# Looks like Focal is moving away from beryllium tweaters **URL:** \ **Category:** Loudspeakers\ **Created:** [August 7, 2026, 8:02pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593 "2026-08-07T20:02:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Audioholic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@Audioholic](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Audioholic)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2026, 8:02pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/1 "2026-08-07T20:02:20Z")
[![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/psaudio/original/4X/6/f/3/6f31e861915fad0263bfb76ef43ca88bed56bb45.jpeg "šŸ˜² Checkout the Focal Scala Utopia Evo M at Audio Advice Live 2026") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7wCubZduis) ---
**Author:** ![aangen](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/aangen/32/295709_2.png) [@aangen](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/aangen)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2026, 8:49pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/2 "2026-08-07T20:49:04Z")
I beat them to it. ---
**Author:** ![tony22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@tony22](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/tony22)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2026, 10:26pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/3 "2026-08-07T22:26:00Z")
At what point will this guy just start doing videos and showing up at shows bejeweled and wearing nothing but sequined underwear? This hobby crossed the ridiculous line some time ago, I suppose. Maybe the next guy will wear clown pants and a red clown nose, and call himself Krusty the Audio Kvetcher. ---
**Author:** ![Audioholic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@Audioholic](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Audioholic)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/4 "2026-08-07T23:36:15Z")
His get-ups are definitely a bit clownish, but he does do a decent job covering shows and reviewing audio gear. ---
**Author:** ![tony22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@tony22](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/tony22)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/5 "2026-08-08T01:07:39Z")
I agree, actually. All the more reason for him not to have to waltz around like a tawdry showpiece. ---
**Author:** ![JKWAustin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cdc98d/32.png) [@JKWAustin](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/JKWAustin)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2026, 10:05am UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/6 "2026-08-08T10:05:27Z")
I consider shows not much more than eye candy. What info does this guy provide other than views of pretty gear? ---
**Author:** ![emailists](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc348/32.png) [@emailists](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/emailists)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/7 "2026-08-08T17:50:28Z")
That Audiophile Junkie guy cost me a lot of money and valuable space in my living room. I learned about the Popori (now called Prodigio) electostats from his channel because he described them as a modern day Soundlab. I had always wanted Soundlabs but were too large. ---
**Author:** ![Audioholic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@Audioholic](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Audioholic)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/8 "2026-08-08T18:11:57Z")
What are your thoughts on the Prodigio speakers? ---
**Author:** ![emailists](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc348/32.png) [@emailists](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/emailists)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2026, 6:55pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/9 "2026-08-08T18:55:00Z")
A couple of things. At an audio show I finally got to hear the FR20, which I had been wanted to for years. in those small hotel rooms, the midrange and treble for me was great, but the bass was really lumpy. In the exact same size/shape hotel room the entry level Prodigioā€™s bass was just incredible. No room modes I could hear. Electrostatic bass is really addictive. It got even better with the PMG preamp. I sold my TAD cr1 speakers after hearing the stat panels, which is a speaker I swore Iā€™d never hear rid of. Being that the 'stats have no crossover, Iā€™m getting a purity of sound Iā€™ve never heard before. Not to be gross but I can now hear details I never heard before, like the saliva in a singers throat. I would like to hear the FR speakers in another setting though. ---
**Author:** ![joe-appierto](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/joe-appierto/32/294192_2.png) [@joe-appierto](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/joe-appierto)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/10 "2026-08-08T19:39:29Z")
Just visited the Prodigio web site briefly and if they sound as good as they look, I understand your enthusiasm for them. Although visually dissimilar when my Quad 989 speakers were running the ā€œwhole clothā€ analogy comes to mind. Their bass although not prodigious (no referential pun intended) had a purity that was unique. Unfortunately one of them became possessed and started continuously emitting a shrieking noise worthy of The Exorcist. By that time, the expense of shipping and just the physical challenge of shipping plus whatever the cost of the repair became a trifecta of doom and I moved on. ---
**Author:** ![emailists](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc348/32.png) [@emailists](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/emailists)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 6:39am UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/11 "2026-08-09T06:39:38Z")
Many years ago, My first high end speakers were a pair of used quad ESL 63ā€™s with the full Crosby mod. I loved the sound but kept having to replaced panels. At that time there were no rebuilt panels so it meant buying them new and taking to a local guy who specialized in quads. Finally i got rid of them as is, for the next guy to repair. I then went to TADā€™s but always lusted after soundlabs. You can see my new 'stats in this short listening impressions I did about the PMG preamp [![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/psaudio/original/4X/a/1/1/a112c157096a5815bb5be0a2330b550322526370.jpeg "PS Audio PMG Preamp - Aiming at the Ultra High End of Hifi? Paul McGowan's revenge!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3gsC4IGoVo) ---
**Author:** ![aangen](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/aangen/32/295709_2.png) [@aangen](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/aangen)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 7:22am UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/12 "2026-08-09T07:22:08Z")
I was enchanted with the visual style of this brand. Listened to them at Axpona 26 and didnā€™t care at all for what I heard. It surprised me. ---
**Author:** ![joe-appierto](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/joe-appierto/32/294192_2.png) [@joe-appierto](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/joe-appierto)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 7:32am UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/13 "2026-08-09T07:32:06Z")
Interesting. Listening at an audio exhibition can be a crap shoot depending on the room itself and ancilliaries but Iā€™d imagine you took that into account. Sometimes the house sound or just a particular model just doesnā€™t work. The last time I went to an exhibition which was a good number of years ago at the NY Audio Show I walked out of two rooms featuring Dā€™Agostino electronics and Wilson speakers. I know both lines are very highly regarded but they just rubbed me the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![joe-appierto](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/joe-appierto/32/294192_2.png) [@joe-appierto](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/joe-appierto)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 7:33am UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/14 "2026-08-09T07:33:33Z")
Nice review and the speakers look good. Thanks for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![aangen](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/aangen/32/295709_2.png) [@aangen](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/aangen)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 7:42am UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/15 "2026-08-09T07:42:28Z")
That combo does zero for me as well. All hope for engagement dashed by the dull sound. And those amps look like jewelry boxes to me. Bah. I heard many speakers at the show that were fun. It wasnā€™t the room. ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Brunhaver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/chris_brunhaver/32/64810_2.png) [@Chris\_Brunhaver](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Chris_Brunhaver)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/16 "2026-08-14T18:07:21Z")
I was talking with a vendor that makes beryllium tweeters and this is 100% being driven by Materion (the sole supplier of beryllium for loudspeaker use) becoming much more costly and harder to work with (super long lead times, high costs). Focal had made one of the biggest investments in beryllium and was processing the material from sheets themselves and was more vertically integrated than a lot of smaller tweeter manufacturers. As such, people are looking at new options like textreme or others and my guess is that we will see other companies using beryllium (like magico) move to other diaphragm materials soon. Itā€™s hard for a small industry like hifi to compete with the huge demand in miliary and aerospace (where they have massive budgets). ---
**Author:** ![tony22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@tony22](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/tony22)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 7:51pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/17 "2026-08-14T19:51:46Z")
> [@Chris\_Brunhaver](#): > > people are looking at new options Or old, perhaps? Thereā€™s something quite special about a good silk dome tweeter, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Brunhaver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/chris_brunhaver/32/64810_2.png) [@Chris\_Brunhaver](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Chris_Brunhaver)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 9:40pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/18 "2026-08-14T21:40:39Z")
Silk domes can certainly sound great but are also prone to a lot of small resonances and can be harder to get to work consistently on acoustic waveguides (which have been a big boon to the performance of 2-way systems in recent years). This is a laser scan of an example 1" silk dome at 12 kHz. On this particular sample, there is also an oilcan resonance at 7 kHz, so for 1.5 octaves, it is in some form of breakup. While focal arenā€™t to my taste. I do think itā€™s cool that theyā€™re doing ongoing materials research ![soft dome](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/psaudio/original/4X/d/4/8/d4827c61719d5c895f075c9258eb26c7185c0b38.png) ---
**Author:** ![tony22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@tony22](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/tony22)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 10:21pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/19 "2026-08-14T22:21:15Z")
_More_ resonance! _More_ resonance! šŸ˜‚ šŸ» ---
**Author:** ![dchang05](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/dchang05/32/294697_2.png) [@dchang05](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/dchang05)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 11:25pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593/20 "2026-08-14T23:25:18Z")
My previous expensive 7ā€™ tall floorstanding speakers use silk dome tweeters and soft dome midrange. I almost cried after a birthday party. A friendā€™s kid pushed both soft domes inward, and I carefully used a sticky tape to suck out and cleaned them on the next day! I didnā€™t notice the problem until next morning. Too late! the scars were still visible afterward. Every time I turned on the system I remembered that instance and no more kidsā€™ party at our home. But FR30 high and mid sound more extended, more accurate, and just better than my old speakers regardless that event happened or not. [Next page](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/looks-like-focal-is-moving-away-from-beryllium-tweaters/44593.md?page=2)