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Verdict
There’s heaps to love about the best way the Focal Vestia No.1 sound – however they don’t fairly have the all-court recreation to match the most effective of their rivals.
Execs
- Expansive, refined and detailed sound
- Advanced and efficient tweeter association
- Mildly unconventional seems to be
Cons
- Removed from probably the most thrilling pay attention
- Wanting sonic power
- Mildly unconventional seems to be
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Frequency varyGoes as low 56Hz, and as excessive as 30kHz -
Driver configurationContains a 165mm slatefiber mid/bass, and a 25mm aluminium/magnesium inverted dome tweeter -
Three finishesBlack, Darkish wooden and light-weight wooden finishes
Introduction
French loudspeaker savant Focal has by no means been one to observe the herd – and the Vestia No.1 standmounter is simply the most recent demonstration of that reality.
At a look it seems to be precisely as you may count on – however you don’t must look all that intently, for all that lengthy, to understand the corporate has introduced its individualistic pondering to bear. Particular person is one factor, although… good is sort of one other. Is the Vestia No.1 kind of than the sum of its components?
Availability
The Focal Vestia No.1 are on sale, and in the UK they promote for not more than £799 a pair. In the USA they’re yours for round $1199, whereas in Australia you’ll must half with AU$1749 or thereabouts.
It hardly wants saying that that is appreciable cash for a pair of standmounting loudspeakers, and Focal are up in opposition to appreciable competitors as a consequence. The likes of Bowers & Wilkins, KEF and Sonus Faber (to call however three) all have equally priced alternate options with which to tempt you…
Design
- Three finishes
- Magnetic grilles
- Mixture of supplies
First issues first: the Vestia No.1 are correctly made and easily completed – and on this respect a minimum of, they’re effectively as much as the kind of customary you’re entitled to count on when spending this kind of cash on what are, in spite of everything, fairly compact loudspeakers at 387 x 219 x 260 (HxWxD, mm).
The beauty therapy Focal has selected for the speaker cupboards is – to my eyes, a minimum of – a barely extra certified success. The Vestia No.1 can be found in three completely different finishes: high-gloss black, darkish wooden or the white of this overview pattern.
The white end, as you possibly can see, is wrapped throughout its entrance, again, high, and backside surfaces in white leather-effect vinyl; the facet panels, that are simply barely bigger in each route than the surfaces they meet, are completed in a sort of grained wood-effect materials that wouldn’t look misplaced if used as flooring.
The opposite two finishes have black, somewhat than white, leather-effect vinyl as their design flourish. The looks of the entrance baffle, a minimum of, could be altered because of magnetically connected acoustic grilles.
Options
- Two-way, bass reflex design
- Aluminium/magnesium tweeter
- Slatefiber mid/bass driver
There are chunky speaker-binding posts on the rear of the Vestia No.1 cupboard, that are capable of settle for naked wire, spade or 4mm banana plugs. However different that that, the entire Focal motion is up entrance.
In direction of the highest of the entrance baffle there’s a fairly advanced tweeter association. Inside a urethane waveguide sits a 25mm aluminium/magnesium M-shaped inverted dome TAM tweeter that’s good, based on Focal, for high-frequency extension as much as a giddy (and inaudible) 30kHz. It’s the primary time Focal has fitted this advanced (and visually fairly arresting) tweeter to a home loudspeaker vary.
Beneath it, there’s a 165mm mid/bass driver. You may inform it’s created from Focal’s recycled carbon-fibre slatefiber materials, as a result of the motive force encompass says so in fairly assertive lettering (the encompass additionally carries the message “FOCAL – Made in France”). This driver association delivers a frequency response, based on Focal, of 56Hz – 30kHz.
On the backside of the entrance baffle there’s a round bass reflex port that’s tuned to assist reinforce the speaker’s low-frequency response. As a result of it faces forwards, the chances are that the Vestia No.1 shall be a bit of extra relaxed about their place relative to a rear wall than they in any other case is likely to be.
Standmounting audio system, after all, are designed for use on stands. Focal has developed some stands to be used with the Vestia No.1: they’re 55cm excessive, completed in black, and have a tilted top-plate in an try and optimise the time-alignment of the speaker’s sound.
At £199 per pair, they’re priced to compete with some very well-regarded stands from some very well-regarded specialist producers – though to be honest, not one of the alternate options I take note of function a tilted top-plate…
Sound High quality
- Loads of scale, element, and refinement
- Organised and dynamic
- Sound in need of each power and pleasure
I could as effectively get proper to it: there’s excellent news and there’s unhealthy information relating to the best way the Focal Vestia No.1 carry out. The excellent news outweighs the unhealthy, although, so let’s begin there…
Given an enormous high-resolution file of I Bought The… by Labi Siffre to cope with, the Vestia No.1 take next-to-no time to disclose themselves as an enormous, organised and really refined pay attention. Their general presentation is mature and extremely polished, with barely a tough edge or a pointy nook to be heard. If the concept of sonic sophistication, together with loads of scale and heft, appeals, you’ll discover lots to get pleasure from right here.
Low frequencies are deep, textured, detail-heavy and are confidently diversified by way of each timbre and assault. There’s finesse and assault in equal measure down on the backside of the frequency vary, and the kind of management that retains rhythmic expression convincing. The Vestia No.1 punch with dedication, however they by no means lose the run of themselves and bass data stays effectively away from the midrange.
The midrange itself is as clear and detailed as the underside finish, and the Focal have loads of worthwhile observations to make a few singer’s tone and method. It’s not particularly simple to permit the midrange sufficient house by which a vocalist can correctly categorical themselves whereas guarantee it’s built-in easily into the presentation as a complete, however the Focal obtain it virtually casually. The soundstage these audio system create is massive and persuasive, and it’s laid out explicitly. As a consequence, even a reasonably dense and busy recording like this one is is gratifyingly simple to observe.
The highest of the frequency vary is comparable in each tone and traits – treble sounds are detailed and vibrant, however by no means coarse or overblown even in case you wish to pay attention at vital quantity. The pretty advanced tweeter association delivers substance and subtlety in equal measure, and there’s no trace of hardness to the highest finish.
Dynamic headroom is appreciable, so the variations in depth all through the recording are given good expression. And the Vestia No.1 are fairly attentive to harmonic variations on the identical time, even when they’re fairly minor – context is all the pieces, and the Focal handle to contextualise transient occurrences in a recording fairly skilfully.
Switching to a equally information-rich digital file of The Fall’s Paranoia Man in Low cost Shit Room exposes some weaknesses within the Focal’s general angle, although. For all their powers of decision, these audio system are removed from probably the most energetic – there’s a sort of matter of fact-ness to the best way they current what must be a somewhat hectic and exhilarating recording.
They appear unwilling or unable to get caught up within the queasy headrush of the tune’s instrumentation and efficiency, trying in probably the most inappropriate method to easy it off and damp it down. Enjoyable is a crucial ingredient in a loudspeaker’s efficiency, however the Vestia No.1 appear to treat the concept as somewhat infantile. In an effort to impose their maturity and class on a recording that’s proof against it, the result’s an influence wrestle that’s resolved to nobody’s satisfaction.
Newest offers
Must you purchase it?
You get pleasure from a high-sheen, subtle sound
The Vestia No.1 have the gloss you need
You worth power and/or pleasure in your music
These audio system are merely not inquisitive about getting both ‘down’ or ‘soiled’
Last Ideas
I’m all for investigating the street much less travelled, and Focal can at all times be relied upon to do issues its personal method. As somebody who revels in an adolescent thrash of sound as a lot because the expensively produced and tasteful various, although, the Vestia No.1 are a bit too grown-up for my liking.
How we check
We check each hi-fi speaker we overview totally over an prolonged time frame. We use industry-standard assessments to check options correctly. We’ll at all times let you know what we discover. We by no means, ever, settle for cash to overview a product.
Discover out extra about how we check in our ethics coverage.
Examined with actual world use
FAQs
No, the stands are an non-obligatory additional for the Focal Vestia No.1
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