What can you tell me about Focus Audio?


I'm in the process of auditioning speakers. Looking for a small to midsize floor stander for my 12'x18' room. A dealer has turned me on to Focus Audio. I plan on listening to a pair from their Prestige series this weekend (FP80Se), but I have found little about them on the web.

Anyone have any experience with these speakers? As background, I listen to about 75% rock and 25% jazz.
dhoff01

Showing 5 responses by dhoff01

Thanks Cmalak. Been breaking them in since they arrived on Wed. I need to get some sleep.. ;-)
Thanks Trelja. I can't tell you how frustrating it was trying to find the right pair for me...
Mbump - I'm more than happy to. I've only put about 30 hours on them so far, but I was impressed with them out of the box. Voicing is spectacular, the bass is fast and punchy, but the highs are a little harsh at the moment. It uses a scanspeak revelator ring tweeter that is known for being detailed and smooth (as it was when I demoed them) so I expect it will start to open up after another 100 or so hours. I'll keep you informed.

On a side note (and feel free to ignore any of this), I noticed your system and saw that you face some of the same limitations that I do. You have a much wider room, but your listening position is simlar to mine - I sit about 10 feet away from the speakers, which sit 3 1/2' out from the wall. Looks like you'll be a little closer, actually. Since I sit rather close and do not enjoy much space behind me, I shied away from larger floorstanders like the FP88se (presently in production - uses 2 7" drivers instead of the 2 5 1/2" used in the 80se) and the PSB Synchrony 1s. I worried that it would be too much speaker for my room, and I didn't want a muddy bass even if it did reach way down low. Just something to think about when your listening to the 360s.

Also, I did audition the 220s along with a pair of Contour surrounds. I thought the high end of the FA that I demoed to be much smoother that either of the Dynaudios with sacrificing any transparency. I really was unimpressed with the Dynaudios - they just lacked that "wow" factor that I was looking for when listening to speakers. Of course, the 360s are a different animal, and everyone listens with their own set of ears, so it could've just been my own acquired tastes. Just something to consider.

Good luck on your quest!
As an update, I've logged just over 200 hours on the FAs, and I must admit that the change has been rather dramatic. As I mentioned above, there was a bit of harshness on the upper frequencies when I first started listening to them. The highs now are open and airy without a hint of edge - very pleased, indeed.

Suffice to say, I couldn't be happier with these speakers.