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ABOUT FOCAL Focal is a high-end French brand that has been designing and selling quality audio systems since 1979 and has over the years become a world leader in luxury sound solutions. The Saint-Étienne based company is renowned for its manufacture of speaker drivers, acoustic and in-wall/in-ceiling loudspeakers, in-car- Hi-Fi systems, professional monitors, and headphones. Focal prides itself on being a French Living Heritage Company. The distinguished brand boasts exceptional listening experiences with systems ranging from $500 to $250,000. Focal products are superior in quality as the brand is dedicated to only offering products of the gold standard. Jacques Mahul, a passionate engineer, is the mastermind behind the thriving brand. As both creator and founder, Focal sprouted out of Mahul's own passion and motivation to design a speaker that would deliver the perfect sound experience. His efforts proved successful after Mahul invited his friends over to his home one day to share his work. Thoroughly impressed, his friends requested he design speakers for their own homes. The flood of inquiries prompted Mahul to move forward and create Focal. The brand started off with the one speaker beloved by his peers and soon expanded to a wide range of systems. Focal later arrived with loudspeakers, car audio speakers, and home speakers. The company then moved forward to create different business categories and arrived at a studio monitor especially for studio work. It is similar to a loudspeaker, but with an amplifier inside. The Studio Monitor systems are powerful and targeted towards the professional market. Focal often works with artists and engineers and as a result created a new playlist with the studio monitor and listened with the loudspeaker allowing Focal full utilization of their product categories in a single project. The brand is now spread into five different collections that include headphones, home audio systems, Car audio, Pro Audio, and Custom Integration. Their high-end headphones were introduced to the market in 2016 and have been their biggest launch in the competitive market. Once again, Focal found success thanks to the design and the materials used to create the stand-out product. The Custom Integration pieces are part of the brand's newest business unit. With Focal's elite clientele, the company quickly realized the value in the ability to customize systems. Clients can now seamlessly integrate the high-performing sound systems in their own homes. Focal prides itself on its tight-knit team, some of whom have been working with the company since its start 42 years ago. With now nearly 400 people working for the brand, it still manages to remain an intimate company and uphold the family feel. Focal prides itself on its audio solutions being handcrafted in France and is dedicated to ensuring they remain so. VERVENT AUDIO Vice President of Marketing of North America, Romain Vet, shared Focals integration with British brand Naim Audio who have, since 2011, contributed to the electronic elements of the brand. In 2014 the two brands were united under the VerVent Audio group and their core values and passion for the perfect sound. Together, Focal and Naim offer consumers a complete family of systems with the purchase of speakers and electronics all in one. FOCAL POWERED BY NAIM: THE ULTIMATE SOUND EXPERIENCE In May of 2021, a Focal Powered by Naim boutique retail experience opened a store in Houston, Texas. The brands forged together to create a store that is more than merely a story dedicated to audio, Focal Powered by Naim emphasizes an experience in partnership with Focal Naim dealers as either an exclusive boutique or incorporated as a shop in a shop. The experience is like no other with personalized, modern, conceptualized spaces dedicated to private listening, headphone bars, home theater, and much more. The expansion will continue throughout the United States with more boutique and shop in shop openings beginning in October until the end of the year. V U E N J .C O M 57

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