Sélectionné par / Selected by Focal-JMlab - Tel : (+33) 04 77 43 57 00 - Fax : (+33) 04 77 37 65 87 - www.focal.com

What Hi-Fi?©

2015/11United Kingdom / Royaume-Uni

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www.whathifi.com Reproduced from November 2015

Focal Sphear £100

French hi-fi company Focal spent two years developing their debut in-ear headphones. They certainly seem to have given plenty of careful thought to the Sphears’ design. The in-line remote and mic button is discreetly hidden in the logo in the cable’s Y-section, and the Focal logo on the buds acts as the bass reflex port.

The buds’ stainless steel build is of high quality. The sleek design is ideal for keeping the buds secure. Which is a good thing, as you won’t want to stop listening to the Sphears – they sound wonderful. The lilting piano notes in the Amélie soundtrack are fluid and weighty, with each clunk and harmonics delivered clearly.

Lenny Kravitz’s Are You Gonna Go My Way is packed with heavy guitars and attacking drums. Layers of textures are laid bare. It’s a big sound, punchy, agile and solid.

Our only criticism is that the Sphears can sound a little polite. That rawness to Alice in Chain’s Unplugged performance isn’t fully conveyed. Rivals like Sennheiser’s Momentum M2 IEis are a tad livelier and more expressive.

It’s a minor worry in an accomplished performance, though. We’d spend £100.

Rating ★★★★ ★FOR Wonderfully subtle, balanced and weighty sound; rich bass; clear with voices; classy, comfortable, secure

AGAINST Could be a touch more expressive

VERDICT A gorgeous and engaging pair of in-ears