Focal Vestia Nº 1 - A unique style!

The smallest member of the Vestia range is both "traditionally" Focal and possessed of some new and interesting talents! 

Focal has been on something of a charm offensive at the more affordable end of their model range of late. The Vestia range has been followed onto the market by the Thevas which occupy the price point below them. Logical we’ve selected the Vestia 1 to look at as the most affordable of all of the Vestia models because it’s both a good place to start and also as it incorporates the bulk of the refinements of the wider range.

Key among these is a new tweeter. It’s still a metal dome made from a combination of aluminium and magnesium but it has borrowed from experience gained in Focal’s automotive division. The dome has the distinctive ‘M’ shaped profile but now sits more forward in the front baffle than was previously case and has a shallow waveguide around it. Focal says that this new design is lighter and stiffer than was the case before and the new mount and guide helps with the overall dispersion of the sound.

This hands over to a mid bass driver that makes use of the ‘Slatefiber’ material that first appeared in the Focal Chora range. Despite the name, Slatefiber doesn’t actually contain any slate. Instead, it’s made from recycled, unwoven carbon fibre that is compressed into an extremely light and rigid diaphragm. In the Vestia 1, the driver is 165mm across and assisted by a single front bass port.

Both drivers sit in a cabinet that, at a whisker under 38cm tall, is larger than a number of other speakers at this sort of price point. The construction is relatively conventional; Focal uses braced MDF to create what they describe as an ‘ultra rigid’ shape and the Vestia 1 does feel commendably solid. Something that does need to be mentioned when discussing this though is that the Vestia 1 is built in the EU where many rivals are not. It’s not for us at Athens Pro Audio to make any judgement on this but it will have an effect on what you can achieve at the same price points, particularly as Focal places greater emphasis on their drivers in the overall design of their speakers.

Sound quality

The Vestia 1 might be a new speaker but some attributes it possesses will be instantly familiar to anyone who has listened to Focal models in the last 20 years. This is an accurate, detailed and very direct listening experience. It will faithfully reflect both the contents of the recording and the character of your connected equipment. Focal has been a major player in professional audio for decades and the traits that stand them in good stead there are very much part of the Vestia 1’s playbook too.

This sound has evolved though and it results in a speaker that manages to balance this desire to tell you everything about the recording and the rest of your system with a far more forgiving edge than Focal speakers of old. I don’t think that anyone will ever describe the Vestia 1 as ‘warm’ but there’s a refinement and sweetness to the performance that would have been absent a few years ago. Even with actively poor recordings, the Vestia 1 walks the clever balance of pointing out that things could be a little better without ever making the result sound unlistenable. That new tweeter seems to be a particular force in this regard, helping the Focal to be altogether more refined.

On a more intangible level, this Focal is fun too. It’s not the first fun Focal but it develops the feeling of engagement and emotional involvement further. The Slatefiber driver isn’t simply a clever use of carbon fibre. It imbues the Vestia 1 with a transient speed and agility that very little else at the price can touch. The partial trade off is that the Vestia 1 isn’t the hardest hitting standmount speaker you can buy but equally it never feels thin or lightweight. So long as a modicum of care and attention has gone into partnering them, this is an uncommonly well balanced design.

Living with the Vestia 1

Focal tends to leave their more exciting finish options for their high end offerings and the Vestia 1 has three relatively sensible finishes to choose from. The black high gloss and dark wood choices need little explaining but the ‘light wood’ is rather interesting. In this finish, the Vestia 1 does indeed have a wood effect on the side cheeks of the cabinet but ‘light’ is in fact ‘white.’ This could have looked dreadful but the contrast from the slatefiber drivers does a good job of ensuring that it winds up looking rather smart. 

The Vestia 1 is not exactly a ‘plug and play’ device; it will need a bit of attention regarding placement to sound its best. Noteworthy characteristics include that the speaker is very easy to driveS (sensitivity 89.5dB) and can deliver excellent results in the low frequencies! 

See here finish and the technical specifications:

Focal Vestia 1 Dark Wood / Focal Vestia 1 Black / Focal Vestia 1 Light Wood

Conclusion 

Vestia 1 doesn’t rewrite the rules of what Focal speakers can do. It succeeds by leveraging all those small and large things that the French company has traditionally done so well, making them more accessible while ensuring that the build quality and industrial design are of a high standard. Moreover, if you generally like the Focal sound, it’s the perfect first introduction to the brand as a whole.

Why you should buy it

If you want detail, tonal realism with decent fun, the Vestia 1 will deliver it generously, while demanding little from the equipment it partners with.



Specifications

• Type : 2-way bass-reflex bookshelf loudspeaker
• Speaker drivers : 61/2" (16.5cm) Slatefiber Midbass1" (25mm) Al/Mg inverted dome TAM tweeter
• Sensitivity (2.83V/1m) : 89.5dB
• Frequency response (+/-3dB) : 56Hz - 30kHz
• Low frequency point (-6dB) : 48Hz
• Nominal impedance : 8 Ω
• Minimum impedance :4.5 Ω
• Recommanded amplifier power : 25 - 120W
• Crossover frequency : 2,800Hz
• Dimensions (WxDxH) : 85/8x101/4x151/4" (21.9x26x38.7cm)
• Net weight (with grille) : 15.4lbs (7kg)
• Packaging dimensions (WxDxH) : 227/8x15x187/8" (58x38x48cm)
• Net weight (with packaging) : 38.6lbs (17.5kg) (2 pieces)

AthensProAudio Team ©