Focal SW 1000 Be Subwoofer Review

Focal is well known for its excellent and diverse loudspeaker lines, which run from affordable speakers in the Theva line all the way to the $300,000 per pair Grand Utopia EM Evo tower speakers, which stand 80 inches tall and weigh 584 pounds each. The company is also famous for headphones and professional monitor speakers. Focal is not as well known for its subwoofers, but they have created a lineup with the same dedication to excellence that the company has shown in its loudspeaker lineup for decades. In this review, we are going to run the $5,499 Focal SW 1000 Be powered subwoofer with some high-end speakers that could use more bass below 40-50 Hz. One of the pairings will include Focal’s Sopra N°1 stand-mounted speakers.

Jacques Mahul founded Focal in 1979 in Saint-Etienne, France. For their first three years, the company just made drivers. In 1982, the first commercially available loudspeaker from Focal, the DB13 stand-mounted speakers, made their debut. From this humble beginning, Focal has grown into an international speaker giant, with speaker systems available for cars, yachts, home audio, home cinema, and professional recording studios. They have at least 38 different speaker models (not including in-wall & in-ceiling) for home audio and even have a full line of headphones. Mr. Mahul probably would never have imagined 46 years ago what scope the company he founded would have in today’s market.

Focal currently makes several home audio/cinema subwoofers, with the SW 1000 Be taking its place as the penultimate subwoofer in the lineup. Focal has taken several steps to set it apart from other subwoofers in its price range. The company’s proprietary “W” woofer cone is designed to be ultra-stiff and works with the amplifier to deliver bass that is both authoritative and lightning quick. This “W” technology is also found in the $300,000 Grand Utopia EM EVO’s 16-inch woofer.

The Focal SW 1000 Be is here to find out how good Focal can be at making a relatively affordable subwoofer for use in a high-end, two-channel audio system. To make this test even more thorough, Focal-Naim sent along a pair of their stand-mounted Focal Sopra N°1 speakers and a Naim Uniti Nova PE integrated amp/DAC/streamer. We also have on hand a pair of Harbeth SHL5 Plus XD stand-mount speakers and a pair of Sonus faber Maxima Amator floor-standers, which will each see duty with the Focal subwoofer.

• Perlisten Audio D15s Subwoofer Review
• SVS SB17-Ultra R|Evolution Subwoofer Review

For high-output woofers and midrange units, Focal developed its “W” membrane driver technology, consisting of two sheets of glass fiber material placed on either side of a central foam body in a sandwich construction. The idea was to enhance the three key parameters of a good loudspeaker: lightness, rigidity, and damping. The “W” driver represents Focal’s flagship line of speakers, and utilizing this technology from their ultimate speaker, the Grand Utopia EM EVO, into their subwoofers was a natural step forward for the company.

The Focal SW 1000 Be’s “W” driver is a 13-inch powerhouse developed from the ground up by Focal and is built at their facility in France. This is no simple off-the-shelf design from an OEM. The 13-inch driver is driven by a 600 Watt RMS Bash^® amplifier, which can provide up to 118 dB of SPL from a single unit. To add to this functionality, multiple SW 1000 BE subwoofers can be daisy-chained for those who need more than 118 dB. Multiple subwoofers would be connected to the master unit via the digital output. It’s a tremendous way to add multiple subwoofers without adding noise to the system.

Further refinement in the SW 1000 Be is found in the 24-bit digital signal processor and remote control, which combine to allow several fine-tuning functions to be controlled from the listening chair. This includes remote control on volume, low pass crossover (24 dB per octave) from 50 to 150 Hz in 5 Hz increments, subsonic filter (48 dB per octave) from off to as high as 45 Hz, phase control in 30-degree increments from zero to 180 degrees, and bass boost of up to 6 dB at 30, 40 or 50 Hz. This bass boost can be a real plus for older recordings that may lack bass, or for adding extra ‘oomph’ to movie soundtracks. There is also a gain mode (again controlled via the remote), which sets the gain in the amp at -6 dB to +6 dB. This is useful when using the SW 1000 Be with a pre/pro or receiver with either too high an output signal to the subwoofer (in which the -6 dB would be used) or too low an output signal to the SW 1000 Be (in which the +6 dB setting would be the setting of choice).

The remote is one of the best I have ever experienced. Fine-tuning from the listening position is a snap, which is crucial for a high-end audio system. One can even engage the night mode, which compresses the dynamic range of the system for late-night listening sessions.

The cabinet continues with the kind of attention to detail one expects in a premium product. The curved sides and integral grille make for a handsome (and stout) appearance, which is more elegant than most simple box designs. The domestic acceptance factor with the SW 1000 Be is exceptionally high. The front laminar port allows for robust augmentation of the deepest bass notes (the tuning frequency is about 20 Hz) without any audible chuffing or other untoward noises. The 93-pound SW 1000 Be exudes quality at every level, from the supplied remote to the cabinet to the totally silent operation of the unit until it’s time for it not to be quiet. A quick rap on the inert cabinet with one’s knuckles will prove to be painful if one raps too hard.

The Focal SW 1000 Be, with its 120 pounds of shipped weight, was delivered via truck on a pallet. The packaging is excellent, especially considering the typical purchase will be from a dealer and not sent to the owner via truck. The foam protecting the unit is a dense soft-touch product, and one gets the feeling that Focal wanted to make sure their subwoofer would survive a UPS or FedEx shipping ordeal.

We decided to run the SW 1000 Be through two separate systems, both of which were anchored with Clarus Cable power conditioners, interconnects, and speaker cables.

The first system was comprised of a ($4,999) Michi P5 pre-amp, ($9,499) Michi S5 power amp, ($6,999) Michi Q5 CD player / DAC, and a pair of ($19,000) Sonus faber Maxima Amator towers. The Sonus fabers were selected for their exceptionally tight bass, which extends to the low 30s. They are always a challenge for a subwoofer to integrate properly.

The second system was an ‘all in the family’ lifestyle system featuring a ($9,999) Naim Uniti Nova PE integrated amp with an excellent on-board streamer, a pair of ($12,998) Focal Sopra N°1 stand mount monitors (which were placed on a pair of Sound Anchor stands), and the SW 1000 Be. Naim and Focal are partners, which means running both video sources and the embedded Qobuz^® ability from the Naim Uniti Nova PE’s app makes for a turnkey system. The Naim also supports Spotify, Tidal, and multiple internet radio stations. For this lifestyle test, all listening was done via Qobuz^®.

After the initial system (with the Michi components as the front end) was settled in our high-end listening room, the SW 1000 Be was treated to a 200-hour break-in using the sine wave sweep from the Dayton Audio Omni-mic disc. This disc generates a sine wave sweep that extends from 5 Hz to 20,000 Hz. It is an excellent way to ensure one’s system has broken in completely before any critical listening is done.

System One – Michi, Sonus faber, and Focal make music

Opening with ‘Cannonball,’ the Michi trio and Sonus faber Maxima Amator combination was tight and tuneful across the bandwidth, including the bass. Dialing in the Focal SW 1000 Be detracted nothing from the listening experience while adding a healthy amount of additional bass extension into the performance.

Tracks 4 (Better Days) and 5 (Brother Where You Bound) are the real test in terms of deep bass dynamics. Both tracks feature a very powerful kick drum with ample output well below 30 Hz. The Sonus faber towers sounded terrific with both songs, but when the SW 1000 Be was added to the mix, a new floor was established. The drum now was felt in one’s chest with its depth well delineated. It was on these tracks that the ‘W’ membrane driver started to show its talents. The deepest bass was not only powerful, but it was also as tight and clean as I have ever heard in this system.

The Focal SW 1000 Be was doing what music lovers hope a subwoofer can do. It made the Sonus faber Maxima Amators, which are modest-sized towers with 7-inch woofers, feel like a much larger tower with an expanded sound stage in both width and depth. If your system craves high output in the 20-30 Hz range with lightning-fast reflexes, Focal has your answer.

Opening with ‘Join the Band / Fat Man in the Bathtub,’ after the band is introduced between the two songs, the slide guitar work gives us a hint of things to come. The remote control Focal provides with the SW 1000 Be allows for instant on/off of the unit. The added bass floor of the Focal’s 13-inch driver brings realism to the track, which is easily discerned in A/B comparisons. And this is with a speaker that is solid to 35 Hz.

Two tracks of note are ‘Dixie Chicken’ and ‘Spanish Moon.’ Dixie Chicken opens with a strong bass line and piano that sound outstanding on the main speakers by themselves. Adding the SW 1000 Be into the fray elevated (and lowered if you will pardon the pun) the listening experience by adding a very welcome depth of both bass linearity and the soundstage of the performance. Every note became more palpable and focused with the Focal’s ‘W’ Membrane, 13-inch powerhouse shoring up the deep stuff. The fundamentals of the piano were audibly more realistic, and the bass lines more tuneful.

Spanish Moon relies on even more bass guitar, along with the Tower of Power Horn section, and the Focal brought the party home with gusto. One could now hear and feel the subtle thumps of a performer’s foot on the large stage. The horns, even though one does not think of subwoofers and horn sections together, had more guttural power with the subwoofer engaged. The beauty of this ability of the Focal to add to the music while taking nothing away is a testament to the design goals Focal sets out to achieve with their ultra-lightweight, low-distortion design. When the subwoofer was turned off, the entire performance was smaller. Turning it back on made the performance larger and more honest. The combination of detail with power is usually overlooked when discussing subwoofer performance. The Focal SW 1000 Be is not a subwoofer that will take over the performance of one’s system but enhance it, even with main speakers that are not produced by Focal.

The SW 1000 Be was off to a wonderful start. What will happen when we replace some of my reference components (the Michi trio, along with the Sonus faber speakers) with a pair of Focal Sopra N°1 stand-mounted speakers and electronics partner Naim’s Uniti Nova Power Edition integrated amp and streamer? Let’s find out!

System 2 AKA: “All in the Family”

After a few weeks with the Michi-based system driving the Focal SW 1000 Be, it was time to go with a simpler system consisting of the Naim Uniti Nova Power Edition ($9999) integrated amp and streamer, the pair of Focal Sopra N°1 monitor speakers ($12,998 per pair), and the SW 1000 Be subwoofer ($5,499). The system totals about $28,500 and promises exceptional sound quality at every level for a reasonable investment.

The supplied remote control made instant comparisons between the Focal Sopra N°1s with and without subwoofer a snap. While the monitor style N°1s will surprise one with their ability to hit the deep stuff, a simple push of a button engaged the subwoofer, and the entire audition was enhanced by the addition. The bass, as one would expect, was much more powerful and deeper. The soundstage on this monument-to-music-dynamics DoctorSpook track became deeper, wider, and higher. This relatively simple Naim amp/streamer and the Focal 2.1 system combined for an immersive experience of synthesizer and drum that spanned from just below 20 Hz to the soaring highs from the synthesizer’s staccato style hammers on the keys. The amount of detail the Naim integrated amp and Focal Sopra N°1s were delivering placed them into serious high-end territory, while the subwoofer meshed so well that when one turned the subwoofer on and off, the drop off in performance was immediate and not subtle.

On Journey to the Center of My Heart, the SW 1000 Be never flinched. As in previous tracks, it grabbed the audible baton from the Sopra N°1s and added that extra two octaves that take a pipe organ track from polite to menacing. Even better, this system, as an organic music maker, was continuing with its excellence at all levels. Pipe organs, even if we audiophiles never think about them, are more than just bass makers: they span the entire audio spectrum. As with other tracks, the SW 1000 Be teamed with its sister components to deliver a substantial rendering of a live pipe organ with majesty aplenty. This Focal-Naim collective system may appear to be a polite system, but it can definitely bring the thunder, or sub 20 Hz bass, with all the grandeur one expects from an ultra high-end system.

The entire album on Qobuz is excellent – possibly even better than my treasured CD of the same performance. The title track, ‘Gaucho,’ was the absolute star in showcasing how talented the Focal subwoofer is with material that requires a speaker to hit well below 30 Hz without strain or ‘boominess.’ The SW 1000 Be continued delivering the goods with deep, tight bass that either added to the performance or stayed out of the way when there was no deep bass present on the track. The Focal SW 1000 Be, at this point, had established itself as a worthy subwoofer that is outstanding with any loudspeaker system.

How deep does it go?

After living with the Focal SW 1000 Be subwoofer for two months, it was time to measure this easy on the eyes, talented bass machine so we could quantify what we were hearing. The primary listening position in our high-end room is about four meters from the subwoofer. Let’s look at a response curve recorded as a graph using the Dayton Audio Omni-mic. The SW 1000 Be’s lowpass filter was set to 50 Hz, the bass boost set to zero dB (meaning flat, with no boost), and the volume adjusted for 100 dB at 40 Hz.

The response was flat to 23 Hz, and -6 dB was reached at 20 Hz. This is very close to the manufacturer’s specification of -3 dB at 20 Hz, and the small difference may well be attributed to the room gain effect at 40 Hz. Focal has done a tremendous job in taking this powerhouse of a subwoofer and turning it into a ‘speaker-enhancing system.’ The clean, lightning-fast, deep bass added to every speaker with which it was mated made that speaker better in every way. The enhancement that an extra one to two octaves adds to one’s speakers is not a small feat. Focal has done this with an elusive quality that one must hear to appreciate. It subtracts nothing from the main speakers while accomplishing the stated goal of full-range extension.

Focal’s SW 1000 Be is a must-hear subwoofer for anyone building a new system or augmenting an existing one. It impresses on every level.

The Focal SW 1000 Be Subwoofer is a testament to Focal’s obsession with making wonderful music in one’s system. It would be a worthy addition to many high-end loudspeakers that could use extra extension, regardless of the brand. The included remote makes for easy control from the comfort of the listening chair, which is an added bonus.

Focal has spent decades delivering loudspeakers that have made it one of the best-known high-end speaker companies in the world. After the experience in our high-end system with the $39,999 Focal Diva Utopia active loudspeaker system that included amps, streamer, and excellent user interface, the idea of exploring their obtainable $5,499 SW 1000 Be subwoofer was an easy decision.

Wendy Knowles, who is the head of Focal’s PR team in North America, was instrumental in getting this subwoofer into our home for this review. She was quite confident that the SW 1000 Be would impress listeners with its bass-making abilities. Focal has managed to avoid the audio world’s trend of moving its production from its native country (in this case, France) to a low labor cost country. This ensures that the quality for which Focal is famous is kept intact. One needs to live with Focal products for a few months to fully realize just how high the quality is in all their offerings.

A special mention of how well the SW 1000 Be performed with its sister Focal Sopra N°1s and the Naim Uniti Nova Power Edition amplifier (and streamer) must also be made. This $28,500 all-in-one lifestyle system is somewhat more complicated than the $39,999 Diva Utopia system. It is also more versatile and is still quite easy in both application and ease of use. The fact that Focal and Naim are giving the audio world so many options in terms of bringing high-end music and cinema to life from their respective French and British facilities is something to be appreciated.

Focal has delivered a subwoofer system that is not only a tremendous music and movie enhancer with almost any speaker system, but it has also retained a bespoke quality that one needs to experience first-hand to appreciate. The beautiful cabinet would be a welcome sight in the finest of homes. The compact size makes for ease of placement into one’s listening room. The remote control is as good as this reviewer has ever used with a subwoofer. This is a versatile subwoofer that may be hard to find, but it’s definitely worth the effort. Highly Recommended!