Focal - XS Book Bluetooth Wireless

Wow! It takes about 200 hours to burn in fully, but these are amazing. Typical of Focal speakers (I own the 1027BE's coupled with a SW907, CC900, and 6x 806V's for a 9.1 system), they are neutral and analytical. A bit shy on the bass thus. But glorious mids and precise (but not sibilant) highs,Bluetooth isn't what it used to be. It's more than just for a mouse or keyboard. Bluetooth AptX came out a while ago, but changed the audio transmission quality to near-CD (320kbps... by comparison iTunes downloads are 256kbps). So the wireless quality is very decent.To be clear, there obviously are 2 cables: one to connect to power, one to connect the powered speaker to unpowered. Upgrading the latter cable might yield even better results, though I have not tried yet.Unfortunately, I don't see many of these lying around anymore. Focal has been focusing on their new $4000 Utopia Headphones and more $100,000+ speakers. My personal Focal 9.1 system cost around $17,000+ total. Fortunately, these are only $600. Perfect for a small desk, office, dorm, etc!

Updated 12/12/13 - so I contacted Focal in NY regarding a slight enclosure rattle that I was hearing on ONE unit (the one with the power amplifier unit) and am downgrading my review for two reasons, a: the slight rattle and b: when manufacturers blow their own horns with terms like "As I'm sure you are aware, the XS Book Wireless speakers are impressive little speakers that sound great with all kinds of music. So you should also appreciate that a little speaker must have its limitations" All I asked was "at high levels I hear low frequency vibrations, could it be fixed, is it a characteristic of the speakers, etc". All that needed to be said was "yes, at high levels you will hear rattling"... and I would have left it there. I still love the speakers functionality.Much more enjoyable than a high end all-in-one Bluetooth speaker.I wanted a stereo pair, dual voltage capabilities for travel, large enough sound to fill a room, good brand name and a front grill that would avoid damage to the cones (I have a toddler that loves to poke things). All of which these fulfill and I'm definitely happy.A few words of advice. Firstly don't expect the Bluetooth quality to be as good as being hardwired, the aptx is better than previous Bluetooth versions but if you listen close enough you can still here that "digitization".They look and feel great but that feeling of refinement lacks in a few places, I wouldn't mind that if they were cheaper. Whilst listening to high volume dance tracks I'm hearing some rattles from the enclosure... but then look at what they are, powered portable bookshelf speakers... they're not going to be made from solid oak. Lastly make sure you get a brand new pair.Overall I'm way more happier with these than I would've been with an equivalent B&W or Sonos product. Your preferences may dictate something different.

These speakers blow the Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 out of the water!!! After spending months with both speakers, these Focals have a much more phenomenal sound-stage and offer a better directionality than the MM-1s. I have the Focals on my home computer, where I spend more of my time and the the MM-1s are at work. The MM-1s are smaller, which helps with crowded desks but they are far to directional if you have the speakers below your eye line. The MM-1s literally have to be near eye level to hear the sound-stage. These Focals can sit a elbow level and sound amazing, like you would expect!

Got these to go with my secondary graphics and video editing station that has less room than my primary location. My primary station has the Harmon Kardon Sound Sticks with a sub for when I can't use my high end ONKYO 7.1 system B channel with all Cerwin Vega floor and wall speakers. I have always thought the Sound sticks sound great, with wide imaging and a clear soundstage. I was worried that getting just a 2 speaker system wouldn't be able to compare on the low end. I listened to all of the available options in the local electronic stores, and even though the BOSE Companion 20's and Companion 5 sounded ok, I still wasn't thrilled. The other brands sounded like straight up crap. I can't understand why all these people give the Klipsch 2.1 system so much praise, it just sounds like a regular speaker set.In turn I read about these Focals online and I have heard that FOCAL puts out high end studio monitors, so I figured I'd give these a try. SOOOO glad I did. Bottom line, these sound amazing as near field speakers. Plenty of tight clean bass. I'm not crazy about too much boomy bass as when I do a lot of video editing I need to hear the true sound of the audio. But these nail the sweet spot. Great mids, and highs are good, not overly done in the treble area. Soundstage is very nice, and that's what sets these type of speakers apart from the sub $200 stuff. The second you play any song you're like, wow, ok I get it. You just get enveloped in clear, rich, full sound. Not too mention they look pretty cool.I also needed a setup that has Bluetooth as I already have enough wires going to the laptop, The only negative I would have with that is that sometimes when the computer goes to sleep it loses the connection and I have to reconnect it, and it can take several tries. However, I would say that's more a Windows 8 problem. I do not hear any enclosure rattle that the previous review mentioned as well. If you're looking for a high end step up in sound quality speaker, BUY THESE!

J'ai achété ces enceintes de bureau de marque FOCAL, car j'ai déjà un home cinéma équipé en FOCAL/JM LABJe trouve que la qualité sonore est excellente pour des enceintes de cette taille : de vraies basses !La puissance est très satisfasante pour l'usage dédié de ces enceintes : dans une pièce de 20-25m2, ca passe sans souciComme chez FOCAL la qualité de fabrication et de fiabilité est là et en plus c'est "made in france"Qui plus est, bien que ces enceintes soient bluetooth, tous les cables nécessaires sont fournis.

Got it for 2 weeks;Good sound quality and user-friendly.Love its wireless technology which very nice and clear. Worth for moneyIt is a very good choice for PC speakers !!