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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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j-wall's avatar
j-wall
369 posts
 

I owned the Aria 936's for about 9 months and never warned up to them. I always felt the tweeter was disconnected from the rest of the drivers and they didn't disperse evenly and together. I moved up to the Electra 1028 and absolutely loved them. I considered the Kanta but got a better deal on the Electras. I would go back to the Electras in a heartbeat much better speaker. The prices for the 936 are getting out of hand. I got a deal on the 936 brand new for under $3k just two years ago. You might find better value elsewhere. 

chocaholic
207 posts
 

I bought a pair of used Aria 936’s and run them with a PrimaLuna HP integrated and am consistently thrilled with their SQ. The PL has no issue with impedance load in Ultralinear (70w) or triode (40w as I recall).

If they are within your budget I think you will be quite happy for many years as you continue to upgrade your system. Unless the additional cost of the Kantas are of no consequence, I think the Aria’s will be hard to beat. Financial strain is no fun these days. Choose wisely.

dcevans
180 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
180 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. 

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