Dynaudio launches updated Focus XD at ISE

Products

february 2017

2 min

with Dynaudio EN, Contributor Dynaudio

2 min

All Focus XD speakers are digital from the source to the driver – and all can handle full-fat 24-bit/192kHz hi-res files through their entire signal path for zero-compromise sound. Users can also tell them where they are in a room (free-standing or up against a back-wall), and the speakers will optimise their sound to suit.

The Focus XD active speakers use dedicated amplifiers for each individual driver – meaning Dynaudio’s engineers can precisely optimise them for the characteristics of the driver they’re powering.

Redesigned crossovers, position compensation and more

The 2017 range has had a ground-up revamp of its signal-processing flow (incorporating elements from Dynaudio’s professional LYD range of studio monitors) for substantial improvements in sound quality. Redesigned, re-tuned and more efficient crossovers behave more like digital versions of passive speakers. That simpler internal processing means an even more transparent, even more authentic sound.

The relationship between the digital amplifiers and the drivers has also been optimised, including the overload-limiters: redesigning the signal flow here has resulted in higher volume levels from the drivers without distortion or compression. It also improves signal-to-noise ratios and dynamics and, in the case of the Focus 60 XD, even lower bass.

Less need for complicated crossover filters means there’s more computing horsepower available for speaker-position compensation. That doesn’t mean simply altering the bass – it covers the whole frequency spectrum. The technology adjusts for variances that happen in frequency and phase when placing the speaker near a wall or in a corner. The 2017 Focus XD can now do this at a higher resolution for greater accuracy – and better sound even when speakers can’t be placed optimally in the room.

This is an awesome new tuning – a clear improvement that you’ll hear instantly

Roland Hoffmann, Senior Manager

Also new is the ‘brightness’ control from Dynaudio’s LYD pro-studio range. It adjusts the whole frequency character of the speakers, rather than just the treble. users can set an overall brighter or darker sound to suit their room and preferences.

Roland Hoffmann, Senior Manager, Dynaudio Academy, says: “This is an awesome new tuning – a clear improvement that you’ll hear instantly. The bass is much better defined and more transparent without being lean; treble is smoother without being darker; and there’s a more effortless, airy sound overall. It’s simply on another level.”

The updated Focus XD also comes in five new finishes: satin white lacquer, high-gloss black lacquer, high-gloss rosewood veneer, high-gloss walnut veneer and high-gloss grey oak veneer. The grilles have a new, shorter design that shows more of the speaker’s finish, and their metal parts have also been given a makeover: the driver chassis, front plate and feet are now black instead of silver.

Owners of older Focus XDs can get the improvements, too

All the new speakers use the same hardware platform as the original Focus XD. So, because all the improvements have been made in software form, owners of existing Focus XD speakers will be able to upgrade their firmware through a free update expected to be available in March at www.dynaudio.com/support.

For more information, and to see the range, see our Focus XD product pages.