What Hi-Fi? Verdict
Yet another premium headphone to add to your shortlist
Pros
- +
Feel durable
- +
sound refined and detailed
Cons
- -
Not the most exciting, or dynamic, headphones we’ve heard
Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.
Closed-back headphones, constructed from a mixture of aircraft-grade aluminium, leather and rubberised plastic, the Focal Spirit Ones are sturdily made and feel built to last.
Behind the bright red mesh in each ear-cup sits a 40mm mylar/titanium diaphragm driver, a light, rigid unit designed to major on sensitivity and linearity.
The detachable cable resists tangling well and features an iDevice remote control with integrated mic – a little too high up the cable for our liking.
The Focals give a grown-up, controlled and authoritative account of themselves when on the receiving end of a FLAC file of Comet Gain’s If You Ever Walk Out Of My Life.
At the top of the frequency range there’s just a suggestion of brightness, but only at high volumes – otherwise treble sounds are as prudent as everything below them.
The stereo image is fairly compact, but instruments are separated well, and the Focals offer a commendably natural quality to sounds, especially in the midrange.
The only noteworthy drawback is a slight, but palpable, lack of excitement.
For all their powers of resolution, the Spirit Ones never really take flight, and this reticence is coupled with a slight lack of dynamic thrust.
But there’s no doubt these are a viable alternative to the likes of B&W’s P5s.
