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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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dcevans
178 posts
 

I would not buy the Kanta without listening to them first. I love my Focal 1007 Be standmount speakers, so much so that I bought them back from the friend I sold them to.  I have listened to the Kanta 2 with ARC (Audio Research) gear, and was underwhelmed. Maybe it was the ARC gear that was too solid state or cold sounding to me, but I remember wondering where the bass was at. Quite anemic in this regard. You would likely want to buy 2 subs.  Sopras are amazing, would likely be an end game speaker for me. I think used Focal 1028 Be would be a great buy, and something that would show improvement with nicer electronics down the road if you choose to upgrade. My 2 cents 

crouse99
44 posts
 

The 936 don't have beryllium tweeters.  I know because I had a pair and had to replace the tweeters.  Damage was from user stupidity, not a problem with delicate tweeters.  Anyhow, they are powerful sounding speakers that are very dynamic.  I moved on to something else, but if you like the sound I recommend them.  I've never heard the Kanta line.

dcevans
178 posts
 

It would be interesting to compare Kanta 2 with 2 REL T7x subs versus Sopra 2s — I suspect it would be pretty damn close to what you get for the 20K Sopras. 

jbuhl's avatar
jbuhl
907 posts
 

I have the 926 powered by a Quad Artera. I demoed Sonus Faber and Quad S-5 side by side in my room and neither was able to nock the 926 from their perch. Although I really loved the imaging on the Quads.

926 sensitive to placement and mine have a sweet spot at lower volume but can sound a bit hard at higher volume but i attribute that to a few bare wall spots in my room.

 

 

suboost OP
22 posts
 

Thanks for all the help from everyone! I'm going to go with the Aria 936 and I'm just looking for the best integrated amp now. Definitely intrigued by the tube amps, but I've never heard one before.

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