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Author Topic: Focal Spirit Pro  (Read 6984 times)

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ultrabike

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Focal Spirit Pro
« on: April 14, 2014, 05:03:24 AM »

Sound

I actually like the sound of these quite a bit. I found them quite engaging.

I had no problems getting half-decent seal with these and the bass did seem to go fairly low. It seemed pretty clean and detailed to me. Not to emphasized or anemic. I also did not find them too boxy or wonky sounding. The treble was for the most part OK. However, I did feel there was a narrow and not too subtle emphasis somewhere in the 10 to 12 kHz range. Perhaps some edginess too. IMO this is not a bright headphone though, and found the overall balance very pleasant.

SQ wise I like these more than the NAD cans.

Comfort

&@$~ poo poo #*^!

Presentation

The look nice and sporty.

Price

For $350 ($400 MSRP) could have been worse. The box is awesome.

Overall

Good sounding head clamps.

Measurements

Frequency Response



Distortion Right



Distortion Left



CSD Right



CSD Left

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ultrabike

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Re: Focal Spirit Pro
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2014, 05:09:32 AM »

Comparos:

Focal Spirit Pro vs NAD



Focal Spirit Pro vs HD600

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OJneg

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Re: Focal Spirit Pro
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2014, 05:11:37 AM »

How do you like these next to the HD600? Obviously tonal balance looks very similar but what about openness and other intangibles?
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ultrabike

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Re: Focal Spirit Pro
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2014, 05:15:11 AM »

Well, the HD600 are more open for sure. I like the balance of the HD600 better too. I feel the bass of the Focals is better though, and to be fair I think Focal did a fantastic job considering these are closed cans.

Comfort-wise, unlike the HD600s, these SUCK!



Moreover, I felt the narrow peak between 10 and 12 kHz (absent in the HD600s) was a little stronger than what the measurement suggests. It didn't hurt me and it's not a show stopper IMO though.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2014, 05:23:55 AM by ultrabike »
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CEE TEE

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Re: Focal Spirit Pro
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2014, 05:56:05 AM »

Yes, this all makes sense to me.  I agree.  Thanks for doing this and for comparing to HD600!
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Re: Focal Spirit Pro
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2014, 07:05:34 AM »

Doesn't look too bad overall. The treble could probably be smoothed out with some simple mods.

I'm disappointed the comfort is so poor. That's the biggest factor these days for me in determining how long I can actually wear a pair of headphones, which really sucks when you have the sound right where you want it.
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AustinValentine

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Re: Focal Spirit Pro
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2014, 03:24:19 PM »

Thanks for measuring them and doing the comparison. This jibes with what I was hearing...and with their not-so-minor ergonomic difficulties. The comparison overlay between the NAD and FSP's midrange is surprising to me - because the sound from 300Hz to nearly 3k sure doesn't sound as similar to me as it looks.
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funkmeister

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Re: Focal Spirit Pro
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2014, 03:28:02 PM »

Most pro/studio phones I've been exposed to are real head squeezers for sure. Very few are comfortable while sounding good.
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ultrabike

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Re: Focal Spirit Pro
« Reply #8 on: April 14, 2014, 04:29:34 PM »

The fit problem is compounded by the small cup size which ends up pressing on the ears. After a short while one needs a break.

The measurements are usually done so that 90 dB is reached at 1 kHz. In some cases this might make it seem as if the mids align. However, the NAD is putting out more power than the FSPs in the measurements given it's more U-shaped response. If measuring using 90 dB of pink noise, the NAD mids would seem sunken relative to the FSP.
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TMRaven

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Re: Focal Spirit Pro
« Reply #9 on: April 15, 2014, 12:52:30 AM »

I actually don't mind the comfort/clamp too much considering their small earcup size because of the memory foam pads (which get warm and mold to your ears over time).  I definitely mind the small earcup size though, and I can see how that can compound any possible clamping issue to other people, as it clamps down on the outer part of your ears.

Soundwise I thought these were a little lacking around 2khz, and a little hot around 10khz, but it was a very narrow peak.  I thought the bass extended wonderfully and had superb balance, but wasn't as hard hitting as other headphones.  I think they sound very open for a closed headphone (not open in a large soundstage sense but open in a cohesive, clear sense.)

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