Would anyone be in support of upgrading from Kef Q-750's to the beautiful Focal Kanta No2's? I can't keep my eyes off of them and looking for forever (for now) speakers. Currently running Evo400 Integrated, which to my understanding should power them off of the EL34's without a problem. I'm not too sure if there is a dealer in my near vicinity to hear in person. The Kanta No 2's are actually above my price range so I'm not looking to go any higher. Thoughts/concerns?
Kanta’s arrived today since I couldn’t make the delivery schedule window yesterday work. Extremely glad with the purchase and having zero regrets. The warm taupe color looks better with our colors in the living room so that was an even bigger win with the wife. Plus the smaller stature made her happy.These have replaced a pair of Maggie 1.7i’s in my main system. There tighter, cleaner, faster. With deeper, quicker bass. I also don’t feel the sound stage has been reduced at all.I’m using an ARC Ref5SE for my pre. For the amp I have a MAC6700. My transport is a McIntosh MCT450 and Dac/streamer is a Auralic Altair.
Mine are scheduled to deliver tomorrow. Will see how accurate the website tracking is. Just an FYI these don’t ship out of TMR but rather a Focal warehouse.
@puntobasta what do you have the Focal's paired with in terms of PrimaLuna? Can you give myself and other users and little more info on your system and what you mean? I enjoy Upscale's videos, but I enjoy them with a grain of salt.
I just purchased the Kanta 2’s in taupe at a deep discount online from TMR. The combination of the Focals and the Peimaluna are as close to perfection as you can get for the money. Check out Upscale Audio’s Kevin’s Deal video reviews on Youtube. I’m amazed by the sound and they sure do look great.
Hi all, I have listened to the Kanta 2s and they did sound pretty good. The Sopra 2s did sound much cleaner and bigger though, of course they’re much more expensive as well.
Can anyone advice how the Focals compare to the new Klipsch Cornwall 4s? I did have an opportunity to listen to the Klipsch Forte 3D and the high end was gorgeous but a bit disjointed overall.
Haven’t had a chance to listen to the new Cornwalls though. Am very curious about how they compare to the Kanta 2s or even the Sopra?
@craigjacoby I actually communicated with upscale on Saturday. I was told there was no need to even upgrade tubes to run my Kanta's. Inwas told EL34's can run them no problem and I will only need to upgrade to kt88, 120, 150's if I desired. But some of these comments are giving me pause as to power requirements. The Evo 400 will most certainly work with the Kanta's, but is there enough power to get the full experience with headroom? This is my new concern and can't thank the posts calling this out.
@j-wall I actually held out for the slate/gray as well and I think their one of the best looking speakers in this price point. On the EVO400, I would honestly call up Upscale Audio and get their two cents. This is where I bought my Kantas and based on the email I got from them this past weekend around their push of the PrimaLuna product line, I think they could really speak to your concerns to make sure you aren’t going to have an underpowered configuration. Good luck!
This was the color my wife liked best for our living room and got the okay so I picked up a pair. Got lucky that this actually goes best with the colors in the room. I auditioned them about 3 months ago at a local shop. Was impressed but then Covid hit and put it on the back burner. But at this price and being told to “just buy them” after looking at the website for the last couple of weeks I said what the hell.
J-wall, you're finding out that one significant upgrade tends to lead to yet another upgrade. It's an expensive hobby, but well worth it.
The Kanta 2's have only been out for two years; so, it seems a little early for a redo. However, discounting the slowest selling color combos does make a lot of sense. Best of luck!
@curlyhifi @craigjacoby Do you think it will be an issue or will I be severely underpowering them? I asked a dealer the same question and he mentioned the EL34'S have enough output and he didn't think I needed to move up to KT88 or even KT150'S unless I wanted to. I do have some pause as recommend amp power ranges from 40-300 watts on Focal's website (I'm assuming per speaker). The Evo 400 integrated is only putting out 70 watts or channel, so i can assume some sort of headroom issue and if it can be solved moving up to bigger tubes.
@J-Wall - Just my two cents but I've owned the Kanta 2's for about a year and absolutely love them. I'll tell you I did originally pair them with a Sigma 2200i which sounded great but the Sigma had electronic issues within the first month. As the Sigma is no longer manufactured, I decided to go to a MA5300 (I had physical space constraints so couldn't do the 7200 without fears of overheating) and was really disappointed by the lack of headroom. Upgraded to the Hegel 590 and have been happy as hell. I can appreciate this might be a big jump cost but would say I personally noticed a big difference with more power.
It will be for sure a great update. As a previous owner of couple of Focal speakers, including Mezzo Utopia, I would say you should consider Naim amplification to get the best out of these nice speakers.
Hey hey guys! The deal of a lifetime only comes along once a week. If $5,600 is the new retail and yes I saw the same ad, then my target purchase price would be $3,000. Too low you say, not in 6-12 months.
These are very sexy looking, revealing sounding speakers. Two friends own them. I like them best with the Hegel 590.
My only criticism of them is a slightly disjointed sound I experience. Like each driver is a separate speaker. Hard for me to put into words.
Of course no speaker is perfect. Just the pleasure of looking at them is enough to justify a purchase.
@b_limo that's exactly where I'm at. My only pause is to hold off to see the darker charcoal/slate color is person. I've honestly gone through a major expansion in the past year going from a AT LP60 and a sound bar to a Rega P2, Rega Elex-R and the Kef's. I now own a Clearaudio Concept Wood with the Carbon Fiber Tonearm and Hana EH cartridge, Musical Surroundings Nova III and my PL Evo 400 integrated. All three have been purchased within the last 6 months. I've been excited to continue moving forward, but I might need to stop and smell the roses and enjoy where I'm at rather than constantly looking forward for more. It's not unreasonable to be looking for more, it's just exciting. This all started a few weeks ago looking to upgrade to a separate linear power supply for my Nova III phonostage.
J-wall, I agree with your girlfriend. These are your dream speakers right now, hold out for a color that you love. Don’t buy speakers that you love the looks of and then compromise on the looks.
If it takes a few months to find the color you want and at a fair price, wait. Make a list of your favorite colors. Decide what you are willing to pay and be ready to jump on the deal the second you see it. Waiting for a few months if need be gives your girlfriend time to settle into it as well. Let her be a part of the process too and ask her what her favorite color choices are.
@alucard19 please by my guest. I discussed with my better half and she has chosen to ignore me when discussing the warm taupe color and our wall color to see if it will work together. I may be missing the deal of the century for my side of the bed. Hah!
I just looked and they are still on sale for the Taupe color at $5,600.00 on TMR.You better snatch them up before someone else here on Agon does, (hint, hint).
I have the PL HP, and have heard it with the Kanta 2's many times.
They will be a significant upgrade to your $1500 Kef's. Enough to be done with speakers for awhile.
The Evo 400 will handle them with no problem. Take the time to optimize their positioning in the room-get them out in the room away from the walls, along with room treatment to really appreciate hear how good they are.
@theo I definitely will. The Kanta 2's are in a major league ahead of my Kef's so I'm also interested in how they will compare. If I pull the trigger I will definitely give some thoughts on them. I just purchased my PL Evo 400 integrated a few weeks ago and the GF is just starting to talk to me again so I'll be leaning on the forum for moral support.
J-wall, let us know how you like them. I heard them the year they were introduced at RMAF then the 3’s. I really wanted the Sopra 2’s and was ready to buy when they bumped them $4K and I need center and rears so about $6k for the package, and back to ground zero. I do plan to go hear Kanta 2 again at a store. Unfortunately The Music Room doesn’t offer any opportunity to hear before you buy. So I need to find time to go listen at another dealer. Let us know once you get them broken in what your thoughts are.
Unfortunately, I could not find the reference to the $6k Kanta 2 sale. This was actually the second time I had seen such a sale in the past 12 months. It looks like they have a 15% off sale now. It also looks like Focal has periodic sales, like Paradigm.
@mikemeeks this is what I was hoping for. I'm honestly looking for something very neutral. I listen to some music genres that tend to have poorer recordings so that fact that I'd still be able to enjoy is awesome.
@yyzsantabarbara thanks! Definitely interested in what you find. GF is not going to be happy, but I will.
I have a pair of Kanta No. 2s, and really like them. I drive them with a Levinson 585 and find them to be a pretty neutral speaker. Neither bright nor overly warm. They are revealing - the difference between and good recording and a bad one is quite obvious. But unlike some speakers I have heard, you can still listen to poor recordings and enjoy them, which was a pretty important criteria to me. As for the bass, I also have a pair of REL S5/SHO subs, so I can’t really say how the low end sounds with just the Kantas.
Hey @ozzy. I'd have to take out a mortgage to afford those sopra 2's! Do you know the pre/amp that was running the Kanta 2's? I can image what you mean about cranking music, but even so, I'd imagine it would be a massive improvement coming from a $1,700 pair of Kef's to the Kanta 2's. I'm sure I'd be able to find some flaws, but the massive improvements I'm sure would be there. And cranked music, that's how I listen.
When I auditioned the Kanta 2 ( I was comparing them to the Magico A3 ) I thought it had a beautiful sound and appearance. But when I asked the salesman to crank them up while playing some CCR music the bass sounded over taxed, flat, and boomy. So, I guess it depends on the music you enjoy and the volume you prefer. BTW, I ended up buying Sopra 2’s.
@mofojo that's what I noticed. Ohms run from 8 nominal, but drop to 3.1. Why would a speaker manufacturer have a design with such big ohm movements? Also, would these be run on a 4 ohm tap instead of the 8 ohm since they speakers get down to 3.1?
Tubes can sound bright if powering speakers with an unflat impedance curve meaning the resistance or ohms changes a lot over the frequencies. May be just fine, I would just keep my ear out for it.
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