Focal Trio6 Be 2/3-way Reference Monitor
Talk to an Expert
The Focal Trio6 Be is a 3-way, 450W reference-quality monitor with 8" subwoofer, 5" midrange driver, and 1" inverted dome Beryllium tweeter that can be both horizontally or vertically oriented and switched to a 2-way mode for mix referencing
“Two for the price of one,” “versatile,” and “flexible,” are words bandied about in pro audio quite a bit, but you almost never hear them said about studio monitors—that is until the Focal Trio6 Be arrived on the scene. A 450-watt, (all in) 8" x 5" x 1" tri-amped reference-quality monitor, the Trio6 Be offers a neutral response throughout the frequency spectrum, precise stereophonic imaging, the ability to reveal the most minute sonic details, while its Class G amplifiers deliver SPL levels to suit all musical styles. But perhaps the greatest feature of the Trio6 Be is that it can sound like a crappy speaker . . . wait, what? Of course the Focal Trio6 Be has a phenomenal sound, like all Focal monitors, but what makes it really cool is that it can switch from a 3-way, reference-quality monitor to a 2-way “Auratone-style” speaker for checking your mix under real-world playback circumstances—and best of all, the distance between your monitors doesn’t change, which maintains the integrity of your stereo field.
Focal Trio6 Be unique features:
- Two monitors in one; two-way or three-way configuration with remote switching (remote pedal not included)
- Focus mode gives you a quick and effective way to compare the mix translated to a real-world speaker system
- Rotating baffle enables both horizontal and vertical orientation
- Wide dispersion produced by Beryllium inverted dome tweeter
Focal Trio6 Be key features and tech:
- Wide uncompromising dynamics, linearity, and wide dispersion produced by Beryllium inverted dome tweeter: state-of-the-art speaker design and materials
- Neutral, distortion-free sound thanks to “W” composite sandwich cone
- Simplified room integration, thank to LF and HF shelving, 160Hz EQ
- High SPL accommodates all musical styles (115dB peak @ 1m)
-
Three control knobs adjust low and high frequencies, plus a 160Hz notch
Focal Trio6 Be—Behind the Grille
Switchable 3-way/2-way operation
At its core, the Trio6 Be is a three-way, reference-quality speaker with a 1" tweeter, a 5" woofer, and an 8" subwoofer. When used to its full potential, the Beryllium tweeter reaches up to 40kHz and the 8" subwoofer extends low frequencies down to 35Hz. However, switching to “Focus” mode reconfigures Trio6 Be into a two-way monitor, bypassing the 8" woofer, using just the Trio6 Be’s rotating baffle where the 5" driver and 1" tweeter are housed. The important distinction regarding the 2-way operation is that it’s not intended to reproduce full-range audio (By now that 5" spec should start to sound familiar). Rather, it’s intended to provide the mix-translation tool that top engineers have relied on for decades (the 5" cubes). Like the Auratones of old, mid and low frequencies are handled solely by the 5" driver.
While the 2-way mode does retain the use of the Beryllium tweeter, it’s frequency response is band-limited from its usual 40kHz top end to 20kHz. The low-frequency extension is only down to 90kHz. As such, the Focus Mode behaves with the “compromised” audio that you get from consumer-level playback systems with limited frequency response, such as TVs, PCs, cars, and portable speaker systems.
Focus Mode
*PAD Pro tech tip: The distance between speakers is crucial to proper mixing, especially where your center image is concerned. Placed too close together, the level of the center image can increase by 3dB. Too far apart, and the center image drops 3dB. If you’ve ever wondered why your kick, snare, bass, and vocals are either consistently too loud or too soft, now you know. Consult your owner’s manual for suggested distances. If you’ve calibrated your speakers with un-correlated pink noise to 83dB (measured in the center position) with one speaker on at a time, the center image should jump to 86dB with both speakers on. Be aware that small rooms will increase levels by 1-2dB due to reflections off hard surfaces, etc.
Rotating baffle
Trio6 Be may be used vertically or horizontally to optimize positioning thanks to an adjustable aluminum baffle housing the 5" woofer and tweeter. The baffle is capable of rotating 360° in 90° increments, making it one of the most versatile speakers to position.
Beryllium tweeter
With the goal in mind of producing a high-output tweeter that wouldn’t narrow directivity and didn’t require a high-energy input, Focal spent more than twenty years in research and development. The result was Focal’s hallmark achievement in tweeter technology; a pure Beryllium dome tweeter capable of covering 5 full octaves from 1kHz to 40kHz.
Being exceptionally strong and lightweight, Beryllium has the capacity to reproduce high frequencies and transients with unparalleled speed and transparency. Also, due to its rapid energy dissipation, beryllium doesn’t continue ringing after being excited by attack information. Beryllium immediately stops resonating after a sound it output, which in turn eliminates any transient smearing. The result is incredibly accurate and detailed spatialization. Focal ’s pure Beryllium inverted dome tweeter provides numerous advantages, including wide dispersion, a linear frequency response that’s nothing short of amazing, fast dynamics, and unrivaled impulse response.
Inverted dome tweeter
There are elements of mix processing found in the fine detail work that is difficult to judge, such as reverb tails, dispersion, and diffusion, as well as elements of compression, particularly overall mix compression. Our ability to hear and judge these effects, particularly in context, rests mainly with spatial cues, attack, and transient information—all the domain of the tweeter.
Once Focal engineers settled on Beryllium for the tweeter composition, the next step was to find a way to optimize its response to better enable perception of the aforementioned mix elements. Focal’s innovative inverted dome tweeter was the outcome of that search. It offers unparalleled dynamics, enabling very precise control of compression, while its outstanding spatial precision facilitates the accurate assessment of reverb tails and stereo imaging.
Focal accomplished these amazing results by the mechanical coupling of voice coil and dome. The voice coil is fixed mid-height on the dome and uniformly moves the entire surface of the cone, whereas a traditional positive-going dome is joined at its edge and therefore susceptible to random flexing across the surface. The inverted dome directly radiates into the air with maximum efficiency, which results in an extremely precise sound stage. The dome’s response curve is far more linear than that of any positive dome, thus providing better dispersion and very low directivity.
The “W” composite sandwich cone
Focal’s composite sandwich cone technology has been in development for more than 15 years. The "W" process (Glass/Foam/Glass), used on Focal’s SM11, SM8 and SM6 series, provides a true optimization of the frequency response by fine-tuning mass, rigidity, and damping parameters. The balance between these three fundamental and often contradictory parameters is the foundation of the outstanding neutrality of Focal speakers.
The 8” W composite sandwich cone subwoofer is complemented by its large port integrated into the front baffle, making it easy to position the monitor near the front wall without saturating the ports and maintaining excellent low-frequency linearity. Its large front port guarantees consistent performance regardless of SPL levels. It also allows a positioning closed to a wall without wall boost effect, allowing an easy integration even in small rooms.
The 5" W composite sandwich cone woofer is installed in an isolated chamber within the cabinet that prevents the sympathetic activation of its other speakers while optimizing its acoustic performance. Two front-facing ports provide bass reflex, enabling the woofer to perform identically in both two-way (90Hz – 2.5kHz) and three-way (250Hz – 2.5kHz) configurations.
Class G amplifier technology
While Class AB is the most common amplifier design due to its high-frequency reproduction and greater efficiency than pure Class A, it is susceptible to crossover distortion at low levels, which is where the magic of audio lives—the delicate details responsible for the sense of reality in recorded music.
Class G, while complicated and difficult to design, provides an effective and clever solution. When properly engineered, Class G offers greater efficiency and transparency, with less wasted heat energy. Class G uses multiple power supplies as opposed to a single supply. If a signal is input that goes beyond the capability of the first power supply, the secondary supply much like a turbocharger on a race car engine gradually lends a boost until power is at full level. This provides very efficient operation as additional power is only used when required. To prevent any noticeable lag as the secondary power supply engages, modern high-speed silicon makes the switch imperceptibly (well beyond audio bandwidth). The result is an amplifier with absolute transparency and power while retaining complete control and integrity of the audio signal.
Focal Trio6 Be rear panel
- Input—XLR connector enables you to connect a source with a balanced signal and has a standard wiring layout
- Input Sensitivity—This selector allows you to adjust the input sensitivity of the monitor speaker according to the source (mixing console, sound card...). Set unbalanced consumer-grade sources at -10dBV, professional balanced equipment at +4dBu
- LF Shelving—The LF shelving potentiometer allows you to activate or deactivate the volume correction below 250Hz at ±3dB
- LMF EQ—This potentiometer allows you to adjust the level of the low-mid frequencies. The center frequency is 160Hz with a Q factor of 1. The range is ±3dB
- HF Shelving—The HF shelving potentiometer allows you to adjust volume correction above 4.5kHz, with a range of ±3dB
- 2-way remote input—Input jack for remote control of Focus Mode
- Output jack—1/4" output jack ties speakers together for remote Focus Mode control
- IEC power connector and voltage selector switch
The Focal Trio6 Be gives you 3-way reference-quality monitoring, 2-way mix-translation, and horizontal or vertical orientation, and room compensation. For more information, call or chat online with your PAD Professional today.
Performance
- Frequency response 3-way mode: 35Hz - 40kHz ±3dB
- Frequency response 2-way mode: 90Hz - 20kHz ±3dB
- Maximum SPL 3-way mode: 115dB SPL (peak @ 1m)
- Maximum SPL 2-way mode: 105dB SPL (peak @ 1m)
Electronic section
- Input type/impedance: Electronically balanced / 10k ohms
- Input connector: XLR
- Input sensitivity: Adjustable, +4dBu or -10dBV
- Bass amp: 200W Class G
- Midrange amp: 150W Class G
- Treble amp: 100W Class AB
Power supply
- Main voltage: 230V (class T fuse 1.6A fuse rating) - 115V (class T fuse 3.5 A fuse rating)
- Connection: IEC inlet and detachable power cord
Indicators and control
- Input sensitivity selector ±4dBu/-10dBV
- Low frequency shelving: (+/- 3dB from 35Hz to 250Hz)
- High frequency shelving: (+/- 3dB from 4.5kHz to 40kHz)
- EQ low-mid frequencies: (+/- 3dB at 160Hz, Q factor = 1) FOCUS input / FOCUS output
- LED: Focus mode on, audio clipping and protection indicated by LED on front panel
Transducers
- Subwoofer: 8W647801; 8" Focal “W” composite sandwich cone
- Woofer: 5W04701; 5" Focal driver with “W” composite sandwich cone
- High frequency: TB872; 1" Focal pure Beryllium inverted dome tweeter
Cabinetwork
- Construction: 55/64" (22mm) MDF panels
- Finish: Dark red natural veneering side panels, black body
- Dimensions (HWD): 20-1/2" x 10-15/16" x 14-3/16" (520 x 278 x 360mm)
- Weight: 44lb (20kg)
