Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Focus Audio FS788 Speakers by baruap General speaker questions for audio and home theater.

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Model:	FS788
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$4500
Description:	Two Way Floor Standing
Manufacturer URL:	Focus Audio
Manufacturer URL:	Focus Audio

Review by baruap ( A ) on September 22, 2003 at 14:10:02 IP Address: 68.113.183.129

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SUBJECTIVE REVIEW OF FOCUS AUDIO FS788 SIGNATURE SPEAKERS

baruap

The Focus Audio FS788s are the latest in a long line of speakers to have graced my listening room in recent years. However, it is only the second speaker to have inspired me to place a review on this website (See the Von Schweikert VR-III Mod-5 review). The 788s replaced the venerable and legendary Proac 2.5s in my system. The Proac is a remarkable two way speaker with full range qualities that trounce far larger speakers. But good as the Proac’s were, their compromises in transparency were becoming obvious to me. I am a not devotee of “accuracy”. I much prefer “warm and mellow” to “harsh and analytical”. The Proacs performed admirably in this regard, but what if I could find a speaker that could meld the two strengths? – be warm yet revealing. The Focus Audio 788s have gone a long way in attaining that goal.

Focus Audio speakers have not received much coverage in the American audio press until recently. I recall an earlier review (1988?) of one of their larger speakers in Stereophile. My attention was drawn to the new Signature Line by a fellow audiophile in Asia – where incidently the bulk of the Focus Audio speakers end up. Dealers were difficult to find in the U.S. I was fortunate to find one who was willing to let me audition the speakers at home for the cost of shipping both ways (Thank You!! Tony Kob - Tony Kob Audio, Leesburg FL).

The first thing that strikes you upon unpacking the speakers is the stunning quality of the finish. My pair of 788s came in what Focus Audio calls “Burr Oak”. The veneer is mirror matched on both speakers and the plinths. The veneer is then finished with what appears to be multiple coats of lacquer. The overall appearance is stunning. Mr. Kam Leung the builder and owner of Focus Audio speakers says he was inspired by the cabinetry he saw in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. Well Mr. Leung you have managed to build speakers that would not look out of place amidst that Bourbon splendor. The Proacs are known for their beautiful wood veneers finished but the 788s make them look very pedestrian. The two speakers are basically the same dimensions. The main difference, in addition to the finish, are the beveled edges of the 788s and the weight – the 788s being slightly heavier then the Proacs.

With regard to the working parts, the two speakers are very different. The 788s use top of the line Scanspeak Revelator D2905/99000 tweeters, Eton Nomex/Kevlar 7-372/32 woofers, Cardas wiring, Cardas binding posts, and Multicaps in the crossover. All very nice but I have experienced speakers built exclusively with premium parts before that have turned out to be disappointments. The modest parts of the Proacs – Scanspeak D2010 tweeter and Scanspeak 18w/8545 mid-woofer and standard wiring and crossover material have proven to be a successful formula.

I broke in the 788s over a week using my digital set up – Vecteur D2 transport, Audiomat Tango 2.5 DAC. Even in its right out of the box condition the speakers showed themselves to be masters of revealing detail. Yet this was achieved in a very relaxed manner – not exactly warm. And in terms of coherence the 788s rivaled the Proacs – no mean feat. Once I felt adequate break in had been achieved I began serious listening with my analogue set up – Nottingham Spacedeck, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood, Audio Research SP-16 preamp with MM phono. Power was provided by the excellent Audio Research VS-55 amp. The review that follows is based on this setup.

The detail I had heard earlier in the break in period seemed to have flowered even more. Swathes of detail especially in the mids and highs that had remained hidden in the Proacs now came bursting forth. The soundstage was deeper and wider and had tremendous precision within. Instruments and players had considerable air around them. Curiously, for all of the detail the 788s seemed more laid back than the Proacs. Whereas the Proacs projected the soundstage the 788s soundstage is more of a mid-seat perspective. The 788s also flat out disappear. Not since the Audio Physic Step SLEs have speakers pulled off such a disappearing act in my room. Yet all of this detail is presented in a clear and coherent manner that is intoxicating. There is tremendous liquidity that surpasses the Proacs. Whereas the Proacs liquidity tended to be syrupy and heavy the 788s are crystal clear and light. The 788s revealed the Proacs to have a congested mid range and upper bass with came as a surprise to me since I thought they were particular strengths of the Proac.

The 788s are magical with voices. Both male and female vocalists shine. Christy Moore, Christy Moore-Atlanitc 81835-1 is one of my treasured LPs and Moore’s deep resonant voice has never been reproduced better than the 788s – especially Side 2. Track2s. haunting “Ride On”. The same is true for my Julie London LP-Julie London-sunset Records.SUS-5104. Audiophile recordings were also brilliantly served. Nethania Devrath’s legendary rendition of Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne-Analogue Productions APC002- came through with a liquidity and grace that was unmatched in my listening experience thus far. Small ensembles too highlight the strengths of this speaker. Yehudi Menuhin and Ravi Shankar’s “East meets West” LP-Angel 36418 is a simple yet acoustically complex array of Tabla (Alla Rakha), Sitar (Ravi Shankar) and Violin (Yehudi Menuhin). The soundstage the 788s were able to extract from the recording and their honesty to the timbres of the instruments is near state of the art and has left me with the new found respect for the humble MM phono section of my ARC SP-16.

But the 788s do percussion and rock with equal zest and precision. Tom Jones “Greatest Hits” was reproduced with all the passion and verve this recording -Parrot/London R123674-is known for. Similarly the splendor and scale of Morton Gould’s “Brass & Percussion” LP-RCA Victor LSC-2080- and Robert Shaw’s interpretation of “Carmina Burana”-Telarc DG 10056/57 was clearly evident. But it was also in the context of large scale music that one weakness of the 788s came to the fore. The ultra refined 788s can play very loud but they cannot dig as deeply into the bass as the Proacs could. On James Horner’s soundtrack of the movie “Glory”-Classic Records-the 788s simply could not plumb very deep. I would say that published specs of the 788s of -3db at 35hz is somewhat optimistic. In my room with my system the 788s rolled off rapidly below 40hz. Moving them close to the rear and side wall helped the bass but at the expense of the midrange, a compromise I am not willing to accept. But this is a weakness of omission and then only within the context of the excellent Proac 2.5s. The latter speakers with the same setup routinely went down to the high and mid twenties in my room – a remarkable achievement for a modest two way. But the bass of the 788s is superb down to about 38hz it is fast and detailed. I feel this is a sensible compromise. Mr. Leung has sought to maximize the mid-bass on up characteristics of his speaker rather than aim for maximum low bass capability. The end result is a superbly balanced speaker that offers state of the art resolution and musicality above 40hz. Even the Proacs cannot match my previous bass miester speaker the Von Schweikert VR-III Mod.5s, but their performance left me content in that department. I was also leery of trying a subwoofer with the Proacs given my less than stellar success trying to mate my Audio Physic Step SLEs with a subwoofer. However, I decided to give the 788s a try. The subwoofer I chose was the Audio Concepts Force. This diminutive sealed box 10 incher has managed to mate wonderfully with the 788s. I feel this is in large measure to the speed of both the 788s Eton midrange woofer and the ACI Force’s 10 inch woofer. The mating is seamless to my ears. With an excellent subwoofer like the Force backing it in the lows the 788 is now a fantastic full ranger.

I would be remiss, however, if I ended this review without noting one correctible flaw. The 788s come in what appear to me to be the cheapest packing I have ever seen in high end audio. They use very thin card-board boxes and the cheap ultralite stiff Styrofoam, which is prone to cracking and powdering under the slightest stress. This is unacceptable for such a product. I would gladly pay a little more to see Focus Audio ship their speakers using the heavier cardboard boxes and heavy duty shock absorbing molded foam. The Proacs and the ACI Force use such excellent material. But is spite of this oversight the Focus Audio 788s are winners. To my humble pocket book they are indeed a bargain at their asking price of $4,500. I hope other audiophiles will take the opportunity to listen to these remarkable speakers.

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Product Weakness:	poor packaging
Product Strengths:	state of the art clarity and coherence

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Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Audio Research VS-55
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Audio Research SP-16
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Nottingham Spacedeck, Vecteur D2 tpt, Audiomat Tango 2.5 dac
Speakers:	Focus Audio FS788
Cables/Interconnects:	Gutwire Chimes
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	wide selection
Room Size (LxWxH):	18 x 12 x 7-8
Time Period/Length of Audition:	six months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Furman Line Conditioner, Gutwire and Shunyata power cables
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

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