Focal Sib Evo Dolby Atmos Speaker Package Review & Comments

hi ,
Is it possible to create 7.1.2 system with this package by adding two more sib evo speakers?
So you want 7 surround speakers and 2 height speakers? If this is what you want then I'm not sure Focal sell the surround satellites separately. But if what you actually want is 5.1.4 then yes you can purchase two extra Focal Atmos speakers separately. I would love to do this even though I can imagine the work involved getting it right, but I can only support 5.1.2 on my current receiver.
 
I sat down yesterday and heard a demo of some high end up-firing Kef Atmos speakers at the front and some down firing speakers in the rear (unfortunately no sub).

The Atmos Amaze demo pretty much sounded the same which surprised me a little but then the fact that the demo system sounded similar-ish even without the sub does suggest quality. The main difference is the greater height of the sound stage and from what I have read previously, that didn't surprise me. The other difference was obviously the 2 vs 4 speaker setup. The differences were subtle but if you have played the Amaze demo as much as I have (and still do) I heard them straight away. There was a difference is sound placement, especially the hunder. The rain effect was different as well. With the 2 speaker Focal system you do hear the rain drops on the ceiling effect but it really encompasses you once you get to the rain storm. On the 4 speaker demo setup you get that all encompassing rain effect from the first drops of rain. It's a little more immediate.

All in all I am very happy with the Focals :)
 
I've just got set up this speaker package this weekend but just wanted some advice on ensuring the front facing Atmos speakers are angled correctly.

I'm using the Hip Evo Stands. At the moment due to limitations in my lounge I'm sat at 2.55m away from the front speakers. The front speakers are 1.9m apart. My ceiling is 2.4m high. I have ran Audyssey on my Denon receiver.

The manual recommend speakers 2m apart and 3m from seating position and states the following

The Sib Evo Dolby Atmos® loudspeaker is already mounted to its base according to Dolby Atmos®
recommendations.
However, you can adjust the angle of inclination of the loudspeaker according to your listening point.
- For a listening point less than 6.5 feet away (2m): tilt the loudspeakers back.
- For a listening point more than 8 feet away (2.5m): tilt the loudspeakers forward.


However I'm unsure if the mounted base is setup for someone sat 3m away and I'm sure for this to be correct you would need to know the height of the ceiling?.

Is it just a case of adjusting the tilt and playing the Dolby Atmos Amaze and Leaf demo's until you feel that they are in the best position or is there a more calculated method to get this correct?

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
I've just got set up this speaker package this weekend but just wanted some advice on ensuring the front facing Atmos speakers are angled correctly.

I'm using the Hip Evo Stands. At the moment due to limitations in my lounge I'm sat at 2.55m away from the front speakers. The front speakers are 1.9m apart. My ceiling is 2.4m high. I have ran Audyssey on my Denon receiver.

The manual recommend speakers 2m apart and 3m from seating position and states the following

The Sib Evo Dolby Atmos® loudspeaker is already mounted to its base according to Dolby Atmos®
recommendations.
However, you can adjust the angle of inclination of the loudspeaker according to your listening point.
- For a listening point less than 6.5 feet away (2m): tilt the loudspeakers back.
- For a listening point more than 8 feet away (2.5m): tilt the loudspeakers forward.


However I'm unsure if the mounted base is setup for someone sat 3m away and I'm sure for this to be correct you would need to know the height of the ceiling?.

Is it just a case of adjusting the tilt and playing the Dolby Atmos Amaze and Leaf demo's until you feel that they are in the best position or is there a more calculated method to get this correct?

Any advice would be appreciated.
Maybe others will have a better way but if you have already read my review then you will know that for me it took a lot of trial and error. But in the end when I did follow the Focal guide it worked for me. The good news is that once set up is complete, I found that I can put the speakers almost anywhere in the vicinity of the original setup and it still works great, so keep trying.
 
Maybe others will have a better way but if you have already read my review then you will know that for me it took a lot of trial and error. But in the end when I did follow the Focal guide it worked for me. The good news is that once set up is complete, I found that I can put the speakers almost anywhere in the vicinity of the original setup and it still works great, so keep trying.

Yeah, I had read your review that was really helpful and helped in my decision to purchase the speakers. I'll drop an email to Focal to see if they can tell me the angle of inclination of the upward firing Atmos Speakers when they are set at the recommend position on their bases.

If I can get that I might be able to work out what the best position for mine would be on their stands taking into account the ceiling and distance away.

I really like the setup I just want to make sure that I'm optimising their use.

Thanks for your help.
 
Yeah, I had read your review that was really helpful and helped in my decision to purchase the speakers. I'll drop an email to Focal to see if they can tell me the angle of inclination of the upward firing Atmos Speakers when they are set at the recommend position on their bases.

If I can get that I might be able to work out what the best position for mine would be on their stands taking into account the ceiling and distance away.

I really like the setup I just want to make sure that I'm optimising their use.

Thanks for your help.
TBH there are only 3 inclination options. Try each one. That's all I did. If I remember correctly the best one for me was not the Dolby recommended incline.
 
Just a follow up now I have been using them for a while. It's interesting how much the sound mix affects how height channels work with only 2 front Atmos speakers. Height effects that were located just in front of the TV on the Dolby Amaze trailer are directly over my head in films like Ready Player One and Fantastic Beasts. But the speakers do seem to be a little more dialled in because some Demo thunder effects are closer to me. Maybe I'm only noticing it now after hearing better mixes. Who knows?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I am thinking of buying a pair or small bookshelf speakers to replace the ones in my parents home. They belong to a micro hifi JVC system and the maximum shelf height is 25.5cm (where one of them will be located, the other fixed to the wall). The idea is to improve the quality of sound (and to help my father with his ageing hearing) for movies/tv as well as when playing music. The JVC, who has a switchable super bass function that improves the bass sound of the sountrack, is connected to the TV via an optical lead and an Oehlbach Digi Bridge 6064. I have 3 candidates so far.
Dali Spektor 1
Focal Sib Evo
Monitor Audio Radius 90. In offer at one online shop with small cosmetics scratches, for a little more than the Focals.
I am intending to buy this lead for the speakers, 2x2.5mm2...probably too thick for the Focals.
Exzellenz Lautsprecherkabel mit MSR-Technologie - Exzellenz :: in-akustik
Any ideas welcome.
 
Last edited:
This Atmos amaze demo that gets mentioned, is this on YouTube or is it a physical disc

@Coulson will probably know
 
Yeah, I had read your review that was really helpful and helped in my decision to purchase the speakers. I'll drop an email to Focal to see if they can tell me the angle of inclination of the upward firing Atmos Speakers when they are set at the recommend position on their bases.

If I can get that I might be able to work out what the best position for mine would be on their stands taking into account the ceiling and distance away.

I really like the setup I just want to make sure that I'm optimising their use.

Thanks for your help.
How did you get on with this as I’m in the process of trying different angles
 
This Atmos amaze demo that gets mentioned, is this on YouTube or is it a physical disc

@Coulson will probably know
Don't use YouTube. Everything is down mixed to Stereo. Just google dolby atmos amaze mix and you will find a number of download options. There is a TrueHD version and a DD+ version. I used the DD+ version so that I could play it from my BR player via USB.
 
Don't use YouTube. Everything is down mixed to Stereo. Just google dolby atmos amaze mix and you will find a number of download options. There is a TrueHD version and a DD+ version. I used the DD+ version so that I could play it from my BR player via USB.
Top man thanks
 
How did you get on with this as I’m in the process of trying different angles
Hi, I never got a reply from Focal.

I read loads of posts about Atmos Upfiring Speaker positioning and there was no right answer on calculating what's best. Understandably it seems that people position their Atmos upfiring speakers at angles at which they think sounds best for them.

It's good that the Focal Sib Evo actually allow 10 degrees of tilt as many people seem to have to wedge their speakers.

I even went as far as drawing out the measurements of my room and using a protractor worked out that sitting approximately 255cm away from the speakers at an ear height of 95cm with a ceiling height of 240cm the speakers would have to be tilted further forward than the stand allows (I think max is 60 degrees) to get a direct bounce. I'm sure though at this angle it would make the sound too directional?

To be honest I couldn't really hear a noticeable difference when tilting the speakers and in the end I decided after watching this video (see 2:53) that if Dolby had recommended an angle of 70 degrees they must have done this for a reason. The diagram in this video shows the sound dispersing/reflecting at a large enough angle to cover my own seating position.

I'm sure Dolby must have a good idea of how tall the average ceiling is and that the 70 degree angle would cover the majority of people's home environments. So I have tilted my Focal's back to the recommended position (70 degrees) as per the Hip Evo Stand manual.

I also put the distance from the top of the Atmos speakers to the ceiling into my Denon (136cm) and increased the distance from the Atmos speakers to the seated position to take into account the travel to the ceiling and bounce back down (385cm). I've also raised the Atmos Speakers by 2 dB.

I need to get round to watching some decent Atmos soundtrack films and have picked up John Wick, Mad Max and Unbroken which are all meant to be really good.

Let us know if you learn anything more.
 
Hi, I never got a reply from Focal.

I read loads of posts about Atmos Upfiring Speaker positioning and there was no right answer on calculating what's best. Understandably it seems that people position their Atmos upfiring speakers at angles at which they think sounds best for them.

It's good that the Focal Sib Evo actually allow 10 degrees of tilt as many people seem to have to wedge their speakers.

I even went as far as drawing out the measurements of my room and using a protractor worked out that sitting approximately 255cm away from the speakers at an ear height of 95cm with a ceiling height of 240cm the speakers would have to be tilted further forward than the stand allows (I think max is 60 degrees) to get a direct bounce. I'm sure though at this angle it would make the sound too directional?

To be honest I couldn't really hear a noticeable difference when tilting the speakers and in the end I decided after watching this video (see 2:53) that if Dolby had recommended an angle of 70 degrees they must have done this for a reason. The diagram in this video shows the sound dispersing/reflecting at a large enough angle to cover my own seating position.

I'm sure Dolby must have a good idea of how tall the average ceiling is and that the 70 degree angle would cover the majority of people's home environments. So I have tilted my Focal's back to the recommended position (70 degrees) as per the Hip Evo Stand manual.

I also put the distance from the top of the Atmos speakers to the ceiling into my Denon (136cm) and increased the distance from the Atmos speakers to the seated position to take into account the travel to the ceiling and bounce back down (385cm). I've also raised the Atmos Speakers by 2 dB.

I need to get round to watching some decent Atmos soundtrack films and have picked up John Wick, Mad Max and Unbroken which are all meant to be really good.

Let us know if you learn anything more.
To be honest what you’ve done there with the calculations is more than I’ll ever do!

I’ve not been too impressed with the overhead effects the focal produces but I’m sure that’s more to do with how I’ve set it up / my room layout than the speakers capabilities.

I think what I need to do Is sit down with a couple of Atmos films, crank it up and have a tinker with the angle and see what happens
 
To be honest what you’ve done there with the calculations is more than I’ll ever do!

I’ve not been too impressed with the overhead effects the focal produces but I’m sure that’s more to do with how I’ve set it up / my room layout than the speakers capabilities.

I think what I need to do Is sit down with a couple of Atmos films, crank it up and have a tinker with the angle and see what happens
Check out my review If you haven't already. I'm not sure Atmos films will help.
 
Been looking at these for a while. Just seen Sevenoaks have them now for £899 plus a £50 code this week so only £849 delivered!

I have had my trusty KeF eggs for years and wonder if these will finally be better?

Was going to go Samsung Atmos soundbar but the new one is £1500 and is that really any bette than these separates?

Any advice? Don’t want to miss out on the Sevenoaks deal!

Thanks!
 
Been looking at these for a while. Just seen Sevenoaks have them now for £899 plus a £50 code this week so only £849 delivered!

I have had my trusty KeF eggs for years and wonder if these will finally be better?

Was going to go Samsung Atmos soundbar but the new one is £1500 and is that really any bette than these separates?

Any advice? Don’t want to miss out on the Sevenoaks deal!

Thanks!
Definitely worth the 850. More flexible in terms of placement and obviously better sound quality. But the Samsung will probably be easier to set up and apparently still sounds good. What I don't know is if the sound quality will be better than your eggs.
 
Been looking at these for a while. Just seen Sevenoaks have them now for £899 plus a £50 code this week so only £849 delivered!

I have had my trusty KeF eggs for years and wonder if these will finally be better?

Was going to go Samsung Atmos soundbar but the new one is £1500 and is that really any bette than these separates?

Any advice? Don’t want to miss out on the Sevenoaks deal!

Thanks!
I’ve decided to sell mine so further savings to be made if interested

For Sale - Focal Sib Evo Atmos 5.1.2
 
What happened?
I’ve bought some Kef LS50’s.

Not a direct Atmos replacement but I was already using Kef rears and a Kef sub and always wanted these so thought I’d give them a whirl
 
I’ve bought some Kef LS50’s.

Not a direct Atmos replacement but I was already using Kef rears and a Kef sub and always wanted these so thought I’d give them a whirl
Looking at the reviews they seem to be excellent HiFi speakers. I imagine that as good as the Focals are, they are still only HT speakers while the Kefs are designed for HiFi?
 
Looking at the reviews they seem to be excellent HiFi speakers. I imagine that as good as the Focals are, they are still only HT speakers while the Kefs are designed for HiFi?
Well I’m going to set them up and see how they sound. I haven’t sold the focals yet so they may well get reinstated!
 
Well I’m going to set them up and see how they sound. I haven’t sold the focals yet so they may well get reinstated!
Would be interested in the results. Definitely not looking for more speakers as I really do not want to move away from Atmos. I didn't hate Justice League the first time I saw it but Atmos + HDR helps to make Justice League pretty enjoyable. Don't even get me started on Fantastic Beasts. Atmos was made for that film.
 
Thanks both.

In 2 minds whether to get these as haven’t seen or heard them in the flesh.

Going to see if I can get tk a shop to hear them and compare size with the kef eggs as the Mrs won’t be happy if they are too big in comparison.
 
Thanks both.

In 2 minds whether to get these as haven’t seen or heard them in the flesh.

Going to see if I can get tk a shop to hear them and compare size with the kef eggs as the Mrs won’t be happy if they are too big in comparison.
The rears are not big at all. The fronts include the up-firing speakers so they are "almost" bookshelf sized. I'm not sure you could demo the up-firing part of these speakers in a shop because it does take a while to set up and get right (see my review) but you should still be able to hear the sound quality I suppose. Good luck :)
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom