Floorstanding loudspeakers — Legacy Audio Focus XD

The Focus XD is the internally powered version of Legacy Audio's Focus, a tower the Springfield, Illinois company has refined for over 25 years. It keeps the driver layout of the passive Focus SE but adds 750 W of ICEpower amplification inside each cabinet, giving three ways to power the speaker, from fully passive upper range with powered bass to fully active operation.

Key specs that matter

It is a six-driver, four-way tower with a 1 in and a 4 in pleated-diaphragm AMT in Legacy's Dual AMT configuration, two 7 in graphene-filled carbon fibre midranges and two 12 in subwoofers with rigid aluminium diaphragms. Frequency response is 18 Hz to 30 kHz (+/-2 dB), sensitivity is 95.4 dB and impedance is 4 ohms. The cabinet measures 1397 mm high, 355 mm wide and 388 mm deep.

Engineering and use context

The midranges are a recent Legacy design with a large magnet structure, a copper phase plug and a shorting ring, which lowers distortion from the motor. The 12 in woofers use high-temperature voice coils, an optimised suspension and a 15 lb motor structure. The bass is tuned to a B6 alignment, which extends response and removes DC offset from the woofer excursion. Legacy arranges the drivers and crossover to reduce the floor-bounce dip that normally affects towers, and the cabinet narrows progressively toward the top to avoid parallel surfaces and standing waves. Drivers are matched to within 0.25 dB. The rear panel has a balanced XLR input and binding posts, allowing three configurations. The internal 750 W amplifier can power the woofers through the internal crossover, with an external amplifier driving mids and highs. In the third option, the internal amplifier drives the whole speaker actively. Legacy describes the Focus XD as a mastering-grade speaker, and its passive sibling, the Focus SE, remains available for owners who prefer external amplification throughout. Standard finishes come in real wood veneers. When Legacy's Wavelet processor is used, the internal passive crossover of the bass section is bypassed and the processor handles the division instead.

Pairing

Because the internal amplifier handles the bass, the high-sensitivity upper section needs only a few watts, making low-power valve amplifiers practical. Legacy's own iV2 amplifier and Wavelet II processor form a complete system. Its low-frequency reach suits rooms of 25 to 45 m2.

Alternatives

Legacy Audio's Aeris XD is the hybrid dipole tower with 1500 W of internal amplification.