Focal's new Lensys Professional headphones are designed for the most demanding listeners of all: music makers and other audio experts.
Available now, they're priced at £599 / €699 / $699.
When it comes to audio products, the "pro" label is often misused – even on the best headphones around.
The pro version of many headphones and earbuds are just the most expensive models, not necessarily models made for professional users. However, those for whom sound is their job are very demanding, and they need their headphones to be made better, sound better and deliver exceptional precision.
That's what these new Focal headphones are designed to do: the Lensys Professional headphones are "pro" headphones in the purest sense, not just for marketing.
The key difference between pro and non-pro headphones is that instead of trying to make your music sound as entertaining as possible, pro headphones' job is to make it sound as accurate as possible, which is a very different thing. They have to help you hear the flaws and the problems so that you can isolate and address them. And clarity is the selling point of these new Focals.
Focal Lensys Professional headphones: key features and pricing
The Focal Lensys Professional over-ears are closed-back, circum-aural headphones featuring the firm's patented 40mm M-shaped aluminium / magnesium drivers, which are slightly tilted to deliver an optimal stereo image.
They're designed to deliver a very natural and transparent sound without unnecessary shaping, and they're made for mixing not just stereo but binaural and spatial audio too. According to Focal their speaker drivers deliver a performance that "rivals that of a bass-reflex loudspeaker".
The frequency range is 5Hz to 22kHz, impedance is 26 ohms and sensitivity is 100dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHz.
Focal says that these are also very comfortable headphones, which is important for long studio or live sessions; the headband is made from a breathable fabric and the earpads are made from thick memory foam for both comfort and noise isolation. The total weight is 306g.
The Focal Lensys Professional headphones are available now from Selfridges. Pricing is £599 / €699 / $699.
