Overview

The tri-amped 3-way Footprint03 is undoubtedly in the Barefoot family, sporting the nearly ubiquitous gray polyester coating paired with black and white drivers. Interestingly, Footprint03 is the first-ever Barefoot monitor with a ported cabinet; all predecessors have been sealed cabinet designs. The side-mounted port features a low ‘Q’ design, intended to prioritize less “ring” over more extension. The result should deliver a tight, clear bass response paired with fast transients. The listed frequency response is 45 Hz–40 kHz (+/- 3dB) or 50 Hz–22 kHz with a +/- 1dB tolerance.

While Footprint03 has a smaller and lighter footprint than its predecessors (and most other 3-way monitors in its class), it’s still a rather substantial speaker. Weighing 17.5 lbs each (the Footprint01 is 35 lbs and the Footprint02 is 27 lbs) and measuring 13.25″ (H) x 9″ (W) x 9.25″ (D), ample desk space or appropriately robust speaker stands will be needed.

On the back is an IEC connector paired with a dedicated power switch, the primary XLR/ ¹/₄“  TRS input, an eight-position rotary switch to make level adjustments in fixed increments, ¹/₈” MEME in and through jacks (more on this later), and a USB-C jack for factory adjustments and calibrations. The back panel also includes wall-mounting points perfect for Atmos aspirations.

Amps and Drivers

The tri-amplified Footprint03 features 260W of Class D amplification—100W each for the woofer and midrange driver and 60W for the tweeter.

Breaking with the company’s dual side-firing woofer tradition, the Footprint03
is loaded with a forward-facing 6.5″ aluminum cone woofer, a 3.5″ aluminum cone midrange driver and a 1″ ring radiator tweeter. Barefoot notes the drivers include a custom magnet and motor system that can achieve more extended excursion capabilities for improved SPL output with less compression and a heat-sink system to ensure reliable performance during marathon mixing sessions. Additionally, copper shorting rings around the voice coils were introduced to minimize harmonic distortions.

The active crossover points are 400 Hz and 3.9 kHz, notably higher in the spectrum than most 3-way designs. This decision was likely based on the desire to keep the midrange driver operating more efficiently with its smaller 3.5″ size, which offloads the tweeter and likely improves accuracy and minimizes distortion in the high-frequencies.

Live Long and…SPOC?

Another curveball is a new crossover and conversion technique that Barefoot has coined (and patented) as “SPOC,” or SPectrally Optimized Conversion. Before the internal 28-bit / 96 kHz conversion, Barefoot implements an analog crossover stage, allowing high-frequency information to pass into the converter unattenuated. Barefoot claims this yields a 5-bit higher resolution plus a 15dB higher signal to noise over a conventional approach, achieving a more transparent signal.

Following the analog filter and conversion stage, the signal hits the DSP, where the rest of the crossover functionality occurs in the digital domain. I believe SPOC is the first example of such a hybrid crossover approach.

A Different Kind of MEME

MEME stands for Multi-Emphasis Monitor Emulation, which has been included with all Barefoot models to date. By connecting the small four-switch controller using the included ¹/₈” cables, MEME Technology allows you to change the Footprint03 voicing between Flat, Hi-Fi, Old School and Cube.

The Flat setting is designed to be the primary unaltered response for precision mixing and accurate reproduction. The Hi-Fi setting is excellent for general listening purposes, with a slightly scooped midrange and less damping in the low frequencies. It yields a fatter (and looser) bass response with an overall flattering, forgiving sonic quality. The Old School setting is the “Yamaha NS10M” mode, replicating the studio icon’s frequency, phase and transient behaviors. Cube mode emulates classic Auratone MixCube monitors for yet another perspective.

Mixing + Listening Observations

I had the opportunity to work on a range of projects over the course of several weeks with the Footprint03 monitors. With MEME set to Flat, the sound is immediately clear and balanced. The low-frequency reproduction has plenty of reach, and Barefoot did an excellent job of creating a tight and accurate response with plenty of note definition and attack, even in the sub-100 Hz range.

The best way to describe the low-end is to compare it to a sealed cabinet; I feel for a ported design, I’m not experiencing any of the flabby or loose extension that can sometimes come with the territory. It presents as impressively controlled, tight and fast. According to the chart, it sits at -3dB at 45 Hz, so technically, you could configure them with a third-party sub if you desire more extension, but a supplemental sub shouldn’t be needed unless you are mixing deep bass-driven music.

The midrange has impressive clarity, especially in the 1—2.5 kHz range: it’s not bitey (as that range can be if it’s overly emphasized) but reveals plenty of detail. If your midrange needs work, the Footprint03 will make any problem areas known! The high-frequency response is open and clean with plenty of energy up top without tipping the scale into ‘bright’ territory. It is open, airy and balanced.

The additional MEME voicings proved very beneficial for different perspectives while mixing. If you are accustomed to mixing on NS10 or MixCube-style speakers, having those emulations available is very useful. I also enjoyed the Hi-Fi mode more than I anticipated. It pulls back the midrange (around the 2 kHz range to my ears), along with a bulkier low-end response, and overall it sounds more forgiving in a pleasing way. For general listening purposes, this mode served as an excellent palate cleanser that was less fatiguing than the flat setting over longer periods of time.

I also appreciate that it maintains its response and imaging at both softer and louder playback levels. When pushing the levels higher to feel a bit more energy in the room, I didn’t detect any distortion.

Final Thoughts

The Barefoot Sound Footprint03 represents a competitively priced entry into this class of 3-way monitors. Given its compact size combined with its Barefoot pedigree, the Footprint03 is a very polished all-around studio workhorse. It is accurate and precise enough for heavy-lifting and surgical mix work, thanks to its impressive low-frequency extension and midrange clarity.

If you are tight on space but demand reliable reproduction, the Footprint03 is poised to be a reliable studio companion for years to come.

Price: $1,995 (pair)

More From: barefootsound.com

Past Reviews