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At $1.295 prior to my direct-soldered cable mod, the Beyer and Focal would usually not be on speaking terms. Whilst the T5p obviously sounded bigger with more bottom-end weight, the primary qualifier was altogether different. Decays. The German recreated the clearly more resonant redolent ambiance. Decays were more apparent. This made for wetter richer tone, a more elastic overall feel and more audible airy space. In short, more magnification power of minutiae.


By comparison the Spirit One was crisper, drier, starker and more matter of fact. Foreground focus rather than lighting up space from the rear of the stage. That quality was shared with the AKG K-702. Yet there was a twist. The Frenchie was the more energetic and peppy, the Harman Kardon subsidiary the somewhat dull and gray operator.


This basically energetic or transient offset was perhaps also reflected in the efficiency offset. The AKG is the clearly harder of hearing. It requires higher input voltages for the same SPL. The K-702 felt a bit stuffed or stifled versus the fresher more responsive Focal.		  
256GB iMod, 160GB iPod Classic, Cambridge Audio iD100, Eximus DP1, Beyerdynamic T5p with ALO Audio leash


I'd thus wager a bet. In a headfi rig deliberately catering to the K-702 to insure that it sang—not just sotto voce but like a heroic counter tenor—75% of listeners would still prefer the Spirit One. Naturally tastes differ like snow flakes. But it's no exaggeration to say that the Focal competes favorably at twice its sticker.

As the Spirit One shows on the Sieveking Sound Omega stand, its signature double joint takes up space. Whilst the ear pads proper are modestly proportioned, such a broad profile is anything but discrete outdoors. The self-conscious could prefer IEMs like my Ortofon atop the iPod. And as much as the Focal is a real looker all new and shiny, rough handling will probably leave more marks than an intrinsically clunkier but ruggedized design like a Grado.
Triple sandwich of iPod, Algorhythm Solo and Continental
Even when perfectly sealed—a euphemism for shoved in to the stops—the weighting of inner-ear monitors like my Ortofons is clearly tilted up. There's less on the scale. One acclimates quickly and the virtually invisible wear of such pods is a big draw when hoofing it about town. But whatever might have seemed to rollick on the IEMs gets instantly downgraded when the over-ear Focal is back. It's very much like upgrading quality 2-way monitors with a superior subwoofer. Everything gets bigger and the music grounds itself properly. In this case there's also a very obvious expansion of the soundstage. To be unobtrusive and to travel light, IEMs are it. To hear the full Monty, full-size cans are a must. (This is a fitting spot to inject props for the valve-powered Continental from ALO Audio's Ken Ball. Take his last name, add my first initial and spell it out in caps. This hybrid amp combines tubular tone density with fabulous shove. The effect is post workout. Pumped up. Even top-class cans of HD800 caliber are well within its grip. The freshly starched crispness of the Spirit One really blossomed tonally to easily overshadow the T5p driven iPod direct.)

Speaking of which, the true target and raison d'être—an iDevice's 3.5mm hole—seriously deflated that high-color sense of drive. Intensity/density particularly at the headstage's outer edges fell as though off a cliff. Forward propulsion suffered and with it that whole delicious sense of musical momentum. The overall color temperature grew cooler and paler. Shall I go on? It was a wholesale implosion on all fronts; with uncompressed AIFF files. Add further setbacks with MP3 files. But I'm not railing on the iPod. I own a few. They're capable of great things as streaming servers into outboard converters and amps. One simply acknowledges their limitations particularly in today's context of a 'made-for' ancillary that's patently capable of so much more. And that's simply a backhanded way of saying that Spirit One buyers are in for a second (true!) honeymoon once they move from iPod-direct drive to a quality mobile amp like what ALO Audio, Ray Samuels, TTVJ and many others offer.


On a scale of 100 (with full house represented by the earlier iD100/Eximus system), my triple-decker mobile rig would still score 85 while iPod-direct drive would net a 50. That's more for illustration purposes than any hard science. But the point is clear. There's a lot of performance headroom to explore past jacking straight into an iPhone.


Wrap. Acknowledging again that I had no natural-born competitors on hand, from my high(er)-priced arsenal the closest match on performance/price came from AKG's K702 (gussied up with after-market cable no less). Known to be a more demanding load, my Eximus amp was ideally suited for it. Even so the half-priced Spirit One was the more exciting colorful lively and compelling performer. And dressed more luxuriously if that matters. Until Focal's target audience matures to better D/A conversion and power stages, they'll never know how good this Frenchie can sound. It can remain a constant well into a progressive upgrade path. It's attractive to look at, comfortable to wear, nicely accessorized and very fairly priced. So back to the future. Yes! On the evidence of the Spirit One, Focal seems very much destined to shake up this market segment. How they'll play their cards remains to be seen. Regardless, they're off to a very auspicious start. Propitious is the word. Welcome to the jungle. Halleluja. Flip the wig. The works.


Focal website
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