Focal CMS 65 Review
/Focal is famous for building incredibly high quality monitoring solutions, and the CMS series is no exception. The CMS series is the company’s mid-level line of powered monitors. They produce 3 models: the CMS 40 (4” woofer), the CMS 50 (5” woofer), and CMS 65 (6.5” woofer). This review covers the largest of these models, the CMS 65.
A Focal CMS 65 without the rubber isolation mat.
Performance
The first thing that stands out about the CMS 65 is the superb level of high-end and midrange clarity. These monitors are very transparent and the definition in these frequency ranges will leave you hearing things in your recordings that you were never able to hear before. For a monitor with a 6.5” woofer, the bass response is quite accurate and goes down to 45Hz, making it possible to run them without a sub-woofer for most projects. In fact, I actually like the bass response of these more than the Focal Solo6 monitors, which are from one of the more expensive Focal product lines. Compared to the Solo6, the CMS 65 has a slightly tighter and more controlled bass response, especially when neither system is being run with a subwoofer. I would still recommend adding a subwoofer if you’re working on material with substantial low frequency content (like effects-heavy films) but for most home studios these will be more than enough on their own. When set up in a proper room, these monitors sound fantastic without adjusting any settings on them. However, you should allow approximately 20 hours at moderate listening levels to break them in before using them in critical listening applications. When considering the performance of these monitors, it’s no surprise that the CMS 65 has won a handful of awards for both performance and value. In fact, I have a friend and colleague working at the gaming company Digital Extremes in London, Ontario as a sound designer and this is what their studios currently use. I have nothing but good things to say about these monitors and use mine day in and day out.
The built-in EQ on the Focal CMS 65.
Features
The Focal CMS 65 includes a built-in EQ that contains a high and low frequency shelving curve, a high-pass filter, and a notch filter to eliminate frequency build ups resulting from reflections off a desk. I set these up in the spare bedroom of an apartment to break them in and let them run, and within a couple minutes I was able to use the EQ on the back panel to alleviate some of the issues created by the room. I still recommend doing some room tuning, as no amount of EQ will fix problems created by a bad room, but in a pinch the EQ will make working in a bad location possible. The small rubber mats that come with the monitors offer a little bit of isolation from the surface that they are placed on, but be ready to invest in a proper pair of speaker stands for best results. These monitors feel impressively sturdy to the touch and have a metal chassis. Their durability combined with their moderate footprint makes them well suited for both professional and home use. One feature I really like about the CMS 65 is the handy mute button on the front that allows you to mute the monitors with ease (I can’t stress how useful this is during a feedback loop as a ‘panic button’) and front-mounted volume control. The back panel includes an XLR and an RCA input jack but omits a TRS connection, which I would have liked to see for the sake of versatility.
The mute button on the Focal CMS 65.
Price
The Focal CMS 65 comes in at approximately $800 USD per monitor, making a stereo pair of them expensive but still within the range of possibility for many home studio owners. At this price point, I think it’s important to consider where the Focal CMS 65 sits on the price vs. performance spectrum. This monitor falls between professional and consumer grade monitors in price, but behaves much more like a professional studio monitor than many of its counterparts, even rivalling monitors from some of Focal’s more expensive product lines. Like I mentioned above, the Focal CMS 65 has won awards for both performance and value, which I think provides a perfect illustration of where it sits in terms of the price vs. performance spectrum.
Conclusion
Monitors can be a very personal choice, but I would recommend these to anyone looking for a monitoring upgrade. The 6.5” woofer means they can be used without a subwoofer in most applications and the clarity and definition that they offer is unparalleled for monitors in this price range. The Focal CMS 65 is an excellent choice for both professional and home studios looking for a transparent and accurate set of monitors.
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