Focal Spark

Focal makes excellent full-size headphones, but it's not always practical to travel with, carry, or wear them. Perhaps with that in mind, Focal has added two in-ear headphones that are surprisingly well priced. Whether you prefer

Focus on Focal - Sphear S, Spark and Spark Wireless Earphone Review Roundup -- Following up on our review last year of the very impressive Focal Sphear in-ear headphones, we now take a look at Focal’s 2017/18 lineup: The Sphear S, Spark and Spark Wireless

For $69 the Spark in-ears get plenty right, and some things wrong

There are so many things in the design that Focal got just right.

These modestly priced headphones sound leaps and bounds beyond their price tag.

Focal might not be a brand that most of you are familiar with, but they should be. The French audio company is making some downright excellent headphones,

Focal is a bit of an institution in the audiophile community. Pronounced "fo-cal", this company has long been known for its high-end speakers for home and ...

Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware

See our in-depth review of the Focal Spark in-ears, with our analysis of the design, sound quality, accessories, and more.

The French manufacturer's in-ear-headphones will bathe you in intoxicating audiophile sound and a smart set of accessories without breaking your budget. And they won't fall off while you run.

Focal products are out of reach for most consumers, fortunately, Focal has some more affordable headphones. We're checking out the Focal Spark and Focal Spark Wireless headphones.

After leaving from an event on a cold Friday night in Edmonton earlier this year, I encountered a check stop and was stopped by the police. As I pulled into the stall, I rolled down my window and the officer began to speak. "Have you had anything to drink tonight?" he asked. "No sir," I replied. "But can I try the breathalyzer?" He chuckled for a bit and explained it does not do anything if I did not drink anything. As persistent as I could be, I asked him if I could try it anyway several more times. He continued to refuse, and eventually politely asked me to leave before stopping the next car. My friends thought I was kind of crazy, but I was genuinely interested in getting tested. And why not? It was something I always wanted to try, and I knew I would blow a 0.00 anyway. The officer could also clearly see that as well, hence he was not interested in wasting his time. However, if someone had something to drink, they probably would have reacted differently. Here at APH Networks, we are kind of like the breathalyzer when it comes to audio reviews. Although we can be very brutally honest at times, I give credit where credit is due like I did in the V-MODA Crossfade II Wireless review last month. Today, we have a new manufacturer here to take on our challenge. Focal is a renowned French manufacturer of performance audio equipment since the 1980s, and the company's product portfolio includes the astronomically priced Focal Utopia, which is regarded as one of the best headphones in the world. But they decided to take our challenge not with something that costs $4000, but using earphones with a price tag that barely counts as a rounding error as the flagship. For about 1.75% of the price of the Utopia at press time, how good is the Spark? Read on to find out!

The unsophisticated design and sound aren't quite what we expect from Focal...

The wired Focal Spark earphones deliver a rich, full bass response but could use a little more presence in the higher frequencies to balance things out.