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HI-FI AND AV SPEAKERS REVIEW
Focal JMlab Dome 5.1 System review
Focal's Dome 5.1 system mixes quality audio performance with
startling looks
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Last reviewed: January 17th 2010
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FULL SPEC COMPARE PRICES ALSO CONSIDER
Focal JMlab is one of Europe's
leading hi-fi manufacturers and is
best known in the field of larger
loudspeakers, its expertise with
the Sib & Cub fashion-centric,
compact system shows it can also
dabble with the latter. And that skill
has now been used to craft a
hugely stylish successor, dubbed
Dome.
There are a number of quality
The Domes can be specced in red, black
compact systems from recognised or white finishes – and you can opt for
different colour grilles
hi-fi marques designed to plug the
gap between these two broad
categories, from names that include, KEF, Cabasse, Bose, and B&W.
Focal is not alone in attempting to marry attractive designer packaging with
hi-fi audio standards. But on the basis of the Dome, it is undeniably one of
the most successful.
PRODUCT SUMMARY
JMlab Dome 5.1
System
For
> Bold, Full and detailed sound
quality for music and home
cinema
> Gorgeous design
Against
> Larger cabinets will offer more
presence
> Rival sub/systems are more
affordable
Just small enough
Though a compact system, the dome-shaped satellites are not as small as
some of the competition. As JMLab's comprehensive white paper explains
(check it on the Focal website under /dome/downloads – though a better
English translation would be nice), this came out of modelling the various
possibilities, and extensive testing of prototypes, not just of various enclosure
sizes, but also almost every possible iteration of enclosure design and drive
unit disposition.
ORIGINAL REVIEW FROM
Focal has ended up with a 0.8 litre enclosure, but with the claimed
performance of 1.4 litres, and its extensive R&D program shows that there is
some justification for saying so.
It houses a 4in bass/midrange unit and 1in dome tweeter to cover the range
from 125Hz-25kHz within a tight +/-1.5dB envelope at 31dBA, which barely
alters at different power levels (i.e. dynamic compression is low).
Most similar speakers use reflex (port) loading to extend the bottom octave,
before a rapid rolloff, but Focal has rejected this arrangement in favour of a
sealed box alignment. It has a gentler LF rolloff, which is -11dB at 70Hz with
the intention of allowing the Dome to perform effectively as a full-range
system even without a subwoofer.
Sealed bass-loading, along with other design decisions, means that power
handling is also improved. But of course, there is a dome-shaped subwoofer
to counter what is a fairly lean, dry balance when used without, and this is
how I auditioned the system.
The system satellites and the subwoofer can be purchased individually, but
buy this 5.1 package and you effectively save the cost of a sat. The stands are
optional, but have been designed with the Domes in mind. They're tall,
slender and surprisingly elegant, have a heavy base for stability, and allow
the Dome to be rotated on two axes.
Connection cables enter the stands at base level, so there is little chance of
tripping over the wires that run internally. If you want a stealth system, you can
ignore the stand option and wall-mount the satellites.
Afunky aesthetic feature is that the Domes are available in black, white and
red, with bayonet-fitting grilles that conceal the drive units. You can also buy
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grilles in yellow or blue. Even the stands can be specified in black, red or
white.
The cabinets are finished in high gloss lacquered aluminium, and are of a
very high standard. The 100W, 8in Dome subwoofer is cute to look at – in a
vacuum cleaner kinda way – and it's down-firing, so placement isn't a chore.
Setup is fool-proof, too: the variable crossover setting includes a marked
position to match the Dome satellites, and there's an auto-power off switch
which means the sub will turn off after five minutes if it's not being fed a
signal.
Stylish sound
Focal's Dome 5.1 sets standards for compact sub/sat systems, and it even
makes sense as a compact stereo box system with the option to add a
subwoofer later. True, it is a tad lightweight and small sounding if used
without the subwoofer, but not terminally so.
I used this configuration for some extended solo piano listening (including
Idil Biret playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata), which came in
comprehensively ahead of expectations. The sound was percussive and,
within reasonable limits, it could even be described as muscular with a richer
than expected tonal palate, and respectable dynamics.
Broadcast TV speech was also very well handled, though it was cleaner and
more articulate with the grille covers removed. But above all this is a home
cinema package, and in this form it works really well. I used it married to a
Denon AV receiver and spun up Vantage Point on Blu-ray.
Of course, it couldn't match the authority and presence of my bigger reference
system (based on quality Mordaunt-Short speakers), but with the 8in
subwoofer it delivered some real excitement. In the final car chase sequence,
and the explosion repeated throughout the film, it never lost its capacity to
cause me to duck involuntarily.
Unusually, the Dome system can also play much louder than expected for
one so compact, with no noticeable change in voicing as the volume
increased. I found it's important to listen on axis with the front satellites
rotated to face the listener, and angled vertically so that the bottom edge of
the bass unit is at ear height. This will avoid loss of clarity and fine detail.
Furthermore, the sound is more integrated and homogenous when the front
speakers are a reasonable distance from the listening plane, between, say,
two and three metres.
Perfect match
So, the Dome system is flexibly configured, stylish and available in a variety of
bright primary colours as well as black and white. But what really sets it apart
is its refined, grown-up sound quality.
If you're in the market for a discreet sub/sat array, then give this an audition.