5.0 out of 5 stars My Journey has Ended. 😀

C.B. · November 12, 2017

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } The Focal Shape 50's have replaced a pair of Genelec 8030C's and are without a doubt the most detailed, natural sounding monitor I have used to date.The Genelec's had nowhere near the tightness in the low end compared to the Shape 50's or the air on the top end. I listen to a lot of jazz and vocals and have tried many speakers and monitors over the last ten years including the renowned KEF LS50's, Mark and Daniel Diamonds/Ruby's, Genelec 8030C's and quite a few others. I have finally found my musical nirvana with the Focal's. Better yet they come with onboard amplification that out performs some very expensive separates I have used.I wish I had started my audio journey in the pro audio realm. I could have saved a lot of time and money that I have wasted over the years paying for fancy cabinets and flashy boxes. These are the real deal from a very established manufacture who has been in the audio business a very long time. Their years of manufacturing and design experience is evident in the Shape series.I love the broad soundstage and extreme detail of these. The cabinets are nicely finished in a dark stained real walnut and metal grills are provided for a more subdued look. The passive radiators make them much less dependant on placement versus ported monitors. There is plenty of adjustment parameters for fine tuning. Love, love, love them. Highly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Sound With a Few Problems

W.B. · November 29, 2018

I've been producing music for 4 and a half years, and after using midrange headphones and some poor speakers, I began to audition many midrange speakers in search of a general replacement for my setup. I had ordered these on faith based on the descriptions my friends and people online had of the speakers.These speakers have an absolutely pristine character. The stereo spread is the best of any speaker I've auditioned under $1000 per. That being said, the 10khz+ area is a little bit bright, which can make long listenings tiring after a few hours without turning down the high shelf. The midrange is very well balanced, and the ringing after percussion fades very quickly on all frequencies except the low (I can't determine whether this is the speaker's problem or my room at this time). These speakers do very well down to 50hz, where they take a sharp decline in volume. A sub is absolutely required for any electronic music.Their eq knobs are very, very welcome. They were very effective in taming and bringing out certain frequencies that were cancelled in my listening area. Huge kudos for the 110hz knob. The highpass filter does some strange things to the mid-high frequencies, so turning it to 60 or 90hz crossover could get unpleasant with the brighter highs.The biggest issue with these speakers is their lack of volume control. The only setup I had available with my DAC was a split of my L/R channels routed to the sub. I had to DIY two attenuators to cut down the volume just to balance with the sub, since the Focals were so loud. Also, I didn't have an XLR out of my DAC, which means I had to use RCA cables to connect the speakers. This left the issue of the speakers buzzing slightly with the interference from my keyboard/monitor/etc. Both of these problems could by fixed with a volume knob, so I'm somewhat confused why it didn't come with one itself.Either way, the speakers are fairly kind to mixes, yet are transparent enough for listeners to easily determine problems in the sound. I'd recommend this both for mixing and for listening as long as you have appropriate volume controlling equipment.

1.0 out of 5 stars Watch Out!

J. · July 24, 2017

Warning: I ordered a pair of Shape 65's and I ended up returning it after a week and a half due to an issue where one of the speakers lost volume due to phase cancelling from within the speaker. I was shocked especially after spending almost $2000 for a decent set of monitors.I once owned the CMS 65's and had a similar issue, but instead my HF amp went out completely. I had to send it back to Sweetwater for repair and I ended up paying in parts and labor the cost of a brand new speaker. I will not be putting my money into Focal anymore. Especially for this price, you should not have issues like I did.You might want to put your money into a more established brand who have worked through the kinks in their technology.