Forte et Clair

FOCAL HAS long been a high-end French loudspeaker manufacturer with a significant investment in research and development to outpace its competition.

- Thomas J. Norton

While their flagship loudspeakers are known for their steep price tags, the new Vestia line offers a range of options-including three floor-standing speakers, a bookshelf model, and the Vestia Center. The top-tier option, the Vestia Nº4, is priced at $4,400 per pair in the U.S. While not exactly bargain-basement prices, they are competitive in the global loudspeaker market.

Many brands with Western names and ownership opt to manufacture their products in China or countries in East Asia to minimize expenses. Although this isn't necessarily a downside-many of these designs are excellent-Focal stands apart by designing and manufacturing all of its loudspeakers in France. This commitment to local manufacturing extends even to their key components, such as cabinets and drivers. While some smaller elements like resistors, capacitors, and inductors for crossover networks may inevitably be sourced from Asia, Focal maintains its primary production within France.

DESIGN

For this review, Focal provided us with Vestia N°3 speakers for the left and right channels, a Vestia Center, and Vestia N°1 bookshelf models for the surrounds. Positioned just below the top-tier N°4s in terms of features, the N°3 speakers feature three 6.5-inch woofers compared to the N°4's two 8-inch woofers. While Focal offers a range of compact subwoofers, they were not a good fit for my spacious listening room. When additional bass was required, especially for complex soundtracks, a pair of SVS PB-3000 subwoofers performed admirably.