If you asked us to make a list of products Focal might come up with, research, make, and sell next, pebble-shaped, stone-colored outdoor speakers wouldn’t be on it at all, but we still need to like the idea.
The French high-end audio expert just came out with a new product called Littora. We think the name is a play on the word “littoral,” which means “of or relating to the shore of the sea or a lake.”
You have a wide range of speakers that can withstand rain and snow and are made to look like garden stones and other natural objects.
Focal says customers might also consider installing the range on a yacht. (It would have been better if we hadn’t just fixed up the sound system in the guest yacht.) The speakers can be put in gardens, around pools, and in other outdoor areas where people gather.
All of the speakers in the range have the kind of innovation and performance you’d expect from Focal, but the OD Stone 8, which looks like an egg and comes in Limestone, Basalt, and Sand finishes, is the most eye-catching.
It looks a lot like Grand Pabbie, the wise old rock troll from the movie Frozen who comes to help Anna and Elsa with magic.
Want to go with the mushroom from the trolls’ home in the Valley of the Living? You remember that they all live in a small hole with a bunch of branches and mushrooms growing over them. Focal gets it: the OD Sub 12 is a half-buried subwoofer that promises to give your outdoor sound great bass.
The OD range is completed by the OD Sat 5 speakers, which are flexible designs that can be mounted on the wall or even “planted” in the ground to complete the otherworldly look of Arundelle (and also the sound system).
I’m a firm believer that audio should be both fun and good sounding (see the vaguely 5 scariest Bluetooth speakers, the loveable bug-like Gravastar Mars Pro, the stunning McIntosh RS150 Bluetooth speaker, clothes peg sonic structures, and of course Bang & Olufsen’s soundbars that look like graceful sail ships), and I trust Focal to do the job right.
This is the first I have heard of a Naim or Focal product that didn’t sound great. (The two companies merged in 2011.)
Back to the products, all three Littora speakers use Focal’s IRIS IP cone speaker drivers, which were made so that they could be used in any weather without affecting the sound quality.
The speakers are also treated to protect against UV rays and are certified to keep out dust and water. The OD Stone 8 and Sub 12 have an IP45 certification, while the OD Sat 5 has an IP55 certification.
And the Littora speakers have a power transformer that lets them be linked together in a 100V system and lets each speaker have its own volume control.
Prices? Of course. From January 2023, all the range items will be available.
This speaker looks a lot like the ones I’ve seen playing music in Disney’s theme parks, which makes me want it even more. The price of the Focal Littora OD Sat 5 is $679, £499, or $799 CAD. My favorite OD Stone 8 costs $799, £599, or $899 CAD, while the “mushroom” OD Sub 12 will cost $1,999, £1,599, or $2,499 CAD.
There is also a bundle 4.1 deal! This costs $3,999, which gets you four OD Sat 5 speakers and one OD Sub 12. We are still waiting for Australian prices, but that should mean that this Pabbie model starts at about AU$1,270.
I’m resisting the urge to buy a Stone 8 for the new year right now, but I should cut back on my spending. It’s probably one of the best party speeches I’ll ever hear, but as my favorite magical Disney rock troll said in 2013, “the heart is not so easily changed… but the head can be convinced.”
I am a technology journalist with a passion for all things tech, writing about all the latest gadgets and gizmos. I love learning about new technology and sharing my knowledge with others.
