Focal SHAPE TWIN

LINE’S BENCHMARK PRODUCT

This standard bearer of the Shape series features two passive radiators, woofers equipped with a new Flax cone, and the latest “M”-shaped Aluminium/Magnesium inverted dome tweeter. Perfect weapon of mass production for professionals.

Shape Twin is made in France, just like Shape 40, 50 and 65. Designed to meet the needs of nearfield monitoring, these monitors combine an ingenuous design and numerous settings optimised for the acoustics of small listening rooms. Shape Twin stands out through its excellent rendering over the whole audio spectrum, its broad frequency response in the low end, and its high SPL considering its size. The compact design makes it easy to integrate even into the most cramped of rooms. Finally, its 2.5-way design gives it a real advantage when it comes to controlling the bass and lower mid-range registers which are the hardest to control in small rooms.

Shape Twin’s five innovations present a remarkable tonal balance, with very wide and precise stereo imaging. The low frequencies are well defined  as well as controlled. The low-mid and mid ranges provide a true neutral sound.

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

Its directivity is even less that of the inverted dome tweeter, allowing for more flexibility in terms of listening position.

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.

KEY FEATURES

• 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 well defined bass, natural and detailed lower mid-range and upper mid-range ranges.
• 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.