Focal Spirit One Headphone/Headset (Playback)

A French High-End Speaker Maker Enters the Headphone Arena

Still, you can hear hints of the “relaxed, easygoing” qualities I alluded to above on “Pride and Joy.” I have noticed that through some headphones (and with some amps in play), Carlile’s vocal can exhibit traces of a certain glassy-sounding, unnatural upper midrange and treble sheen (it sounds impressive in a way, yet wrong). But with the Spirit Ones in play, that glassy quality never materializes—not even in passages where Carlile is singing at full voice and with serious gusto. This is an instance where Focal’s clever voicing choices plainly work out in the listeners’ favor, capturing delicate inflections and vibrato where desirable, but without imposing more upper midrange/treble detail than we bargained for.

But there is more to the Spirit One than suave midrange delicacy, because this is a headphone that is ready, willing, and able to handle more boisterous, full-range music should the mood strike you. A good example would be the potent, upbeat, forceful instrumental blues track “If You Love Me Like You Say” from Debbie Davies’ Holdin’ Court [Little Dipper]. Davies’ howling Stratocaster is, as you might expect, the centerpiece of this song, but to my way of thinking the engine that really drives the song forward would be the terrific rhythm section of Davies’ band. The Spirit Ones do a terrific job of reproducing the sound of the drum kit (and in particular the hard, crisp, yet surprisingly deep “pop” of the snare drum), while also giving the powerful yet also articulate voice of the electric bass guitar it’s due. Many headphones I’ve heard have tended either to underplay the power of the bass guitar (perhaps because they just don’t have enough low frequency “oomph” to do it justice), or else give the bass a loose, overblown, larger-than-life quality (perhaps because they are trading away bass quality for quantity). But the Spirit Ones are different in that they give the sound of the instrument an appropriately full measure of weight and heartiness yet also reveal the agile, bouncy, infectiously syncopated qualities of the lines being played. With foundations like these, it’s hard to listen to “If You Love Me Like You Say” through the Focal without experience a certain impulse to get up boogie in time to the music.

CONCLUSION

Consider this headphone if:

• You like a headphone that combines sleek European styling, very good fit and finish, and exceptional comfort for the wearer.
• You appreciate the benefits of the Focal “house sound,” which as a general rule places more of a premium on natural warmth and a suave, sophisticated, and even seductive presentation—especially through the heart of the midrange where most of the music really lives (this in contrast to ‘phones that attempt to impress with sizzling highs, overpowering bass, or overly prominent, “hey-look-at-me” mids).
• You want an over-the-ear headphone that is not much larger than some competing on-ear models we’ve tried.
• You like the idea of a headphone that really doesn’t need an outboard amp (at least not for playing at satisfying levels; the Spirit One sounds just fine when driven from an iPod or iPhone.

Look further if:

• You want an extremely revealing headphone—preferably one with plenty of upper midrange and high frequency resolution and detail. The Spirit One can sometimes sound just slightly rolled off and/or softly focused in these areas, although this characteristic helps to make the Focal ‘phones more tolerant of less than ideal source material (MP3 fans take note).
• You find the Spirit One ear cups a little too compact for their own good, in which case you’ll want to look at over-the-ear ‘phones with more spacious ear cups.

Ratings (relative to comparably priced headphone/headsets):

• Tonal Balance: 9
• Clarity: 9
• Dynamics: 9
• Comfort/Fit: 10
• Sensitivity: 9
• Noise Isolation: 9.5
• Value: 9