Game Audio Headphone Review - Focal Spirit Pro
Focal is a French manufacturer known for their high end studio monitors. The Spirit Pro is their sole headphone offering and the interwebs are ablaze with praise.
At first glance, these headphones appear to be wet. This textured black finish is a clever design and can only be seen and felt up close. They come with a long coiled cable as well as an additional smartphone compatible cable with built-in microphone. These are closed back and offer heightened isolation from the outside world.
First Impressions
The overall definition on these just blew me away. Focal absolutely nailed the task of accurately reproducing bass frequencies. These shine the floodlight on the smallest defects in the mix. My old Sony MDR 7506 headphones are now officialy retired. They simply cannot handle high fidelity content as well as these. The hyped bass, refined highs and ambient layers in modern audio content really shine through. Most brand new headphones require a "burn-in" period to kind of "wake up" the drivers and components. After a few days of listening, they all tend to mellow out and settle into their true sound.
Low Impedance = Real World
The Spirit Pro's have an impedance of 32 Ohms which closely matches the impedance of the headphone output on most USB-powered audio interfaces like the Apogee ONE and Duet. Impedance is an important headphone spec as it translates to greater accuracy in listening volume. Keep in mind that your studio monitors are now one inch from your eardrums. The smallest inaccuracy can be gigantic when working this way. Most consumer headphones and earbuds have an impedance of 32 Ohms or lower. The Spirit Pro can be used for this very task, making it supremely versatile. They translate incredibly well to listening scenarios outside of the studio.
Conclusion
In closing, I can conclude that the Spirit Pros are a "Must Gimme" for those seeking one headphone to rule them all. The price to value ratio here is insanely good. These are quite possibly the most neutral and transparent headphones in the closed-back category. The fact that they are supported by Sonarworks means you can calibrate them in real time, making them even flatter. Remember to take frequent breaks when mixing on headphones and lean towards lower volumes in general.
Related: Mixing on Headphones
