Focal Spirit Pro Stereo Headphone Review

[dalethorn]

Someone recommended this Focal Spirit Pro to me, so I bought it and was amazed by the sound. I was very reluctant to purchase a headphone that was associated with or designed by Paul Barton because of the references I'd read about making the headphones "sound like speakers". Well, I don't think this Spirit Pro sounds like speakers, but it does sound amazingly good.

http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3996-focal-spirit-pro-stereo-headphone-review.html

 

[ID.]

I like the sound of that. I'll try to check some out if I see them around.

 

[Imusicman]

Hi, I have just ordered the Focal Spirit Classic for a bargain price of £188 I hoping they will be of a similar quality as the Pro's you have reviewed. To me it was a no brainier as I can return them within 14 days if I don't get on with them.

Have you heard anything about the Classics?

 

[dalethorn]

Hi, I have just ordered the Focal Spirit Classic for a bargain price of £188 I hoping they will be of a similar quality as the Pro's you have reviewed. To me it was a no brainier as I can return them within 14 days if I don't get on with them. Have you heard anything about the Classics?

I have heard that the Classic is very good, and may sound more agreeable for home listening than the Pro. I think the Pro is excellent, but it also has no 'flavor' at all, so some people may find it bland. I think you'll like the Classic. And if it's like the Pro the physical quality is very well done.

 

[Imusicman]

Hi. Finally received my classics today and I have to say my first are very, very good. Very nice headphone in looks and build quality. I've been listening to them for a couple of hours straight. I've got to say they are sounding great straight from my iphone 5. I was a little concerned if the iphone would power them enough with no amp/dac. Again I needn't of worried they are sounding awesome. I have them on the same volume level I was listening at with my wife's P3's just before the Classics were delivered.

Couple of things worth a mention. I guess my head is on the small size and luckily for me so are my ears. Anyone with larger ears may struggle to actually fit them inside the cups. So if you are not careful they could end up being an on ear headphone to some.

Did I mention they are sounding great

 

[Ryanr1987]

I'm considering these as a next purchase. I like a more musical and engaging sound. Most of my headphones are warm with nice soundstages and I'm looking to a more neutral set that has these traits.

I'm considering the D7100 but the Focal pro and classic are a good price.

 

[Imusicman]

At £188 on Amazon I'd say they are an absolute steal. My advice would be to order them. In the unlikely event you don't get on with them you can always return them

good luck with your purchase

 

[Ryanr1987]

I'll prob wait for a while. I've recently sold my collection and kept my AH-D600 and M100 because they are both epic. I've also kept my Sony MA900 as I'm a headphone gamer. The classic or Pro seem like they can fit in as a balanced warm phone. I'll prob spend the next 5 months looking at comparisons between the two.

 

[Imusicman]

Nearly 2 weeks in and the Focal Classics just continue to impress. For me they sound excellent. They are very clear and detailed and seem to handle all genres of music with ease. I have spent hours listening to my music and it's like I am listening to my playlists with a new found eagerness. Very enjoyable.

I am playing my music through my iphone5. My music is Apple lossless and I can't quite believe how great these headphones sound. I might add a Dac/amp combo at a later stage but only if it could be guarentee my phones would sound even better. I would take some convincing on this matter though. I'm more likely to wait to see what happens with a dedicated music player first. New exciting products are coming out all the time. Should be a good year for music lovers.

 

[dalethorn]

Nearly 2 weeks in and the Focal Classics just continue to impress. For me they sound excellent. They are very clear and detailed and seem to handle all genres of music with ease. I have spent hours listening to my music and it's like I am listening to my playlists with a new found eagerness. Very enjoyable. I am playing my music through my iphone5. My music is Apple lossless and I can't quite believe how great these headphones sound. I might add a Dac/amp combo at a later stage but only if it could be guarentee my phones would sound even better. I would take some convincing on this matter though. I'm more likely to wait to see what happens with a dedicated music player first. New exciting products are coming out all the time. Should be a good year for music lovers.

A small amp like the FiiO E07k or PA2V2 connected to the iPhone5 through the LOD using the Apple adapter and a FiiO LOD cable will make the music sound better. Way better when you listen with the amp for awhile, and then connect direct to the iPhone to hear the difference. And then a small DAC/amp like he AK10 or Beyer A200p is even better than that.

 

[ID.]

Nearly 2 weeks in and the Focal Classics just continue to impress. For me they sound excellent. They are very clear and detailed and seem to handle all genres of music with ease. I have spent hours listening to my music and it's like I am listening to my playlists with a new found eagerness. Very enjoyable. I am playing my music through my iphone5. My music is Apple lossless and I can't quite believe how great these headphones sound. I might add a Dac/amp combo at a later stage but only if it could be guarentee my phones would sound even better. I would take some convincing on this matter though. I'm more likely to wait to see what happens with a dedicated music player first. New exciting products are coming out all the time. Should be a good year for music lovers.

A small amp like the FiiO E07k or PA2V2 connected to the iPhone5 through the LOD using the Apple adapter and a FiiO LOD cable will make the music sound better. Way better when you listen with the amp for awhile, and then connect direct to the iPhone to hear the difference. And then a small DAC/amp like he AK10 or Beyer A200p is even better than that.

That was my impression when I plugged them into my iPhone to test them in store. They seemed a bit dark. Next time I check them out I'll take my little FiiO (one of their older portable amps. Not great, but enough to make a difference and give a better idea of what the headphones should sound like.)

 

[AfxTwn]

I'm glad I found this thread as I'm considering buying either the Pro or Classic. At the moment I have a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50's and some Philips Fidelio X1's but I really can't decide which is better but having read some reviews of the Focal's on the Innerfidelity site, they seem like they'll be better still.

What I'm after is a sound that will most closely resemble what it would be like to hear the music in the studio or what the artist heard/intended for people to hear. The Audio Technica's are great closed-back and offer more clarity and detail but can sound a little harsh with treble and high frequencies but the Philips while sounding lovely and warm, are a little more muddy and lower volume and tend to offer lower clarity and detail.

I do the majority of listening on my PC through my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface but I don't know whether the Focal Spirit Pro's will perhaps sound too flat and balanced or whether the Classic's will be too warm and muddy? I also make a lot of music for I'm thinking the Pro's could also double-up as my mixing headphones (I use the Audio Technica's for that at the moment).

Of course price is always important and Amazon has the Pro's for £202 and the Classic's for £245.

 

[dalethorn]

I'm glad I found this thread as I'm considering buying either the Pro or Classic. At the moment I have a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50's and some Philips Fidelio X1's but I really can't decide which is better but having read some reviews of the Focal's on the Innerfidelity site, they seem like they'll be better still.

What I'm after is a sound that will most closely resemble what it would be like to hear the music in the studio or what the artist heard/intended for people to hear. The Audio Technica's are great closed-back and offer more clarity and detail but can sound a little harsh with treble and high frequencies but the Philips while sounding lovely and warm, are a little more muddy and lower volume and tend to offer lower clarity and detail.

I do the majority of listening on my PC through my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface but I don't know whether the Focal Spirit Pro's will perhaps sound too flat and balanced or whether the Classic's will be too warm and muddy? I also make a lot of music for I'm thinking the Pro's could also double-up as my mixing headphones (I use the Audio Technica's for that at the moment).

Of course price is always important and Amazon has the Pro's for £202 and the Classic's for £245.

You do have the general idea on the differences between the Pro and Classic. I haven't heard the Classic but from my experience with the Pro, I'm certain of what I'd hear with it. The Pro should be pretty accurate, but to me the bass is on the lean side, so I give it a slight boost. That's much preferable to me than using the Classic, since I like to start with the cleanest possible sound and warm it up slightly myself if I feel the need to do so.

 

[AfxTwn]

Thanks a lot, I thought I was on the right track. I might get the Pro's then in that case. I'm not sure how I'd go about boosting the bass with my Focusrite audio interface as it doesn't have external controls for EQ-ing or any software. There are some VST's it uses but these are for use in a DAW like Ableton or Cubase etc as it's main function is as a recording device, although it does have a headphone output for monitoring.

I did find that my ATH-M50's lacked a little in the bass department at first but after a lot of burning-in and turning the volume up a bit, the bass has got better so it might be the same with the Spirit Pro's. I'd also have to take into account the lower quality of listening to MP3's vs WAV files. A lot of my music are either downloads from Xbox Music/iTunes or CD's ripped onto my computer into 320 MP3's. This is mainly because of the space issue on my hard drive so I might invest in a big external hard drive so I can start ripping CD's in WAV format and preserve the sound quality.

I know you can get DAC's too but I'm not sure I'd need one as my Focusrite should do a similar thing and the sound quality from it is very good. I don't really want to have two separate audio devices as they might cause conflicts on my computer.

 

[dalethorn]

The FSP upper bass may be close to the M50 upper bass, but the M50 kills the FSP for lower bass. No comparison.