Dates and History of Focal


The full history of focal

1979

 

the year everything began for a family business from Saint-Étienne… France Filières, a precision mechanics company, established the first workshop for manufacturing speaker drivers. The company went on to influence the global acoustics market for the next four decades.

 

1982/1985

Focal’s DB 13 revolutionised the world of bookshelf loudspeakers. They proved to be a remarkable innovation, particularly among the Polyglass and Polykevlar® speaker driver cones. Focal’s loudspeakers moved significantly towards the high-end market.

 

1990

First steps abroad. Having become a leader in the French acoustics market, the company began to focus on the international market. Over the years, numerous awards maintained this reputation; sadly, they were often a first for French products.

 

1995

The Grande Utopia was praised by the international press. Technologically challenging and with extravagantly aesthetics, they asserted the brand’s leadership in the eyes of audiophiles worldwide.

 

 


2001

Focal won the world final of the Car Audio IASCA competition in the Expert category in the USA. After ten years of manufacturing car audio, Focal finally earned its stripes in the Car Audio sector.

 

2016

Focal’s Utopia headphones were launched. Thus was the world’s smallest speaker driver introduced with Utopia open-backed headphones ‘Made in France’, and were praised by the international press.

 

2002

The ‘Focal Professional’ department was born, launching its first studio monitors. Innovation and the conquest for new fields in acoustics are the company’s watchwords.

 

2018

“Utopia excellence” joined Focal's in-car offering with the Utopia M line of speaker drivers. No sooner unveiled, the line received the renowned “CES Innovation Award” in Las Vegas and quickly made its mark as a market leader. 

2019

Focal celebrates its 40th anniversary. For the occasion, special products were developed with unique finishes: the Spectral 40th and Scala 40th loudspeakers, the Symphonie 40th headphones case, the F40th in-car kit and the Solo6 Be 40th monitor. 

2019

The very first Focal Powered by Naim stores were opened, starting with Seoul (South Korea) and Lyon (France). These would mark the beginning of a global roll-out of showrooms, shop-in-shops and corners. 

2020

Focal broke into the yachting market. With personalised services and custom systems, Focal offers outstanding sound solutions for boats and yachts, indoors as well as on-deck. 

2021

Focal's “Utopia excellence” joined the Integration offering. The 1000 Series line was unveiled, with its seven high-end products. The line offered sensational Hi-Fi and Home Cinema experiences, which were lauded by the international press.  


Four Decades of Passion

A French Story

 It all started in 1979 in Saint-Étienne, when Focal’s talent took root in the workshop of a family-run business specialising in precision mechanics. Back then, just two men worked on the manufacture of speaker drivers, one of whom was founder Jacques Mahul. The creations of this hi-fi enthusiast and Pink Floyd fan would soon go on to seduce music lovers and audiophiles worldwide.

The Focal brand commercialised speaker drivers for loudspeaker manufacturers. A second brand, JM‑lab, specialised in high-fidelity loudspeakers. The flagship of this first range of loudspeakers was the DB 13. Equipped with a double voice coil speaker driver, it revolutionised the world of small bookshelf loudspeakers, by producing volumes comparable to those of much larger models of loudspeakers.

The company was soon very successful, and started developing its activities in the fields of classic loudspeakers and high-end kits.

bandeau hauts parleurs historique

Diversification

 A classic car enthusiast, Jacques Mahul wanted to make his childhood dream come true: to drive for hours on end while listening to music. This is how the first car audio kits for speaker drivers and amplifiers were born. The Car Audio department was created in 1989, and it too went on to become a reference in its sector.

The 90s were also marked by the arrival of Gérard Chrétien and by Focal’s first steps abroad. The company was firmly committed to positioning itself in the high-end market. The goal was to focus on research and technology, the company’s core values, using select materials and registering numerous patents over the years. It didn’t take long for Focal to be recognised internationally, receiving awards for its loudspeakers in several countries.

A World-Renowned Reference

 1995 marked a turning point in the company’s history with the exceptional luxury loudspeaker, Utopia. The ambition with this loudspeaker was to push the limits of acoustics and to serve as a reference for future generations of loudspeakers. What was only intended to be a technological challenge turned out to become a commercial product praised by the international press. From that moment on, Grande Utopia became a global reference in the world of acoustics. This feat was repeated in 2002, with Utopia Be and yet again 6 years later, with Utopia III.

 Focal’s characteristic style of sound and its sound signature echoed around the world through the products commercialised by both brands, Focal and JM-lab.

Utopia Range

The Choice of Design

 In the early 2000s, the brand didn’t hesitate to add another element to its creative approach. The aesthetics of industrial design would complement the technological density without compromising the sound quality. The brand worked with Parisian studio, Pineau & Le Porcher, collaborating on several products.

histoire design

Car Audio Off to a Great Start

 Around the same time, the Car Audio department got off to a great start and was honoured with an Ultimate Award. In 2001, a vehicle fully equipped with a Focal speaker driver kit won the world final of the USA’s Car Audio IASCA competition in the Expert category. Year after year, Focal’s car audio equipment has been honoured with the industry’s most prestigious awards. In 2018, “Utopia excellence” joined Focal’s in-car offering with the Utopia M line. No sooner unveiled, the line received the renowned “CES Innovation Award” in Las Vegas and quickly made its mark as a market leader. 

vignettes car
vignettes car
vignettes car

Made in France

Focal has always opted to control its own processes and know-how, basing its operations in its home city of Saint-Étienne. ‘Made in France’ is Focal’s ideology, and was the perfect solution for regrouping the conception, development and manufacture of its high-end products at one unique site.

Brand Evolution

In 2002 Focal sound entered another world of music: monitoring. The Focal Professional department was created, offering a range of monitoring loudspeakers for recording studios. It wasn’t long before these too were praised by professionals and sound engineers.

2002 marked the end for the JM-lab brand. From then on, every product would bear the name Focal. The brand embodies the prestige and workmanship of speaker drivers and loudspeakers Made in France.

vignettes pro
vignettes pro
vignettes pro

International Growth

Focal was approached by British company Naim Audio, and this encounter gave rise to a merger in 2011. Three years later, in 2014, the Vervent Audio group was created. The group became a European leader in high-end sound. In 2015, it recorded a turnover of €82 million, and in 2021 this figure reached €118 million.

The merger of Focal and Naim was built upon a common passion for high-fidelity sound and clearly complementary characteristics. Since 2011, the two brands have been making progress hand in hand to offer unique audio systems across our respective regions (in France and Great Britain), as well as worldwide. 

In 2022, Focal and Naim boast a grand total of 10,000 international retailers, are opening Focal Powered by Naim stores all over the globe and developing perfectly complementary products to create complete systems.

The first Headphones

After home audio, car audio and monitoring, Focal continued to innovate and take on new fields. Besides multimedia loudspeakers, and in-line with the new trends of listening to music, the company added yet another feather to its cap. Focal Sound became portable with the launch of Focal’s first high-fidelity headphones in 2012, Spirit One. After 4 years of presence within this sector, the company released the exceptional Utopia headphones in 2016. The following years would see the launch of Stellia, Clear Mg and Celestee, a series of open-back and closed-back Hi-Fi headphones awarded multiple times.

bandeau casque nomade

The First Hi-Fi Car Audio Option

 After 25 years of hard work in the Car Audio universe, 2016 marked the beginning of another new era: Focal launched its first OEM system for the French car manufacturer Peugeot. The new Peugeot 3008 featuring an optional hi-fi system designed by Focal was presented in May 2016. Focal went on to develop specific Hi-Fi systems for Peugeot and DS Automobiles, equipping many of these manufacturers’ production vehicles, as well as several sensational concept cars.

vignette car
vignette car
vignette car
vignette car

FOCAL POWERED BY NAIM

 With 10,000 retailers around the world, a new chapter in the story of Focal and Naim began in 2019, with the opening of their first Focal Powered by Naim stores in Seoul (South Korea) and Lyon (France). Modern, conceptualised and fully focused on sharing, with these brand spaces presenting Focal and Naim product collections like nowhere else can. 

Bringing both brands as close as possible to each customer, Focal and Naim offer a pure experience for everyone. In 2022, the Focal Powered by Naim global network has over 25 stores in Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania.

bandeau - FPBN

A French Story

Focal’s history is still being written with its continuous research into speaker driver acoustics - the company’s core activity, and through its remarkable products. Many more lines are still to come, inspired by today’s modern lifestyles, by the desires to listen to music and most of all, by the passion we share with all music lovers...


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