FOCAL LAUNCHES REDESIGNED ARIA SERIES: EVO X Julie Mullins

France’s Focal, a longtime manufacturer of speakers and drivers for professional and audiophile applications, recently announced the new Aria Evo X loudspeaker lineup, which descends from the Aria 900 series. “Evo” is an evolution of the Aria series launched just over a decade ago—hence the “X,” the Roman numeral for 10. The Evo X home hi-fi lineup includes four hi-fi speakers priced from $2389 to $5998/pair, starting with the Aria Evo X No 1 bookshelf. No 2, No 3, and No 4 are all floorstanders. There’s a center channel for $999.

Focal designs and manufactures their drivers in-house, which the company says helps them innovate and make improvements. Among the Evo X’s redesigned elements is the TAM tweeter, an M-shaped aluminum-magnesium inverted dome tweeter reported to extend farther in both frequency directions. The M-shaped design aims to widen dispersion at higher frequencies. The TAM tweeter supersedes the TNF tweeter. The crossovers have been reconfigured with improved parts that are said to offer better balance and longevity.

The Aria Evo X speakers use Focal’s signature flax-fiber cones for natural sound and proprietary TMD (Tuned Mass Damper) technology for the surrounds, the latter said to “stabilize how the surround behaves” to reduce distortion.

A new Moss Green High Gloss finish—previously seen on some other selected Focal models—is also available for the Evo X speakers, in addition to Black High Gloss and Walnut.

The Focal Aria Evo X series debuted at CES 2024 in January and is in market now.