Concebidos para entornos exigentes, combinan un ingenioso diseño, un amplio abanico de tecnologías propias de Focal y una variada opción de ajustes para ser optimizados dependiendo de la acústica de nuestra sala de escucha.

En su continua carrera por ofrecer soluciones en monitores de estudio innovadoras, Focal ha replanteado por completo el concepto de monitores de campo cercano, como demuestra su nueva línea Shape. Recientemente lanzados en el pasado Musikmesse de Frankfurt, estos tres ( ahora cuatro con la llegada del Shape Twin , la nueva referencia de la línea), modelos Shape 40, Shape 50 y Shape 65, totalmente hechos en Francia, incluyen dobles radiadores pasivos y nuevos woofers y tweeters. Concebidos para entornos exigentes, combinan un ingenioso diseño, un amplio abanico de tecnologías propias de Focal y una variada opción de ajustes para ser optimizados dependiendo de la acústica de nuestra sala de escucha. Simultáneamente a este lanzamiento Focal ha descatalogado la serie de monitores CMS, lanzada en 2008.

Estos cuatro monitores son inmediatamente reconocidos gracias a su diseño único. De hecho, la parte superior y frontal se presentan en acabado de madera de nogal. Está presentación es el perfecto complemento de diseño para sus nuevos conos Flax, al igual que ocurre con los modelos de series superiores.

Nuevos woofers

El desarrollo de las tecnologías de los drivers forma parte del ADN de Focal. Los nuevos conos sándwich Flax están compuestos de dos materiales: fibra de vidrio y fibra de lino. Combinados a modo de sándwich – una capa de fibra de lino se encuentra entre dos capas de fibra de vidrio- ofrecen una alta rigidez, un peso increíblemente ligero y una baja elasticidad. Finalmente, junto con su composición de celulosa, garantiza a estos conos un excelente amortiguamiento. Estos nuevos materiales proporcionan una importante mejoría respecto a los conos de Polyglass de sus antecesoras CMS.

Focal ha mejorado su famoso tweeter de cúpula invertida de aluminio-magnesio con dos innovaciones mecánicas: el nuevo tweeter M-shaped y un suspensor dedicado, como el usado en los tweeters de las líneas SM6 y SM9.El tweeter invertido M-shaped ofrece una directividad incluso más baja que el original tweeter de cúpula invertida, lo que se traduce en una mayor flexibildad a la hora de la ubicación de los monitores para su escucha. Mecánicamente hablando , el tweeter M shaped proporciona una mayor rigidez, reduciendo incluso más, posibles distorsiones. Sumado a esto, el suspensor Poron permite una curva de respuesta mucho más lineal por debajo de 6kHz. Finalmente el cajeado ha sido diseñado para proporcionar una directividad igual tanto horizontal como verticalmente.

THE 'M' SHAPE OF THE INVERTED DOME HAS TWO MAJOR ADVANTAGES :

1. Its directivity is even less that of the inverted dome tweeter, allowing for more flexibility in terms of listening position.
2. Mechanically speaking, the 'M' shape gives the dome much more rigidity, while reducing distortion even more.

The Poron® suspension provides a more linear frequency response curve below 6kHz, improving crossover with the woofer.

The magnetic component has also been optimised thanks to a voice coil with a Kapton® frame which significantly reduces the Foucault current, and consequently, distortion.

Finally, the horn housing the tweeter has been designed to provide equal horizontal and vertical directivity.

Doble radiador pasivo

El doble radiador pasivo es una ingeniosa solución que permite combinar, en un mismo monitor, un recinto compacto con una amplia respuesta en bajas frecuencias y que, además, facilita una ubicación de escucha cómoda según las características de nuestro estudio. De hecho, cuando los sistemas con puertos bass réflex cumplen sus límites en términos de integración (se requiere un puerto lo suficientemente largo como para que coincida con la superficie), el radiador pasivo se convierte en la solución ideal. Además, debido a su baja frecuencia de sintonía permite que los monitores puedan colocarse muy cerca de una pared.

Por último, señalar que todos los modelos incluyen amplificación de clase AB para proveer de un control óptimo en todo el rango dinámico de la señal de audio. Cada monitor lleva un filtro shelving para altas y bajas frecuencias. El crossover a 160 Hz (+/- 3 dB) permite la corrección de reflexiones parásitas debido a la colación de los monitores sobre una mesa de mezclas o zonas reverberantes. Además vienen equipados con un filtro paso-alto ajustable.

Todos los monitores Shape se presentan con cuatro puntas de desacoplo acabadas en goma para mejorar el aislamiento con la superfice de contacto. Además incluyen dos rejillas protectoras que no necesitan herramientas para poder ser retiradas.

Serie Focal Shape

• Shape 40

La solución ideal para escuchas de campo muy cercano, a partir de 60 cm, y ofrece una asombrosa respuesta en graves.

• Shape 50

El monitor más versátil. Puede ser usado en escuchas a partir de 80 cm y proporciona una extensa respuesta en bajas frecuencias incluso en habitaciones pequeñas.

• Shape 65

Segunda Referencia de la lInea Shape. Aunque está pensado para escucha cercana, este monitor permite una extraordinaria calidad de monitoreo en todo el espectro de frecuencias.

       Shape Twin El nuevo monitor líder de la serie Shape: integra dos radiadores pasivos, las nuevas membranas Flax en los woofers 2 x 5" (13cm) , y el último tweeter de cúpula invertida con perfil “M” de aluminio y magnesio. Un arma de producción masiva ideal para los profesionales del sonido

Focal Shape 65 es la segunda referencia de la serie Shape. Es un monitor de campo cercano que expresa su máximo potencial a una distancia de escucha de 1 metro. La serie Shape está fabricada en Francia e integra 5 innovaciones para maximizar la transparencia acústica. Diseñada para cumplir las necesidades de monitoreo cercano, los monitores Shape combinan un ingenioso diseño y numerosas configuraciones optimizadas para la escucha en salas pequeñas. 

Estas innovaciones proveen una transparencia destacable. Estas nuevas herramientas de trabajo proporcionan una imagen estéreo amplia y precisa. El registro de graves está bien articulado y controlado. El registro medio-bajo y medio es bastante neutro y sin efectos de masking, haciendo la ecualización de este registro mucho más fácil. Finalmente, el nuevo tweeter es de una definición increíble, revelando eficientemente cualquier hissing, y siendo extremadamente preciso en el high end.

MADE IN FRANCE

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All made in France, these three monitors provide wide and extremely precise stereo image and remarkable acoustic transparency.

DESIGNED FOR NEARFIELD MONITORING

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Designed to meet the needs of nearfield monitoring, Shape monitors combine an ingenuous design and numerous settings optimised for the acoustics of small listening rooms.

MAXIMISED ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCES

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The bass register is articulated and controlled. The lower mid-range and mid-range benefit from extreme neutrality, and without any masking effects, making equalisation of these essential registers much easier. Finally, the new tweeter is what’s at the source of the very high definition and it’s also very precise in the very high frequencies.

KEY FEATURES

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• Tweeter with very low directivity for a flexible listening position
• Designed without a port, but with a double passive radiator, allowing it to be placed near a wall.
• Numerous settings for optimal integration
• Accurate control, even in the very high end
• Flax sandwich cone: controlled and articulated bass, natural and detailed lower mid-range and upper mid-range registers.
• Mounting mechanisms present on the back and underneath the loudspeaker: for installing on a table stand, a microphone stand, the ceiling or a wall (Mounting accessories not supplied).

FLAX SANDWICH CONE

Made in France but affordable, Flax cones are oriented towards acoustic performance, high-tech and give an original design to the brand’s speaker drivers!

After more than five years of research and development, engineers at Focal reveal in 2013 a new cone made of high-quality flax fibers. F cone are characterised by their natural sound, with low coloration, their richness of reproduction in the midrange register and their tighter bass.

THE UNIQUE QUALITIES OF FLAX

F cones are made of high-quality flax fibers core enclosed by two thin layers of glass fiber. They satisfy the key criteria of a high performance diaphragm : high internal damping, high velocity of sound and high flexural rigidity.

Rigidity

All these criteria cannot be met by a mono-material cone. Sandwich technology greatly influences the neutrality of the sound produced by the cone, something, which has always been Focal’s hallmark. The expertise gained from the sandwich technology of the Utopia and K2 Power ranges enabled Focal to develop a revolutionary flax-fiber cone conciliating the 3 criteria.

Lightness

Flax is twice as light as fiberglass, because the fiber is hollow. It also has very low elasticity which makes it ideal to increase the flexural rigidity of a sandwich structure. Moreover, it can be obtained in non-woven bundles of considerable diameter and it can therefore produce the thickness required for a sandwich.

Internal damping

Composite materials have properties suitable for applications where both rigidity and low mass are required. However, their disadvantage is that they lack damping, which leads to very poor control of vibrations. Recent developments in this field combining composites and natural fibers have brought unexpected opportunities. Flax fiber has an excellent internal damping of the same order of magnitude
as the glass or Kevlar fibers or aluminum.

MADE IN FRANCE AND AFFORDABLE

Flax cones are designed and manufactured in France, from french flax fiber.  France is the main cultivator in Europe of fiber flax, principally in Flanders, Picardy, Normandy and the Pas-de-Calais region. French flax is considered the best in the world.

Synthetic fibers or foams originating from petrochemical resources are subject to inflation linked to the sharp rise in crude oil prices. Organic or ecological textiles, like flax, are thus becoming more and more pricecompetitive.

Because the “W” or "K2" sandwich have to be manufactured by hand, their range of application remains limited for reasons of cost. The industrial process developed to manufacture the "F" cones bring it within reach of very pricecompetitive product ranges

THE OBSESSION WITH THE MIDRANGE

The midrange register is no doubt the most complicated to control in a sound system. On one hand, there must be a smooth transition with the bass. On the other hand, it must be tuned to the tweeter in terms of dispersion and acceleration. This determines the homogeneity of the timbre and spatialisation.

For the past 20 years, we have been working on mastering the "break up" (the frequency at which the cone becomes deformed, leading to distortion) of our 3rd generation "W" cones and on drastically reducing the resonance of the tweeter with the IAL 2. Today, thanks to the power of finite element analysis, our teams have developed simulation software to visualise the dynamic behaviour of the suspension which connects the cone to the basket, thus revealing the performance issues requiring attention.

TMD: TUNED MASS DAMPER

Following the discovering of these issues, we had to conceive the equipment to solve them. The solutions already known for increasing the damping properties of the suspension all result in an increase of the mass which consequently alters definition. The answer came from a technology used in earthquake-resistant skyscrapers and which is also used for the suspension on racing cars! This technology is called a "Tuned Mass Damper": an additional mass oscillate in opposition to the resonance frequency to control it.

Applied to the speaker driver, the solution consists in simply two tubular rings on the suspension whose dimensions and position have been judiciously determined. They form our Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) and they stabilise the dynamic behaviour of the surround according to resonance, thus avoiding deformation of the cone without afflicting the dynamics. This innovation is patented.

 

NIC - NEUTRAL INDUCTANCE

The precision and detail of audio reproduction depend on the stability of the magnetic field.

STABILISING THE MAGNETIC FIELD

After having pushed back the limits in electromagnetic technology, our teams discovered the fact that beyond the magnetic field intensity and its homogeneity within the gap, there was a dynamic aspect we had no control over.

The magnetic field is not stable because it is modulated by three factors:

• the movement of the voice coil (Lenz's law),
• the current passing through it (Foucault current),
• the frequency.

Consequently, the voice coil, and all the moving part including the cone, is in the magnetic field which becomes too variable, and this leads to loss of precision.

NEUTRAL INDUCTANCE CIRCUIT TECHNOLOGY

After three years of research and the development of simulation software which makes it possible to visualise these complex interactions, Focal engineers created an incredibly stable magnetic circuit for the Sopra line..

The solution, NIC technology, lies in a Faraday ring whose dimensions, materials and positioning were optimised to make the magnetic field no longer affected by the position of the voice coil, by the amperage or the frequency of the current passing through it.

This is a sign of very high definition.

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