Focal JMlab
| Focal JMlab
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|---|---|
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| legal form | SAS |
| founding | 1979 |
| Seat |
La Talaudière , France
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| Branch | Audio technology |
| Website | www.focal.com |
Focal JMlab is a French company that has been developing and selling audio systems since 1980 . The company's headquarters, with an area of 17,400 square meters, is located in Saint-Étienne, France . Development, administration and production are located there, including hi-fi speakers , speaker systems for the automotive sector, headphones and professional studio monitors . Focal manufactures the loudspeaker chassis itself.
Focal-JMlab achieved a turnover of 42 million euros in 2012 and employs around 200 people at the Saint-Étienne site. The company sells in over 160 countries worldwide, the export share is over 70%.
history
The 1980s
Focal-JMlab was originally a planning office in the field of acoustics and was founded by Jacques Mahul in Paris at the end of 1979. Mahul, engineer and technical journalist with a great passion for hi-fi technology, manufactured his first loudspeaker drivers in a small workshop in Saint-Étienne, which was located in his father's precision engineering company. At the same time Jacques Mahul brought out his own loudspeaker series under the brand name JMlab. His first loudspeaker, the compact loudspeaker DB13, had the special feature of being able to offer a sound volume, especially in the low frequency range, that otherwise only larger models could achieve. At the beginning he mainly sold his product to friends, but the DB13 was soon officially launched. In the course of the 1980s, the company established two brands: Focal developed chassis and celebrated innovations such as the “V” polyglass membrane or Polykevlar. For its part, JMlab is now concentrating on high-quality models after small and medium-sized speakers.
1990s
In 1990 Gérard Chrétien joined the company. From 1977 he was editor-in-chief of the French magazine "L'Audiophile" and managing director and marketing director of Focal-JMlab until 2010. By tailoring its products to customer requirements, the brand eventually becomes the market leader in the French loudspeaker market. Its turnover rose from nine million euros in 1992 to 26 million euros in 2010. Also in the early 1990s, the company began selling its products in the rest of Europe and exporting them to Southeast Asia and North America. The brand also got its international fame through numerous awards. The JMlab Vega model was voted “Loudspeaker of the Year 1992” in Japan; In 1996 the Grande Utopia was celebrated by the international press.
2000s
Production has been located in Saint-Etienne since 2002, where around three quarters of production is now carried out. The aim is to equip all loudspeakers with chassis they have manufactured themselves. In 2003 the two brands were merged under the name Focal-JMlab for the home sector, before the brand name Focal was adopted for all products in 2005. Also in 2003, the company started working with the Parisian design agency Pineau & Le Porcher. The aim of this collaboration is to unite sound quality and aesthetics and thereby become a trademark; the design of the series Profile and Electra (2005), Chorus (2006), Utopia (2008) and Dôme 2009 was the result of this collaboration.
In 2007, the company acquired the workshops of the “Guy HF” design joinery in Bourbon-Lancy, France, in Saône-et-Loire.
From 2010
In 2011, Focal-JMlab merged with Naim Audio Limited , a leading UK brand for high-end electronics that mainly produces amplifiers and network players. The resulting new holding company, Focal & Naim, manages both brands. However, the brands remain independent, work according to their own philosophy and manufacture their own respective product lines. Focal benefits from Naim thanks to their expertise in electronics, resulting in numerous new digital solutions for hi-fi sound transmission. In 2011 Focal presented itself in a new look. In 2012, the company built a showroom and a new auditorium at the Saint-Étienne location. In 2013, the two companies presented their products together for the first time at the HIGH END trade fair in Munich.
In 2014, Focal & Naim was acquired by its management team and by Naxicap Partners (main shareholder), Aquasourca and Garibaldi Participations. Jacques Mahul will remain with the company as Vice President of Focal-JMlab. In the same year, Focal received the “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant” award from the French government, which the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry awards to French companies, see Awards .
Technologies
The regularly running research and development program for loudspeaker chassis technology at Focal JMlab has enabled new concepts; to date, Focal has filed around ten patents.
Inverse tweeter (1981)
The inverse tweeter was designed and developed by Focal in 1981. Its greatest advantage lies in its wide dispersion characteristics and its high dynamics; it can be found in most of the company's loudspeakers and is a kind of trademark for Focal.
K2 membrane (1986)
In 1986, the company introduced the Polykevlar sandwich structure. The Poly-K membrane consists of two layers of aramid fiber on both sides and hollow glass microspheres to balance weight, stiffness and cushioning.
Polyglass membrane (1988)
In 1988 Focal presented the polyglass technology. Fine glass microspheres are applied to the back of a cellulose cellulose membrane. This combination of glass and paper creates a very stiff, but extraordinarily light material that provides excellent cushioning. The polyglass membrane offers a very linear frequency response curve and high resolution in the midrange.
"W" sandwich membrane (1995)
In 1995, Focal expanded its sandwich concept with the W membranes: two layers of glass fiber were applied around a layer of foam. In contrast to diaphragms made from only one material, the “W” sandwich diaphragm allows the frequency response curve to be optimized by balancing weight, stiffness and damping.
Beryllium tweeter (2002)
In 2002, Focal introduced an innovation with its pure beryllium tweeter . This rare metal, which is much stiffer than titanium or aluminum for the same mass , is used by Focal in a completely pure form. Beryllium makes it possible to implement a lighter and faster tweeter with better internal damping. As an inverse dome, the frequency response is extended to more than 40 kHz and covers a bandwidth of more than five octaves. Since the price of beryllium is significantly higher than that of gold, the beryllium tweeter is only used in the Focal series Utopia , Sopra , Electra and Kanta as well as the high-priced studio monitors SM9 and SM6 .
Al-Mg tweeter (2007)
This tweeter was introduced by Focal-JMlab in 2007. The use of aluminum optimizes the damping, while the magnesium increases the stiffness of the dome. The result is an Al-Mg tweeter with a frequency response extended to more than 28 kHz. The Al-Mg tweeter can be found in the series Chorus, Chora and Aria for the home sector and CMS for the professional sector.
Flax Sandwich Membrane (2013)
In 2013, 18 years after the introduction of the “W” sandwich membrane, Focal presented a new Focal membrane: the F membrane (“F” for flax ). With a layer of flax fibers between two thin layers of glass fiber, light, stiff and cushioning membranes are possible. Thanks to the sandwich construction, the drivers can be specifically designed for the required application (midrange, bass or subwoofer).
Tuned Mass Damping (2015)
To control the resonance frequency and to reduce the midrange distortion, an additional mass is applied to the suspension of the midrange driver. This brings the resonance frequency of the suspension under control and thus prevents deformation of the conical membrane.
Infinite Horn Loading System (2015)
Behind the beryllium tweeter there is a small chamber that opens into a horn facing the rear of the case. The inside of this horn is filled with a dampening material. The sound waves radiated backwards from the tweeter are gradually picked up, which minimizes distortion.
"M" profile tweeter with inverse dome (2016)
Tweeters of the K2 Power series, which were revised in 2016. This "M" shape makes it possible to expand the frequency range, as well as to achieve smoother diffusion and more detailed highs.
"M" profile membrane (2018)
Utopia M loudspeakers (published in 2018) have an "M" -shaped membrane and combine stability, internal damping, lightness for a more linear frequency range, reduce harmonic distortion and offer better radiation characteristics. In addition, the technology enables a flatter design, which is advantageous in the car hi-fi area.
Slate fiber membrane (2019)
The slate fiber membrane was developed for the Chora series and consists of recycled linearly arranged carbon fibers and thermoplastic polymer. The name comes from the slate effect. Like the higher priced flax and "W" membranes, Focal's slate fiber membranes are also made in France.
Products
The Focal-JMlab product range comprises five areas: Home (home entertainment), Car (automotive sector), Pro (professional recording studios), headphones and finally integration (sound systems). The home area accounts for 59% of sales and is divided into two sub-areas:
- Classic Collection : All speakers in this collection are designed, developed and manufactured in France and combine Focal innovations such as the inverse tweeter and the “W” and “F” sandwich membranes. The collection includes the series Utopia, Sopra, Electra, Aria, Chorus and Chora .
The Grande Utopia is the flagship product of this collection. The first generation of the Grande Utopia was launched in 1995 and contained all of the know-how that Focal had built up since the company was founded. The second generation appeared in 2002 and presented the tweeter diaphragm made of pure beryllium, for which it was awarded the "Golden Sound" in Japan the following year. The third generation was introduced in 2008 and uses other Focal technologies. Thanks to the design by Pineau & Le Porcher, the Grande Utopia EM also differs in its special appearance: approx. 260 kg at a height of more than two meters. On request, an individual adaptation of the housing is possible in the design joinery in Bourbon-Lancy , which takes care of the corresponding production and appearance.
At the end of the 1980s, the Car Audio division was created, through which the first “audio-mobile” products were sold. In 2010 the car audio segment was divided into three new series and has since made up 30% of sales.
- Elite : This is the premium range of Focal's car audio division. The Utopia-Be and K2-Power-Kits are made in France and enable tailor-made solutions. In 2014 Focal released the Ultima Kit . This is a very high quality handmade kit that combines all Focal technologies from the Grande Utopia EM and the studio monitor SM927 .
- Performance : This series uses innovations from the Expert, Access and Auditor lines and also offers the option of customized solutions.
- Integration : The products of this series can be connected or integrated quickly and easily, especially the “Plug and Play” kits, which are intended to upgrade the systems installed in certain vehicles ( BMW , Peugeot 207 , Golf 6 , Renault and Toyota ).
- New Media Collection : Since 2008 and the appearance of the Dôme speaker series in miniature format, which has also been available with a flax membrane since 2014, Focal has adapted its know-how of the new kind of music consumption with compact speakers, “plug and play”, multimedia and new wireless technology on. In 2013 Focal released a new home theater series. Focal has also been on the soundbar market with Dimension since May 2014 : Dimension is a multi-channel soundbar that can be used with its subwoofer as a soundplate for flat screens.
- Pro : The studio monitor division under the name Focal Professional was launched in 2002. The range consists of four series (SM9, SM6, CMS and Alpha), including the Spirit Professional headphones , which were specially designed for studio use. The Pro range now accounts for 11% of sales.
Since 2007, Focal has also been offering loudspeakers for wall and ceiling installation for sound reinforcement in public and private facilities. Since 2018, the 100 and 300 series have also been producing public address systems for outdoor use.
In 2012 Focal finally expanded its range with its first mobile headphones, the Spirit One , which were replaced by the Spirit One S two years later . The Spirit Professional and Spirit Classic headphones for at home have been added to this series since 2013 . In 2015, Focal launched its first in-ear headphones, Sphear , and in 2016, the first high-end headphones, Elear and Utopia, manufactured entirely in- house . In 2017 the collection was completed with the high-end Clear headphones .
2017 a complete line of wired and wireless headphones was presented: lists , lists Wireless , Spark , Spark Wireless and Sphear S .
In 2018 Focal introduced the first Made in France high-end closed-back headphones ( Elegia , Stellia ), and since then has also been offering a DAC and amplifier for headphones called Arche .
numbers
In 2012, Focal & Naim achieved sales of 62 million euros. The company has 330 employees (200 at Focal).
In 2012, sales per continent were broken down as follows:
- Europe: 57%
- America: 20%
- Middle East and Africa: 2.5%
- Asia / Oceania: 20.5%
Awards
- In 2014, Focal received the “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant” award from the French government, a quality label from the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry for companies with exceptional craft and industrial know-how
Web links
- delamar.de (independent specialist magazine for musicians), Focal - The savoir-vivre of audiophile precision mechanics , accessed on January 14, 2020 .
- Music Line Vertriebs GmbH website (sales for Germany)
- Sound Service website (sales for Germany, Switzerland and Austria)
- Chektone GmbH website (sales for Switzerland)
- Horn Distribution website (sales for Switzerland)
- ACR Braendli & Voegeli AG website (sales for Austria)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h delamar.de (independent specialist magazine for musicians), Focal - The savoir-vivre of audiophile precision mechanics , accessed on January 14, 2020 .
- ↑ What Hi-Fi from January 10, 2019, 22 debut speakers from iconic hi-fi brands , accessed on January 14, 2020.
- ↑ a b focal.com, Focal's Full Story, accessed January 14, 2020 .
- ↑ Why greed is not always cool . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . Bund Technik und Motor, No. 191 , August 19, 2003, p. 2 .
- ↑ Wolfgang Tunze: Between Utopia and Science. Exceptional loudspeaker from France . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . Bund Technik und Motor, No. 262 , November 11, 2003, p. 2 .
- ↑ connect.de from March 9, 2011, test report compact box Focal Electra 1008 BE II , accessed on January 14, 2020.
- ↑ Focal Sopra White Paper. In: Focal.com. Focal, May 20, 2020, accessed May 20, 2020 .
- ↑ Focal Sopra Whitepaper. In: Focal.com. Focal, May 20, 2020, accessed May 20, 2020 .
- ↑ Focal renouvelle la légendaire gamme K2 Power. April 5, 2016, accessed May 20, 2020 (French).
- ↑ Mark Sparrow: Focal Unleashes A New Range Of High-End Car Audio Speakers. Retrieved May 20, 2020 .
- ↑ Mark Sparrow: Focal Unveils Its Brand New Range Of Affordable Speakers For Audiophiles. Retrieved May 20, 2020 .
- ^ Rain or shine, take your tunes outside with Focal's new speaker line. In: www.digitaltrends.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020 .
- ^ Mel Martin: Focal Clear Headphones Review. In: HomeTheaterHifi.com. September 12, 2018, Retrieved May 20, 2020 (American English).
- ^ Focal Announces New Closed-Back Stellia Headphone, Arche DAC / AMP. February 15, 2019, accessed on May 20, 2020 .
- ↑ Wayback Machine. November 12, 2013, accessed May 20, 2020 .
- ^ Focal, le spécialiste des enceintes haut de gamme, vendu à Naxicap Partners. (French) In: lesechos.fr of June 24, 2014.