Here
are a number of technologies involved in the Profile
project :
The
165mm (6 1/2") bass and mid range drivers are
a direct result of the developments under taken
for the limited edition of the 25th anniversary
Electra Be products. In particular, the evolution
of the Sandwich W cone technology, the choices of
the diameter and materials for the voice coil and
the associated increase BL (force factor) of the
magnetic circuits have all contributed to ensure
a full range performance from a drasticaly reduced
enclosure volume.
The
new Aluminium-Magnesium inverted dome tweeter has
a foam rubber - Poron - suspension directly related
to the design of the Utopia Be's pure Beryllium
tweeter. Focal believes the company's leadership
in tweeter materials will continue with this new
transducer as its development and manufacture has
represented both a major technological and economic
challenge.
The
cabinet design also represents another technological
leap for Focal. The selected shape offers an elegant
alternative to the usual "big" boxes,
while also being extremely effective. The design
offers optimal rigidity and a natural attenuation
of the standing waves via the effect of successive
reflection and diffraction. Moreover, the elliptical
shape of the enclosure, with its continuously varying
heigh, avoids the formation of resonance modes within
the cabinet, and produces a particularly precise
spatial sound.
A
new 8cm (3") W cone appears in the centre channel
to offer the only effective solution for controlling
directivity in the most critical band - from 500
to 3000Hz.
To
adapt and optimise the bass performance to the source
material, and for easy installation, the Profile
subwoofer is Focal's first to feature a powerful
DSP processor that is capable of controlling all
of the performance of the subwoofer within the digital
domain.
The
final point to illustrate the all encompassing design
solution are the speaker grilles which have been
designed as an integrated part of the product rather
than as an "add-on". Focal recommends
that the grilles are left in place during listening
because their design actually optimises the tweeter
response and the resulting sound image.
