Entertainment
Focal Sib Evo Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 Home Cinema Review
The Focal Sib Evo Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 Home Cinema system is a Dolby Atmos upgrade for your home theater that allows you to upgrade your sound without the hassles normally associated with running wires into your ceiling. This is thanks to the top firing speakers in the front left and right speakers. If you have a Dolby Atmos capable receiver, you simply need to run two wires to the front speakers and you’ve upgraded to Dolby Atmos.
There are some catches, but this system is easy to set up, fits into rooms where a traditional Atmos install wouldn’t be easy or even possible and the modern design fits in with most home decor. The sound performance is impressive for the size and there is good vocal quality. The Atmos performance is good, though you can get better sound for a similar price if you are able to fit in bigger speakers, want to buy your speaker separately and are willing to run wires or install speakers in the ceiling.
You can buy the Focal Sib Evo Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 speakers for $1,299 at Amazon, Crutchfield, and Newegg or you can upgrade your current setup with just the front-facing speakers. You get a total of six speakers with this setup; a center channel, two front speakers with top firing speakers built-in and a subwoofer. You can set these on a stand or wall mount them easily. There is no speaker wire included with the packaging.
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I tested the Focal Sib Evo 5.1.2 system connected to the Onkyo AVR-X1300W which I normally use to run Dolby Atmos through speakers from Klipsch and ceiling mounted Atmos and satellite speakers from Monoprice.
To test the speakers I connected the Apple TV 4K and the Xbox One X to the system and played back a variety of content from 4K Blu-Rays and from Netflix.
The Focal Sib Evo system offers great sound in a small and stylish package that is vastly easier to install than cutting holes in your ceiling. You can get better sound with full-sized speakers, but you’re going to lose some of the installation flexibility.
Focal Sib Evo Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 Sound Quality
How does the Focal Sib EVO Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 system sound?
The Focal Sib Evo sound quality is very good with clear, distinct vocals and a good bottom end from the included subwoofer.
I primarily tested this with movies like Mad Max Fury Road on 4K Blu-Ray and with action movies like John Wick 2. I also tested gaming with the system and found that it did a good job in games like Forza Horizon 4 and Madden 20, but I still prefer headphones for games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 or PUBG.
The center channel did an impressive job of delivering dialogue that was easy to hear even during busy scenes where action and firefights raged.
Satellite speakers did an impressive job of matching the sound to deliver immersive sound. The small subwoofer does an excellent job of filling out the low end and adding weight to scenes.
The Sib Evo system comes with a small, but powerful subwoofer.
The Atmos performance was impressive. Though not quite to the same level as my in-ceiling speakers, it definitely adds to the experience and you can hear height specific sounds come in overhead. This performance is likely due to the small room and low ceiling, which is suited well for the top firing drivers in the front speakers.
If you have a high ceiling, you may get better results mounting on the wall higher up, but with a projector screen that takes up the whole wall, that isn’t an option for me.
Focal Sib Evo Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 Design
The center and the rear satellite speakers are the same.
With a stylish design and small size, the Focal Sib Evo speakers fit easily into almost any home decor. You can adjust the angles with the included stands and easily wall-mount the speakers if that fits your room better. The center channel includes a swivel logo, so that it is the right orientation whether you set the speaker straight up or on its side.
The overall look is modern with the speaker grille covering most of the front and top of the front speakers and prominently on the front of the rest of the speakers. Even though the plastic is glossy, it isn’t a dust magnet.
The flexibility in installing on the included stands, and easily adjusting the angle, as well as the included wall mounts, work well with the overall design.
You’re buying these speakers almost as much for the design, simplicity, and size as you are the sound quality.
Focal Sib Evo Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 Setup
Attach the included stands or use included wall mounts.
The Focal Sib Evo Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 Home Cinema system is relatively easy to setup. If your receiver already supports Dolby Atmos, you just need two more wires to run to the front speakers so that you can connect the top firing speakers. If you are setting up a home theater from scratch, you will need a lot of wire, since there are no wires included for the speakers or the subwoofer. Where you stick the wires in the back are a little finicky, but once you get the wire in and firm, it stays in place nicely.
It’s a hassle to get the wires in, but once you do they stay. You cannot use banana plugs.
With all the wires set up, I used the included microphone with my receiver to tune the speakers for my room, which is a finished basement with a drop ceiling. Between running a few new wires and running this setup process I was good to go in about 30 minutes. If you have to run all the wires, expect this to take a little longer. You will need to assemble the speaker stands to the speakers or to attach the included wall mounts.
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Last update on 2024-04-26. This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to read our disclosure policy for more details. Images via Amazon API
