FOCAL
Newsletter Summer 2011/2012
FOCAL’S BIRD OF PREY
F
ocal’s Bird system is no tiny tweety bird — it’s more of a hawk, a solution for those who want to minimise size while maintaining music’s quality and dynamics. Other companies have tried this with varying degrees of success over many years, but not usually gaining the approval of discerning audio consumers. Focal’s expertise in speaker design gives it the edge in this sort of project. Focal have been involved in designing and manufacturing some of the highest quality domestic loudspeakers ever seen — or heard! They have also produced high-end, self-amplified studio monitors for the professional market. This depth of knowledge and experience is invaluable in a project which seeks to bring to the everyday user a high level of performance in an extremely compact system. Focal make other superb small speaker systems which can be used with a range of amplifiers, but the Bird is exceptional,
bringing all the necessary parts together to form this diminutive system which nevertheless delivers amazing sound. The Power Bird amplifier has 2 x 35w channels plus one channel of 80w for the inbuilt subwoofer. The subwoofer consists of a downward firing 6.5”/ 165mm woofer, with a vent on the front panel of the amplifier. With this system, all the effort has gone into sound quality. There are very few control knobs on the Power Bird, but there are a range of inputs available. One coaxial and one optical digital input are complemented by two analogue (RCA) stereo inputs and one analogue stereo 3.5mm input. A Focal Kleer Technology dongle for your iPhone, iPod or iPad makes wireless transfer of music to the system easy and effective, while a USB dongle does the same for computers around the home.
There are three speaker options — the Bird, the Little Bird, and the larger, flat-format Super Bird. Mounting options include wall mounting (no additional hardware required) or free-standing on optional floor stands. The assortment of sizes and mounting possibilities allows considerable tailoring to suit your personal preferences in sizing and placement, as does the fact that the amplifier can be sat flat or on its side, or even upright — that’s with the front panel facing upwards! The Little Bird 2.1 system is $1,199, the Bird 2.1 system $1,399, and the Super Bird system $1,599.
6
LWHSummer2011_006 Focal.indd 6
30/11/2011 11:31:00 AM