Short answer: the SHIVAUDYO Point Zero. It ranks #17 of 66 powered bookshelf speakers by sound quality; the Focal Alpha 65 EVO ranks #18.
What the Focal Alpha 65 EVO offers: Very neutral, not quite as good as the Klasik 2020 in the midrange, but with better soundstage and instrument definition than the HS8 Watch for: Ignores sub-bass, and the LF/HF trim dials lack a center detent so getting back to flat takes trial and error. The reviewer’s original sample showed an odd distortion spike between 1.5-8kHz at 86dB SPL, though a second sample from Focal didn’t reproduce it - likely a defective unit rather than a design flaw.
What the SHIVAUDYO Point Zero offers: Three-way powered cardioid design: 1” waveguide-loaded dome tweeter and 6.5” mid-woofer up front, plus two opposing 8” side-firing subwoofers (sealed, Q=0.707) that cancel internal cabinet vibration. Cardioid loading above roughly 200 Hz cuts rear-wall mid-range reflections, giving a more coherent, less smeared midrange when placed close to a wall, and letting you trade boundary gain for bass reinforcement. Hypex NCore amplification with built-in DSP (300W subs + 200W mid-woofer + 100W tweeter) and three selectable bass presets - full-range to 20 Hz, 30 Hz, or an 80 Hz high-pass - trading extension for extra SPL headroom. Tweeter hiss was inaudible even at full volume from about 1.5 feet away. Roughly half the price of the similarly-designed Dutch & Dutch 8C. Long-term SPL rated to 110 dB, with peaks to 120 dB. Watch for: Doesn’t extend quite as low nor match the output potential and linearity of the pricier Dutch & Dutch 8C. Erin’s measurements show the cardioid pattern doesn’t fully engage until about 200 Hz, versus SHIVAUDYO’s claimed 100 Hz. Sweet spot is narrow: you need to stay on-axis between the tweeter and mid-woofer, or vertical off-axis listening brings a significant suckout. Some “chesty” coloration turned up on certain female vocal tracks. In full-range preset, far-field listening at a few meters can trip the amplifier’s protection limiter, so the preset needs to be matched to room and listening distance.
Buy the Focal Alpha 65 EVO if the price matters more than sound quality. Buy the SHIVAUDYO Point Zero if sound quality matters more than the price.
Specifications Side By Side
| Focal Alpha 65 EVO | SHIVAUDYO Point Zero | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $499.00 | €6,500 |
| Ranked | #18 of 66 in Large Size Powered Bookshelf Speakers | #17 of 66 in Large Size Powered Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 45Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) | 31Hz (measured on-axis, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 36Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) | 22Hz (measured on-axis, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 13.4"H x 10.3"W x 11.4"D (340.4 x 261.6 x 289.6 mm) | 15.7"H x 8.7"W x 15.4"D (400 x 220 x 390 mm) |
| Frequency Response | 40Hz - 22kHz (+-3dB) (Manufacturer specified) | 30Hz - 20kHz ±1dB (anechoic, Preset 1) |
| Inputs | TRS, XLR, RCA | XLR, RCA, AES-EBU, S/PDIF, Toslink |
| Weight | 16.8 lbs / 7.6 kg each | 36.4 lbs / 16.5 kg (36 lbs) each |
| Drivers | 6.5" (165mm) woofer | 6.5" mid-woofer, 1" waveguide dome tweeter, 2x 8" side-firing subwoofers (opposed, vibration-cancelling) |
| App | No | No |
| Bluetooth | No | - |
| EQ | Yes (Room adjustment) | - |
| DSP | No | Yes (Hypex, downloadable software, 3 bass presets) |
| Output Power | 85w Per Speaker | 600W total (300W subs + 200W mid-woofer + 100W tweeter, Hypex NCore) |
| Crossovers | - | 120Hz / 1600Hz, 4th-order Linkwitz-Riley |
| Max SPL | - | 110dB long-term, 116dB short-term, 120dB peak |
| Sensitivity | - | 92.9dB (measured at 0.3V/1m, Erin’s Audio Corner; Erin notes this figure is scaled rather than directly comparable to passive-speaker sensitivity) |
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Prices on this page were last checked August 25, 2026 at 6:19 AM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Focal Alpha 65 EVO: $499.00 Amazon eBay
Pros: Very neutral, not quite as good as the Klasik 2020 in the midrange, but with better soundstage and instrument definition than the HS8
Cons: Ignores sub-bass, and the LF/HF trim dials lack a center detent so getting back to flat takes trial and error. The reviewer’s original sample showed an odd distortion spike between 1.5-8kHz at 86dB SPL, though a second sample from Focal didn’t reproduce it - likely a defective unit rather than a design flaw.
Full Focal Alpha 65 EVO review and specifications →
| App | No |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 36Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 45Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Bluetooth | No |
| DSP | No |
| Dimensions | 13.4"H x 10.3"W x 11.4"D (340.4 x 261.6 x 289.6 mm) |
| Drivers | 6.5" (165mm) woofer |
| EQ | Yes (Room adjustment) |
| Frequency Response | 40Hz - 22kHz (+-3dB) (Manufacturer specified) |
| Inputs | TRS, XLR, RCA |
| Output Power | 85w Per Speaker |
| Weight | 16.8 lbs / 7.6 kg each |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Audio Science Review Measurements More from Audio Science Review →
- DSAUDIO.review: DSAUDIO.review Focal Alpha 65 EVO vs Yamaha HS8 sound.DEMO More from DSAUDIOreview →
- DSAUDIO.review: DSAUDIO.review Focal Alpha 65 EVO vs Focal Alpha 65 sound.DEMO
- DSAUDIO.review: DSAUDIO.review Focal Alpha 65 EVO vs Kali Audio IN-5 sound.DEMO
- DSAUDIO.review: DSAUDIO.review Focal Alpha 50 EVO vs Focal Alpha 65 EVO sound.DEMO
- DSAUDIO.review: DSAUDIO.review Focal Alpha 65 EVO vs Adam Audio A7X sound.DEMO
- DSAUDIO.review: DSAUDIO.review Focal Alpha 65 EVO vs Adam Audio T7V sound.DEMO
- Audio Science Review Measurements (spinorama.org)
- Reddit Search for Focal Alpha 65 EVO Review
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Focal Alpha 65 EVO vs Kali Audio LP-6 V2
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SHIVAUDYO Point Zero: €6,500 Shivaudyo eBay
Pros: Three-way powered cardioid design: 1” waveguide-loaded dome tweeter and 6.5” mid-woofer up front, plus two opposing 8” side-firing subwoofers (sealed, Q=0.707) that cancel internal cabinet vibration. Cardioid loading above roughly 200 Hz cuts rear-wall mid-range reflections, giving a more coherent, less smeared midrange when placed close to a wall, and letting you trade boundary gain for bass reinforcement. Hypex NCore amplification with built-in DSP (300W subs + 200W mid-woofer + 100W tweeter) and three selectable bass presets - full-range to 20 Hz, 30 Hz, or an 80 Hz high-pass - trading extension for extra SPL headroom. Tweeter hiss was inaudible even at full volume from about 1.5 feet away. Roughly half the price of the similarly-designed Dutch & Dutch 8C. Long-term SPL rated to 110 dB, with peaks to 120 dB.
Cons: Doesn’t extend quite as low nor match the output potential and linearity of the pricier Dutch & Dutch 8C. Erin’s measurements show the cardioid pattern doesn’t fully engage until about 200 Hz, versus SHIVAUDYO’s claimed 100 Hz. Sweet spot is narrow: you need to stay on-axis between the tweeter and mid-woofer, or vertical off-axis listening brings a significant suckout. Some “chesty” coloration turned up on certain female vocal tracks. In full-range preset, far-field listening at a few meters can trip the amplifier’s protection limiter, so the preset needs to be matched to room and listening distance.
Full SHIVAUDYO Point Zero review and specifications →
| App | No |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 22Hz (measured on-axis, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 31Hz (measured on-axis, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Crossovers | 120Hz / 1600Hz, 4th-order Linkwitz-Riley |
| DSP | Yes (Hypex, downloadable software, 3 bass presets) |
| Dimensions | 15.7"H x 8.7"W x 15.4"D (400 x 220 x 390 mm) |
| Drivers | 6.5" mid-woofer, 1" waveguide dome tweeter, 2x 8" side-firing subwoofers (opposed, vibration-cancelling) |
| Frequency Response | 30Hz - 20kHz ±1dB (anechoic, Preset 1) |
| Inputs | XLR, RCA, AES-EBU, S/PDIF, Toslink |
| Max SPL | 110dB long-term, 116dB short-term, 120dB peak |
| Output Power | 600W total (300W subs + 200W mid-woofer + 100W tweeter, Hypex NCore) |
| Sensitivity | 92.9dB (measured at 0.3V/1m, Erin's Audio Corner; Erin notes this figure is scaled rather than directly comparable to passive-speaker sensitivity) |
| Weight | 36.4 lbs / 16.5 kg (36 lbs) each |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- SHIVAUDYO Point Zero vs Kali Audio LP-6 V2
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