Dynaudio Focus 50 Review
Wireless streaming active speakers is undoubtedly the most suitable audio design for modern people. With wireless networks dominating all kinds of electronic products, the previously unimaginable wireless life has quietly arrived.
The concept of active speakers is familiar, and Dynaudio has already designed Pro Audio products for professional recording studios. In 2012, they launched the first generation of XEO wireless active speakers in the home market, emphasizing high-quality transmission and receiving significant attention. In this post, we will review the latest Dynaudio Focus 50 speaker.
Today, countless wireless active speakers are on the market, but only some can maintain high sound quality. However, Dynaudio has already launched the third generation of the active wireless speaker, the Focus series, continuously taking the lead in this field.
The Focus series is the third generation of wireless streaming active speakers developed by Dynaudio. It is up-to-date in functionality and can wirelessly connect to external networks. As long as the music service can be found on the network, such as Spotify and Tidal, Focus can play it.
It also supports Roon Ready, so even if there are other service providers in the future, they can continue to be supported through firmware updates provided by Dynaudio. In addition, it can use Airplay2 transmission, a new function added to this generation of Focus. It can also support Google Chromecast transmission, which means that Focus can directly play high-quality music from most smartphones, tablets, and computers on the market.
As for Bluetooth connectivity, it is also a small matter. Focus is special because it uses WiSA to communicate the signal between the two speakers. That is also a wireless transmission protocol with the highest transmission rate of 96Hz/24bit. As long as your signal source also supports WiSA, you can directly connect to Focus in this way. That is currently more common in new TVs.
Regarding traditional connections, Focus has not given up on its past generations’ wide range of connectivity, including optical, coaxial, and analog inputs. Users can use a CD player or turntable as a signal source at any time, and a subwoofer output has been added to this generation.
In the most straightforward use, you only need to connect both channel speakers with the necessary power cords, and the network signal can be connected via WiFi. You can listen directly by controlling it with your mobile phone or tablet.
Design
Dynaudio currently has two product series in non-traditional wireless streaming active speakers, Focus and Music, which both use the newly developed Dynaudio Connect App. You can switch between speakers anytime if you own more than two sets of speakers. The screenshot below shows the actual Dynaudio Connect App and Roon Ready.
It is worth noting that it provides many ways to adjust the sound performance to suit users, including speaker positioning (wall, corner, standard), music frequency preferences (more high-pitched, more low-pitched, standard), and Dirac application. In Focus, a sensor can automatically detect the surrounding environment to perform basic Dirac adjustments.
Users can turn it on or off and even purchase higher-level Dirac Live. There is also a unique feature that I have never seen before – automatic detection of whether the grille is in use and EQ compensation, which fully demonstrates the advantages of digital DSP processing.
Returning to the basic understanding of Dynaudio’s world-renowned speakers, the Focus 50 floor-standing speakers, tested this time, are different. Since its establishment in 1977, Dynaudio’s expertise has been in speaker design.
Changing from passive to active means putting the amplification circuit and digital module inside the speaker box. The physical, mechanical structure of the speaker itself still plays a crucial role in sound quality. The single high-frequency unit uses a 28mm Cerotar tweeter.
Like the high-frequency unit in the top-of-the-line Confidence series, it adds a Hexis back wave controller behind the soft silk diaphragm, allowing the internal airflow to be dispersed as desired. It also uses a strontium carbonate Ferrite+ magnet system to maximize sensitivity.
Below the high-frequency unit is the mid-range unit. The Focus 50 is the only model in this series that separates the mid-range and low-frequency units. The mid-range unit comes from the Contour 60 and uses a 15cm Dynaudio MSP patented diaphragm with a powerful neodymium magnet, fiberglass voice coil tube, and aluminum voice coil.
The feature is the powerful magnetic force and highly lightweight coil material, which allows it to maintain a rapid and agile response and more effectively control mid-range performance.
Finally, two 18cm MSP diaphragm Esotec+ low-frequency units benefit from the more advanced Confidence and Contour series technology. Since this is a pure low-frequency single-unit design that does not need to handle the mid-frequency range, it is only responsible for 390Hz and below, so it needs more power and control.
Therefore, a copper voice coil is used inside the magnet, which is different from the other two models in the series.
One of the significant features of active speakers is the built-in amplification circuit. Pascal Audio, another Danish company, customizes the Focus series’ amplification circuit. It provides a set of dedicated amplification circuits for high, mid, and low frequencies, respectively.
Sound Performance
Listening to the Focus 50, the manufacturer recommends a 2-4 meters distance between the two speakers and the listening position, which is suitable for most people’s living spaces and similar to the listening experience in this audio room.
When listening, we only used an Innuos NAS as the Roon Core to read internal music files while connecting to Tidal and Qobuz to play music. Is the NAS necessary? The answer is no, as Dynaudio’s free Control App can directly connect to Tidal or Spotify to listen to high-quality music. However, users must prepare a computer or NAS to install and run the Roon Core if they want to use Roon.
First, refer to Sarah Mclachlan’s “Angel” in “Surfacing.” The Dynaudio Focus 50 can demonstrate the performance’s soft and ethereal vocals and deep spatial sense with clean and precise piano playing. The sound is presented directly and transparently, with sufficient and sensitive power in the sound bottom. Even in relatively gentle music, you can still feel this.
The excellent color still has Dynaudio’s neutral and precise characteristics and is quite listenable and clear in the mid-to-high frequency range. The sound is slightly different from passive speakers in the past, which should be the variable of the amplifier used in passive speakers. Apart from environmental influences, the sound of the Dynaudio Focus 50 in the Danish factory is the same as the sound in your home, ensuring the sound’s level and characteristics.
What is the experience of playing Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” with Dynaudio Focus 50? Although these are floor-standing speakers, the box volume is not larger than that of most floor-standing speakers. The manufacturer considers the meaning of placing them in a home space, but this does not affect their performance in the low-frequency range.
Under the operation of the independent 280-watt amplification circuit, the two 18-centimeter bass units almost entirely demonstrate their low-frequency capabilities. Although not very dynamic, the bass is clean and well-controlled, and the frequency range is complete. No wonder the manufacturer doesn’t need a bass reflex port to supplement the bass because it is already sufficient.
What surprised me more is that the Focus 50 can emit extremely low frequencies, and its ability to reproduce them is better than that of passive speakers from the same brand I have previously listened to. That is a result I never thought of when I first stepped into this audio room. As for whether the Focus 50 can meet this relatively large space, my answer is to test it in a larger space.
The song “Fly Me To The Moon” by Diana Krall has a great sense of space in the vocals when the music starts playing. This description doesn’t mean the sound is loose; instead, it’s a sound performance that makes distinguishing between various instrument details easier.
The positioning of each instrument, the rise and fall of notes, and the intervals between rhythms become clearer due to the distances between the sounds. The sound details are more visible, such as the piano’s light and agile tone, which also carries a sense of charm. The sound positioning is clear and precise, with no instruments emphasized more than the others. The exquisite sound details and performances make the scene in front of you richer and more prominent. Listening to it is joyful, colorful, and full of presence.
The excellent sound with both detail and texture is also apparent in the song “You” by Nils Lofgren. The Dynaudio Focus 50 wireless streaming speaker performs equally well with the guitar strings’ sounds, which are very clear and distinct. You can hear the resonance produced after the guitar strings are struck, and the rebounding feeling is also quite clear, presenting a lifelike guitar image. With the details already in place, the sound performance is equally excellent.
The guitar plucking in the latter part of the track is quite intense, and the sound of the strings can be described as very vibrant. Each sound is very clear, and you can feel that the entire sound is restored neutrally, without additives or seasoning and any trace of falsehood. The sound quality is very clear, and listening to the music with such clear and vibrant sound is a testament to the excellent performance of the Dynaudio Focus 50 wireless streaming speaker.
Conclusion
The Dynaudio Focus 50 wireless streaming speakers provide an exceptional listening experience with detailed and textured sound quality. The speakers excel in reproducing instrumentals, allowing the listener to distinguish between different instruments and their positions easily.
The clarity and neutrality of the sound make it seem like the listener is present in the recording studio or concert hall. The build quality of the speakers is also impressive, and the wireless streaming feature adds convenience to the overall user experience. While they may be pricier than some competitors, the Dynaudio Focus 50 speakers are worth the investment for those who prioritize high-quality sound performance in their audio equipment.
