Aesthetics and performance
After more than four years of Research & Development, Focal unveils in 2019 a new technology with remarkable performance: the Slatefiber membrane.
Made in France, this membrane is characterized by a dynamic, rich and very balanced sound, particularly in the midrange. With its acoustic qualities and unique " slate effect ", it is becoming a high-fidelity benchmark in its price category.
An authentic composite membrane
The Slatefiber membrane is a composite cone made from non-woven recycled carbon fiber - Focal is the first audio brand to use recycled carbon fiber in its loudspeakers - and thermoplastic polymer. The combination of these two materials delivers excellent acoustic performance in terms of sound velocity, rigidity and damping.
RIGIDITY
Carbon fibers alone are exceptionally rigid. What's more, the fibers are all oriented in the same direction, making the loudspeaker even stiffer, for even more bass.
DAMPENING
The carbon fibers are oriented, but also non-woven to ensure better damping. The thermoplastic polymer is located at the heart of the fibers to ensure the bond between them and thus increase damping.
LIGHTWEIGHT
During development, particular attention was paid to the weight of the diaphragms in order to optimize sensitivity: carbon fibers are very light, so in addition to rigidity and damping, this diaphragm meets the criteria of lightweight loudspeakers.
Made in France
Like the Flax, K2 and W membranes, the Slatefiber membrane is entirely manufactured in Focal's Focal workshops in Saint-Etienne, France..
In order to combine productivity, performance and French manufacturing, Focal engineers have developed a semi-automated industrial tool dedicated to the manufacture of the Slatefiber membrane.
Focal products using this technology
Discover other Focal technologies
Gamma Structure
An anti-vibration cabinet
As the surface area of a loudspeaker cabinet is greater than that of the loudspeaker diaphragms, it can radiate sounds that are distorted by the resonances of the cabinet structure. This alters reproduction and blurs the sound image. To prevent such "interference", it is essential that the cabinet is as inert as possible, that it is not emissive. At Focal, we use MDF (Medium Density Fiber) to achieve this inertia. This stable, heavy structure is anti-vibration. It has been optimized by vibratory mapping of the loudspeaker walls to reinforce or modify the structure wherever a weak point appeared.
Infinite Horn Loading
High-definition sound
For the Beryllium tweeter to deliver all its finesse, it would need an almost infinite volume. Sopra's need for compactness meant that the maximum volume of the cabinet had to be used for the bass. Exploring new ways of loading the tweeter led us to imagine the IHL infinite-load horn. The IHL (Infinite Horn Loading) system enables the Beryllium tweeter to be loaded while respecting the compactness of the loudspeaker. The rear wave is gently and progressively absorbed to avoid distortion. The result is maximum definition.
TNF Tweeter
Treble finesse
Made in France in our workshops, the TNF aluminum/magnesium inverted dome tweeter delivers smooth, clear treble. The surround that connects the dome to its support uses Poron, a shape-memory material. This surround is directly derived from Focal's famous Beryllium tweeter, and reduces distortion by a factor of three between 2000 Hz and 3000 Hz, the most sensitive zone for the ear. In addition, a waveguide has been developed to perfect spatialization and further improve the inverted dome's very low directionality. In the horizontal plane, the frequency response is within +/- 0.5 dB. This performance guarantees an incredibly stable soundstage.
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