Focal Trio 11 Be Review

As Focal’s newest flagship active monitor speaker, Trio 11 Be has equipped with high-quality materials and advanced design that Focal is proud of. Trio 11 Be will increase Focal factory’s years of technical accumulation in the professional monitoring field to a new level. So what’s so special about Trio 11 Be?

Mentioning the French audio brand Focal, HiFi enthusiasts must first think of the Utopia series of high-quality speakers. The beryllium diaphragm unit, the French original handcrafted exquisite artistry, excellent sound quality, and outstanding product stability, Has always been an important label for Focal products.

Focal also has a long history and a good reputation in the professional field. Many recording studios around the world are using the monitoring products of Focal. They bring the “standard voice” for the work of sound engineers and sound mixers and are an indispensable reference tool at the beginning of the birth of countless high-quality recording works.

Today, let’s approach Focal’s new flagship dual-mode monitor speaker Trio 11 Be.

Be+W+G

Be—Beryllium Diaphragm Treble

As we all know, the ideal diaphragm material should have at least three elements.

• The lighter diaphragm ensures the response speed, and the reproduction of sound details is better;
• Intense hardness, low vibration of the diaphragm surface, and lower distortion;
• The high internal damping ensures that the diaphragm “moves when it should move and stops when it should stop;

In the history of speaker diaphragms, from composite paper membranes, silk membranes, titanium membranes, aluminum membranes to highly sophisticated diamonds, and ceramics have been applied successively, scientists have been striving to pursue a delicate balance between physical properties and cost.

Focal’s proudest speaker technology is the beryllium diaphragm tweeter. Beryllium, as a rare metal has unique physical and chemical properties. As an additive, it can make a magical transformation of traditional materials, with higher hardness and lighter than titanium, which is an ideal diaphragm material.

However, beryllium metal is scarce in inventory, difficult to process, and highly toxic, so the production cost is high. At present, the beryllium diaphragm speaker successfully developed on the market is rare. Focal’s self-developed beryllium diaphragm tweeter was initially used on Utopia series flagship products. It successfully conquered the market as soon as it hit the market and received rave reviews.

The tweeter mounted on the Trio 11 Be this time is a beryllium diaphragm dome tweeter with excellent frequency response indicators. It covers a wide range from 1000Hz to 40kHz. And the speaker not only has good room adaptability but also can create a remarkable three-dimensional space. Besides, the tweeter is equipped with a metal protective net cover to ensure the safety of use.

W composite Sandwich Structure in the Bass

Trio 11 Be is a full-band mid/near-field monitor, with a 5-inch mid-bass and a 10-inch subwoofer.

Both speakers use Focal’s unique W composite sandwich structure design. The advantage of this design is that the speaker diaphragm finds the right balance between low self-weight, high rigidity, and high damping, reaching a flat Straight frequency response and higher response speed.

Class G Amplifier

Trio 11 Be has three built-in amplifiers, corresponding to the three speaker units of high, middle and low, and the output power is 100W/150W/300W. Among them, except that Class AB amplifiers drive the tweeters, the amplifiers that drive the other two units are Class G.
From the perspective of audio power amplification, the currently used Class A, AB, B, G, and H amplifiers are all analog amplifiers. Class D amplifiers, including pure digital amplifiers, are switching amplifiers. Analog signal amplification by digital switching will inevitably bring distortion.

Class G amplifiers use two sets of operating voltages, high and low, and automatically convert according to the output power (in terms of signal amplitude). The big difference from the most widely used class AB is the different power supply methods. However, with the development of technology, a new generation of Class G and Class H amplifiers using high-performance digital switching power supplies. The audio signal amplifier circuit still uses analog amplification technology, which can better balance sound quality and efficiency. It can be said that it takes into account the advantages of class AB and class D amplifiers, achieving small size, high power, high sound quality, and low noise.

Other

On Trio 11 Be, many Focal patented technologies are also applied. For example, TMD (Tuned Mass Damper), which is a technology used in hanging edges, is an additional mass oscillate in opposition to the resonance frequency to control it. Applied to the speaker driver, the solution consists in simply two tubular rings on the suspension whose dimensions and position have been judiciously determined. They form our Tuned Mass Damper (TMD ) and stabilize the dynamic behavior of the surround according to resonance, thus avoiding deforming the cone without afflicting the dynamics.

NIC (Neutral Inductance Circuits) can stabilize the magnetic flux and improve the drive unit’s performance. All these are the factory’s efforts to improve the sound quality of this flagship product.

The Speaker is Versatile and Widely Used

In addition to the high-quality unit configuration, Trio 11 Be’s other outstanding features are multiple uses, which bring targeted solutions to different scenarios for professional applications.

Focus Mode

Trio 11 Be is a three-way full-band midfield monitor speaker in the normal working mode. The frequency response range is 30Hz~40kHz (±3dB). At this time, the three speaker units are working, and the “Power” light on the front panel is always on.

The pedal can activate a mode called “Focus” at this time Trio 11 Be instantly transformed into a two-way near-field monitor speaker. The frequency response range is 90Hz~20 kHz (±3dB). At this time, only the treble and midrange units work. The 10-inch woofer does not work. The “Focus” light on the front panel lights up.

This function is not very useful for ordinary music lovers, but it is beneficial for professional mixers. To ensure that the final product performs satisfactorily in different systems, professionals need to monitor their work performance in different systems, especially in the mid-frequency region where the human voice is dense. At this time, this Focus function brings excellent convenience. It is equivalent to switching between the midfield and near field monitors in an instant. That is undoubtedly a very convenient weapon.

Horizontal Mode

The midrange tweeter of Trio 11 Be is installed on a round aluminum panel, which can be rotated 360° and can be adjusted 90° at a time. Therefore, the Trio11 Be can be placed vertically or horizontally according to the needs and room acoustic characteristics when in use. Not only can it meet the display requirements, but it also can form a high-quality multi-channel monitoring system.

Trio 11 Be can be used as a three-way full-range midfield supervisor and a two-way near-field monitor. It can be placed vertically or horizontally, which is really versatile and widely used.

Appearance and Artistry

Although professional-grade products are known for their quality, it is not like civilian-grade products, too much in terms of appearance. But Trio 11 Be is the most beautiful professional monitor speaker I have ever seen. Although it does not have the luxury-like appearance of Focal’s own civilian flagship Utopia, the texture and processing of both sides of the Trio 11 Be are superb. The feel is smooth and comfortable, which gives this product an artistic touch.

Conclusion

In the professional field, a product that can be called the monitor should have quality-wide frequency response ranges, flat frequency response curve, uncompressed dynamic restoration, and superb detail performance. Focal, as a world-renowned audio manufacturer, has the design and production capacity of the entire industrial chain from speaker units to cabinets to drive amplification.

The relatively new flagship Trio 11 Be, which faces the professional market, is not only equipped with its high-quality speaker unit and innovative driver amplifier but also quite innovative in terms of functionality.It can be said that Trio 11 Be is an all-round, multi-scenario high-quality professional monitoring product. I believe that both professionals and music enthusiasts can find their highlights.

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Trio 11 Be Key Points

• Remote FOCUS switchover (3-way monitor or 2-way monitor) via control pedal (not included) : control the transfer quality of mixes on compact systems quickly and simply
• Pure Beryllium inverted dome tweeter: very low directivity, linearity, dynamics
• ‘W’ composite sandwich cone on woofer and subwoofer: neutral sound, no distortion
• Rotating mid-treble plate: can be positioned horizontally or vertically
• Bass, mid-bass and treble settings on rear panel: optimum acoustical integration
• High SPL (118 dB @ 393/8” – 1m)
• Optimised decoupling of the midrange speaker driver thanks to silent blocks
• Ultra-low distortion and noise

Trio 11 Be Specs

• Frequency response: 3-way mode 30Hz – 40kHz (+/- 3dB),2-way mode (Focus) 90Hz – 20kHz (+/- 3dB)
• Maximum SPL 3-way mode 118dB (peak @ 1m),2-way mode (Focus) 105dB (peak @ 1m)
• Subwoofer:10W96701D,Focal 913/16″ (25cm) speaker driver with ‘W’ composite sandwich cone
• MidRange:5W04701,Focal 51/8″ (13cm) speaker driver with ‘W’ composite sandwich cone
• Tweeter:TB872,Focal 1″ pure Beryllium inverted dome tweeter
• Inputs Type/Impedance:Electronically balanced / 10KOhms
• Connectors:XLR
• Sensitivity:Adaptable, +4 dBu or -10 dBv
• Bass Amplifier:300W, class G
• Midrange Amplifier:150W, class G
• Treble Amplifier :100W, class AB
• ower supply Local supply:230V (1.6A T fuse) – 115V (3.5A T fuse)
• Wiring:Connection Detachable IEC inlet power cord
• indicators and controls Rear panel：Input sensitivity selector (+4dBu/-10dBV),Low frequency shelving (+/- 3dB from 35 to 250Hz),High frequency shelving (+/- 3dB from 4.5 to 40kHz),Low-mid EQ frequencies (+/- 3dB to 160Hz, Q factor = 1), FOCUS input / FOCUS output
• Auto standby Auto standby switch on the back of the loudspeaker: enable / disable switch
• LED:Focus power on, clipping and default LED on front panel
• Finish:Natural veneering side panels Dark red burr ash, black body
• Dimensions with four rubber feet(HxDxW): 25″ x 139/16″ x 173/4″ (635 x 345 x 450mm)
• Weight: 82.2lbs (37.3kg)