Focal Professional Twin6 Be review

The Twin6 Be is a near/ midfield analogue monitor that's designed for either horizontal or vertical placement and features a three-way actively amplified design.

Straight out of the box these speakers ooze high quality, with beautiful (and very weighty) wood veneer cabinets and marble-effect speaker cones.

Overview

There are three speakers and three amplifier stages contained within each cabinet - two 6.5-inch drivers and one BE (beryllium) inverted dome tweeter. Each speaker has its own amp: one 150W amp for the LF; one 150W amp for the LF/MF; and a 100W amp for the HF, with a crossover set at 2500Hz.

These amplifiers all utilise ST microelectronics patented BASH technology, for maximum amplifier efficiency across a wide frequency spectrum. There are also controls for input volume and high/low boost/cut.

The two woofers can cover both the low- and mid-range and using the flick-switches at the rear of the speakers, you can set either woofer to produce the mid-range, depending on whether the monitors are mounted vertically or horizontally. The two woofers utilise Focal's own 'W' type speaker cones, which use woven glass for a tough yet accurate design.

The Beryllium inverted dome tweeter is the result of several years of detailed research. Beryllium can only be used for manufacture in the USA, France and Russia and is often used for military-based technology due to its extremely rigid and low-density composition.

This makes it ideal for producing very high frequencies accurately and precisely and is said to facilitate a huge leap forward in tweeter design.

Sound

Sound-wise, the Twin6 Bes are something of a revelation. These are among the most accurate and engaging speakers we've ever had the pleasure of using.

First off, the Beryllium tweeters provides super-tight clear and accurate high-end response, revealing amazing detail and clarity in hi-hats, vocals and beyond. The mid-range is also extremely revealing, putting many other speakers to shame and allowing you to zoom deep into your mixes. Extracting problem frequencies is a doddle.

These speakers reveal everything bad about your mixes, just as an accurate monitor speaker should.

The low frequency response is no different. It's tight, accurate and punchy and you'll hear any problem frequencies immediately (in well treated rooms, right down to 40 Hz), so it's debateable whether you'll actually need a sub or not. Amazing from a 6.5-inch driver.

Summary

To sum up, this is one of the most accurate and transparent monitors we've ever tried or heard. The Twin6 Bes have a fantastic stereo image, wide sweet spot, perform well when playing all styles/genres, and aren't fatiguing. Above all else, they are a joy to use. The only small problem is that the speaker switches would be better mounted on the front.

This is hardly a deciding factor, though; hats off to Focal - our order is in the post.