@kota1 So we have curtains up. That picture was taken with the curtains sitting in that chair on the far left, because we had just installed new window trim. So I can close them anytime I'm listening to music if it makes a difference. Thanks for all the help. I'll look into the audyssey upgrade. Does the mic that came with the marantz suffice or do I need a better one?
Looking for Advice on Focal Speakers
Hey everyone, so currently I have a 9.1 Klipsch RP system. I’m looking to upgrade big time with new towers and a center channel. I was able to audition some Focal 936s last week and was really impressed. The store offered me a pretty good deal on them and also a good deal on the Kantas which I love the look of, but haven’t been able to audition them. Are they worth slightly over double the price? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
These will be used in a living room, open floor plan. I have a Marantz Receiver and a Parasound Halo for the tower speakers. I am mostly upgrading for music listening, but of course I would also appreciate the extra quality for movies/tv.
I’m drawn to focal for the aesthetics and sound quality. I also like Sonus Faber but all of their speakers have leather on them which is a non starter for me. I only mention these so you can get an idea of the style I like. I dislike the more futuristic plastic looking speakers out there. I’m open to suggestions. I did audition some Paradigms and I did not like them (too bright for me).
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Next you have the acoustic unfriendly windows on the left, maybe some curtains? These rec’s are for any speakers you own. Finally I would get the audyssey upgrade through the microsoft store (read the review I posted) and the calibrated mic needed through amazon. Run the calibration after you get the speakers at the dolby recommended angles and maybe some drapes or curtains. Look at the room reponse I got in my profile, flat, using this same process/ I addressed my window problem a little differently, but curtains will at least help. |
OK, the pic is very helpful. The first thing is getting your listening position at the proper angle to the speakers. Dolby recommends a 22 to 30 degree angle to the front L and R speakers to the MLP. This would require you bringing the sofa toward the speakers or moving the speakers wider, or a combination. See this link:
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As an owner of Focal 836v speakers, I think you'll be more than satisfied with the newer Focal 936 and will find that you'll have a lot of untapped potential with the rest of your setup. I used mine for a long time with an Integra 50.1 receiver and have since shifted to a Pathos Classic One Mkiii. My dream would be the Pathos sound with a home theater bypass option since I still have the speakers connected to the Integra with an amplifier switch for home theater type use. I'm sure the Katas would be amazing, but you'd really want to upgrade everything around them at a level that's well above your current setup. If you're goal is to spend the kind of money that a speaker like the Kantas deserves and they are a good deal, then it might be the time to make the jump, but I doubt it. |
@bigtwin Yea I've been looking, but I was able to get the dealer down to $4500 for the pair of Aria 936. It seems like the used pricing is right about $4000 including shipping. The Kantas though definitely seem to drop more used, but still about $8000 shipped and I can get them new for about $9000. I made a few offers on some used sets for maybe another grand off, but never got any takers. |
Not sure what you mean with the AVR pre vs integrated. Basically everything is run through the Marantz and then I have the marantz hooked to the Halo and then the speaker wires from the halo going to the towers. Sorry for my confusion on this.
@kota1 : Here is a pic of the room if that helps. Right behind the photographer in this pic would be a large island and kitchen. The living room is 16’ Wide and we sit about 12’ from the speakers I don’t know anything about frequency response, but I’m not sure what I can change exactly since it’s our living room. There’s no way I can put up acoustic panels or any treatment. |
@suboost My only advise is shop the used market. The Focals come up often and you can expect to pay 1/2 the list price for a pair in "like new" condition that are 1 - 2 years old. I speak from experience. Buy at the right price and you will be able to move them along at little to no loss if you decide to make changes down the road. |
I found the 936's Be tweeter too bright. I love my Ascend Acoustics towers because the RAAL tweeter is (a) not at the top of the speaker and this helps with first reflections from my ceiling and (b) the dispersion is kinder and gentler. I think the Ascends are a great value -- engineer lead, smaller US based company. FWIW. (Here's decent amateur review of these two speakers with great pictures.) |
OP, you need to address the open floor plan as well as addressing your speakers. Have you taken measurements of your in room frequency response yet? Can you post your system, pics, and your measurements in your virtual system in your profile (see mine for an example). I would not spend a nickel on speakers until you get the frequency response of your current setup as flat as possible. I also use a Marantz processor and the new paid upgrade of Audyssey is a huge improvement over the one that comes with the unit. Don’t buy new speakers until you get the upgrade (and a calibrated mic) with your current system:
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One man's opinion and you can take it with a grain of salt. If you mean you have a Halo power amp going through an AVR pre then I would look to upgrade to an integrated that does HT bypass and stick with Aria (i'm assuming some sort of budget). If you mean you have the Halo integrated then I'd say you are good. Interesting that you say Paradigm is bright considering that's what many say about Focal (not me, I love them). I thought Aria was great value, didn't fall for Kanta nearly as much and Sopra made my heart skip a beat. |