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Focal at High End 2017

Marco Lisi by Marco Lisi
August 5, 2026
in Reports, Headphones, Loudspeakers
Reading Time: 3 mins read

For more than 35 years, Focal has been designing and manufacturing home audio loudspeakers, car audio speaker drivers and amplifiers, monitoring loudspeakers for recording studios, and more recently, headphones. Based in Saint-Étienne, France, Focal has earned its place amongst the leaders of the audio industry by providing unique technologies and through constant innovation. Everyone at Focal shares the same philosophy: French craftsmanship and industrialisation, innovation and tradition all come together to give audiophiles and music lovers access to the ultimate sound.

Designed and developed in France
All the Focal products are the result of innovations and technologies exclusive to Focal all developed by their engineers in France. This philosophy gives enduring value to Focal loudspeakers, because these technologies cannot be found anywhere else. To stay faithful to our tradition of high-performance, a 100% Focal design is paramount. Focal believes this is the best way to have complete control over the design and quality control processes in order to guarantee high-quality products.

focal-at-high-end-2017-2

A dedicated cabinet-making facility
Focal Ébénisterie Bourgogne is a major advantage for Focal’s prestige and for its products. Based in Bourbon-Lancy in Burgundy, their cabinet-making facility is composed of a team of cabinet-makers who make the loudspeaker enclosures for our high-end hi-fi and professional loudspeakers: Electra, Sopra, Utopia. The quality of the materials and finishes, the excellence of French workmanship, and the highly specialised expertise of our teams, all emanate from the high acoustic performance.

A philosophy of high expectations
The quality of the Focal products is essential, and excellence is a constant concern. This is why Focal choose their our French and foreign partners with great care, to ensure that the level of quality meets their select criteria, whether they’re suppliers of components or finished products. Certain manufacturing processes are outsourced to their partners, who have been carefully selected according to strict criteria. Focal applies strict quality control standards as a guarantee that the manufacturing process adheres to their values in terms of excellence.

focal-at-high-end-2017-3

Visit the Focal website.

  • A cabinet-making facility built for one purpose
  • Thirty-five years of staying in Saint-Étienne

A cabinet-making facility built for one purpose

Focal Ébénisterie Bourgogne, based in Bourbon-Lancy in Burgundy, is a cabinet-making facility staffed by a dedicated team whose sole job is building loudspeaker enclosures for Focal’s higher-end lines — Electra, Sopra and Utopia. Keeping that work in-house, rather than outsourcing enclosure production, is part of how Focal frames its “100% Focal design” philosophy: the cabinet is treated as an acoustic component in its own right, not just a housing.

Thirty-five years of staying in Saint-Étienne

Focal has designed and manufactured loudspeakers, car-audio drivers, studio monitors and headphones from Saint-Étienne, France for more than 35 years. The company frames this longevity around a consistent philosophy — French craftsmanship paired with in-house innovation — and applies strict quality-control criteria even to the outside partners it does rely on for select components, so that outsourced elements still meet the same standards as the parts built in-house.

Frequently asked questions

What is Focal Ébénisterie Bourgogne?

It’s Focal’s dedicated cabinet-making facility in Bourbon-Lancy, Burgundy, where a team of cabinet-makers builds the loudspeaker enclosures for Focal’s Electra, Sopra and Utopia lines.

How long has Focal been making loudspeakers?

Focal has designed and manufactured home audio loudspeakers, car-audio drivers, studio monitors and, more recently, headphones from Saint-Étienne, France for more than 35 years.

Does Focal outsource any of its manufacturing?

Some manufacturing processes go to carefully selected outside partners, but Focal applies strict quality-control standards to that outsourced work so it still meets the same criteria as in-house production.

Tags: FocalHeadphonesHigh End®Loudspeakers
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Marco Lisi

Marco Lisi

Publisher

Marco Lisi is the publisher of Best of High End, part of AV Concepts BV. His path into audio started early: as a teenager he was drawn into the world of free radio, presenting shows and living immersed in music every day. In his early twenties he ran his own production studio for five years, creating jingles and commercials — hands-on training in sound design, pro-audio workflows, and critical listening through studio monitors that still shapes how he evaluates gear today. He also spent years DJing in clubs before moving into publishing, first at two earlier online magazines before founding Best of High End. His hi-fi and home cinema passion was inherited from his father, an inveterate system-swapper. Marco's first setup — a confirmation gift — paired AKAI separates with entry-level Bowers & Wilkins speakers, a brand he stayed loyal to for years as his system grew from stereo into full surround and home cinema. Like many enthusiasts, he went through an extended "audiophile" phase chasing the next upgrade, before settling into a more grounded view: gear as a means to enjoy music and film, not an end in itself. Years of critical listening have given him a well-trained ear — the ability to characterize a system or pinpoint a change in the chain quickly and accurately. Just as important, his teaching background (a Belgian "regent" degree in Dutch language) gives him the tools to translate those listening impressions into clear, readable writing.

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