Why choose bookshelf speakers?

Bookshelf speakers may be small in size, but they can deliver surprisingly big sound. Some ultra-compact models even fit on a desktop. Most are right at home in tight spaces like shelves, so they're usually good choices for your home theater's rear channels. For the best performance, try placing bookshelf speakers on solid speaker stands to help the sound really "open up." If you want full bass impact, add a powered subwoofer and enjoy punchy sound that's as deeply satisfying as that of floor-standing speakers.

Our take on the Focal Bird

by Dave Bar

Focal's Bird speakers guarantee hi-fi sound for music lovers with an eye for design. These stylish little Birds feature a distinctive, curved enclosure that's meant to both complement and blend in with your décor. Best of all, you don't have to give up sound quality for the gain in visual appeal: careful engineering went into these little beauties, allowing them to fill your room with clear and powerful sound. Plus, they're easy to use and simple to set up in most any space. Use them to create a compact stereo solution in your kitchen or home office, or put together a multichannel sound system in a larger home theater or great room.

Focal Bird sports a beautiful modern design

Relax and unwind to the sound of the Birds

Focal has a worldwide reputation for making first-class loudspeakers, and the Birds are no exception. Each Bird speaker features a carefully engineered design with a 3/4" aluminum dome tweeter mounted above a 5-1/2" woofer. This combination allows the Birds to produce sound that's crisp and musical, like that of a traditional loudspeaker, while maintaining stylishly compact proportions. They also produce a surprising amount of bass for their size, making them excellent additions to a stereo music setup for your computer or other digital music player.

Easy to place around your home

The included "Tulipe" mount (pictured) and tripod-style "Cocotte" mount each double as a tabletop stand and wall or ceiling bracket.

Everything about the Bird speakers has been designed to allow you to easily integrate them into your unique lifestyle. Each speaker comes with two different stands — a tripod-style "Cocotte" base and a round "Tulipe" base — so you can tailor the look of your Bird speaker system to your home. Both stands attach to the Bird speaker using a ball-and-socket joint that lets you adjust the speaker to radiate sound in whatever direction you choose. Position them on a table or bookshelf, and use the hidden cable pass-through for a clean look. You can also add optional speaker stands to position them at ear level in front of your couch or favorite listening chair. Or use the integrated in-wall/in-ceiling fixture to mount the Birds around your home for room-filling sound.

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Highlights:

frequency response 70-25,000 Hz (±3 dB)
recommended amplifier power: 15-100 watts
sensitivity: 89 dB
impedance: 8 ohms
3/4" aluminum dome tweeter
5-1/2" polyflex woofer
spring-post speaker terminals
includes tripod-style and classic stand/brackets for tabletop placement or mounting on a wall or ceiling
6-9/16"W x 11-1/8"H x 6-9/16"D (when used with classic "tulipe" stand)
weight: 4.63 lbs.
warranty: 1 year
Our 60-day money-back guarantee

Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Features and specs chart | What’s in the box? | In-depth notes

Features and Specs


Enclosure Loading...	Acoustic Suspension
Video Shielded Loading...	No
Tweeter Type Loading...	Dome
Tweeter Size (inches) Loading...	0.75
Midrange Size (inches) Loading...	N/A
Woofer Size (inches) Loading...	5.5
Woofer Composition Loading...	Polyflex
Woofer Surround Loading...	Rubber
Power Range Loading...	15-100
Sensitivity Loading...	89 dB
Impedance (Ohms) Loading...	8
Frequency Response Loading...	70-25k Hz
Connector Type Loading...	Spring-post
Bi-amp Inputs Loading...	No
Height (inches) Loading...	7-11/16
Width (inches) Loading...	6-1/16
Depth (inches) Loading...	6-5/16
Weight (pounds) Loading...	4.63
Mounting Bracket Included Loading...	Yes
Recommended Stand Height (inches) Loading...	39-41"
Parts Warranty Loading...	1 Year
Labor Warranty Loading...	1 Year

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

2 Satellite speaker (with attached circular table-top stand/wall-bracket)
2 Spoke-style table-top stand/wall-bracket
Six 1.375" mounting screws
6 Wall-anchors
6 Self-adhesive rubber pads
2 Hex-keys
User Manual

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box, verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

Driver Technology
Enclosure Design
Connections
Mounting Options

Driver Technology

2-Way Speaker: The Focal Bird is an ultra-compact, 2-way satellite loudspeaker that produces huge, dynamic sound for its size.

Aluminum Dome Tweeter: The Focal Bird satellite speaker employs a 0.75" aluminum dome tweeter for crisp, clear highs.

Polyflex Midbass Driver: The Focal Bird features a 5.5" polyflex cone midbass driver for accurate, detailed midrange and midbass.

Enclosure Design

Sealed Enclosure: The Focal Bird satellite loudspeaker utilizes a sealed (acoustic suspension) cabinet for a natural, flat response.

Gloss Black or White Finish: This ultra-compact loudspeaker features a modern-design, contemporary looking cabinet in either a gloss-black or gloss-white finish (with matching grille). There is also a silver rim around the speaker.

Connections

Spring-Post Speaker Terminals: The Bird satellite speakers are fitted with spring-post speaker terminals to connect your speaker wire. The spring-post terminals of the Bird satellite speakers accept bare wire (up to 12AWG), pin-connectors, and single banana plugs. The spring-post terminals are spaced too far apart (2") for standard dual-banana plugs (0.75" apart).

Concealed Speaker Wire: The included table-top stands/wall-mounts have a hollow body, so you can route and conceal your speaker wire. Speaker wire from Monster or AudioQuest sold separately.

Color-Coded: The spring-post terminals are color-coded (red/black) for easy identification between positive and negative.

Mounting Options

Table-Top/Wall-Mounting: The Focal Bird satellite loudspeaker comes with two table-top stands/wall-mounts to choose from. You can choose from either a circular-base or a tripod-style table-top stand/wall-mount. The table-top stands/wall-mounts can do exactly that; they allow you to either place the speaker on a table, shelf, or desk; or mount the speaker to your wall or ceiling. Mounting hardware is included to wall/ceiling mount the speaker. The table-top stands/wall-mounts features a ball-on-socket joint which allows you to rotate and angle the speaker for the best possible listening position. When placed on a table or shelf with the circular-base stand, the Bird satellite speaker measures 6.5625" (w) x 11.125" (h) x 6.5625" (d). Using the tripod-style stand, the Bird satellite speaker measures 8.75" (w) x 11.125" (h) x 8.75" (d). The Bird satellite speaker measures 7.125" from the front of the speaker to the wall, when wall-mounting the speakers.

Note: You must use the included table-top stands/wall-mounts to place the speaker on a flat-surface or to wall mount the speaker. The speaker does not include keyhole slots or threaded inserts for other wall-mount applications.

Optional Floor Stands: Optional floor-stands (091BSB/W, sold separately) are available for the Bird satellite speaker. The floor-stands features a hollow steel body for cable routing and a composite base with an iron weight for stability. The floor-stands connect to the satellite speaker via a ball-and-socket joint. The floor-stands are sold in pairs and come in either a black or white finish. These optional floor-stands measure 41" in height and the base is 10" in diameter.

Product reviews from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Quick impressions from the Lab

Written by Ralph Graves, Staff Writer - Creative, on 3/28/2012 2:17:00 PM

These are some of the best satellite speakers I've heard in quite a while. I ran through several different musical genres from classical and jazz to hip hop and electronica (and quite a few in between). The Birds delivered everything with impressive clarity.

It's not often I hear new details in my test tracks with small speakers, but it happened with the Focals. Granted, I was listening exclusively to lossless digital audio, but I could hear subtle reverb, room acoustics (on some of the live tracks) and enough over- and undertones to have the instruments sound natural and present.

When properly positioned, the Focals created a seamless soundfield that sonically placed each player where they were in the mix. Tracks with wide separation between the channels sounded appropriately spacious. Those that were more focused sounded as if they were centered in front of me. The Focal Birds might not replace my main audio system, but they come in a very close second.

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