Magnetic energy
The performance of a loudspeaker is directly linked to the magnetic energy transmitted by the magnet - a subject that Focal knows well, having invented original and technically advanced solutions such as the Multiferrite magnet, which remains one of the brand's technological signatures. But permanent magnets are power-limited, and in the context of a reference woofer, this is a real problem. Because a woofer should combine at least two essential performances: high efficiency and the ability to go down in frequency. To get down to low frequencies, you can play with the flexibility of the surround and spider, but above all you need to increase the mass of the cone. If you increase the mass, the efficiency drops. And to compensate for this drop, you need to increase the motor's power. This is where the limits of the permanent magnet come into play, forcing a compromise between efficiency and resonant frequency.
Performance
Focal's only solution was to reconsider the very existence of the permanent magnet. We adopted an electro-magnet for our Grande and Stella Utopia EM woofers. Thanks to the latest simulation software and materials, this extreme solution, which goes back to the very origins of the loudspeaker, has been optimized to deliver the desired strength, and is now the subject of a patent. The magnetic flux in the air gap reaches 1.75 Tesla (0.9 for the woofer in the previous Grande Utopia Be, despite its Multiferrite magnet) to deliver a force factor (the motor's true power) of 34 T.m. Objective achieved: efficiency for 1 W at 1 m reaches 97 dB, while the resonance frequency drops to less than 24 Hz. That's the real performance.
Focal products using this technology
Discover other Focal technologies
Gamma Structure
An anti-vibration cabinet
As the surface area of a loudspeaker cabinet is greater than that of the loudspeaker diaphragms, it can radiate sounds that are distorted by the resonances of the cabinet structure. This alters reproduction and blurs the sound image. To prevent such "interference", it is essential that the cabinet is as inert as possible, that it is not emissive. At Focal, we use MDF (Medium Density Fiber) to achieve this inertia. This stable, heavy structure is anti-vibration. It has been optimized by vibratory mapping of the loudspeaker walls to reinforce or modify the structure wherever a weak point appeared.
Infinite Horn Loading
High-definition sound
For the Beryllium tweeter to deliver all its finesse, it would need an almost infinite volume. Sopra's need for compactness meant that the maximum volume of the cabinet had to be used for the bass. Exploring new ways of loading the tweeter led us to imagine the IHL infinite-load horn. The IHL (Infinite Horn Loading) system enables the Beryllium tweeter to be loaded while respecting the compactness of the loudspeaker. The rear wave is gently and progressively absorbed to avoid distortion. The result is maximum definition.
TNF Tweeter
Treble finesse
Made in France in our workshops, the TNF aluminum/magnesium inverted dome tweeter delivers smooth, clear treble. The surround that connects the dome to its support uses Poron, a shape-memory material. This surround is directly derived from Focal's famous Beryllium tweeter, and reduces distortion by a factor of three between 2000 Hz and 3000 Hz, the most sensitive zone for the ear. In addition, a waveguide has been developed to perfect spatialization and further improve the inverted dome's very low directionality. In the horizontal plane, the frequency response is within +/- 0.5 dB. This performance guarantees an incredibly stable soundstage.
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