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How to make the Focal Kanta No. 2 speakers sing?

Hi!

My first post here and I would like to hear your thoughts and tips for "warming up" my Focal Kanta 2 speakers.

 

TLDR

The sound from my Focal Kanta 2 speakers in my room is a bit shouty, bright and thin sounding, clearly lacking level and emotion in the lower mid range. Bass is good, quick and quite deep though.

Any tips for getting more "vocal warmth" into the system? Tube preamp, Dirac, ...? I see that many use old school power hungry amps that can heat your house during winter to drive Focal speakers. Is that really needed or can I get away with a modern amp that doesn’t cost a fortune.

 

More in depth information

In my living room (5.3 x 4.1 x 2.4m) I have a setup with both 2 channel and a multi channel setup. They share the same front speakers and front speaker amp.

2 channel setup:

 

5.2 channel setup:

 

I focus mainly on the two channel setup here. Multichannel is used quite much also for streaming movies, but is ok.

So the main issue for me is that the sound in in the two channel setup is thin sounding with mids clearly lacking in the lower end. It can be fatiguing to listen for a few hours. Bass though is enjoyable, fast and fairly deep.

Earlier I had the Focal Aria 936 speakers as front speakers in the same room (connected to the Yamaha AVR at that time). I liked them but wanted to upgrade to the next level after a few years 😄 The Arias were more forgiving than the Kantas, had more enjoyable warmth in the mids and were a bit rolled off in the top compared to the Kantas. Not fatiguing at all. But everything else the Kantas do better.

I have also had some other speakers, up to half Kanta price range, in the same room where all have had fuller mids and a more forgiving sound: Dynaudio, Totem and Triangle floor standers as well as Buchardt and my really old B&W 602s3 (super full mids but super rolled off in the top) stand speakers. The Kantas are different animals to all these and seem to require the a more delicate and correct chain of components to perform.

I have messed around with speaker positioning quite a lot. It’s mainly the bass region that is affected. Mids not very much.

Options I’m considering:

  • Upgrading the Yamaha AVR to a Marantz Cinema 50 for example to get Dirac room tuning, and run the 2 channel system through this also. The quality of the Marantz might not be the best here to use as a 2 channel pre amp/processor.
  • Use a dedicated pre amp for the 2 channel system. Budget up to 2000€. Not sure what to look for? Used equipment is fine.
  • Tubes? Never really listened to tubes but from what I understand you generally get a more warm sound from them. Tube preamp? Not very modern but might do the trick. Schiit Freya + seems to be within the budget range for example.
  • Other 2 channel amplifier. As mentioned I have tried to avoid the nuclear power plants of amps. I see people recommending amps from manufacturers like Musical Fidelity, Sim Audio, McIntosh, Accuphase etc. But these are really costly and I feel they generally belong in an older age that we are moving away from. But it might be what is needed, I don’t know, haven’t really heard them play.
  • Treat the room more. I have a big sofa, a really big carpet and a few acoustic panels in the room (no real science behind them now). The room in itself is a bit "bright" so here I can make a better effort of course, regardless of other taken measures.
  • Get other speakers. I can also just face it that the Kantas are what they are, sounding thin in the midrange and lacking emotion in voices. Getting other speakers might be the easiest upgrade. But it’s not that easy to find and test speakers in your room either...

 

Long story. Any recommendations?

Thanks!

donald_dac
kennymacc
389 posts
 

Tube amp and tube preamp!!!

mm1tt77
154 posts
 

Hybrid81, I had the Electra’s as well.  What people are likely referring to is the Electra’s 1028’s and 1038’s truly had trickle down design, materials from the top of the Focal’s, the BE Tweeter, the woofer design and materials were found in the speaker lines above the Electra.  When Focal fazed the Electra’s out and introduced the Kantas that was no longer the case.  The Kanta’s are great speakers made with fantastic materials, fit, finish and engineering but you aren’t as close to the models above the Kanta’s as you were with the Electra’s.  
 

Riie, I agree, I ended up going in a different direction, couldn’t take the tweeters in the Focal BE tweeters.  

niodari's avatar
niodari
300 posts
 

I also find the newer generation JM Lab Focal speakers bright and thin especially in lower midrange.  To me, the price range focal now suggests for their speakers is quite exaggerated compared to the sound quality they give.  

soix
9,456 posts
 

BTW, soix can be a bruising combatant—I’ve been on the receiving end—but he is an experienced listener with informed viewpoints. It’s usually beneficial when he rings in.

@aquint Heh heh. Thanks, I think. FWIW I think you’re one of the best pure writers in the audio biz and am always impressed with (and, if I’m being honest, a bit jealous of) your writing talent. Really enjoyed your video review of the BACCH tech BTW — supremely interesting stuff that. I’m frankly afraid to try it for fear of being wrecked for life as an audiophile. It seems almost that big from what you and others have said. Not to sidetrack this, but what say you on that?

speedthrills
160 posts
 

I had similar issues when I upgraded from Focal 1038BE to Sopra 2. The 1038's were pretty good, really musical, forgiving and likable. The Sopra 2 were anything but. They were etched, cold, analytical and not at all musical. I almost hated them and could never get them to sound remotely as good as the 1038- and I was running them on a Pass 250.8 amp and other unquestionably good, musical electronics. After a year I sold the Sopras thankfully and got into Harbeth which were great. Unfortunately I think the issue is the speaker in your case - and- your electronics are not an ideal match for an already etched, thin and analytical speaker. 

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