NEW! Focal Headphones. - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhythmdevils 

For some reason the red color over the drivers makes me think they're not going to sound all that great. 

Can't believe people are like instantly "hey this tries to look a little more trendy so it probably isn't going to sound great". 

What worries me most is the soundstage, if it's fully closed it's probably gonna be very small and intimate soundstage, that's what you get from small & fully enclosed enclosures, just look at AKG K81 / K518.

Open headphones are stagnating outside of the home high end market.

Proof is on display here on a daily basis.

Newb> What's the diff between an open and closed can?

Response> Open cans trump Closed cans for natural reproduction but they leak.

Newb> Oh, that sucks. I'll take the closed option thanks.

@ Uncle Erik

Btw, tangent note, new found respect for the HD800 yesterday after listening to a set on a Lehmann Black Cube

and decent yet 'unidentifiable' CD transport at the Sennheiser stand. Beautiful combination, this

headphone is very special indeed.

Some of their speakers sound absolutely amazing. I remain hopeful...

Best in show for me at the Australian Hi Fi show yesterday,

Very pricey but better than some speaker gear that cost upwards of $50K

Scala Utopia by Focal

It sure looks nice. Maybe they'll be a good portable headphone.

Is more like the big car names have watches line, but the Focal watch have a lighter too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD 

 

Can't believe people are like instantly "hey this tries to look a little more trendy so it probably isn't going to sound great". 

Ha.  It isn't rocket science.  There's a clear trend.

I admit, when I first saw the thread title I thought it said "fecal headphones" and was intrigued.

http://www.musicdirect.com/c-657-headphones.aspx?pagenum=2&sortfield=Popularity&sortdirection=DESC&perpage=24&BrandFilterID=0&CategoryFilterID=657&

Quote:

Originally Posted by DjAmTraX 

Anyone has more news on these?  When they will hit the streets?

Here's a review of the Focal Spirit Ones

It sounds like Focal is catering much more to audiophiles than to the mass market Beats crowd.    

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/focal/1.html

Wrap. Acknowledging again that I had no natural-born competitors on hand, from my high(er)-priced arsenal the closest match on performance/price came from AKG's K702 (gussied up with after-market cable no less). Known to be a more demanding load, my Eximus amp was ideally suited for it. Even so the half-priced Spirit One was the more exciting colorful lively and compelling performer. And dressed more luxuriously if that matters. Until Focal's target audience matures to better D/A conversion and power stages, they'll never know how good this Frenchie can sound. It can remain a constant well into a progressive upgrade path. It's attractive to look at, comfortable to wear, nicely accessorized and very fairly priced. So back to the future. Yes! On the evidence of the Spirit One, Focal seems very much destined to shake up this market segment. How they'll play their cards remains to be seen. Regardless, they're off to a very auspicious start. Propitious is the word. Welcome to the jungle. Halleluja. Flip the wig. The works.

Had a listen to the Focal One headphones today at a store and was actually quite impressed with what I was hearing straight out of the iPhone. I think these headphones have the potential to sound really good with a good portable source/amp. I was surprised that it had such a great SQ - the treble and mids were fine sounding but I did feel that it had a slight bass emphasis. Will have to go back for another listen once I have the DX100 in hand. Overall, very impressed with what I heard.