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Side-By-Side

The Twin6 ST6 features a unique 2.5-way design with two matching 6.5″ mid/bass drivers side-by-side in a horizontal layout where you select which is the bass or the mid driver—this can also be found in the company’s Alpha Twin EVO.

Flexible 3-Way Midfield

While visually similar to its predecessor, the Twin6 ST6 boasts a complete redesign. Its 10.2″ H x 20.25″ W x 13.5″ D MDF cabinet is thicker and more rigid, and while the signature dark cherry side panels remain, the entire cabinet has a gently more modern, angular appearance.

Lows/Mids

On each side are two matching 6.5″ W composite sandwich cone drivers—now with even thinner layers of woven glass fiber pressed together onto a structural foam core. This makes for a rigid, homogenous yet highly flexible design, yielding a fast transient response and accurate sound. The paper-pulp dust caps are also new and improved.

Each speaker is mounted in a new Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) made of two tubular rings molded onto the surround. This design maintains sonic consistency with the tweeter and aims to lessen distortion.

On the side of each speaker is a matching, 1″ forward-firing laminar bass port, which is ¹/₂” bigger than the previous Be model.

Highs

The high-end of the Twin6 ST6 is still handled by a 1″ inverted dome beryllium tweeter––famous for its paper-thin yet extremely rigid design. In the ST6 models, it is seated in a newly designed surround to improve its dispersion and throw for a broader, more natural sweet spot.

Also, like the Solo6 ST6, it is housed in a large Infinite Acoustic Load (IAL) baffle with a rear chamber that increases the tweeter’s throw and reduces stray resonance.

Ins, Outs and Control

Connections on the back include a balanced XLR input, ¹/₄” I/O for Focus mode, and an IEC mains socket for connections. The extensive control set consists of a quartet of set screws for the high-pass filter (45, 60 and 90 Hz), LF (low) Shelving, LMF (low-mid) EQ and HF (high) Shelving.

Three toggle switches engage or turn off Auto Stand-By mode, adjust the input sensitivity (+4 or -10dBv) and select which speaker is the low or midrange.

Pick a Side

Unlike a handful of 2-way monitors on the market (like the Focal Shape Twin), where each matching driver receives the same frequencies, the Twin6 TS6 is a 2.5-way design that allows you to select which speaker receives the low-frequencies and which one will handle the midrange.

Note that the rear left-right switch represents which side is the mid, not necessarily which side each Twin6 ST6 occupies in your setup.

Focus Mode

First introduced on the company’s SM9 is Focus mode—engaged through optional 3rd-party cables and a two-position latching footswitch (like a BOSS FS-5L). On the Twin6 ST6, Focus mode disengages the tweeter and sets the selected mid range driver to full. The other driver gets a high pass @100Hz––so practically off––making it a powerful large-format check monitor highlighting midrange placement and issues.

In The Studio

While I have been reviewing Focal Solo, Trio, Alpha, Shape and EVO monitors for a decade, the Twin model has eluded me. I was curious to check out the Twin6 ST6 and set them up in my professionally treated mix room at Moss Garden Music.

My first impression was that the image of the sweet spot was slightly odd. I quickly found that this was due to setting the rear switches to the speakers’ physical left-right location, which put the bass drivers on the inside. Focal recommends the mid-speaker be placed on the inside, so after two flips of a switch, everything came into focus—not that “focus” just yet.

A Familiar Focal Sound

When I say the Twin6 ST6 instantly exhibited a familiar Focal sound, that is a compliment, not a copout. As a Trio11 Be and Solo 6 Be owner, this is a sound I know well, and I instantly felt acquainted with these monitors’ full, detailed tone. They are voiced closer to the critical studio-focused Solo6 ST6 than the slightly sweeter original Solo6 Be.

The Twin6 ST6 is right in line with the Solo6 ST6 in its midrange and top-end presentation, but I was surprised at how much low-end the Twin6 ST6 is capable of. Beyond adding a touch of low-centered weighting, I would see little reason to add a subwoofer with Twin6 ST6 in most instances.

When setting up the Twin6 ST6, I still had one of my Trio11 Be monitors plugged in, and I was struck by how similar their tonality was to each other despite the Trio11 Be being much more powerful, especially in the lows for apparent reasons.

I would describe the Twin6 ST6 as offering a firm, robust low-end, smooth mids with great depth and imaging, and a crisp, clear top end that is detailed but nicely shy of fatiguing.

I didn’t use them, but this monitor has very tweakable EQ options when needed for placement or when room mode issues arise.

In Focus

Focus mode is similar to the Solo6 ST6 implementation. Side by side with my actual Auratone speakers, the Focal, while still constrained and mid-forward, was still a touch more full range with more top-end squonk than the smaller cube. This is an excellent mix tool and not just a gimmick.

It’s a Wrap

The Focal Twin6 ST6 is a great, powerful near and midfield choice, and a well-balanced mixing and listening tool. It was quick and easy for me to work on and make good decisions with this monitor. What more can you ask?

 

Price: $2,299 (each)

More From: focal.com

 

Frequency Response: 40 Hz–40 kHz (110 Hz–10 kHz Focus Mode)

Maximum SPL: 112dB (111.5dB Focus Mode)

Input: 10 kΩ

Bass Amplifier Stage: 70W RMS (x2)

Treble Amplifier Stage: 50W RMS

Bass: 6.5″ “W” cone (x2)

Treble: 1.5″ Beryllium

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