Our Tour of the Focal Speaker Factory in France

I have been a Focal fan for quite some time, even before my recent Focal car audio upgrade. But to be present and witness firsthand the craftsmanship and science behind the musicality of their products was eye-opening. A once in a lifetime experience I will never forget. We watched both car and home speakers being made and I was super excited to put a new and as-of-yet unrevealed car speaker in my hands.

Focal uses local resources - like the flax for the woofer - and local people. Many of the people we met through the course of the tours and the trainings were glad to see us and excited to show us how they contribute to the Focal name. Each station in the factory takes about 6 months to learn and master through a rigorous training process and every driver made is tested to ensure that it’s in proper working order before it moves to the next step. The factory members exhibited so much pride and love in what they do.

Many of the machines that Focal uses are machines of their own design. They have engineers on-hand to create the machines that create their speakers. The engineers play an active role in the day-to-day operations of each station, assessing and monitoring precision and efficiency without compromising quality. While we were there, we watched them consult with a woman who was responsible for affixing the motor/woofer cone assembly to the basket. They took pictures and measurements to review the process later for further optimization."
Chris Mulhearn, Car Sales & System Designer since 2008

I don’t think I ever learned more in a 3 hour period then I did while doing the driver tour on our 2nd day. Being able to see exactly how the speakers are made from one step to another - how they build and paint the cabinets, to creating the drivers from scratch and then finally testing every speaker rigorously was nothing short of jaw dropping. I am a very strong believer that if you respect and believe in a product you are trying to sell, that attitude is apparent, appreciated, and and contagious. Plus, the experience of seeing France, a country I have never been to, far exceeded any expectations I had when prepping for the trip. The way the entire Focal family treated us was very warm and endearing."
Shawn Thome, WWS Sales & System Designer since 2008

My mission coming to this trip was to soak up all of the knowledge and culture that I could. I admit the sweet breads was probably a bad idea, but I tried it! The Focal culture of making speakers is spectacular. The philosophy of focusing so much on the driver before it even hits a cabinet just makes so much sense to me. Their choice of materials is brilliant, as it allows them to tweak each speaker for each cabinet and performance level. The care that goes into making the cabinets and all the steps required was really eye opening. Seeing all of that made it clear to me why some speakers are worth more than others.

I have a serious passion for sound and listening to music - but just as much so for the science behind how the quality of that sound is impacted by how things are made. And listening to each speaker series after watching craftsmen assemble each of the speakers' parts the day before helps me better understand and then educate our clients as to the "why" behind the differences in sound reproduction. And the value behind the quality of the models as you go up in price - the differences in materials and how it matches the differences in clarity and musicality. It's so clear that you just get more and more through the line until you finally get it all in the Grande Utopia. They were the closest thing to having the band in your room that I have ever heard. Focal's passion for the reproduction of sound is infectious, and I got bit hard. This trip has taught me what truly high end performance sounds and feels like."
Adam Domurad, WWS Sales & System Designer since 2009

I’ve observed, over the years, that there are two ways to build a loudspeaker. One way is to buy drivers from a speaker parts supplier, cabinets from another source, and then “play” with the available components to create a new product that has its own appeal… a difficult task with so many speaker brands available, and so many of them being built in third-party facilities. Focal is, from what I observed, the antithesis of this philosophy.

The Focal way is to build their own drivers in their own factory, each specially designed for the system they will go into, and then use a minimalist crossover to do the final blending of the sound. I was amazed to see wood planks on shelves, and then watch them get bonded together, then machined into cabinet sides, sanded, and finished to perfection all in one Focal facility.

At their main factory, tweeters were being built, not assembled from pre-formed parts, but tweeter domes were formed at the factory, and the magnets magnetized by Focal… 100% control over the quality of ingredients. It was obvious that speed of production takes a back seat to quality of production at Focal."
Ken Zelin, WWS Sales & System Designer since 2016

After having an opportunity to see a block of wood transform into a fine handcrafted speaker, it's easy to understand and explain to a client that they are buying much more than a speaker. The joy that Focal speakers will give them is priceless. One of the most impactful moments for me was on Friday before our train left to go to Paris, when we spent three hours just sitting together and listening to the Grande Utopias. Within those three hours I was brought back to the moment that I wanted to a part of this industry. I love music. It is my passion and it is my hobby. During our hectic work week, we are so focused on generating business and taking care of clients that we sometimes lose sight of why we do what we do. The Grande Utopias reminded that the music and the feelings it conveys is what it is all about. I am excited to get back to the showroom and demo speakers not just for clients that come in for speakers, but the clients that come in for televisions, furniture, receivers, whatever it is that brought them to us. I want them to experience what I experienced in that room."
Austin Marvel, WWS Sales & System Designer since 2013

I really admire and appreciate the emphasis that Focal places on engineering. Nicolas talked about how they will start from scratch to design a completely new set of drivers for a new speaker, rather than pull existing drivers off the shelf that might not match their acoustical needs. It makes the design take longer, but in the end makes the solution simpler and more resilient. Analogous to the adage, "measure twice, cut once."

The other result of this focus on engineering excellence is a relentless effort to improve processes. From the very focused and continuous R&D effort, to the extensive training provided to new employees, to the carefully developed manufacturing plans and checklists, nothing is left to chance. When one of us asked a question about why something was done in a particular way in the driver factory, Nicolas had not one, but two or three concrete reasons why they chose the way they did. Everything was done with a purpose, for a reason.

It did not surprise me in the least when Christophe, Focal's CEO, mentioned at dinner that his background was as a manufacturing engineer, since they are clearly a company with a deep appreciation for the importance of creating a good design and good processes from the start. You can design the best products and best processes in the world, but if they are not executed with craftsmanship it will not mean much. We saw this up and down the line in both factories – employees going about their jobs with care and professionalism. It was great to see the very obvious pride they all took in the work they were doing and the products they were producing. I do not know for sure how to get that result all the time, but I am pretty sure it includes a combination of hiring good people, providing them with good training and good managers, facilitating a good environment, and developing and communicating good plans and good processes.

And, finally, the product. This is the union of the engineering side and the craftsmanship side – resulting in some of the most beautiful products we sell, both visually and aurally. And I really came to understand how each side contributes equally in the production of high quality products. When I first saw and heard Focal products in our store, I was very much drawn to them, though I could not have articulated why in any meaningful sense. There was a moment in the Utopia assembly area of the driver factory when we were all debating what color we would get our Utopias in – this for me really defines the idea of an aspirational brand. They are the swan in the water – the finished products are all regal elegance as far as you can see above the water, and the hard work of engineering and process and craftsmanship are the furious flapping of feet below the waterline that make that elegance possible."
Patrick Moran, WWS Director of Operations since 2005