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# Sub/Sat Speaker System

T BESY

U B#### #

Focal-JMlab Sib & Cub2 F
ocal-JMlab has expanded its original Sib & Cub speaker package into the new Sib & Co range. This has involved the introduction of two new models, the Sib XL and Sib XXL, alongside a revamping of the subwoofer into the new Cub2 product you see before you. The system were looking at here features the original Sib speakers, albeit in a new Technic cabinet finish introduced last year. Stands are available for the entire range (the Bop stand is 80 for three, the Hip is 130 a pair while the Hop is 115 a pair). The little Sib speakers also sit quite happily on their own, making quite a designer statement with their unusual, curved front panels. They house a 125mm polyflex cone woofer and a 19mm Mylar dome tweeter. The design of the woofer is claimed to greatly enhance output levels despite the modest size of the Sibs, while improved magnetic shielding means you can site close to your TV. The fact that the other speakers in the range use the same woofer means that mixing them in your system should still produce good sonic matching. Frequency response is quoted at 75Hz-20kHz, while power handling is rated at 75W.

Sib-ly the best

Boy in the corner
The subwoofer is a very nicely designed unit, compact and finished in stylish black rubber. The port mouth has been re-designed to improve performance and Focal recommends turning it to face into a corner to further enhance bass output and get the best from it. The rear panel houses crossover frequency controls (from 50Hz to 150Hz) and a volume dial, so that you should be able to tailor output to suit your taste. The driver is a 210mm cone, with onboard amplification quoted as a rather meaty 150W, while the bottom end is rated at 40Hz. Its really a walk in the park to get this system hooked up and even technophobes should encounter few problems. The binding posts found at the rear of the Sibs are spring-loaded simply press them in, insert your cable and let go. The posts then take a firm hold. Youll want to tweak the output of the Cub2 until you like what you hear, then its all up and running. The system meshes very well together, with the Sibs producing a dynamic sound that is light on its feet, while the Cub2 backs this up without becoming intrusive.
Our test film, The Thin Red Line, boasts some extraordinary sound effects, none more so than when two soldiers talk inside a huge ship, with mournful creaking and groaning coming from the ship itself. The Cub2 is able to present this clearly, with a genuine sense of scale. More traditional scenes, such as a full-scale assault, reveal the sub to be powerful, imparting palpable low-frequency effects that never overrun the rest of the soundstage. The satellites are also very good, presenting dialogue clearly and with some warmth. They can struggle a little when asked to do too much in terms of volume, but impress at moderate levels. This is a very capable system, then, with unusual styling and fine performance. It should certainly be enough to draw attention away from some of the budget systems out there I

Main power button

TEST SCENE

The Thin Red Line

The storming of the fortified hill by US troops is a stern test for any system, requiring the sub to deliver the necessary impact as well as backing up the satellites

PRICE 750

www.focal-jmlab.fr/gb /sommaire.htm 0121 6165126

RATINGS

Style Ease of use Build Sound Value Overall ##### ##### ####$ ##### ####$ ####$

Crossover/Volume

AT A GLANCE

I FEATURES

150W active subwoofer 5 x Sib satellites 75Hz-20kHz frequency range (satellites) 40-150Hz frequency range (subwoofer) Variable crossover frequency stereo phono inputs on subwoofer; speaker input/output binding posts on sub

WHC VERDICT

A punchy system with a dynamic subwoofer right at the heart of the performance

I CONNECTIONS

Spring-loaded binding post connections on satellites; LFE and

Speaker terminals

WHC June 2005 79

042 EHC 10 sib and co speakers

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Speaker system
Key Features 5.1 channel sub/sat speaker system Magnetically-shielded Sib satellite speakers 125mm polyflex midrange unit 19mm Mylar dome tweeter Multiway baseplate Cub2 subwoofer 150W BASH amplifier front ported Down firing 210mm polyflex bass driver Connections Sib Single-wired nickel plated speaker connectors Cub2 Single line-level LFE phono input Stereo line-level phono inputs 2x pairs speaker inputs 2x pairs speaker outputs Dimensions Sib 247(h) x 164(d) x 142(w)mm Cub2 333(h) x 300(d) x 300(w)mm

Reviews> >

Focal Sib & Co Pack Sib 5.1
From accross the channel comes this funky-looking sub/sat syatem. Alan Sircom hooks up his home cinema system
HE SIB & CUB BECAME THE SIB & CO WHEN someone changed the tub in the Cub Sub. Perhaps they were down the pub when this happened. The Sib satellites have stayed the same, but are now joined by bigger Sibs, the XL and the XXL. This is the cheapest Focal sub/sat system, comprising five identical Sibs and a single Cub2 subwoofer, all for 750. The Sibs all sit on their Hip stands, but these can be supplanted with a pair of Hop floorstands, for 130 a pair. The Sibs are ported satellites, featuring a 19mm tweeter underneath the 125mm midrange unit. Its claimed to deliver sound from 75Hz to 20kHz, with a 90dB sensitivity and a rated minimum impedance of 4. The look is unconventional not unattractive, but different from the curvy norm. The norm doesnt come with built-in Allen keys in the stand to allow for manoeuvrability, though. The new Cub2 is more conventional looking, with a downward firing
The system has a dry, detailed balance
210mm bass unit, a front port and a 150W BASH amplifier. BASH designs are low-heat, Class D designs but with a sound that is suggested to approach Class AB sweetness. Its full of useful options like both stereo and mono phono connectors
What we like about this speaker system Very fast satellites, aided by new subwoofer Good, tight sound for home cinema Beautifully made package What we dont like about this speaker system Strange looking satellites Not the speaker system for music replay Subwoofer best reinforced by corner placement
and a front-firing aerodynamic port. Ultimately, the sub needs some corner reinforcement, but properly used can fill out a surprisingly large room. Its also a doddle to set-up, as is the rest of the Sib & Co system. If you use the LFE setting, all you adjust is the volume control the roll-off is handled in the amplifier. This is an intelligent design, especially the subwoofer. The Cub2 helps fill out the sound of the Sibs perfectly, making them sound less tinny and brash but does not slow down the sound of the system in the process. Vocal articulation is particularly well-handled with the Sib/Cub set-up. It has the reinforcement needed to add resonance to male voices. The system has a dry, detailed balance ideal for all types of home cinema. It doesnt emphasise the explosions end of the market, nor is it so civilised that it makes Die Hard seem like Amelie. This comes from a sense of precision in the sound produced by each speaker. As a package, the sound is even and accurate, yet manages to keep a sense of fun a balance few systems successfully achieve. Given that the five Sibs are identical, good speaker matching is a given. However, this doesnt mean the sound is seamless; the Sibs make a sound that stays close to the box; very detailed and fast, but not exceptionally open. This is not necessarily a stumbling block; it just means the soundstaging is more wallhugging than room-filling. This does make the speaker system less handy with music, especially stereo music on CD. Here, the lack of projection coupled with the overall balance gives the sound a tinny character. Focal has made intelligent improvements to the Sib & Cub. Leaving alone the parts that work well (the Sib), the company has made the package blend together and turn in a very tasty performance.
Crazy French styling, crazy French name. Nothing crazy about the binding post connections though

Verdict

Sales Web www.focal-fr.com
EASE OF USE LOOKS FEATURES SOUND VALUE
VERDICT Its easy to make a distinctive-looking sub-sat system, but hard to make one sound good. Focal is one of the few exceptions.