Focal

U
nveiled at
Musikmesse 2017,
Focal’s new Shape
range of monitors
replace the French
manufacturer’s
popular CMS lineup.
Available in 40, 50 and 65 flavours,
the latter of which I’m reviewing here,
the Shapes now sit between their
budget-friendly Alpha series and the
Solo6 Be – another 6.5" two-way
monitor – in terms of price.
Aesthetically, the Shapes are an
interesting departure from Focal’s
6.5" passive radiators (one on each
side of the monitor). Like many, I
generally prefer the tighter bass
response and positional flexibility a
non-ported speaker provides, and it’s
interesting to see Focal implementing
this in a unit that’s priced within reach
of the ‘dedicated prosumer’. The
downside of the side radiators is that
the monitors must be placed
vertically, but that won’t be a
dealbreaker for everyone.
Once set up, and after auditioning
some reference material I’m familiar
with, I felt the low-mids and bass
regions were a little lacking in my
studio for my liking, so I reached for
the plentiful rear EQ controls. There’s
a 12dB/oct high-pass filter for
subwoofer integration, low-shelf
boost/cut (+/-6dB at 250Hz),
high-shelf boost/cut (+/-6dB at
4.5kHz) and low-mid bell boost/cut
(+/-3dB at 160Hz). A +1dB low-shelf
lift dialled in a touch more weight
required for my room.
The subjective sound of a monitor
speaker varies from brand to brand,
and hearing differs from person to
person, which is why most audio
professionals tend to align with a
particular speaker manufacturer. And
this makes perfect sense – after all,
one person’s ‘shimmering top-end’
may be ‘ear-shedding’ to another. I’m
already a fan of the trademark Focal
sound, which I’d describe as
somewhat ‘mid-forward’, guiding you
towards a balanced mix in those
all-important midrange areas. And the
other designs. The main speaker cabinet
is black-painted MDF with a luxurious
walnut veneer, appearing less ‘studio
spaceship’ and more ‘hi-fi connoisseur’
– in fact, they’d look just as at home
in a domestic cinema setup as in a
production environment. On the
underside, the included spikes (four
per speaker) are helpful for acoustic
decoupling and firing angle adjustment.
The 65s are a two-way design,
with a 1" aluminium/magnesium
inverted dome tweeter and 6.5" “flex
sandwich cone woofer”. Interestingly,
the Shapes are non-ported, with dual
THE PROS & CONS
+
Guide you towards
mix decisions that
translate fantastically
Accurate transient
detail facilitates
subtle changes in
EQ, compression
and dynamics
Easy to tweak them
to your room thanks
to the rear EQ
controls, and the
passive radiators give
you flexibility
-
Sub bass response is
slightly lacking
compared to bigger
monitors
Automatic bypass
function is annoying,
can’t be disabled
Very subtle ‘hi-fi’
homogeneity from
recording to
recording compared
to mastering-grade
monitors
The included spikes (four
per speaker) are helpful for
acoustic decoupling and
firing angle adjustment
Focal Shape 65 | Reviews
95
FMU328.rev_focal.indd 95 24/01/2018 17:25