FOCAL VESTIA N°1 Bookshelf Speakers User Manual
- June 9, 2024
- FOCAL
Table of Contents
VESTIA ™
N°1 / N°2 / N°3 / N°4
User Manual
VESTIA N°1 Bookshelf Speakers
READ FIRST!
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS!
**** The exclamation mark represented in an equilateral triangle is intended to alert users to the existence of important instructions in the user manual relating to the use and maintenance of the device.
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Read these instructions.
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Keep these instructions.
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Take the warnings into consideration
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Follow all the instructions.
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Do not use this device around water.
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Only clean with a dry cloth.
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Keep the loudspeakers away from sources of heat, such as radiators, stoves, heat register or any other devices which give off heat (including amplifiers).
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Only use fixing devices, stands, tripods, supports or tables recommended by the manufacturer or those supplied with the product.
If using a trolley or cart, pay particular attention when moving the equipment to avoid any risk of damage or injury. -
All maintenance must be carried out by a qualified professional. Maintenance is necessary if any damage has been caused to the device, damage due to liquid spilt on
the device or objects inserted into the device, exposure to rain or humidity, a malfunction or physical damage. -
Do not use accessories not recommended by the manufacturer toprevent any risk of damage or injury.
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Never insert an object into the vents on the device. It may come into contact with high-voltage components or cause a short circuit which may lead to fire or electric
shock. Never get liquid on the device. -
Never try to repair this device yourself; opening the device may expose you to high-voltages and otherrisks. For any maintenance or repairs, contact a qualified professional.
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When it’s necessary to replace components, make sure the technician uses the components specified by the manufacturer or ones which have exactly the same characteristics as the original. Components which aren’t compliant may cause a fire, an electric shock or other accidents.
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After any repairs or an intervention on the device, ask the technician to test the equipment in order to check that the product works correctly and is safe.
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The device must not be mounted to a wall or ceiling unless intended by the manufacturer.
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In order to avoid damaging your hearing, do not listen to speakers at high volumes for extended periods of time. Listening to speakers at high volumes can cause damage to the user’s ears and may lead to hearing problems (temporary or permanent deafness, buzzing in the ears, tinnitus, hyperacusis). Exposure to excessive volumes (over
85dB) for more than one hour can cause irreparable damage to your hearing.
Please validate your Focal-JMlab warranty, it is now possible to register your product online: www.focal.com/warranty
http://www.focal.com/warranty/
Thank you for purchasing a Focal product. Welcome to our High-Fidelity world. Innovation, tradition, excellence and pleasure are our values; our one and only aim is to bring you a sound that is rich, pure and true. To get the most out of your product, we recommend that you read the instructions in this booklet, then store it in a safe place to refer to in the future.
Handling (fig. A)
Vestia N°2/N°3/N°4 loudspeakers weigh almost 20kg. We strongly advise having 2
people lift them during unpacking and installation.
Fixing the base (N°2, N°3, N°4) (fig. B)
Align the base opposite the fixing holes, position the 4 screws supplied and
tighten them using the Allenkey provided.
Then simply attach the rubber feet or spikes depending on the type of floor
your loudspeaker will stand on. For hard floors, we recommend using the rubber
feet.
If installing your loudspeaker on carpet, using the spikes will provide
greater stability.
Fixing the silicone feet (N°1) (fig. C)
Silicone feet are included with the Vestia N°1 library loudspeakers. If
positioning the loudspeakers on a shelf or furniture unit, make sure you stick
on the silicone feet before installation.
If you wish to install your loudspeakers on the Vestia feet (optional), please
refer to the assembly instructions supplied with the feet.
Grilles (fig. D)
Vestia loudspeakers are supplied with grilles to protect the speaker drivers.
They are easy to fit or remove thanks to their magnetic attachment system.
We advise removing them when you are listening to music to get the best
performance from your loudspeakers.
Our policy of continual product improvement means that Focal-JMlab reserves
the right to modify the technical specifications of its products without
notice. Product may vary from images.
Connections (fig. E)
Vestia connectors provide reliable, multi-purpose contacts for stripped cables
(up to 4mm diameter), fork terminals or banana connectors. It is imperative to
respect the connector polarity of both the loudspeaker and the amplifier. The
connector marked “+” must be connected to the positive output on the amplifier
and the connector marked “-” must be connected to the negative terminal .
Stereo image and bass perception would be seriously compromised if these
conditions are not respected. Choose good quality cables with a cross-section
appropriate to their length: your retailer will be able to advise you.
Positioning (fig. F, G, H)
These loudspeakers have been designed to deliver the most faithful
reproduction of all kinds of music or home cinema programmes. Nonetheless, we
recommend following these simple rules to optimise their performance and to
warranty good tonal balance and a realistic sound image.
The loudspeakers should be positioned symmetrically, facing the listening
area, ideally forming an equilateral triangle with it. However, these
distances may be adjusted to find the ideal compromise according to the design
of your interior (fig. F).
The loudspeakers should be positioned at the same height, in the same
horizontal plane. Ideally, the tweeter should be positioned at the same height
as the listener’s ears in the usual listening position (fig. G).
Do not position your loudspeakers too close to a corner of the room and do not
place them too close to a wall. This will induce some unwanted room resonance
and artificially increase bass response. On the other hand, if the bass level
is considered to be insufficient, you could try moving the loudspeakers nearer
a wall to re-balance the bass level (fig. H).
Optimisation (fig. I)
For perfectionists, here is a formula for optimal positioning:
If A is the distance from the centre of the woofer to the nearest floor or
wall, B is the distance to the next closest floor or wall, and C is the
greatest distance (A < B < C), the equation B 2 = AC defines the ideal
loudspeaker position.
• Example:
If the centre of the woofer is 20” (50cm) away from the rear wall (A) and 24”
(60cm) above the floor (B), then the side wall will be ideally 28” (72cm) away
[C = B 2 ⁄ A = 28” (72cm)].
Recommendations for use
The behaviour of the loudspeakers depends on the acoustics of the listening
room, on the correct positioning of the loudspeakers within the room, and on
the position of the listener.
It is possible to tweak each of these parameters to obtain or improve a
desired effect.
Stereo perception is imprecise and poorly centred: try moving the loudspeakers
closer together and/or have them facing the listening point:
The sound is harsh, aggressive: the acoustics of your listening room are
probably too reverberant.
Consider using sound-absorbing materials (carpets, upholstered furniture,
tapestries, curtains, etc.) and sound-reflecting materials (furniture) to
absorb or diffuse resonance.
The sound is “flat”, strangled: there are too many sound-absorbing materials
in the room, the sound is soaked up, it has no relief. Look for the best
compromise between sound-absorbing and sound-reflecting materials in your
room.
In general, aim to have a reflective wall behind the loudspeakers for the
sound to develop correctly. The wall behind the listening area, on the other
hand, should ideally be sound-absorbing to avoid rear reflections
“contaminating” the stereo image.
Furniture can be judiciously placed near the side walls of the room to diffuse
sound waves and ensure certain frequency ranges are not excited, particularly
in the midrange (suppression of flutter echoes).
Break-in period
The speaker drivers used in Vestia loudspeakers are complex mechanical
components which require a certain time to adapt to operate at their best and
to become acclimatised to the temperature and humidity of the listening
environment. This break-in period varies depending on the climate and may last
a few weeks. To reduce the break-in period, we recommend operating the
loudspeakers for approximately twenty consecutive hours. Once the
loudspeakers’ characteristics have totally stabilised, you will be able to
enjoy your Vestia loudspeakers’ performance to the full.
Special precautions
** The only maintenance required for the Vestia loudspeakers is dusting
with a dry cloth. If your loudspeaker becomes dirty, we recommend simply
cleaning it with a damp cloth. Never use solvents, detergents, alcohol-based
or corrosive products, scrapers or scourers to clean the surface of a
loudspeaker. Keep the loudspeakers away from sources of heat.
Choosing the right amplifier
It is not an excess of amplifier power that can damage your loudspeakers and
speaker drivers but a lack of power. Moreover, if the volume is turned up too
high, the amplifier saturates and generates parasite signals that may damage
the tweeter. The dynamic capacity and definition of Vestia loudspeakers are
sufficient to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of whatever amplifier is
connected. Your retailer will be able to help you choose the amplifier best
suited to your tastes and budget.
Conditions of warranty
All Focal loudspeakers are covered by warranty drawn up by the official Focal
distributor in your country. Your distributor can provide all details
concerning the conditions of warranty. Warranty cover extends at least to that
granted by the legal warranty in force in the country where the original
purchase invoice was issued.
Correct elimination of this product.**
This marking indicates that within the EU this product should not be disposed
of with other household wastes. To prevent any risk to the environment or
human health, please recycle them responsibly to encourage the reuse of
material resources. To return your used device, please use the return and
collection systems available, or contact the retailer where you purchased the
product. They can recycle this product safely.
Focal-JMlab ® – BP 374 – 108, rue de l’Avenir – 42353 La Talaudière cedex –
France – www.focal.com
Tel. (+33) 04 77 43 57 00 – Fax (+33) 04 77 43 57 04 – SCCG – 22/11/2022 – v1
References
- Top-of-the-range speakers and hi-fi equipment | Focal
- Extension de garantie | Focal
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