Review Final Model 12 – Ultimate Insight

The Sound

We didn’t expect it after the review of the Final Model 5, but this Model 12 isn’t that hard to place. The passive Model 5 was a bit of a struggle, so we recommended the active version without a doubt (you really want to be able to control your bass with that speaker). The Model 12 is a full range model. And that, apparently, is also a solution to this placement problem. We literally put the Final Model 12 on the spot of the Focal Sopra No1 and that’s it…. Shifting the speaker made no difference in response or performance. That’s great!

Ow: it is crucial that they are evenly spaced, though, since a panel is sensitive to phase. But fans of electro- and magnetostats already know this.

Insight

After only two seconds we hear it: this is really very good. Across the spectrum the Model 12 plays very coherent and controlled, which gives a lot of calmness and insight. Add to that the looseness and fluidity of an electrostatic – the ease with which everything plays – and you will understand that this is an extremely addictive experience.

Now we mentioned earlier that the Model 12 is rather large. And yes: 1.8 meters high, is substantial. An advantage, however, is that everything is also projected life-size. Voices are at the right height and a grand piano is also as big as a grand piano. Very cool. And a power that not all speakers possess. Imaging is not only great in height…. there is also a lot of information to be heard in width and depth. The whole is definitely 100% detached from the speakers.

In the case of the French band Air, for example, we hear effects well alongside us at La Femme d’Argent. Although the Model 12 works mainly in depth we noticed. Where the Focal mainly projects to the front, the Final puts things mainly between the speakers. A different kind of stage experience. Although the effects – if they are in the music – fly around our ears. This presentation does provide a lot of calmness while listening. Partly due to the extreme stability of the image. We can really listen for hours without it getting tiring.

The Bass

Well. Flow, insight, looseness, coherence… that’s all pretty good. What about the bass? Because a full range electrostat can’t reproduce bass, can it? Well… yes and no. Does it have the impact of a dynamic woofer? No. Simple: it doesn’t. But this Model 12 still gives off a remarkable amount of energy in the low end. And 50 Hz is very respectable for an electrostat. Of course, it is not that “grunting” bass that some enthusiasts like to hear. But it reproduces many a genre just fine.

We play quite a lot of electronic music and then something deeper than 50 Hz is desired. The Focal stops at around 40 Hz, but knows how to give that bass a bit more energy, so it gets more ‘oemf’ at the lower frequencies. And then a subwoofer is not always necessary. Although even there a sub would sometimes be nice. Especially with movies.

With the Final Model 12 we see it not as absolutely necessary, but desirable. Make sure that the subwoofer is a good match. A good adjustable and smooth sub is really a must for a speaker like the Final Model 12.

Listen to the samples

Download and listen here to the samples of the Final Model 12