Dimension’s body is made entirely of die-cast aluminum for effective vibration suppression, taking into account the fact that the total power of the amplifiers installed in the soundbar is 450 W! The depth of the device is only 6.5 cm, so when mounted on the wall it forms a single and harmonious whole with the TV. It should be noted that the dimensions of the model are designed in such a way that it is optimal for use with displays with a screen of 50 inches or more. A total of six TDA7498 amplifier modules are mounted in it, one of which is designed to work with the optional Focal Dimension Sub passive subwoofer.
The heart of Focal Dimension is the latest 32-bit SHARC DSP processor, providing decoding of all current surround sound formats. The basic settings of the soundbar are controlled both from the front and rear panels of the case, and using the included remote control. The touch unit on the facade has a built-in motion sensor, and the keys are illuminated if you simply bring your hand to them. The rest of the time the backlight is turned off so as not to distract viewers from watching. Those buyers who want to use Focal Dimension to listen to music from a smartphone or tablet wirelessly will need to purchase the optional Focal APTX Transmitter unit, which allows them to receive a high-quality Bluetooth signal and transmit it to any device equipped with a line-in input.
Connecting Dimension via HDMI to the signal source and TV is most preferable. In addition to high quality video and audio, the HDMI interface allows you to take advantage of very convenient additional functions: ARC (Audio Return Channel) and the transfer of control commands between CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) devices. For ARC and CEC to function, these functions must also be supported by devices connected to Dimension: TV (ARC, CEC) and signal sources (CEC): BD/DVD player, media player, etc. In addition, when connected to a TV via HDMI with ARC support, it becomes possible to play multi-channel sound from any device connected to the TV: USB memory stick, hard drive, DLNA server, etc. If the TV does not support the ARC function, then you can send an audio signal from it to the digital optical input OPTICAL of the Dimension panel – but with this connection, in most cases, the multi-channel 5.1 audio track will be converted into 2-channel stereo 2.0 on the TV.
The analog audio input AUX is represented by a 3.5 mm minijack connector and is designed to connect any source: CD player, portable player/smartphone, etc. You can also connect universal adapters for wireless audio reception to this input, for example: Focal Universal Wireless Receiver Bluetooth aptX.
For best sound quality, it is recommended that the analog input be fed from the Line Out of the connected device rather than the Headphone Out. Some devices have both of the mentioned types of audio outputs, or the ability to switch between two modes of operation of a single output: for headphones (with volume control) and Line Out (without volume control).
The OPTICAL digital optical input is represented by a TOSLINK connector and is designed to receive both multi-channel (5.1) and two-channel stereo (2.0) audio signals. This connection is preferable if the signal source does not have an HDMI output: for example, a DVD player of previous generations. The number of channels in the incoming digital audio signal depends on the settings specified in the signal source. For many players, the audio signal for digital output is converted from 5.1 to 2.0 by default. In this case, you need to manually set the digital audio output format to 5.1 on the source.
If you are using an Apple AirPort Express device with the Dimension panel, it is recommended that you also connect it through the OPTICAL input. Among all the possible options for wirelessly transmitting audio from a source, this will be the best solution in terms of sound quality.
If you need to connect more than one device with HDMI outputs to the Dimension panel, just use a universal third-party accessory – the HDMI Hub, which has several HDMI inputs and one HDMI output. The HDMI Hub connects to the HDMI In input on the Dimension panel.
The Dimension Soundbar does not have built-in wireless audio or video capabilities. However, wireless connection is easy to implement using additional devices. Please note that the final sound quality will largely depend on the selected wireless connection method.
Characteristics of Focal Dimension Soundbar
Type 5-channel soundbar (soundbar) with multi-channel sound decoder (5.1) and built-in 6-channel power amplifier
Heads (speakers) 5 ultra-flat full-range 10-cm (~4″) speakers
Built-in amplifier power (nom./ max.) 6 x 50 W (RMS), 6 x 75 W (max.)
Gain class D
Audio processor SHARC, 32/40 bit, floating point
Analog line inputs 1 mini jack 3.5 mm
Digital audio inputs 1 HDMI IN (CEC support) 1 HDMI TV (ARC, CEC support) 1 Digital optical TOSLINK
Frequency range 50 Hz – 25 kHz
Dimensions (LxWxH) 115.5 x 11.5 x 11.5 cm
Weight 5.5 kg
