@onehorsepony - I think if you don't like the sound of the D2's, you probably won't like the D4's any more. I would not describe the 802 D2s as bright - I owned a pair for a few years. However, they do have a slightly "processed" sound and, if anything, the D4's sound like D2s on steroids i.e. more of the "B&W" sound. But there is a wide selection of speakers in the 802's price range, so I would certainly try to broaden the search beyond Focal. Also, before you make a final decision, it is worth considering listening to an alternative preamp and/or CD player - just to be sure.
Focal Sopra, Kanta, Aria
I’m confused. I’ve been in the market to replace my B&W 802D speakers. I’ve had them for 10 years and finally cannot take the brightness of them anymore. I’ve replaced amps, preamps, cables, sources, and yet the fundamental brightness is there, fatiguing me after only 1-hour of listening.
I auditioned the Focal Sopra 3 which I am told are not as bright and more musical. LIstened to them a few times, and honestly felt that they were also on the bright side similar to the B&W’s.
Another time I listened to the Focal Kanta 3 speaker. Like the Sopra it also has the Beryllium tweeter. Yet the one time I listened to these, they didn’t seem as bright.
Anyway, recently a friend of mine was in the process of moving, and I stored his Focal Aria 936 speakers at my home. I decided to hook them up to my electronics in my listening room just out of curiosity.
What I found were loudspeakers that were not bright (non beryllium tweeter), a warmer sound, probably due to a better mid-bass then the big 802’s. The extreme resolution was not there, and the midrange seemed congested at times. Yet, I found I could listen and enjoy these speakers for hours at a time. Bad recordings sounded good, and great recordings sounded, well, good also. Speaker placement made minimal difference.
My questions is at what is the sweet spot for Focal speakers. The point where they sound wonderful with extended listening, vs the point where they become a finicky pain in the ass to live with (aka 802D).
I was expecting to spend around an equal amount of money as the 802’s as a starting point, now I’m not so sure if I need to.
Thanks in advance for everyone’s input…