Though it’s widely known among audiophiles today, Focal remains, at its core, an engineering boutique. Everything from research and development to engineering to production happens in the same facility in the Loire city of Saint-Étienne. The drivers are assembled by a handful of technicians, and every part is tested and QCed at every stage of the assembly process. The glue used to attach the driver diaphragm to the surround (the black material around it) is a custom formula created by Focal’s chemical engineers. Developed to allow maximum driver movement, the surround is 80 microns thick compared to the 200-micron-thick material available elsewhere: a testament to Focal’s belief that, when it comes to making the best products out there, every detail counts.