Why so little none impressions on Focal Maestro?


everybody talks about Wilson Sasha, Vandersteen 7, Sonus faber, but this speaker which was released last year received basicaly none feedback. Is it size, price or performance are medciore to most ears? or they are so seriuos performers that do not need any talks?
128x128elviukai

Showing 8 responses by elviukai

Thanks for responses, well I mean not positive but ANY feedback including negative.There is quite a few negatives(same mentioned Wilsons or B&W) but nothing about Maestro. I understand top Models (from Focal that would be Grande EM and Stella EM) but Maestro is still afordable (or at least priced in common sense), and to my ears it more complex to integrate in small European house and probbaly they would love bigger, slight damped rooms. I am not Focal dealer or salesman bu I helped to setup two pairs of Maestro- they needs to be position very carefuly to get 3D and avoid "boxy" and overly warm sound. they replaced Marten Coltrane and Kharma 3.2.2(?) after setup they just fine-smooth ,powerfull, and homogenic. but not so "interesting" comparing to both Marten and Kharma. I just leaved after that but I came few times back after while and the more i listened the more enjoyment i get from them. At one point owner reverted back to Marten with same Bryston amps and we could hardly believe how forward, analytical and harsh they soundd with less than perfect records and how individual intruments just "jumped in and out" during orchestra performance distracting from music. before that instaltion i tried to look on the net what amps, sources people uses on Maestro and couldnt find ANY. So reason for starting this thread. To my ears they sound very good(frightning dynamic and yet calm, smooth) with set of bryston 28"s. Any (practical) findings to how they would sound with accuphase m6000? or maybe someone uses some other amps and find perfect match?
I understand perfectly what you are saying. and I particulary agree, but just particulary. The product is common sense priced until
1) there is some usual to us coreleation between manufacture cost vs selling price. up in the chain this coleration increases in most manufacturers( small demand requires more profit to absorb R&D and so on)

2)they are real selling product.

there is many nonsense speakers to my ears and to my pocket as well.

my question however was diferent. there is more 50K range speakers and they have been discused many. even old Focal Nova utopia Be (I believe priced similar) had tons of feedback. Tidal speakers are priced more than focal- how ever this does not prevent frm discusions about them. Another example- there is lot of opera singers, better then Ana Netrebko, but no one talks about them as much as of Ana. there is lot of pop singers better than Mis Ga Ga but mostly people talk about this singer -OK you got the point. I wonder its marketing or just some speaker sonic/ esthetic have some "kharma" charming others and wanting to talk about it. I am almost sure its not the pricetag but maybe sonic- maybe how they provide music to listener?
Extravaganza(whoever you are)-no problem at all, life is good and gentle to me, thanks God. However this topic is about Focal particular- "humble" model.

Focalfan- thanks, I have never thought about this one. They are "technical" company (more like ATC) and so does introduce their product line. Maestro is even recomended as midfield studio monitor.That makes some sense to me now.
If I would have free space I would probbaly add them to my speakers colection- its extraordinary speaker after all and does some things very good IMHO. I just spent some time with them and realy wondered why so little feedback on theese. I believe Focalfan answered my thoughts particulary.
Well I wouldnt consider them as pretty, there a lot more prettier speakers around IMHO, but just matter of taste I belive. As for sonic its very good speakers- I found all virtues of focal school and basicaly none of flaws. They sound a bit muddy before burn-in (when i get back after few month speaker sit at the same position, same gear- but sounded much more trasparent)- unlike right pout the box Diablo -which sounds edgy on bigger clasical works and Scala, which sounds sibilant at vocals.

Ok I can describe my impressions if you want. I didnt lived with speaker, just had some listening and tuning sessions (aprox 40hours total)

I always missed bass from Utopia II- Diva, Alto Be, (and when first heard Scala)- same feeling- tight , and natural bass but no real palpable punch. some other speakers are opozite -have very punchy bass but its always same "one note" sound- sounds good on electronic but large orchestras just lack feeling of power and majesty(if no bass) or have unnatural "pumping air" efect (if one note sound) when bass notes a coloured, slow and blur(thought it sound simpressive on moovie track for example) Maestro bass is good for both - its have enought weight and authority on bass but have that fast , and also not boring one note bass.

I alaways noticed how critical Focals are for vocals records, for ex. intolerance to sibilance. they just did not like bad vocal records( be it it pop vocal like diana krall or opera) and spilling that junk to ears. Sonus fabers for example even if have excessive high frequencies in general(at least models i have listen) but its just listenable with same records , I have one female voice test track called "summer samba" its an audiophile record enginiered very "hot" tendency to sound bright and dry. and its not the only record unfortunately in the recording industry. speakers which plays good clasical (strings) never produce good sound on this record its just to much exited, with lot of sibilance. and vice verca- speakers which produce natural sound with that track lack definition and higher halftones/upper tones to strings. I noticed that with Scala- good on small clasical works, but need lot of atention(both gear and listening room) to not sound sibilant on vocals. to my surpsise Maestro did both- voice was chesty weighty as it sounds in real, there still was some brigtheness but it was already tolerable. and sound was quite natural (considering recording material) I heard that record for many time on variuos speakers and understand that neutral speaker reproducing this record with just small hint of brigtness( I there were peak consult speaker with sounded almost perfect on this, but i didnt liked them on ordinary quality records) overal coherence of Maestro is top- never hear big 3 or 4 way speaker which sound like single point source. even from the 2 meters speaker sound slike single driver.
and sound is which i consider balanced- its more laidback "and not in your face" than most focals and especialy wilson puppies which "bark" at some records - closer to sonus faber camp , but it doesnt lack palpability and imediacy. neither with vocals or clasical music it discracted from music- nothing screams, nothing stood out and nothing missed. and I have hard time to analyzing it, my ears wanted just listen to that record. its rare case as I always listening a "quality" on Diablo rather than record itself (that was reason why I leaved them from my bedroom system)

there is a dificulties as well with Maestro, at least I encountered it-
1)positioning- they sound basicaly well focuced from the first moments, but i have real problem to get balanced upper bass(on some records speakers sounded "boxy" and "too big" ) and lacked 3D. i started to moove them around and at some point took from back wall more than 5feet, but lastly ended unusualy close to back wall( I expected too much midbass but it wasnt) and only 2.3m between speakers. boxiness is gone then and after toing out and spiking them speakers "disapeared" but it tooked much more time than i expected to get 3d layered soundstage. I even brought my Diablos which behaviuor I know - I shouldnt done that- it was strange- after Maestro Diablo sounded like tiny matchbox- and scream at most record which Maestro "eated" smoothly.

on the next audiotion I noticed that owner remooved part of absorbitve panels he was used with previuos speakers - we both agree taht 3D improoved further to point where I already enjoying listening session on low lights very much.I quess they should work good in plain undamped and reflective room. so my own impressions so far , hope this helps. if anybody have theese speakers could they advice better amp than brystons(excluding class a solid state), VTL maybe?
Focalfan, thanks for info, I will try to arrange accuphase m6000 for audition throught local dealer, but VTL is a real problem as there is no VTL dealer. BTW even if Focal is high sensitivity I felt they like power very much.

lets wait for new Utopia IV system, I know that focal working on elecgromagnetic midrange drivers (but not in focal-home section) - that would be awesome to have Grande EM featuring subwoofer, midwoofer and midrange drivers with EM technology.
thats very interesting system! probbaly first on Audiogon with Maestro. I will be some kind of translator here- could you please share your expierence with setup and maching equipment for this speaker? owner wants to know anything that may help to get max out of them, but does not speak english. thanks in advance.