Reviews for Focal XS Satellite Speakers

I just purchased these babies 2 days ago. I have owned every brand in my 24 year life span from Sony, Bose, Pioneer, Klipsch, etc. I expected for the price tag an absolute flawless subwoofer and I must say it sure lives up to the billing. It is a beast that hits accurately when it should, does not distort, or prolong the agony of fine listening. It has quality bass and this is what you will get when you buy the Focal XS subwoofer. The 2 speakers not only look systematically integrated with my 24" iMac by design, but completely and utterly enhance the exterior beauty with the pure luxury of clear, crisp high's that I have never heard from a computer speaker. Make no mistake about it if you own an iMac these are the speakers for you. You cannot go wrong. Sure the high end Focal's sound incredible also, but you will dish out five more benjamin bills for a minor improvement in sound quality and the design is lacking. The Bang & Olufsen Speakers aren't bad but they simply do not have the proper design for quality output. They cannot fulfill the potential of their monetary value. The Focal XS are without a doubt, most definitely the best speakers out there based on price, sound quality, subwoofer performance, and enhancing the iMac computer setup. They are the elite. Buy them.

Apparently the name "Focal" has some of you fooled and you must think you are listening to something great. I can't blame you after spending $600.

These speakers sound tinny and bright and the subwoofer cannot keep up! The bass coming from the sub is compact at best and doesn't come close to sounding true. Kick drums sound more like wooden boxes and snares slap you in the ears. Vocals are ok on most tracks, but "s"'s sound like a pit full of angry snakes.

I have heard $50 sets that could compete with these so save your money.

I initially got the B&W MM-1s. They were very disappointing and I returned them after a few weeks. Here's my bottom line on them. If you like superior and lifelike bass response these are definitely not for you. And I'm not talking booming bass. I'm taking solid bass response - like hearing McCartney or John McVie in Fleetwood Mac just to name some old school music - clearly and distinctly. But, it's the same regardless of musical genre. I really think a major part of the problem is the MM-1s are 2.0 speakers thus no separate sub-woofer (a 2.1 system) to adequately handle the bass. They just don't cut it. I also gave these speakers a long burn-in time. Auditioned them with a wide variety of music in both compressed and non-compressed formats through my Apple MacBook Pro 15" with an i7 processor. To be honest, I have pretty good ears for music and can pretty easily discern the differences between speakers. My existing 2.1 system back then - which was a Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 - did a much better job overall for about 1/4 of the cost. Believe me, I had high expectations and really wanted to make them work. They look great and have a small footprint on the desk. Back they went......I can only think how amazing these B&W's would have been as a 2.1 system.

I then got the Focal XS Satellite Speakers. THESE SPEAKERS ARE OUTSTANDING!! They are everything the MM-1 weren't. In fact, IMHO, they blow them out of the water. The Focal's are a 2.1 system - unlike the MM-1's which are a 2.0 system with no separate sub-woofer. And the separate sub-woofer for bass response make all the difference in the world. Even before burn-in I knew these were keepers. Finally, my search for great computer speakers was over! Yes, they cost about $100 more than the MM-1s. Let me tell you, they are worth every penny and more. The sound is incredible. Even for compressed MP3s. I also like that the two, smaller satellite speakers that sit on your desk are elevated. This makes a HUGE difference vs. any speaker sitting on the surface - like the MM-1s. The sub-woofer (which is well-designed and it very attractive BTW) has a separate bass level control. The fit, finish and look of these speakers is 1st class all the way! Do yourself a favor. If you are considering a high end set like the MM-1s, Bose or some other brand you owe it to yourself to give these a listen. But, not in a store. Get them delivered and try them during the 30-day trial period using your equipment and music in your listening location. If you don't like them all you have to do is return them - and all you're out is the return postage. In fact, if you time it right the charges won't even appear on your cc bill if you buy and return during a single billing period. One more thing, you can plug your Apple iPod/iPod Touch right into the unit (right-hand speaker) which has a built in dock - and adapters for all models are included. They even included a separate package with adapters for the newest versions. I imagine this component will be upgraded/modified as new models are brought to market and will be made available to owners of this system. So, no worry about obsolescence. You can play directly from it as well as charge it and sync to your computer. All controlled via the included remote control which also controls speaker volume. EZ set-up. You do need to change a setting in your Mac (System Preferences) or PC (Configuration Panel) after you plug it into your USB port and turn it in. Takes about 1 second. The included manual explains it very well.

Yes, it's a major expenditure. But, like many of you my computer has for all intents and purposes replaced my traditional stereo equipment. I listen to most of my music there. And it really deserves the best possible speakers to maximize enjoyment.

Focal sound is good, lacks a bit of bass but that is solved with EQ and volume. Jazz sounds fantastic and classical I'm hearing new details. Other styles are hit or miss, sometimes more detail isn't desirable.

However...

On my unit iPod, Touch, and iPhone (1st & 3rd gen) charging and sync doesn't work. There is a loud thud upon waking my MacPro when using either USB or line in audio. Support is slow. As a result I expect to be returning them.

I have to admit, I was nervous about spending $600 on a pair of computer speakers. These speakers are amazing, I've had speakers that sounded great, I've also had speakers that integrated well with my computer in my office, but these are an incredible combination of both.

I really like how the speakers stand off the desk. My desktop isn't always the cleanest around and low profile speakers in the past have tended to get covered with stuff, these rise above it all.

If you're looking for something that looks cool, get these, if you want amazing sound, get these.

I am a mid-fi guy. Balanced Audio feeding Martin Logans. So figure maybe $30k in gear. All 320k compressed, lossless or SACD. Apogee Duet (Duet2 on the way) into ADAM A7x is my main desktop setup and it's excellent.

Received the Focal XS yesterday and all it's 99% of my Apogee/ADAM setup and w/o any burn-in. I can only imagine how good it will sound after 200hrs of burn in time.

Amazing value.

This speaker system, like most all high quality systems, must be allowed to "break-in'. Depending on your listening habits, break-in can take a few days to several weeks...allow at least 10 days before you begin to make a judgement. Initially, they will sound bright and somewhat edgy and the bass will not be well defined...but, after allowing break-in time, they become mellow, very open and well defined sounding. On the other hand, if you're looking for speakers that have massive thump, these are the wrong speakers. The entire Focal (pronounced FO-CAL) speaker lineup is renowned for high quality of sound and are extremely true to the source material.

Great speaker system for your Mac and the best looking to date. Probably the best sound I've heard from a 2.1 set.
Be warned though if you own an Apple 24" LED display and plug the speakers into the USB ports on the back of the monitor, it won't sync your iPod. Appears to be power-related, as it works fine when plugged directly into your Mac or a powered USB hub.

I recently got a pair of these Focal XS speakers and even though I knew that Focal was a professional speakers brand I was very impressed with the detailed sound of these ones when using USB in my iMac, I had a pair of HK Soundsticks and could lisentened both side by side: the soundsticks sounded dull comparing with the Focal, the Soundsticks sound good but they lack mid and mid-bass sounds so the detail is lost since they only have full range speakers for mids and highs, but in the other hand the Focal XS performs amounts of richness mids and detailed music and I can now hear instruments and notes in my music that I couldn't hear with other speakers!, the electric guitars, piano, voices, drums sound brilliant and accurate, the image of sound is clear you can close your eyes and feel that you are in from of the playing band, the highs are clean and well defined and doesn't mix up with the mids like almost full range speakers because the Focal has a mid and a tweeter speakers in each monitor basket, bass sounds are clear and sharp without being overwhelming.
Focal XS is definitely a "most have" for an audiophile

I gave plenty of time to break my speakers in before really testing them. I have played them at about 75%, and they are loud enough to drown out my dorm's fire alarm. The only reason I haven't gone all out 100% is because I find it hard to imagine that these speakers can actually get louder! These are simply amazing! Much better than any Bose system I've ever heard.
The most amazing part about these speakers the subwoofer. It's rated at 70w; however, it is solely responsible for any and all base for the system. Because of this, there is very little worry about blowing your midrange.