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
@mofojo When you say the Focals are not as "dynamic," what do you mean?  Does this relate to distortion, ability to play loud, ability to play both loud and soft, or something else?  I'm sure this is a very entry-level question, but I'm an entry-level guy when it comes to speakers so I don't have much of an experience base to work from.
I have the 948’s and they can be bright. Equipment and cables are factors that can help with that. I recently bought some cables from Blue Jeans Cables to replace my more expensive cables and my 948’s sound way better. You need to have them away from the wall. Mine are 2+ feet closer to 3 from the wall. With a 200 watt amp you should be fine to drive them. 
I can’t speak to all the speakers listed but I have the Aria  948 and love them. They do take some time to break in and are temperamental about the placement. They perform double duty they work for stereo listening as well as part of my home theater and do both very well. I do have two subs one that’s more musical and one for movies I think for  home theater applications you would need a sub for almost any speaker anyway. Somebody said they don’t sound good at lower volumes I wouldn’t say they don’t sound good but they sound amazing when they’re pushed. I’m using a pass Lab’s X 150 D rated 150 W per channel. I got mine brand new a year ago during a Black Friday sale for approximately 2700 per pair. If you look hard enough and wait a little bit you should at least be able to do  better than 3500. Maybe possibly find some used. 
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. 
Focals are great speakers and you may be done with search. However, you may check with Crutchfield if they have a pair of Revels in their showroom. It is not exactly in Richmond, but it may be worth it, even just so you can say you tried.

Crutchfield's room was not the ideal one but, at the time I visited, they said they were upgrading it. It was more than a year ago. Give them a call and it may be a nice family outing. Your wife may want to check it out. No leather, though.