Focal Pack Dome 5.1Ch Satellite Speaker Package ( PL )

FLAX FIBER, UNIQUE SKILLS

Dôme Flax is a high-end system made in France, characterized by its miniature and « high-tech » design. Thanks to its Flax cone, made of linen, this 5.1 system gets a major improvement in definition and intelligibility of dialogues as well as a larger spacialization thanks to a better linearity of the frequency response. A true return to nature for your films!

Room size: 320ft2 to 430ft2

The Dôme Flax system is associated with the wireless subwoofer Sub Air for a 5.1 configuration. Free from any cables, Sub Air offers an intense and deep sound and perfectly fits into all kinds of spaces with its flat and compact design.

PERFORMANCE

LIKE A " SOUND SPOT "

Noble materials

INNOVATIVE DESIGN

As for the style, Dôme has a refined design, perfectly in line with current trends.

No visible screws with cover, noble materials combined with a luxury finish providing high perceived value, it can be rotated and it is easy to integrate by mounting to a wall, the ceiling or a stand.

KEY POINTS

• High-fidelity speaker, patented Flax technology
• Focal sound with advanced technologies
• Integrated speaker: in wall, in ceiling, on furniture or standing
• High-gloss lacquered Aluminium body
• Made in France

Key features

• Focal design and sound
• Ideal for Home Theater systems
• Flexibility of installation / wireless connection
• High-gloss finish
• Can be wall-mounted, takes up little floor space
• Focal’s flattest subwoofer
• Easy and quick to install: synchronization button, phase and volume adjustment ∙ Wireless Transmitter included: LFE and Left/Right Input

DESIGN

NEW GENERATION HOME-CINEMA

The Dôme is a high-end miniature speaker that opens the door to a whole new dimension of sound. This speaker is made in France and incorporates Focal loudspeaker technology from the brand’s most prestigious models. The Dôme has a sleek design without any visible screw fittings, and is made using sophisticated materials with luxury finishes.

Dôme is at the forefront of innovation. Its spectacular sound makes it ideal for spaces in the region of 430ft2. This speaker is multi-directional and can be fitted to a wall, the ceiling or a stand with equal ease. Thanks to its combination of power and eloquence, it exemplifies the concept of “sound spotlights”.

Technology

FLAX CONE, SO ORIGINAL

The flax cone are made in France exclusively by Focal since 2013. With their original design, the cone are entirely oriented towards acoustic performance. They are made of high quality flax fiber enclosed by two thin layers of glass fiber. F cone are characterized by their natural sound, with low coloration, their richness of reproduction in the midrange register and their tighter bass. The lightness of the fiber satisfies the criteria of high internal damping, high velocity and high flexural rigidity. Flax is twice as light as fiberglass, because the fiber is hollow. It also has very low elasticity which makes it ideal to increase the flexural rigidity of a sandwich structure.

Type Flat bass-reflex subwoofer, integrated 150W BASH amp

Speaker driver (diameter)

• 8" (21cm)

Bass cutoff frequency (-6dB)

• 35Hz

Frequency response (+/- 3dB)

• 40Hz-200Hz

Crossover cutoff frequency

• variable 50 Hz - 200 Hz

Input panel

• Left Right / LFE

Continuous power output

• 110 W

Peak power

• 150 W

Phase adjustment

• 0 - 180° switch

Power functions

• ON Auto (1 W) OFF (0,5 W)

Dimensions (HxWxD)

• 16.1"x14.2"x6.3" (410mmx360mmx160mm)

Weight

• 17 lbs (7,65 Kg)

Type Wireless connection

Range in Meter

• 15 meters (in a room)

Sound Sampling

• 16 bits

Sampling Frequency

• 44,1kHz

Coding delay (latency)

• 13ms

Radio transmission powers or sensitivity

• 0dBm

Radio transmission frequency band

• 2,4Ghz ISM band

Focal Dôme Flax 5.1 Speaker System Review

Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 2, 2017

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Dôme Flax 5.1 Speaker System
Performance
Build Quality
Value

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Sub Air Subwoofer
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE 
Plus 
Flax cone woofer
Aluminum-magnesium inverted-dome tweeter
Wall-hugging sub 
Minus 
Limited bass from sats

THE VERDICT 
Unique driver materials, overall quality of construction, and adroit voicing make the Focal Dôme Flax 5.1 one of the best-sounding compact sat/sub systems I’ve heard.

As the home theater milieu increasingly divides into Atmos and non-Atmos camps, the satellite/subwoofer category seems destined to remain part of the old guard, usually sold in a set of five little speakers and a sub or two. Is it possible for a satellite speaker to retain its merciful compactness if it’s also to include an Atmos-enabled upfiring driver? I’d love to review such a product, but right now it’s a figment of my imagination and hopes. Focal, the prodigious French speaker manufacturer, does now offer a 5.1.2-channel Atmos-capable sat/sub system that takes a different approach (see below), but you’ll be happy to know that plain ol’ 5.1 is still alive and supported by this and other fine speaker makers. Even now it remains the bedrock configuration of surround sound.

Home Theater Diversity 
Focal offers a wide variety of home theater–friendly loudspeakers, not to mention studio monitors, headphones, automotive audio, and custom installation products. The Utopia III, Sopra, Electra 1000 Be 2, Aria 900, and Chorus 700 lines include towers, monitors, and centers. The Sopra, Aria, and Chorus also include dedicated surrounds. The Electra has both a dedicated surround and a few in-walls. Meanwhile, the Easya is a wireless tower. Focal also offers subwoofers, of course.

Then there are the pure home theater entries—among them, the Dimension soundbar and two families of satellite/subwoofer sets, the Sib & Co. and the Dôme. The Dôme comes in 5.1.2-, 5.1-, 2.1-, and 2.0-channel variations. Before we dismiss the relatively new Dôme Flax 5.1.2 system ($2,499), note that it has five satellites and two in-ceiling speakers (rather than upfiring modules) with flax-fiber composite woofer cones plus a flat wall-hugging wireless sub. (Configurations of 5.1.4 are also available with various combinations of satellites, in-walls, and in-ceilings.) But we’re reviewing here the Dôme Flax 5.1, the only one of the three 5.1 sets to include both the flaxen woofer and the flat wireless sub.

The Dôme Flax satellite, with its built-in pedestal, can be mounted on a table, stand, or wall. It has a flat baffle and semi-spherical back made of high-gloss lacquered aluminum, available in black or white. Fastening it to its pedestal is a skinny column that slides in a groove, allowing the speaker to pitch from 0 to 90 degrees. Speaker terminals in the pedestal are designed for modest-gauge bare wire, a logical choice for this kind of product. They require some careful maneuvering to get all the strands into the partly obstructed holes; the trick, I learned, was to shape the ends into hooks. The terminals also require a hex wrench to tighten the screws. Overall, connection wasn’t difficult, and each satellite has storage for its supplied hex wrench in its rubber base so you can put your hands on it down the line when you need to.

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Behind the fabric-covered grille, which detaches with a counterclockwise twist, are a 1-inch aluminum-magnesium inverted-dome tweeter and a 4-inch cone woofer. Focal refers to the woofer cone as a “sandwich” of flax enclosed by two layers of glass fiber. The flax is grown in France, and the cone is manufactured in Saint-Étienne, southwest of Lyon. (Oh, the meals I’ve had in Lyon. Oh, the cheeses.) Focal says the material is light and rigid, with good damping.

The enclosure of the Sub Air wireless subwoofer is slightly more than 6 inches deep. It can go “wherever you want” within its 10-meter (33-foot) range, according to the literature, but experience teaches us an up-front location is often best, especially with the high crossover point required with compact satellites, which requires the sub to handle upper bass information that may become localizable. The sub’s flattish form factor makes it perfect for sitting against a wall. It can also mount directly onto a wall with backpanel threaded inserts that allow attachment of a wall bracket and rubber anti-vibration pads. It has an 8-inch front-firing paper cone woofer behind a metal grille, with a bright white LED beneath. The port is on the side, so it won’t be blocked by the wall. Controls are on the bottom surface, which is lifted off the floor by 2-inch feet.

Focal Dôme Flax 5.1 Speaker System Review Page 2

Associated equipment included a Denon AVR-X7200W A/V receiver, Oppo BDP-83SE universal disc player, Micro Seiki BL-51 turntable, Shure M97xE cartridge, and Denon PRA-S10 stereo preamp serving as phono preamp.

The 5.1 Spell 
The Dôme Flax satellite has a crisp, upfront sound, with the limited bass that’s customary in speakers of this size. Combine that with identical satellites all around, and you get a tightly integrated soundfield with clean panning in any direction. Having listened to a lot of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X systems recently, I’m just starting to miss the height dimension when returning to an ear-level-only configuration.

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That said, I have decades of 5.1 experience built into my listening reflexes, so the basic surround sound of this Focal system quickly cast its spell. The sub provided enough bass reinforcement to maintain the spell except when something exploded, reminding me that 4-inch woofers and 8-inch subwoofers have their limits, even in the best products.

Eye in the Sky (Blu-ray, DTS-HD Master Audio), which explores the ethics of drone attacks and collateral damage, stars Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, and—in his final on-camera role—Alan Rickman as a British army general mediating between politicians and the military. The Dômes delivered that resonant Shakespearean voice with its full complement of rich overtones down to the sub crossover, where the Sub Air took over, filling out the bottom end with only slightly less timbral detail and no booming, despite the 120-hertz crossover I’d picked for the satellites’ 4-inch woofers. Tension-producing synth bass was present but not forceful. Orchestral instruments, including swooping trombones and war drums, came through vividly on the sats. The crack of gunfire was sharp enough to be startling.

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The Divergent Series: Allegiant (Blu-ray, Dolby Digital) has a dynamically challenging soundtrack. On the low-volume end, whispered dialogue was well served by the inverted-dome tweeter and flax woofer. The volume ramps up in a scene where rebels reverse-rappel up a wall (the Atmos version is on Dolby’s more recent demo disc). The satellites showed good dynamics in their depiction of the music and effects. Only the exploding vehicle left me wanting more low-frequency force from the sub.

Born to Be Blue (DVD, Dolby Digital) is a biopic of trumpeter Chet Baker, starring Ethan Hawke. Naturally, the highlights are the musical interludes, which reveal how the tumults and agonies of his life affected his playing. Here, the instrument became another voice for a speaker system that excelled at communicating timbre. Informal after-hours listening included Star Trek: Beyond. When the Blu-ray came in the mail, my household insisted on hearing the Atmos soundtrack on the available 5.1 system. The Focal array held imaging and soundfield together even with the decibel level increased.

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Reconnecting 
Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here came via James Guthrie and Joel Plante’s 2011 remaster on a 180gram slab of low-noise vinyl. Did Focal’s finicky tweeters not appreciate the digital mastering and raise an analog-purist eyebrow ever so slightly, especially in Richard Wright’s opening synthesizer fanfare? Or had Guthrie and Plante just punched it up a little compared with the original Columbia pressing I grew up with? The sub and sats did a smart sketch of the meaty bass and drum sound—brute force, no, but adroit tailoring at the crossover, yes. Unlike other commentators, I think David Gilmour’s guitar textures on this reissue approximate the original feel, and the satellites revealed them colorfully.

For other music demos, I reconnected with albums that I’ve cherrypicked for test tracks. I’ve heard “Strange Weather,” the world-weary chanson that Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan wrote for Marianne Faithfull, more than a hundred times without ever tiring of it, and the rest of Blazing Away (CD) is just as involving. Like Rickman, Faithfull has one of those spellbinding British voices, and this live album gives it the perfect setting: the reverberant stone walls of St. Ann’s in Brooklyn. The Dômes mined Faithfull’s honey-leather voice for every ounce of tone color, especially in her a cappella performance of the traditional tune “She Moved Through the Fair.” Even in 2.1-channel reproduction, the satellites summoned a huge soundstage with rich ambience.

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The third movement of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 is a test of string texture, which should be light but lively on the hybrid multichannel SACD featuring Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan (which includes all six of the concertos as well as the Four Orchestral Suites). As I played through Brandenburg Nos. 3, 5, and 6, the Dômes resolved the string texture just as a good set of planar headphones would, with the addition of surround sound and in-room ambience, of course. They also captured the plucked-string delicacy of Suzuki’s exhilarating solo harpsichord passage in Concerto No. 5.

The Focal Dôme Flax 5.1 is a state-of-the-art satellite/subwoofer set with outstanding build quality. It has a classy, even timeless look; it’s impossible to imagine anyone finding these satellites in an attic generations from now and saying, “Oh, that looks so early-21st-century.” Pair them with warm-to-neutral amplification, and its voicing will leave no spatial or timbral detail behind, while ensuring reasonable comfort. Pass the cheeses.

Specs
Dôme Flax: 4 in flax/composite cone woofer (1), 1 in aluminum-magnesium inverted-dome tweeter (1); 5.69 x 6.75 x 5.63 in (WxHxD), 4.19 lb
Sub Air: 8 in paper cone woofer; 150 watts peak; wireless, stereo line-level in (on both subwoofer and transmitter); 14.2 x 16.1 x 6.3 in (WxHxD), 17 lb

Company Info
Focal
(844) FOCALNA
focal.com