Alberta, CANADA, July 12, 2017 Focal®, a leading French speaker and headphone manufacturer, today unveils the companys new generation of Sib loudspeakers with Sib Evo line featuring Dolby Atmos® technology, and once again sparking a revolution in the home cinema market.
Easy to install and use, the Sib Evo Dolby Atmos® system will submerge you in a 3D universe, making you feel like youre at the heart of the action. Also available as a 2.0 pack, it can be used to upgrade a 5.1 system to a 5.1.2 system without having to change all your loudspeakers.
The Sib Evo Dolby Atmos loudspeaker is the second generation of Focals iconic Sib range that launched in 2002, and keeps in line with the design codes of the range with a style that is futurist, but timeless, said Ben Jensen, president of Focal North America. Our Sib range of compact loudspeakers has been a reference in the home cinema universe since its launch in 2002. It became the go-to system in the 5.1 Home Cinema sector with its timeless design which has set the trend for nearly two decades.
SIB: The benchmark for Home Cinema systems
Sib is the ‘lifestyle’ loudspeaker that fits with every interior and will match the volume youre looking for effortlessly. The audio track will perfectly render the dialogue and full intensity of the action or emotion. All the key elements of the film are conveyed with extreme clarity and pitch-perfect precision, giving the spectator the impression of being right at the heart of the action.
The audio quality of Focals Sib loudspeakers is impressive considering their size. This range of loudspeakers comprises a complete Home Cinema system of satellite loudspeakers and an active subwoofer. (The Cub subwoofer became Cub3, which is still available on the market.)
A slowly evolving market
Over the last 20 years, the Home Cinema sector has lacked innovation. When there has been innovation, the focus has been on multiplying the number of loudspeakers. 5.1 Home Cinema systems were developed in the 1990s, with the creation of rear sound effects. Between 1990 and 2012, 7.1 and 9.1 systems made their entrance, and with them, surround sound which completed the Home Cinema offer on the market. These changes served to enhance the cinematographic experience using horizontal sound effects.
An innovation: Dolby Atmos® Technology
Dolby Atmos® made its entrance in 2012, straight from the world of cinema. Although it hadnt quite made its way into every living room, it was becoming more popular. This system offered sound effects on a vertical plane, reflected off the ceiling, giving the spectator the impression of being plunged into an ultra-realistic 3D universe. Dolby Atmos® is integrated in systems starting at 5.1.2.
Keen to offer a complete cinematographic experience, Focal first entered this market with a solution combining Dôme Flax, a compact loudspeaker, with its ICW built-in loudspeakers. This 5.1.2 system recreated Dolby Atmos® sound by reproducing both vertical and horizontal effects. This product, built in France, is now specifically destined for the custom install market.
The birth of Sib Evo, the system with Dolby Atmos® effects
For those not wishing to acquire a permanent installation requiring built-in speaker drivers, the solutions available until now have been very limited. Therefore, Focal chose to expand its range of Home Cinema products by providing an extra feature: the two-in-one Atmos® enabled loudspeaker.
This new-generation ‘enabled loudspeaker’ was designed to reproduce both horizontal and vertical waves (towards the ceiling). The major innovation of this technology lies in the Atmos® effect, the reflection of sound waves off the ceiling towards the listener using an extra speaker driver. This Atmos®-enabled loudspeaker is equipped with a front-firing speaker driver as well as an additional full-range speaker driver integrated into the top.
Focal: One of the first companies in the market to offer Dolby Atmos® effects
The Home Cinema market is making wave with this major innovation, but very few hi-fi brands seem to be investing in this sector. As a well-known high-quality investor in this dynamic market, Focal offers its customers yet another innovation. Focal is one of the first brands to make a move in this sector with Sib Evo, a solution certified by Dolby Atmos®. This system is an interesting alternative to adding accessories to your loudspeakers to reproduce the vertical effects, which can spoil the design or the overall harmony of the system. Atmos®-enabled loudspeakers feature front-firing and vertical-firing speaker drivers fully-integrated into one housing, in which all components work in perfect harmony. Sib Evo is an excellent compact and structured system that features a distinctive Focal design.
Sib Evo: A complete system for first time or pre-existing installations
The Sib Evo system is comprised of a traditional loudspeaker (Sib Evo), a second loudspeaker featuring an Atmos®-enabled speaker driver (Sib Evo Dolby Atmos®) and an active subwoofer (Cub Evo).
Sib Evo is a two-way bass-reflex satellite loudspeaker equipped with a 5″ Polyflex woofer and a 1″ silk dome tweeter. The design adds value to the lines original timelessness: its revamped style stays in-line with the design codes which made the original Sib line such a success. It evokes a futurist style with elegant lines to enhance the environment they will blend in with to perfection. The ABS housing with its matte and lacquered finish enhance the textured effect of the surface. Everything has been integrated into a sizeable enclosure to give it extended frequency response. This gives Sib Evo the extra advantage of also being ideal for reproducing music with or without a subwoofer.
In addition to the standard speaker driver, the second satellite loudspeaker Sib Evo Dolby Atmos® features a 3″ full-range one-way Polyflex speaker driver dedicated to reproducing the Atmos® effects. Sib Evo Dolby Atmos® was designed with more rear volume than the Sib Evo to give it even more extended frequency response. The sound rendering is suitable for Home Cinema systems as well as for stereo systems with its clear, warm musicality, and to impressive dynamics and precision.
Focal also wanted to offer a perfectly adapted upgrade solution for customers already equipped with Sib loudspeakers: two Dolby Atmos loudspeakers can be added to an existing Sib system to experience the effect provided by a state-of-the-art Home Cinema setup.
Easy to Install
Extensive research went into even the smallest details to make Sib Evo easy to install. The loudspeakers are equipped with a connector system with push buttons to make the satellite easier to hook up to an amplifier. There are also double connectors instead of single connectors for the power supply.
Each satellite speaker is pre-mounted to its base. You can still adjust the inclination by +/-5 degrees, bearing in mind that the loudspeakers are delivered with the degree of inclination recommended by Dolby®. In 5.1 and 5.1.2 Home Cinema systems, the loudspeaker can also be used horizontally, turning the satellite into a center loudspeaker.
Subwoofer
Just like the Sib Evo and Sib Evo Dolby Atmos® loudspeakers, Cub Evo touches on the same design codes as Focals hi-fi subwoofers, within a lifestyle product. Equipped with an 8 speaker driver and a 200W Class D amplifier, its characterized by its MDF structure and its Black Matte finish. To meet the requirements imposed by the listening room, Cub Evo has all the typical traits of Focal subwoofers: the crossover, the phase inverter, ON/OFF auto power function, and an LFE input. The 8 Polyflex speaker driver and Class D amplifier allow Cub Evo to deliver powerful, controlled bass with a frequency response that extends as low as 35Hz. Cub Evo is the ideal companion for Sib Evo, and it is also suitable for all varieties of Home Cinema systems.
Technical Specifications
Pricing and Availability
Focals Sib Evo products will be available August 2017, and are made up of five different packages as outlined below.
Sib Evo Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 system Black – $1,299 USD / $1,699 CAD
5 Sib Evo Bookshelf Speakers, a Sib Evo Powered Subwoofer, and 2 Sib Evo Dolby Atmos Enabled Speakers
Sib Evo 5.1 Black – $999 USD / $1,299 CAD
5 Sib Evo Bookshelf Speakers plus a Sib Evo Powered Subwoofer
Sib Evo Dolby Atmos 2.0 system Black – $599 USD / $799 CAD
2 Bookshelf Dolby Atmos Speakers with Ceiling Directed Speakers
These speakers can be added to any 5.1 Theatre system to turn into Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 or these speakers can be added to 3 2.0 plus a SUB to make up a Dolby Atmos 5.1.2
Sib Evo 2.0 Black (2 Bookshelf Speakers) – $299 USD / $399 CAD
Cub Evo Subwoofer Black (Powered Subwoofer) – $379 USD / $499 CAD
Pack of 2 Hip Evo stands – $199 USD / $269 CAD
The 2.0 packs are supplied with a soft base. The 5.1 and 5.1.2 packs are supplied with a soft base and two wall-mounts.
About Focal North America
Focal North America was established in June 2015 as a joint venture between French-based manufacturer of Hi-Fi and multimedia products, Focal-JMlab and B&B Electronics Ltd., a distribution company specializing in Automotive, Marine, GPS Telematics and Consumer Electronics products. Based in Alberta, Canada, Focal North America will serve as the exclusive importer and distributor of numerous products including headphones, soundbars, 5.1 home theater systems and numerous products aimed at the custom install market while additional loudspeaker and automotive products will remain under the global Focal-JMlab umbrella for distribution throughout North America.
For more information on Focal North America, visit www.focal.com.