Relocating Plate Amplifier from powered / active monitors

[cope till]

I’m new and I’d like to say thank you for the wealth of knowledge. I completed a soffit wall some time ago that allows for upgrading my monitors. I’ve only worked with passive designs in this context and it’s been difficult finding the information needed should I switch to my Focal monitors. My question is in regards to extending the wire in the Focal Twin 6 be when relocating its plate amplifier to the front side of the soffit. 1. How long should the wire from the amp to the speaker be? 2. Will the gauge of speaker wire change? 3. Being that this model of Focal (Twin 6 be Mk1) is a switchable 2.5 way, is there anything strange I should know about that could cause harm to it?

[Soundman2020]

Hi there, and Welcome to the Forum!
You might not need to relocate the amp. You can safely mount your Focal Twins in soffits, as long as there's a good air ventilation path inside the soffit, up past the rear of your speakers.
I've designed a couple of studios with soffit mounted Focals, and as long as you pay attention to ventilation, there shouldn't be an issue.
If you are concerned about access to the rear panel, then do what I do: leave a dis-mountable panel on the side of the soffit somewhere, so you can get in there if you need to. But you probably won't need to.
Here's an example. In this case, it was the Trios, not the Twins, but the mounting is very similar:

That room worked out very well, even though it is rather small. And I designed in a good, clean air path up the back and around the Focals. You can't see it here (concealed inside the soffit), but its there.
There's also a possible issue with moving the amp panel to the front of the soffit. It might seem like splitting hairs, unimportant, or a non-issue, but there can be an effect if you are looking for perfection: The heat rising from your amp panel and going up in front of the speaker, can affect the sound that gets to your ears, just like heat rising from a road can cause mirages. The effect is small, yes, but it is there. So if you did want to move the panel, put it in a spot that is not directly under the speaker, where any convecting heat won't get in the sound path from the speakers to your ears

- Stuart -

[cope till]

Thanks for the reply! Those look great.

[cope till]

It looks beautiful! Thanks for the information.

[cope till]

I followed your guidelines and the sound is AMAZING! I’m shocked by how good the Focal Twin 6 Be’s sound when flush - mounted. This was intended as a temporary substitute for a larger pair of monitors that are being refurbished. They now easily compete with monitors costing 3 times as much. The lows are articulate and the phantom center hovers brilliantly. My friend who had a Wes Lachot built room was “really impressed”. I will add the 2nd layer of MDF to the front of each box then take measurements.

[Soundman2020]

Congratulations! That's great news. You are seeing the benefit of flush mounting (soffit mounting)... Even modest speakers sound much better when you do that (and good speakers like yours benefit even more!), since you eliminate many of the issues that plague free-standing speakers on pedestals. As long as you take the relevant precautions, you can soffit-mount most speakers. About the only ones that cannot be soffit mounted, are those that have active elements on the sides, top, or bottom.
Just checking: You did leave a good, clear ventilation path up the rear of the speaker, for cooling? That's important. Also, you did use the soffit interior for abundant absorption / bass trapping?
If you didn't do those two, it seems like you still can, without too much hassle.

- Stuart -

[cope till]

Oh yes! I used hanging slats, rock wool, porous insulation and eco-core. My only regret is not being able to get Valchromat for an affordable price here in the US. Someone should do a build with it and post pictures!