Focal Aria 948, Revel F208, Tekton Double Impact


Hey everyone, this is a long post, so thanks in advance to those who bear with me.

Home theater/stereo is a new experiment for me.  I was recently persuaded by some surprisingly positive experiences with soundbars to look for better, louder, options with more definition and overall sonic appeal. 

I am trying to decide on a set of floorstanding speakers for probably 70% HT use and 30% music.  This is my second attempt at finding a set of speakers in the last 6 months.  I started with a pair of Klipsch RP-8000f which I initially liked.  I found myself not wanting to listen to them for very long at what seemed like normal volumes - after maybe an hour listening fatigue would set in and my ears would feel a bit assaulted.  It is possible that they were not fully broken in, if those speakers require breaking in (I have heard that they may).  It is also possible that my room shredded the sound to crap since one speaker had to be right next to a large window, but this is not something I can avoid.  I began to wonder what better options might be available within a moderately expanded budget.

So, after reading forum after forum, review after review, I think I have narrowed the options to the Focal Aria 948, the Revel F208, and the Tekton Double Impact.  I want to start with a 2.0 system and hopefully (with eventual, begrudging approval from my wife) get at least a 3.1 system going.  So I'm really interested in floorstanders so that I can put money towards very good as-full-range-as-possible sound from the front L and R initially.  I am interested in at least a 3-way design so that I can get a dedicated midrange driver, as well, and large woofers for SPL and (hopefully) clear and substantial bass.

The problem is, I have no way of auditioning these speakers before buying and my room is so far from ideal that I am sure most of you will laugh and tell me to just use the speakers in the TV, haha.  The room is about 16' x 22' with a vaulted ceiling which rises from one long wall to the other long wall up to the ceiling of the 2nd floor of the house.  I have to stick these speakers near a corner and I have no way around that (the room simply cannot be rearranged or it will cease to be functional as a living room).  The "corner" speaker will be about 2.5-3.0' from the long wall and only inches from the short wall (immediately adjacent a large window).  The other speaker will be about 12-18" from the long wall and nowhere near a short wall.

I have heard that the Focal Aria 948 is fussy regarding placement and maybe demanding for amplification because of an impedance dip.  I've heard opinions which say these are easy to drive, as well.  I have also heard from a Focal dealer (when I was asking about a used Electra 1028 Be II) that the Arias are not the best sound for the buck.  He suggested Martin Logan Motion 60XTi, but I hear mixed reviews on the 60XTs (not many reviews on the XTi's yet).  But the Aria 948's have 8.25" woofers, which honestly excite me, and I expect they would be able to produce beautiful sound at substantial volumes.

The Revel F208 has boundary correction hardware on the speaker itself, which seems very useful if it actually works given my placement constraints.  I have also read that these are very neutral, which sounds appealing to me, but some find them "boring".

The Tekton speakers have had me intrigued since I first started looking for speakers months ago.  I first saw the Seas Pendragons but I ended up obsessing over the idea of the Double Impacts with the large mid-range array and the huge woofers.  They are reported as easy to drive and with a very "real" sound, but they feel like the riskiest choice among the three.  In spite of the rave reviews for the Double Impacts that I find almost everywhere I look, I can't help but wonder how their sound might compare to the Focals and the Revels, which are more traditional designs that, whether you like them or not, few can say are "bad" speakers (objectively speaking). 

Has anyone heard the Double Impacts, Focals and/or Revels?  Do the Double Impacts sound "nasally" with vocals or dialogue (as one forum member elsewhere commented... though I don't know if it was this forum or another)?

Will any of these speakers be more forgiving of the obviously less-than-ideal placement they will be forced to contend with?

And lastly, I bought a Cambridge Audio Azur 851W for less than half price on Audiogon.  It seems like it should be able to drive a 4 ohm or 8 ohm speaker with ease, though I have read it can get very hot.  Does anyone have any experience with this amplifier and can you comment on how it might sound driving any of the Focal, Revel, or Tekton options?  


graitscott

Showing 5 responses by mofojo

Agreed the Revels will need a powerhpuse of an amp to be at their best. IMO they are kinda dry although they technically do everything well. Maybe a tube preamp would help that out.
 The Aria will be kinda flabby in the bass especially without a powerful amp. Easy to listen to and overall sound good. Not overly detailed and don't offend but really dont sound that great at low volumes IMO.
The Tekton will be by far the most amplifier friendly. They have a live sound definitely not boring. Lots of impact. Very detailed, great bass and mid bass. Good midrange. For my money it would be the Tektons. I have never noticed anything nasally about them. 
I never found the Tektons fatiguing. They are gonna sound way better in every way than those mid level Klipsch. 

Sounds like you have plenty of power to grab ahold of the Focals. Like I said they are great speakers not the most dynamic to my ear though. A lot of it comes down to musical preference as well. The Tektons just sound bigger meatier more detailed etc. 
My speakers need to play rock just as well as any other genre and Ive not heard better than the Tektons for this. I cant speak to classical or any really standard audiophile stuff cause I dont listen to it. All I can say is for rock, metal, acoustic, country, etc I thought they did a fantastic job. 
I did get rid of them because I got a cheaper system in the den now where we just got a pool table. If I ever upgrade again to a dedicated system I would heavily consider something in the Tekton lineup. 
If you liked the Focal demo you should try and get your ears on some 1028be Electras for about the same price and see what you think. They are very good. 
After reading your post again I see you mention that you have some placement limitations. How far apart would the speakers need to be? One thing about the DIs I found was they like to be closer together than a lot of other speakers. That might be a big consideration. 

Regarding the 1028 vs the Arias IMO the Electras have more of the feel and sound of a premium product. The Arias will be less detailed and easy to listen to but the Electras may give you more of the OMG that sounds amazing moments. That room is pretty big but I dont feel undoable for them as they go loud and have good power handling. Cant answer if they would go as loud as the 948s. See if you can listen to them. 
Another speaker to think about is the Golden Ear Triton 1. They like to be far apart and heavily towed in. You would also have all kinds of control over the bass. They would be awesome for home theater and sound really great for music as well. I had them for a while and like them quite a bit. May even be able to get into a pair of Reference used for around 5k?

Your placement limitations potentially will cause some issues with a lot of speakers.