives one insight into the quality behind this speaker company.

This is the only speaker company that I know of,that designs & manufactures everything from the ground up in-house(at their plant in France),while also offering competitive pricing.
What makes the reasonable pricing possible,is that the raw materials they buy,is from outside their country,which is a very smart move,on their part.
The fact that the whole process of manufacturing of Focal products are exclusive to France,is a very exciting concept in terms of reliability & accuracy...which I think gives Focal an edge over Adam speakers(as far as the price/quality ratio goes).

Don't get me wrong,as Adam does make some amazing speakers,but I have experienced a defect in a model from their new AX line of monitors(of which I had since returned,a few months ago).
Thankfully,my old & trusty A7's are holding up well...but I do have some reservations about their newer line,of course.

As accurate as my Adam A7's are,their particular design,does not make for a very wide sweet spot and from what I've been reading-not only are Focal monitors insanely accurate,but have a generous sweet spot as well.

I have yet to hear Focal monitors for myself,but I am extremely confident that the Focals should be on the top of my gear list.

Here's a link to the video that I very much enjoyed watching...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMTAceNVsfw&feature=player_embedded



-Thom

[Oren]

...This is the only speaker company that I know of,that designs & manufactures everything from the ground up in-house...
The fact that the whole process of manufacturing of Focal products are exclusive to France,is a very exciting concept in terms of reliability & accuracy...
...not only are Focal monitors insanely accurate,but have a generous sweet spot as well.

I like the concept!
When it's time for new monitors, these look like an excellent choice.

[SLD Music]

Well,

After many months of money saving, research, listening tests, and hand-wringing I finally ordered myself a pair of Focal CMS 65's.  Should be here by next Friday.

It was a long, exciting, and agonizing process...  I'm confident I made a good choice, though.

Lots of options, and certainly lots of good ones in my budget range that would likely have suited me just as well, but this is what I finally chose. 

[Marc JX8P]

Cool! Looking fw to your findings, Scott!

[elwoodblues1969]

I would be interested to read about your assessment of the CMS 65's(particularly after you've had them for a few months),as learning how a pair of monitors behave in ever scenario in the studio,takes time.
Although online research can be very useful,I found that hands on experience with many different monitors over the years,gave me a particular ear for judging monitors more effectively.
Going from consumer grade PC desktops to pro-grade studio monitors is a radical leap in an upgrade,so most any speakers that are specifically designed for studio use are going to sound significantly better than PC speakers and a basis for comparison amongst studio monitors is ideal.

I went through a somewhat similar situation when I had bought my Adam A7's a few years back,as at the time prior to my Adam purchase,I had only dealt with entry level studio monitors like Samson & M-Audio.
I had done an enormous amount of research on the Adams and I had a sufficient amount of extra coin at that time to really make a significant investment in monitors & I really lucked out with my Adams(as I had never heard them prior to purchasing them).

I think if it weren't for me discovering Adam Audio first,I may very well have gone down the Focal route...but Adam has served me so well,so there's no reason for me to look elsewhere,for critical monitoring purposes.

I think that more than likely,you've made a very wise choice(though I've never had the opportunity to hear them),but like you,I've read most positive reviews on them.

Good luck,congrats & enjoy.


-Thom

[SLD Music]

Thom,

Yep... All this stuff I'm well aware of, as I'm an old audiophile speaker shopper from way back.  Just haven't been able to do it for the studio until now.

I admit I really went through some teeth-gnashing before I made the order.  I really wanted to physically audition more monitors.  The only place in town where I can audition monitors is a place called Rainbow Guitars, and while they had a nice set up for auditioning monitors, their selection was lacking.  They tended to have only the lower end (i.e. $400-$500 per pair and below) from M-audio, Mackie and Tannoy.  I was looking to go a step up from there, and they didn't have anything in that range.  Admittedly, those Tannoy Reveal 601As sounded awfully good, though.

The local Guitar Center had Adam A7Xs, in fact they had a larger slection than Rainbow did, but they didn't have anything set up to listen to.  It's sort of typical of my experience with Guitar Center--a place I really REALLY don't enjoy buying gear from.  I hate going into a store where I know more about the gear than the guy selling it to me does--that and it takes forever to get anyone's attention for chekout--to say nothing about the nightmare of returning something.    I'd rather deal with Sweetwater and the extra shipping time.  Anyway, I digress...

That said, I HAVE been able to hear first hand some Focal speakers much higher up in their studio monitor pedigree--their Twin 6 Be monitors.  Although they are about twice the dollar amount of the CMS line (about $1700 each rather than $800 each), I was at least able to listen to them extensively when I went into our local recording studio to do the final mix of "Dirait-On" for iTunes distribution, and get a sense for what the "Focal sound" is all about. That experience, plus many many reviews, forum posts (both espousing the positives and negatives), and recommendations finally tipped the scales, and I placed the order for the CMS65s.

I'm very excited.  Have to wait about a week to get them--and then there will be some significant burn-in time (minumum 20 hours, according to Focal, but more likely 100+ hours in reality) and then just time for me to get used to mixing on them.  It'll be a process, but I'm looking forward to it.

[elwoodblues1969]

Thom,

Admittedly, those Tannoy Reveal 601As sounded awfully good, though.

It's sort of typical of my experience with Guitar Center--a place I really REALLY don't enjoy buying gear from.  I hate going into a store where I know more about the gear than the guy selling it to me does--I'd rather deal with Sweetwater and the extra shipping time.  Anyway, I digress...

Have to wait about a week to get them--

At one point,I was really interested in the budget line of Tannoy's & they're known for their high performance tweeters,but since I prefer a 2.0 system over a 2.1 system,adequate low end is paramount & the smaller Tannoy's don't have the low end I need.

Yeah...Guitar Center employee's are about as knowledgeable as the folks at Wal-Mart...in fact,you're better off with basing your purchases on online research,rather then buying from GC!

As for shipping,Sweetwater's shipping is amazingly expeditious,as I always receive my gear within two days of placing my order-which is impressive,since I always opt for free ground shipping(I live in N.J.).

[SLD Music]

They're here!  

As they are brand new, I'll refrain from saying too much about them, except to say the sound field is as advertised--remarkable.  They are incredibly detailed--really something to listen to.

I have a lot of break-in to do yet, and then a lot of listening to say nothing of trying to mix on them, but I'm very optimistic.   I'll post more in the coming months.

Here are some pictures in the meantime.

[Marc JX8P]

Very interesting tweeter design! I'm looking fw to hearing of your experiences with them.

[Oren]

Very interesting tweeter design! I'm looking fw to hearing of your experiences with them.

Woh - fine looking tools!