Focal Solo6 Ba

DaveP

Inspired
I just picked up a pair of Focal Solo6 Ba. I was hesitant about paying this much for monitors but figured if you spend 2200+ on the AxeFx it makes sense not to cheap out when it comes to the speakers.
I have owned a lot of different monitors, BX5, BX8, hs50m, hs80m, BM5a, A7, A7X, A5x, A3x and maybe a few other that I cannot think of right now.
The Focal is exactly what I have been searching for. Excellent lows, plenty of volume and a tweeter that lets you hear every high without being harsh.
It's amazing the difference you hear in speaker design.
I haven't had a chance to try the Genelec, they would have been my other option but a little space age looking for my tastes.
If you don't want to spend 2300 for the Focal's the Adam A7X would be the best option IMO at 1000 less.
 
A friend of mine has these and raves about them.
too rich for my blood..............................but I wish :)
 
I tried to go the inexpensive route and found there was always something missing/lacking. The smaller monitors sounded small, they were ok for extremely low volume but if you wanted to push some air you need a bigger driver.
Some of the 8" drivers sounds woofy and loose. So the solution was in-between, 6.5 to 7" seemed to be the sweet spot.
A lot has to do with speaker design as well and I couldn't find that in the low end of the spectrum.
You never know what you've been missing until you hear the good stuff. Like playing a low end 200 dollar stereo compared to an audiophile expensive one. It's that moment where you realize what you've been missing.
2300 is a lot but compared to spending the same for a Mesa Mark V head or other amp it doesn't seem to far out of wack. :)
 
DaveP - really interesting review and topic.

Since you have used all of those monitors, would you consider doing a compare/contrast of each when you have the time? I'd be interested to read what you have to say.

Thanks.
 
I wish I had them all to do a direct comparison to give a reliable comparison. Besides I am very bad at describing tone.
I can tell you for the money the Yamaha hs80m is the best choice for a monitor if your on a smaller budget.
The M-Audio were my least favorite of the bunch. The quality reflects the price point there. They still do the job but for a few dollars more you can get the Yamaha's which don't color the sound like the M-Audios do.
The DynaAudio bm5a's are great speakers but you cannot push them to hard.
The Adam series are the best midpoint 600-1300 I tried. Depending on your needs and room size they have a speaker that will fit you needs. I found it to be a durable speaker that had a frequency response that let you hear things in the upper frequency range you didn't know existed. The bass was tight and punchy.
I have had a couple of sets of Adams that where rattlers. Seems to emit a strange vibrations like an internal cable resting on plastic. Never could figure out where it was coming from.
The Focal are solid, no weird vibrations, strong bass. never flabby, 150w driver amp with 100w tweeter provides the headroom you need. Best monitor and most expensive that I have owned.
 
Last edited:
I have the Focal CMS 65's in my studio and they are great.

To the OP--why didn't you go with the CMS 65s? They are anything but cheap at $795/each, but they wouldn't have been quite as much as what you paid for your Solo6s. Just curious if you considered the CMS 65s and thought they might not measure up for whatever reason(s).
 
To the OP--why didn't you go with the CMS 65s? They are anything but cheap at $795/each, but they wouldn't have been quite as much as what you paid for your Solo6s. Just curious if you considered the CMS 65s and thought they might not measure up for whatever reason(s).

I went for the Solo6 because of the Beryllium tweeter and larger enclosure. I'm sure the 65's are great speakers. I didn't have the chance to compare them side by side.
 
I just had the guys from focal come down.
We have some very decent monitoring in the several studios. The twins BE already outshined more expensive monitors, including Gennies '73, which are at least 4x the price (and the size).

I had the pleasure of listening to the brand new SM9. That thing goes down to 30Hz. It really does. And not in a boomy, uncontrolled way of subwoofers. Very tight, decent, a lot of variation in dynamic range.

The amount of configurations tools in the back also made this a very versatile monitoring solution.
 
I have had a couple of sets of Adams that where rattlers. Seems to emit a strange vibrations like an internal cable resting on plastic. Never could figure out where it was coming from.

My A7's have had rattle issues. One started doing it quite badly so I returned it (5 year warranty) and they replaced the LF driver. It took months and I had to pay shipping both ways even though the authorized repair facility admitted Adam had a problem (mine wasn't the only one). That one sounds pretty good now unless you get stupid loud. The other one has a little rattle too at high volumes but I don't feel like paying the shipping and doing without for three months. Great monitor - and I'm sure they've fixed that issue by now in the new units - but beware if you're looking at a used set.
 
I just had the guys from focal come down.
We have some very decent monitoring in the several studios. The twins BE already outshined more expensive monitors, including Gennies '73, which are at least 4x the price (and the size).

I had the pleasure of listening to the brand new SM9. That thing goes down to 30Hz. It really does. And not in a boomy, uncontrolled way of subwoofers. Very tight, decent, a lot of variation in dynamic range.

The amount of configurations tools in the back also made this a very versatile monitoring solution.

Do you have any opinions about the CMS 65s vs. the Solo 6 Bes? I'll probably be choosing between those two.
 
I use my focals for everything I do other than live. So recording, mixing and with the axe ii. Before the focals I had (and still have) a pair of Genelec 2020's. Different sound but both great. I find the focals clearer than the genelecs, and in recording they seem to give me mixes that translate better to other systems. And the patches I create on them translate pretty well to my live monitor (rcf nx12 SMA) and my FOH PA (QSC K12 & K sub).

I'm certain am pleased with them, but I'm not that experienced with all this, most of my mucosal work is live playing and don't consider myself to have a great studio ear so of course, YMMV. :)
 
To you guys with the Focal Solos as well as the 65s:

How are your Focals sounding with V. 6.0?

Thanks in advance.
 
My Solo 6's + the AXE+my strat is what I would grab with me running to escape a tsunami...

Can you and Dave P (if you guys are still reading this thread) fill me in a bit more on just how big a difference your Solo 6s made for your tones with the Axe 2--esp. now with 6.0?

I just got my Axe 2 (only had it a week or so), and I'm really digging it so far. Some factory presets sound great. Others are a little thin or ice picky or fizzy...but I then take the time to start tweaking, and I can generally get a pretty good sound in a relatively short amount of time. But I'm still learning my way around the unit, and there's tons more tweaking/learning to be done.

So--back to the issue at hand--before I get too deep into the Axe, I'm wondering how critical it is that I go ahead and upgrade my monitors now (I'm pretty much sold on the Solo 6s), so that I have my base tone established as I start getting deeper into programming the Axe.

Did the Solos help eliminate some of the high end fizziness that (perhaps) lesser monitors would exhibit on higher gain patches, for instance? Did they help to warm up or soften up the upper mids and highs?

I will be upgrading from an older pair of Reveal Actives. I guess I really need someone to push me over the edge and tell me it's going to make a big difference, and the sooner I do it, the better off I'll be.

But don't tell me what I want to hear, if it's not true. Speak the truth, brethren! Thanks. ;)
 
Do you have any opinions about the CMS 65s vs. the Solo 6 Bes? I'll probably be choosing between those two.

Sorry completely missed this post.
I'm afraid they are in a different ball park. The BE's and solos have a very well defined high end. That thing is bright an very in your face about it. (not in a bad way).
The CMS' are still very clear and detailed. They pack a punch on the low end for speakers of that size (thinking that the CMS50 are the size of yamaha's MPC, slightly bigger than those old Logitech speakers), but not muddy. They just simply lack detail and the ammount of "information" the solos and SM's can show on the high end.

AB'ing with other stuff (gennies, focal solos - BE, AE - acoustic Energy) etc they sound rather dull.

if i had a grand lying around for speakers, I would go for AE > solo > adams
 
Back
Top Bottom