Focal and flax — a natural winner

he scene almost paints itself. Daylight fades as the sun sets over a cobbled Parisian street, warm light glowing from shuttered windows. The sultry, summer air is just thick enough, and the sound of a small jazz quartet wafts from the Café de L'Heure Bleue, seemingly carried on the scents of pastries and espresso. Somewhere, a car horn honks, and you are back in the drive-through, an impatient line queuing up behind you. For just a moment, though, you were really there. Such is the magic of Focal Flax.

Focal is well-regarded for their excellence in sonic achievement, but what sets them apart is their persistent belief that improvement can always be made. It's that hunger for perfection that has led them to a surprising source for speaker material — flax. Yep, as in: "Flax (n.) — a fiber crop used in textile manufacturing and cultivated for its nutritional and medicinal value."

Well, Focal wasn't after a wearable speaker, or an edible one. No, they just know that to make a superior speaker, you need a superior woofer, and above all else, a superior woofer must be lightweight, strong, and responsive.

Natural material for living sound

Focal presses woven flax between two layers of molded glass fiber to make a rigid yet lightweight cone. The resulting tri-level, flax-based cone produces a warm yet detailed sound that brings your music to life. It is a raw, real sound, capable of transporting you to the front row of the concert or the producer's seat in the recording studio.

Combine this innovative woofer design with the rest of Focal's signature elements, like an inverted dome tweeter and high-tech crossovers, and you have one of the best-sounding systems available for cars.

Impressive strength for accurate performance

Now, when you think of flax, strength may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but be sure, Focal has put this material to the test. They spent no less than five years developing their flax cone before making it available to customers, and it was time well-spent. The strength of their flax cones has allowed Focal to make speakers and subwoofers with incredible damping ability and power-handling.

During Focal's recent visit to Crutchfield headquarters, we were treated to a live recording of a NASA rocket launch, using an all-flax speaker system. With eyes closed, it was easy to imagine standing at Cape Canaveral in person and hearing the tremendous rumble and subsonic reverb of 4-story tall booster rockets. With eyes open, we could see the Focal subwoofer moving at incredible speed to reproduce the sort of bass that might tear apart an inferior sub. The flax cone was impervious to the abuse, while delivering powerful accuracy. We were floored.

How do you experience flax for yourself?

You'll find flax in Focal's Flax Evo series of component speakers and Flax Evo series of subwoofers. If you have any questions about these speakers or the rest of the Focal line-up, give us a call. And use our vehicle selector to see if Focal speakers will fit your car.