Hi guys I am new to Hifi speakers and I recently paid a downpayment to the dealership. I am planning to get the Focal kanta 3 driven by devialet expert 200. I auditioned it with the ps audio m700, and honestly I didn’t hear much difference(maybe bcs of the room?), and was willing to go the cheaper route(m700), but my dad leaned towards the devialet due to “less clutter” not for the sound. Anyways I am not a 100% on the amps driving them, and I am open to suggestions.
I have also listened to other speakers like the kef ls50w, bowers and wilkins 804, 803d3 driven by audiolab8300xp, revel ultima studio2 driven by mark levinson 532h(this was the best sounding to me and my dad) however they were a tiny bit more expensive than the focals. I couldnt push my dads budget any more since I have already more than doubled his intial budget. Anyways I might as well rant here, I asked for an audition on the kef reference 3 on the dealer and sadly they were not entertaining me so yeah I left. For the bowers on the other hand at first they were entertaining me but I guess they got tired and thought that my family didn’t have the dough HAHAHAHA and stopped entertaining my inquiries about prices. I wanted to try the 803 d3 with the michi s5 but yeah they didn’t bother talking to me anymore. The best of the bunch was the revel ultima studio 2 the “airiness” and imaging of that speaker was amazing, heck even my dad who was laughing at me when I was describing the sound that hi fi speaker makes were impressed and said it was like the singers were inside the room. Anyways I chosed the Kanta 3 for the wider soundstage, but damn I still miss the “airiness” and the bass of the revel.
Anyways I would really appreciate any suggestions just not Mcintosh amps pls since they don’t even bother answering my enquiries. My room is 13x4m thats why I wanted a wide soundstage. Would the devialet expert 200 be a good pair with those? My fear is that I haven’t listened to a lot of amps paired with kanta 3 yet to know it’s full potential. Also I can’t push the budget anymore, and I would not be able to upgrade anymore. Any amps that have good synergy with the kanta 3?
Maybe this will help a bit. I am running MC611 and Sopra 2 - Amazing sound. I tried MC152 with my Sopra and "something" was missing, but I also have Kanta 1 and I think 152 with that speaker is extremely good combination/synergy.
The very best I've heard with Kanta 3's is with the Audionet Humboldt Integrated but for a lot less money the new Dan D'Agostino Progression Integrated sounds amazing too !
There is an audio magazine that did a review on these. Said focal was disingenuous with the 8ohm rating and that these will work best with an amp comfortable with a 4 ohm load. Check out the impedance graph, is below 4ohms for most of bass region. I've got the kanta 2's on the 4ohm tap of the mcintosh mc611's, bass really cleans up vs the 8ohm taps. Just my opinion, these speakers need juice to sound good.
Glad to see all these potential amp pairings. I just ordered my Kanta 3s and am excited to hear them with my Rogue Cronus Magnum 3, but it's fun to get all this free intel on other pairings you all have tried, especially if I ever decide to graduate to separates down the line.
Do not rule out the Michi S5 amp & P5 preamp. Incredible bang for the buck. A dealer recommended this combo to me and states that it competes with the Luxman M900u C900U combo for 1/3 of the price. BTW, he sells both brands.
Also, look into the CODA products whether integrated or separates. All play well above their cost and are end-game products.
I paired the Focal Kanta’s 3 with: Luxman 509 Luxman 590 Pass Labs INT250 Primaluna evo400 Int Cayin 88t Rogue Audio st100 And Gryphon Diablo 300 with dac. i stayed with the Diablo 300. For me is has been the best Integrated I have
I heard the Naim at the axpona convention hooked up to the Focal Grand Utopia’s. Though, I wish I had the remote to play the music I like at the volume I want to hear. However, I’m committed to saving up for The McIntosh mc462 or 611’s, just recently a mc302 is for sale next week that I could buy now. Given the fact that if money was no object, where would we stop at amp power. If your speakers recommended amp power which mine is Focal Kanta 3 is 40-400 watts. If aspeakerproduces a level of 87dB when driven with1 wattof power and measured1 meterin front. How do you decide what amount of power you need. I think 50% more than 400 watts recommended would be 600 watts for headroom is ideal versus under power which clips your speakers when playing loud? Is an overwhelming amount of watts going to increase detail through speakers. Why would someone need a pair of MC2KW 2000 watt amps.I’m not saying buy 500k audio system. Just, where do we stop at amp watts that would be of no use to your speakers capability.
May want to consider Naim. I was talking to a fellow who drives his Kanta's with Naim gear and highly recommends. He also has a Primaluna EVO 400 integrated in a 2nd system driving Focal Sopra and loves the sound.
I definitely appreciate all the input on my question. I’m looking forward to listening to the mc302 at home for a week or 2 before I make that decision. The price for it is perfect for me now or it would take me at least a year to save up cash to buy that pair of mc611‘s or mc462 new. so I might as well enjoy the 302, if it works out for me. I can’t even imagine trying a tube amp, what the sound would be like in my system. Are tube amps generally preferred with certain kinds of music such as classical and classic rock? I’m sure not AC/DC, Rush and Black Sabbath.
in my experience the devialet is bright when fed via its digital inputs (i e from a streamer) ... feed it an analog input and it is quite balanced bot shrill at all ... not sure how to explain this other than the way it works it converts an analog input into the digital domain then amplifies... must be in the first step the treble is tamed via its adc algorithm ... i feel the devialet sounds very smooth and balanced with extraordinary bass control when feed via rca analog in
that been said, imo focals like tube amplification to sound their best. but you need a good tube amp as they are not easy loads
I received one of the first pairs of Focal Sopra No2's that arrived in the U.S. and have been enjoying them, with no plans to change. They are driven by a McIntosh MC452 power amp; I mention that not to recommend McIntosh to you, but since I've owned the Sopra's, I've heard them driven by amps that made them sound "thin" and where I'd experience fatigue after listening for a while. I think those Kanta's also have that wonderful tweeter, and probably need smooth sounding electronics driving them. I would just recommend you spend enough time auditioning the Kantas with the amp you have in mind, to make sure it wouldn't cause fatigue.
@stereo5.I just happen to come across a chance to own a McIntosh mc302. I’ve been saving for a mc462 or possibly a pair of mc611’s. I already have the McIntosh c2700 tube preamp with Kanta 3’s. What is your opinion on the 302?
I owned the Devialet 400 for awhile. At first I thought it was fine but eventually I found it bright. I think Musical Fidelity makes nice amps in a medium price range.
Try Luxman m900u. I was looking to trade in my mc312 for 462 or 611s and I am so glad I took my dealers advice and did a in home demo of he Luxman. While having both AMPs side by side difference is very apparent. I am running the EVO 400 Pre.
I started with an MC152 and a year later traded up to the MC302 and did not lose one penny on the trade. The MC152 got amp of the year in one of the European Audio magazines. It is an excellent amplifier which would drive your Kanta 3 with real authority.
Wow that's amazing, you were able to try out so much speakers and amps sadly I don't have the capability to try all those aswell. There's not much hifi dealers here in Philippines. I'm confident that if I really push the dealer I can get an audition for MC462 but it's really out of my dad's budget so there's no point HAHAHAHA. The most I can go if ever I take the mcintosh route would be the MC152 😔
@ Kulo. I own the Focal Kanta 3’s and a Kanta Center Speaker. Also Focal Aria 906 for surround. I spent hours listening to speakers including B&W, Paradigm, Wilson, Klipsch LaScala, Kef, Tannoy’s, Teckton Design and a few others. I CHOOSE Focal Kanta No. 3
I demoed the Primaluna Evo 400 integrated amp, the Anthem STR power amp, STR Preamp, STR integrated amp, the Pathos integrated amp and the McIntosh C2700 preamp in my home for 2 weeks connected to Kanta 3. They are all good, synergy is the key, so I bought the McIntosh C2700 a month ago and I am very happy and can’t wait to get home from work to hear it. I demoed the McIntosh MC462 amp with my new preamp and got goose bumps and a —— on and almost cried with joy. Without even hearing the McIntosh MC611 amp, and from the reading reviews. I think i want it no matter why.
I own a Carver M-1.0t amp that has been modified. Look at carvermk2.com. I bought this amp from my neighbor for 600 bucks 1 year ago and he had it rebuilt a year before. It does the job, which I don’t know why I need to look further down the rabbit hole but I seem to have Gotton the audio flu. Check out Don Sachs amp and preamps. My neighbor owns one and I am very impressed with it.
Hope this helps, I’m not familiar with the amps that you were demoing.
Ow and I forgot to tell that the salesman was pushing for the devialet. He said that thats the combo they use on hifi shows. He also said that they'd be able to increase the sound quality by breaking it in( I honestly don’t think it would greatly improve sound quality) and using good wires.
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
