What is the Focal OD Stone 8? Well, I’ve been hitting the Focal and Naim rooms at the last few high-end audio shows pretty hard for a few reasons. First, I’ve been getting a steady stream of both brands for review, which has re-ignited my admiration for all things Naim. (There was a time, starting in the early ’90s, when I proudly assumed the title of Naim Guy.) Focal has also made a positive impression on me–I consider their headphones to be my preferred cans as I move toward more reviews in “personal audio.”
Words by Marc Phillips, Photos by Scot Hull
While there were two monster Focal and Naim systems in two separate rooms at FLAX 2023, and both sounded spectacular, it was a simple outdoor speaker, shaped like a rock, that really impressed the heck out of me. That rock is known as the Focal OD Stone 8.
The Focal OD Stone 8 retails for $850 each. You might need more than one. At FLAX, Focal and Naim had four Stones hooked up to the Naim Uniti Nova. I was asked what I wanted to hear. I requested a familiar little ditty known as “Chocolate Chip Trip.” I didn’t expect a lot from a quartet of outdoor speakers, even though I really like the Naim Uniti line. (I’m currently finishing up on a review of the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition with the Focal Celestee headphones.)
I’ll admit that drummer Danny Carey wasn’t quite as impressive as he was in the Acora Acoustics VRC-1 room–the entire soundstage felt like it was beneath my feet–but the Focal OD Stone 8 delivered impressive sound with lots of deep bass and a fantastic gift of imaging that came close to what I hear with a conventional two-channel audio system.
I’m about to move to new digs, where I will have a huge back deck that’s built for entertaining. This rig, Naim Uniti with Focal OD Stone 8 speakers scattered about, might just be mandatory.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from FLAX 2023, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
