Focal Naim America has announced the release of the redesigned “Trio6 ST6” 3-way studio monitors, they join the other two monitors in the ST6 range, Solo6 ST6 and Twin6 ST6 which were released in 2022. The all-analog Trio6 ST6 features a more detailed and transparent sound while retaining Focal’s heritage of excellence in design and its renowned sound reproduction. Innovative speaker drivers, dual Focus mode, user-controlled automatic stand-by, a redesigned laminar port, and a structurally enhanced cabinet are just some of the features working together in Trio6 ST6 to deliver uncompromising performance. Trio6 ST6 monitors retail for $3499. USD each, and are available to order at retailers in the US and Canada on September 13, 2023. In North America, Focal is distributed exclusively by Focal Naim America.
Sylvain Gondinet, Product Manager for the Focal Professional Division explains the process and planning that went into the new Trio6 ST6, “At Focal, we never rest on our laurels and always push the boundary of what we consider to be state-of-the-art. This is in our DNA. We’re constantly pushing the boundary of transducer design and acoustic performance, but when designing a tool used for creation it’s far more than just striving for the best measurement. As a mixer and a studio designer myself, I know that our understanding and interpretation of physics in audio is intimately linked to psychoacoustics and, therefore, our emotions. The product development team asked ourselves, ‘How do we improve on an already widely recognized Trio6 Be while staying true to our analog design values?’ It was a real labor of love. The R&D team really pushed to squeeze the most performance out of the speaker from a technical standpoint, but that wasn’t where we stopped.”
“We had to gather as much perspective and feedback as possible. After all, at this point in time, we were a bit biased,” adds Sylvain. “We went to a handful of iconic studios and had some renowned engineers and mixers spend time with our prototypes. We gathered their feedback carefully and we continued to refine the Trio6. In the end, there were nearly a dozen different iterations of this speaker before we landed on this version. The new Trio6 ST6 is an incredibly precise tool but also gives you the feeling that you’ve known the monitors forever. The translation is effortless. We are overjoyed with the results and are confident you will be too.”
A Detailed and Transparent Sound
Made in France at the Focal workshops, Trio6 ST6 is equipped with an 8-inch subwoofer with a ‘W’ cone – a patented Focal innovation. The 5-inch midrange woofer incorporates Focal’s TMD (Tuned Mass Damper) technology, reducing distortion in the 1kHz to 3kHz frequency range by 50 percent. A new beryllium tweeter featuring IAL (Infinite Acoustic Loading) to control resonance, rounds out the 3-way drivers. Its newly redesigned large laminar port significantly limits port noise and the strengthened cabinet provides even better rigidity and damping with fewer vibrations minimizing distortion. Trio6 offers remarkable sound neutrality across the full audio spectrum, as well as a precise midrange, impactful bass, and excellent dynamics, all with a very low distortion level.
New Dual Focus Mode
Trio6 ST6 has a new dual Focus mode – either one driver or two drivers – which essentially creates three different sounding monitors in one by expanding the iconic Focus mode pioneered first in Focal’s legacy SM9 monitor. These new configurations of speaker drivers are available by simply pressing a pedal – as though the user has three studio monitors, with two configurations featuring reduced frequency response, enabling the mix engineer to check how a mix might adapt to a smaller system. With Focus mode, sound engineers stay in the sweet spot when mixing, they save space on the desk or console, and they simplify their cabling and monitor changes.
Sonic Details and More User Control
Like Solo6 ST6 and Twin6 ST6, the new Trio6 ST6 includes a variable high-pass crossover and a 160Hz parametric crossover to reduce reflections from the console. The European-required automatic stand-by mode can now be disengaged by the user via a switch on the back of each monitor, giving the engineer a choice.
With its impressively detailed speaker drivers, fully analog filtering, and carefully considered design to enhance sonic performance, Trio6 ST6 monitors are a versatile and powerful tool that will instill confidence in recording and mix engineers, sound designers, composers, beatmakers, studio owners, and producers alike.
For more information on Focal Trio6 ST6 visit: https://www.focal.com/en/pro-audio/monitoring-speakers/st6/trio6
