Focal Aria 926 stereo speakers review (can sound harsh if not using right equipment to drive it)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- My impression on the focal Aria 926.Btw, i was wrong, the focal kanta now uses flax woofers too. Smaller than the 948 but still very good.
There will be a 2nd part where I go into more details what I did with the speakers. Focal are very bright, so careful equipment matching is needed else it sounds harsh. You can get them to sound smooth with the right equipment.
Great speaker, lots of detail, clarity, fast & light bass, good imaging and very refined sound. Need to put in a lot of effort to get it sounding good.
My final setup was
Accuphase c222
Accuphase P266
Exasound E28
Van del hul hybrid interconnects
Signal cable or Yter speaker cables are fine
Marantz TT15
Audio Vocabulary
www.head-fi.or...
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I have the Focal 926's with a Adcom 555 and a NAD 658 DAC BlueOS. I had 30 days to try them out in my room. It took several hours to get the position where it should be. It has a great sound stage, the treble was not harsh at all. It blends very nicely with the mids and it has a smooth sound. The mid detail is wonderful and it brings things out very nicely. The low end is there and it blends with the mids and high's. Overall its a wonderful speaker. Another good thing to remember is Focal makes everything at their facility in France. Its not off the shelf equipment that multiple company's use. They also look beautiful. These Focals have a smooth sound and its not clinical. The bass was a little disappointing initially. However after a couple of weeks, the bass opened up and it has a bigger low end sound. I really liked these speakers.
I know very little about speakers, but I needed to get some and read a lot of good things about Focal so I went for these. I just hooked them up to my regular home theater receiver and I think they sound fantastic. I don’t know if I’m really missing out by not hooking it up to some high end amps, but to me it sounds beautiful just hooked up to a basic receiver
I have a set of Focal 6.5in flax speakers and tweeters in my car and I love them. My pioneer amp does a pretty good job powering them.
Good video and I agree. I myself am a big fan of Focal and only run with them. I love them their purity and detail. I run them with vintage amplifiers and the sound is outstanding. Pure analogue amplifier. Thinks their high, mid-high is a bit unique. Instrument rendering is amazing. I enjoy every time I listen to them. Vintage amplifier in combination with vintage turntables and I am in heaven. Blues and jazz are so realistic. 1 up from me.
I never tried vintage gear with the focal but I can see they can be a very good match.
I have some Aria 926s and I think they’re great. I was listening to a DG recording of Rachmaninov 2 today and I could hear the decay on bass notes (where the pianist held the notes) on the piano even in the busy sound of a full orchestra. I have a XTZ 12 EDGE sub which only adds depth and solidity. Well worth the money.
I have these speakers paired with a Naim Uniti 2 and they sound amazing. Fantastic bass and super clear high end, however can occasionally sound bright with certain music compositions and recordings at very high volume levels
Spot on! It's the guitar instrument why I love it! As a musician, this speaker sounds like a real guitar, focal arias sound like live 'Instruments'
Yes, instrument has texture with the 926.
Excellent to hear about textures. That’s exactly why I ordered the Focal Aria 948s to pair with my Pass Labs X250 or my Parasound Halo A21. Hopefully at least one of those amps will be a great match.
I bought a pair of Aria 926 and a pair of 906, they do not disappoint! Here’s a side note, focal made a lot of components for live sound speakers, example L’Acoustics- also a French company. They are in the top 3 in the world with touring sound. When I first heard them a few years ago i realized it was the same sound I’m used to in live shows. I did an RTA test to verify what I was hearing and they are flat or reference above 120hz. Below that they boost the lower frequencies down to about 50hz. I did an experiment with 10awg speaker wired vs a quad 12awg speaker wire ofc. and believe it or not, I heard the difference. in pro audio we use heavier gauge speaker wires for the larger components and generally keep the cable runs as short as possible. makes all the difference. using good speaker wires is not a hoax. Makes or breaks a speaker! cheers !!
Rafael, I also have the same speakers as you 926 + 906 as well as matching center and surround speakers from focal aria lime. What amp are you using?
IronCan88 I was running them with a Yamaha RX A3080, but switched to marantz av7005 preamp along with a Wyred4Sound stereo amp for the 926 and for the 906 and center I’m using 2 crown xls amps . Sounds amazing
I found that the Yamaha made the mid bass too apparent. I’m not sure why that is. The Class D Icepower asp500 does justice to the 926. Sounds more natural.
@@myadventures8 thank you for the detailed reply. I am using Pioneer Elite SC-91. While it's sufficient for movies, my friend tells me I should get a HiFi grade amp for music, so I plan to get a Hegel H390 just for music and continue using Pioneer for movies. I am glad to know the Yamaha isn't a good match...I almost wanted to buy that one to replace my pioneer due to great online reviews. I need to save money for Hegel first, then next I hope to replace the 926 with a pair of wilson Yvette (my dream speaker)......That will be many years later I think.
@@myadventures8 by he way, since my pioneer doesn't have predict, I guess I won't have ability to add an amp between my amp and the center channel right? Or is it possible? (Ctr Speaker out to amp and amp to ctr speaker terminal?). Thank you.
IronCan88 kinda stuck there. These 926 needs a good class d amp, they are precisely engineered. there’s no Pre-our either, need a different amp with a bit more, moving forward.
Dear Thomas, you described it perfectly. Their base is light, not thin. Perfect description. They sound amazing with my Arcam Solo Music (20wpc Class-A). Best regards from Munich.
Very nice! Glad you are enjoying it.
I added a RELt5i sub for about $500 and greatly improved the bottom end while opening up the mid range and further smoothing of the top end. definitely improved the speakers.
Hi Tomas,
i found your reviews very honest and true.
After watching this i found that Focal Aria tend to sound harsh, i have Aria 906 paired with Roksan K3 integrated, they tend to sound harsh sometimes in upper midd range, around 3khz.
I kinda solved problem with wool felt in square around tweeter, just 4mm thick, but it helps to lower the diffraction from tweeter.
If you look closely u can see that Aria range have tweeter slightly pushed into speaker, in eliptical shaped "slot" and it act like some kind or horn speakers, so in my opinion thats not a good thing, and tend to sound harsh because of that "horn" design..
When u lower diffraction with woolen felt its much, much more enjoyable to listen, almost perfect.
If u have the time you can try that, for me it's was a saver :)
And keep up the god work :)
Thanks for the compliment and sharing your experience.
That reminds me of the Elac 249, it actually comes with a foam kit to put around the tweeter to reduce brightness.
Another trick is to tilt the speakers up. You also get more bass that way because the bass drive is pointing at you by racking the speaker upwards.
I just got the focal dome 5.1 pack with the Denon x4400h and my initial reaction after the audyssey x32 system setup was complete was that it was very harsh! The audyssey greatly reduced all mid bass while jacking up is 62 Hertz and second to highest frequency in the EQ. At first I tried to compensate The sound by using all of the software features like dynamic EQ and dynamic volume but this made the imaging sound compressed and didn't remove enough of the harshness. So I turned off the Audissey and the software features and went to the EQ and made the 120 hertz even with the 62hz which married the sub and the sats and then dropping the highs I got it to sound a lot better. Then after the break-in period which was perhaps the most critical thing I then noticed that I could simply turn off all EQ stuff, and presto all the harshness was gone and the system sounds wonderful. In short try turn off all EQ, send flat direct signal for an even breaking in of the speakers and respect and anticipate all the great sound to come after the MINIMUM 30-hour break in period! I can literally say that between the new speakers and the new amp things are sounding better everyday and I am absolutely certain there is no placebo going on my ears were hurting and now they feel like they're getting a massage. Very happy with focal now.
Congrats. I always wanted to try the focal dome. I actually almost bought it myself.
I have got those speakers and driving them with Plinius 9100 , sounds Amazing especially on guitar as you said
Fantastic review. Congratulations and thank you!
You mention that focal needs a smooth amp but their new range are designed on the back of Naim amps. That’s what I’m running my sopras on and the synergy is perfect. At least to my ears. I’d say Macintosh would be great on the older Focals, but the company have made them so much sweeter and richer since teaming up with Naim. I heard the Focals at Bristol show on 272/ 250DR Naim and it was like a live performance. So good I put in an order for them.
Its good that you share this info and it would make a lot of sense. I wonder how do the focal pair with NAIM older gear before the take over. If you have any experience, please share as there was another person who asked the question and he had NAIM gear but I think the older one.
Thomas & Stereo - I had a Naim Nova a while back and it was not full sounding on the sopras. A pleasant sound but sort of ticking over rather than wowing me the way the 250DR did. I returned it. I know it would of got better if I’d let it run in a few months but I could tell the sopras wanted more. It had more detail and tighter bass than the NAD masters AV pre pro but lacked the upper midrange and cohesion of the NAD. So too sideways for me. So I’ve spent stupid money on a Naim 272/250 DR to go with a 555p power supply and CDS3. About £18,000 as opposed to the £4000 Nova. Just so I can get the most out of the sopras. That’s the problem with getting expensive speakers they are snobby and frown on anything not up to par. I can’t afford the v serious amps to go with them and so it’s crippled me financially. I’ve never tried older olive Naim with sopras. I know the new stuff is voiced as more neutral than their older stuff. Both Focal and Naim have calmed their top end down quite a bit and for me that’s a wise move as I was never a fan of Focal. Too bright. When I heard the sopras I was expecting thin and ear bleeding and I was gob smacked. Finally they’ve made something musical lol
My goodness, that is quite a bit of investment you have there. I have friends who have systems that cost almost more than my house so I know how incredible high-end systems can sound. If I can do it, I would too. Congrats on owning what I would consider a dream system and your comment will be helpful to many who are looking at Sopra and Naim combo.
I get mine next week. Very long time to wait for the toy
Lovely review, I share most of your opinions. Very good speaker when the setup and matching is correct.
Naim (Their partner company) pairs great despite not being a warm sounding amplifier
Hi Thomas, It’s Kasun from Saudi Arabia. I’m following your channel for sometime now and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much for all your own practical, realistic and unbiased feedback which truly helps me to develop my passion for the Hi-fi. I was in to Hi-fi in early 2000 but it’s high time for me to catch-up after 2 decades where I hope you could give me some feedback for the following if possible.
I’m thinking of upgrading my equipments but I’m struggling whether to go ahead with Focal 936 or 948 or Tekton DI. The integrated amp I’m thinking of is Hegel H390. My favorite music are Jazz, Bules and R&B.
Hope to hear from you at your convenience and have a wonderful rest of the day ahead Thomas.
BR
Kk
Thanks, but you are looking at 2 completely different sound. One is ultra detail (Focal) while the other one is not about that. Check out my video on what speaker to buy.
The Focal Aria 926 is NOT a bright or harsh sounding speakers in my experience. It's actually on a neutral side with a touch of warmth. Bass is tight and punchy. It has a natural and rich midrange presence. Vocals are clear, pronounced and intelligible. Treble is smooth and clean with just enough top end extension that makes the sound engaging, lively and insightful. I've had bright speakers before that distracts me from sibilance, cymbals and hi hats sound that I needed to reach the tone control. This one is far from it. I'm paring it with a simple system that includes Marantz PM7000N and Audio Quest Rocket 22 cables.
I can tell.you that with the right room and amp the soundstage is amazing and full body Rich and clear and cleaning and natural. And more and more I freak on these and I am still in running stage . Paired with a moon 250i and power amp parasound 2125v2 and RME adi 2 dac. Love them. Thanks for you review.
Thanks, I actually have the 936v now and I have fully treated my room, just need to find some time to make a video on the 936v.
@@ThomasAndStereo u mean the Aria 936? if yes please make a video on them, would love a comparison between 936 & 926. Thanks.
@@berj79 Yes, I had the Aria 936 and 926. I will probably mentioned them in my Kanta vs Sopra2 video.
@@ThomasAndStereo 936 is much better speaker then the 926?
Hi Tom, nice review. I listened to a pair of 926 recently and also felt this lack of bass you described. Have you tried the 936? Would they sound "fuller"? Cheers
Yes the 936 is much better and I did buy a pair of 936.
Very informative review. You mention how well these sound with guitar. I listen to lots of acoustic guitar music. Especially classical guitar and lute. These may be worth the effort for my application. I have two different amps to try. I have a Schiit Ragnarok which is actually my headphone amp for my Senn HD800s but also has a smooth refined sound that really makes my 88db Paradigms sing. Also have NAD separates with 225wpc that is somewhat warm (thicker than neutral bass) sounding with highs that are detailed yet non fatiguing. I can also use the balanced preamp outputs of my Ragnarok and feed my 225wpc NAD which has balanced inputs. I think this actually may sound better than my NAD preamp.
How do these sound paired with the NAD? I have the NAD C368 intergrated and NAD C268 Power Amp in Bridge Mode
Nice choice. Can't go wrong with Focal! The Aria series are being discontinued....
I bought these speakers today and will be using them with native bit perfect USB audio player Pro / Qobuz software with as few circuits as possible. Tube DAC CD player that also acts as a Pre, Synthesis Roma 14DC +, rca from 280 € Diapason Reference dual mono class A 200watt in 8 ohms, handcrafted speaker cables, stop.
Hello, I enjoy your videos and the insights that you provide. I recently came across these speakers for sale and was considering purchasing them. I'm currently using a Marantz SR 5014
AVR. But after your review, now hesitant to buy them. I assume the Marantz would be OK due to their warmer sound. But wanted to ask you for your opinion. Thanks.
I have no idea but I don't think the Sr5014 will bring out the full potential or these speakers. I did make a video talking about getting good amps.
th-cam.com/video/02hS6IAFgg4/w-d-xo.html
Sorry, I'm very late on this but just wondering whether you are familiar with the Yamaha AS1100 and your opinions on how do you think it would pair with the Focal Aria 926 and what cables would you suggest? Many many thanks
I never heard the Yamaha AS1100 so I don't know it's sound signature. These speaker best pair with warm sounding amps that has enough power to bring the bass out. For interconnects, I use transparent super and YBA diamond cable with these speakers. There are many solutions out there that would work as well and way cheaper.
Man I need some nice accuphase gear, I think they are a great pairing with just about any Focal, bring out the best!
Wonder if this speaker could fit with my Sugden A21se wich is a pure class A amp with only 40 wpc ?
My system is Sopra 3 and mc611 & c2700 McIntosh but thinking of the 926 for the home theater. What do you think?
Thomas,
My preamp/processor is a Marantz AV7706 11.2. It's said to have an excellent DAC chip on board.
You make good videos. Do you recommend a class A amp for these? Could those be driven with a class D amp and make decent sound? I.e. could these be paired with a decent AV receiver played in stereo mode, even if not ideal?
It's not the class that is important rather you have to find an amp that is not bright. The warmer the better.
Thanks for the review, it is very insightful! Just wonder do you have 936 or 948 review?
Did you ever get a chance to compare the 926 with the 936? Would you recommend a Marantz amp or a Parasound Halo/Hint 6 to go with these?
I never heard the 936 so no idea. I actually never owned a Marantz amp or a Parasound so it would not know if they will match together.
The parasounds sound great on the 826v series, thou not sure how it compares with the 900 series
Hi Thomas great review. Do you think those speakers woul work well with Denon DRA800H?
Thanks, sorry, never heard the Denon.
Tempted to try Focal after seeing your videos. How would you compare the Aria 926 with the older JMLabs Electra 926? Or older Focal speakers in general. Thanks
Sorry, have not heard the old ones.
Thomas thanks for the videos! I was considering the Focal Aria for 2.1 playback, but after watching your review I'm now a little worried that they may sound harsh with my Cambridge Audio CXA80. Any recommendations for 2 channel listening at around $3000? I already have subs so they don't have to have the best bass. I'm finally ready to upgrade from my Wharfedale Diamond 225s which are only $400 speakers. The Wharfedale's are very smooth and non fatiguing which is important to me, but they lack detail and soundstage. I haven't been able to hear the Focal, but I do remember hearing the Sonus Faber Venere and really liking the sound.
akaZimba roksan caspian or cyrus amp work fine with focal
I have the D225 too. If you like that kind of sound, stay away from Focal. Sonus (not the ultra high end one) are much closer to the whafedale sound. Maybe look into Harbeth too (not the p3esr but higher model).
Hi Thomas! Thanks for your nice review. I have a pair of Focal Chora 806 in white cream. They are great speakers but a bit too much forward with mids in my place. I paired it with an Class D smsl amp. i would like to pair them with a more laidback amp ( kind of v curve) for now and i'm ready to upgrade. I was thinking about the denon pma 600 which is laidback but maybe too much. Which amps do you recommend in order to get a less forward and less mid tone sound in the 400-600 euros range without loosing to much the clean tigh bass. even if i have a subwoofer to compensate a bit. Denon, Yamaha, Cambridge, others? small tube amp? a softer Dac? Nemo propaganda told me that you're the V curve man!!!Thank you so much for your reply. Musically.
The price jump from the Aria to the Kanta is not justified based on sq alone. The Aria/Chora is where VFM is. And these Arias are not easy to drive at all despite their high sensitivity, it dips down to 2.8ohms. Dont be fooled by the sensitivity, pump as much power as you possibly can into these suckers.
Hi Thomas, I was thinking of getting the Focal Aria 926, but your video made me wonder if I will have the skills to make this speakers sound properly. What do you think of getting a Marantz SR6014 for this speakers along with two SVS SB-2000 subwoofers? (I want to use it 50% for movies and 50% for music, and my setup will be a 5.2.4). Thanks mate!
I think it should work ok. You have 2 subs to deal with the bass issue and I think the SR6014 has tone control right? I never heard Marantz SR6014 before but they are known to be warm?
@@ThomasAndStereo Yes, the SR6014 has tone control, and Marantz is well known for being warm and music friendly. I think I will go with that equipment. Thanks for your quick answer, keep on with the good work in your channel
I used to own MA Silver 300 but downsized to Focal Aria 906. I drive them with Roksan K3 Integrated Amplifier 150W per channel which is probably an overkill amp for 906. I didn't find the Focal light in bass. It has adequate oomph for my room 4.5m×6m. I thinks it depends on your room acoustics, placement of speakers and the amp you pair focal with.
Hi Thomas, thanks for the great review. Do you think Focal Aria 926 + Primaluna Evo 400 is a good combination? Have you tried?
No I have not.
Thank you for the great video, Thomas. Quick favor? Love these speakers, but really having a difficult time with the harshness. Would be *so* grateful for recommendations of a few warm-sounding amps that would work well with the 926s. Gratitude 🙏
I don’t mind spending money to get it right...
DSP will cost you zero dollar.
"warm sounding amp" are snake oil for people with more money than brain.
A while back, I got to hear the pretty rare Chorus 836W and those were pretty impressive. Also, it seems like a better comparison to the 836V would be the Aria 936 instead of the 926. Perhaps the bass would have been more comparable between those two speakers.
Yeah, always wanted to try the 836w.
I have the 806w, it’s a killer speaker for the dollar, 836w is a gem too
Hi, can you please tell me if you know maybe how would they sound with Pass Aleph 5 and Aleph 1.7 Clone preamp, DAC Topping D30 and Mac mini?
Thank you in advance and best regards.
Thomas, have you had experience with Hegel integrated amps? I have heard great reviews on the H190, H390, and H590. I am most interested in the H390. Hope to hear your honest opinion. I currently have the focal aria 7 speaker surround system, but hope one day to own a pair of wilson audio Yvette, so hope to get a capable amp to use now, and still able to effortlessly drive wilson loudspeakers in the future.
You mentioned that the bass on these speakers sound "nice" and also "light"
I am using 2- 10 inch REL HT1003 subwoofers. How do you think these Focal speakers will sound with my Home Theater Woofers both for listening to audio in 2.2 and for movies in 7.2 surround
sound?
Also, I'm learning about the Focal line of speakers.
In your opinion, which set of Focal Speakers, under $3,000. provides the best best performance for the price?
I greatly appreciate 🙏 any info you can provide me.
Thanks
Hi..good review thank you. Do you think these would match with B&W ? or stick with a pair of 703s2's I have a pair of 706s2 and 606's as surrounds. Thank you!
Good review. I have a Luxman 507mk2. Was thinking about this pairing.
BTW,
The power I am using is a PrimaLuna EVO 400 Integrated Tube
(70 watts per channel) Amplifier & , a neutral sounding, Parasound Halo A52+ 5 channel amplifier. (200 watts per channel)
thank you for the review. do you think my rotel ra-06 se will be good enough for those beauties?
Great video! I'm currently updating my audio system and I'm thinking of doing the following: McIntosh MA 5300 integrated amp with the Focal 906 speakers or the B & W 705 s2 speakers. What do you think? Do you think they would need a sub? I listen to vinyl and CD. My musical tastes range from electronic to 70s soft rock to classic country to Indie. Thanks!
I usually prefer a sub with any bookshelf speaker.
I would go with 926. Parasound amp is worth a try.
Great review. I appreciate it.
I have a B&W 700 Series/Model HTM72 S2 Center Channel Speaker.
How do you think these Focal speakers will sound with my center channel speaker for listening to audio in.2.2 & for movies in 7.2 surround sound?
Thanks So Much
LS50W or these for 2 channel playback in a 215 sq ft room? I already have dual subs
well you would need dac, poweramp and preamp if you get this. I personally go for full towers over stand mounts.
How do these compare with the Aria K2 926?
thanks Thomas for the review and feedback. I've recently purchased the focal 926 also and wanted to know your thoughts if the marantz 6012 would be enough to power it in the time being. Down the track I was looking to add a marantz power amp or the naim. Appreciate the advice
I took a look at the amp and its a 9.2 channel av amp. Really nice and I wish I had one. Does it sound harsh when you push the volume to about 87db? How is the bass without the sub? When I look at the specs of the focal, you know they can drop down to 3 ohm and your amp better be able to keep up. The marantz has specs published for 6 ohm and it seems to be good. The problem is I don't see any specs for 4 ohm and your speakers will dip that low at one point. However, if it sounds good to you now, then it's all that matters. I would take a guess that you are bringing out 60% of the speakers potential based on my experience with my own pioneer AV amp rated at the same power, of course there is more than power alone when we talk about creating good sound. ( I will talk about it in my 2nd video) Now, if it still sounds good to you now, think of it as a good thing because there is so much more potential to your speakers and you can slowly upgrade the rest of your gear if you are seriously into stereo music listening. If it is just for movies, I personally would not bother if it already sound good to you. Can you share you impression of the 926 ?
Before purchasing the focals, I had listened to many other speakers. The thing I really liked with the 926 is it's a really enjoyable speaker to listen to, very engaging and has a fun factor to it. The points you mentioned were spot on, however I didn't find them too bright. I had auditioned other speakers at a similar price point and they were much brighter. I've added a Rel 7 sub with the focals and they pair up really well together. My intention is to upgrade the gear going forward to get the most out of the system
that's great your combo was not bright, what kind of speaker cable and interconnect are you using?
Chord:Clearway Speaker cable - 14AWG
@@tonymontana9087, my 926 was aso not as bright as I expected it should be. I discovered that when I split the speaker cable wires the high frequency was much better. I figured out that the capacity between the 2 wires were the problem. So if you use thick speaker cable split the 2 wires for both channels for best bright audio results.
so i brought a pair of these home today with a marantz pm5005 and fell in love. but if this sounds harsh now im wondering what it like with a pm8006 instead - would it be enough of a power boost to bother from 40 watts up to 70 watts per ch?
You might get more bass but it is better to get a sub for that. Top end improvement, I don't know as I never heard both unit.
Nice and informative video, thanks! I just subbed!
I have heard a pair of the Focal Sopra 1's and didn't find them particularly bright or harsh. I have used their car speakers that feature the metal inverted dome tweeters. I never really found them harsh. Are you sure you are giving them enough run time before making any assessments?
I have the 836, 1028 before so i know it's sound. It can sound silky smooth with the right gear. Like the sopra 2 I auditioned with mcintosh gear, it was SO SO SO smooth. The 926 sounds pretty smooth with the accuphase or when I use the mcintosh as back end amp.
I would give them a good few hundred hours running time for the drive units to settle and the cross overs to burn in before doing any critical listening.
Yes, burn in I think takes 300 hours for the 926, read it some where online. My 836 and 1028 are however already burn in.
Hello i have aria 936. I use Them with nad c388 with the bluesound modual. I like the sound. Only heard it with this amp. You think hegel sound better? What hegel is best for 936?
Focal were very bright ? I think you mistakely think this is the previous company named JMLabs. The newly Focal are NOT BRIGHT AT ALL! Very tube friendly speaker as well.
Hi. Great review. What to you think about NAIM Atom and Aria 926. The Focal and NAIM have great deals for such a setup. I am afraid that Atom is only 40W amp (I know that NAIM Watts are different) but reseller keeps telling me that this is "reference" setup (Atom + aria 926 or 936) which is recomended by Focal and Naim. Many thanks for replies
I know they are both the same company now and they are supposed to have great sygnergy. However, I know someone who bought the Sopra2 + naim high end amp (like over $50k) but eventually sold the naim set as it was too 'bright' for him. He REALLY gave it a try.
I like your video series, but on this one i wish you had made some recommendations for amplifiers and setup
Hi Dear, Does it have a front magnetic Grill for covering the speakers.
Hey you think marantz nr1200 would be enough for these speakers
Or sonos amp would be better because got more power per channel
I have focal 936 combined with sub and happy with it, but will going for electra 1028 be much better in sound detail and bass punch?
I now have the 936 too. The 936 bass is very fast but light. So it does not have the punch or weight of the 1028 which I also had. However, having said that, I think if you want a true upgrade, you should go for the 1038 and Kanta. I did na AB test 936 vs Kanta and the bass is much more fuller with the Kanta compare to the 936 despite having only 2 drivers.
@@ThomasAndStereo what if it is the 948 aria? Has larger midbass woofers. Prolly larger than the kantas. I could be wrong but the 948 arias have two 8.25 inch
Kantas 2 has two 6.5 inch
Midbass
May need to look into the 948 to see if it competes with the kantas/sopras
I know the aria doesn't hace the toned down berryillium tweeter but
The price difference is enormous
I have the 1007be electra bookshelfs and chorus 836v i got dirt cheap.
What would be the upgrade to my speakers? At least sopras?
I thought about selling the chorus 836v for some aria 948 speakers.
Anyways thomas. Maybe you need to check out the aria 948s
See how she fares against the kantas.
So do you prefer the flax cone or w cone that sopras/electras/utopias use?
Ahh the infamous Marantz Turntable....😢 Did the 926 completely disappear? I'm assuming the 936 will just have more bass and disappear as well? Idk I may have to part the wallet and go with the Kantas😢😢
Focal, one of the issue is the very revealing tweeter and they don't disappear as easy as many other speakers I tried. It can but eventually when something sharps play, it breaks the illusion. I personally don't mind.
Hi Thomas, nixe review...What you think how good match would be Aria 926 with Marantz PM 8005?
Ty
I think it would be just so so, your problem is the 926 does not have a lot of punchy bass to start off with. So ideally you need an amp on the punchy and warm side.
@@ThomasAndStereo ty...and musical fidelity m5si amp with aria 926?
can I partner this with my old nakamichi a1 amp? it goes 80w per channel on 8ohms. Its old but people still consider it good, or should i buy a new amp with cheaper speakers then?
I have a pair of Kanta 3 and a Kanta center. I'm quite sure the cabinets are not made in France. Speakers are made in France. Their high end lines are entirely made in France.
My gosh, is EVERYONE asking for opinions on how certain combos sound? Frick, half the fun is experimenting people. Do what makes you happy, and if it doesn't, try a different route. He has pretty much said he hasn't heard most of your suggestions, so it's pointless to keep asking.
Focal Aria 926 needed the bass boosted a bit on my NAD 390DD and that amp has very good control over speakers and makes speakers slam hard. Other amps might have problems. 948's are discounted now so I might upgrade, I also have a bigger room now to fill.
Yup and i think you can just add a subwoofer to elevate the whole experience.
@@ThomasAndStereo Not a fan of sub's :( Less is more for me.
Great video. I agree with your comments. I have had Focal 726s and now 948s, but still trying to get them to sound smooth. Where is your second video explaining the changes you had to introduce to get the sound you wanted? I only see another video about unboxing
Thanks for the feedback, i have not uploaded it yet as i wanted to add more info. soon.. i hope :)
Thomas & Stereo great! Looking forward
I work for a dealer, and we have a set of these at our showroom. At the showroom I could never get them to sound smooth. But now that I have a set in my own listening room, I have found the amp to matter a lot. My Parasound A23 matches well. But its still very forward up top. But I like it that way. Marantz pairs well with these.
I do not know why Focal speaker is sooooo expensive here in US. In Europe, you could buy a pair with the price of one you pay here in US.
What is the your cheapest deal you found in Europe for a pair of Focal Aria 948 or 936?
would u choose this or totem forest , if these were the only two choices..im torn in decision
What is the problem? I assume you heard both. Now the problem with Totem is which version? They make changes to the speakers but they don't advertise the changes so you need to know what year the speaker is made.
@@ThomasAndStereo are you suggesting the older Forest’s sound better or vice versa?
Arias are harsh/bright sounding speakers which can be seen in measurements, and there's no such thing as "warm sounding" amplifier, unless this means one with a dip in HF response.
lol
Im now leaning to keeping my Naim Nait 5si and mating it with the Focal 906's at half the cost of the 926's and if anything include a subwoofer accordingly.
Have you consider the 836v instead? If I were to choose, I would take the 836v over the 906. Sure, it's not as high end and refined sounding as the 906 but it will have plenty of punch and a more fun speaker over all in my opinion. The 836v will have the AV speaker feel if you do an AB test against a 1028 HOWEVER as a stand alone speaker, it is really good for the price. Me and my friend each had a pair for the longest time.
Im thinking of mating these speakers with either a Peachtree Audio Nova 150 integrated amp or my current Naim Nait 5si at 60 watts! Any thoughts since you mentioned careful partnering to avoid harsh sound?
I never tried Peachtree so I don't know it's sound signature. Sorry.
Hi Thomas,
Do they match well with Luxman L-507uXII ?
Sorry, I never heard the L507
I have almost same question but with accuphase e370
At 0:48 It is not an aluminium magnesium tweeter; Its aPure beryllium inverted dome tweeter exactly like the one used by the Utopia series. Is very important to know the difference because beryllium has less over tones and faster decay while being a light material that can move and articulate sound very fast. Greetings from Quito Ecuador.
According to the website, the 926 does not use beryllium. Perhaps I am mistaken? The 1028 which I also owned does have Beryllium tweeters. I now have the focal 1027s which don't have beryllium.
I checked on many webpages and you are right. Its an aluminium - magnesium Tweeter; my mistake. Thanks for taking the time to answer. Your reviews are spot on!@@ThomasAndStereo
I thought the 1027 did have a beryllium tweeter. Hmmmm. @@ThomasAndStereo
Enjoy your very nice video. I have these speakers but I am disappointed I have them connected with speaker cables nordost super gold on my amplifier which is a creek evolution 2 the sound coming out is dull sounding vinyl and I have a phono stage project phono box s interconnected cable kimber I'm disappointed by the sound can you suggest something?
I have a project box myself, not really a big fan of it. Having said that, I know this is a bit strange but have you consider that the system is dull is due to you lacking low end bass? Are you able to borrow a musical sub and pair it together? I see a preamp out on the creek so it should not be a problem adding a sub. Does it sound dull with cd? If yes, then the phono and vinyl is not the problem.
I have connected to the cd amplifier cd and radio outside the speakers there playing just fine the sound is right.Indeed, when it happens when a vinyl is playing something there is and it sounds cloudy and drowned
@@ThomasAndStereo hello i Buy the creek sequel mk3 board and put it on my amplifier finally, the machining of the machines is of great importance.
The incredible sound completely cleaned instruments heard in orchestra incredible sound I went to cry how it played.
Now next upgrade I will change the orthofon 2m browse and I will buy the nagaoka mp200
Did you find these needing a lot of toe in? I just got mine last night and I've been running the break in period. I found they need to be about 3 feet from any wall to make sure the bass isn't boomy. And I found them needing a fair amount of toe in to get the last layer of detail out of rhem. What're your recommendations? I will soon be pairing them with a pair of JL E110's but honestly I might not even need them. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Congrats! I toe them in just a bit and my speakers are always at least a few feet away from the wall due to the constraint of my room. Are you using the spikes, bass might be a bit more tight if you do, If you find them too boomy, perhaps you can close the bass port with something, I use a pair of socks, it will change the overall sound but it might be worth experimenting,
Thomas & Stereo I am using the spikes. I found the bass to be quite full and pleasent once they're far from a wall. I bought these so I can use them for a year or so and save some for a pair of Kanta or 1028.
@Csab they have two ports. One front and one downward. The speaker still gets boundary gain from the corner walls regardless of the port orientation.
@Csab I have a sub now. An E110 from JL. If you don't crave the super low these provide plenty. I use a Parasound a23 amp.
Aria 926 with musical fidelity m5si good match?
Hi Thomas, I can choose from the below amplifiers. Which one would sound better with Focal Aria 926? (not harsh) Or suggest me one under 2300€.
Musical Fidelity M6Si
Roksan Caspian M2
Rega Elicit-R
Thank you
Andrea
I have not heard those but you should add Hegel into your audition list.
Would I run into any timbre matching issues pairing an Aria center with Chorus mains?
Yes, the 2 series sound different.
I use those with denon dra 800 h.
I think there could be more power….
So Thomas, not a good choice with Bryston? I will go audition them tomorrow. Will try several models in the Focal range.
I would guess they will sound good with bryston actually. Bryston has power and good bass. Try the kanta too, they r great.
Thomas & Stereo I'm just afraid that matching a so-called bright amp to a so-called bright speaker will cause listening fatigue. Sorry, the Kanta is out of my price range. Would love a pair of those.
I had tried the Bryston 4B SST with the 836v and they sounded good. The speakers are very bright. Some call it revealing but I call it bright. They will impress you the first 3 min but listen to it for 30 min to see if they are fatiguing for you.
Hello! I bought Focal Shape 40 for music listening. It has the same tweeter, Aluminium-Magnesium, flax-cone woofer. It Sounds outstanding! But they sound harsh. Can you tell me what to do? 13-18Khz are not so clear....they are harsh. Please help me.
Yeah, its the focal challenge. Only thing you can probably do is getting a not so bright sounding interconnect going from the computer or dac to the speakers. Also adding an ifi tube2 into the chain can help smooth out the highs slightly. Those are not cheap though...
Thomas how would the 936 compare to monitor audio gold 200 5G? Also have you heard any Salks speakers like the Songtowers...
For me the 936 has the same sound characteristic as the Monitor Audio GX300 but I prefer the 936 more. No, I have not heard Salks speakers.
@@ThomasAndStereo thank you.
Wow really!! They are that good! How about the tweeters? About same response
Thomas. Do they sound good with Marantz gear?
They sound good but you are getting very clean and fast sound with Marantz gear.
Hi Thomas, I have the 906’s which I paired with a Rotel A14. They sounded smooth and refined with this combination. I upgraded to a Naim 5si and now i’m wondering if I should have stayed with my Rotel. With the 5si they sound more harsh but more detailed. I was also considering a Moon Neo 250i , what would you suggest?
I think Neo might have the modern Moon sound and I find them a bit too analytical for Focals.
@@ThomasAndStereo Would you be able to suggest a warm integrated amp ( $1000-$2000 ) range that would pair well with the Aria's? Thanks =)
@@capdec9398 I need to try some in that price range to really know.
Please try some ProAc flootsranders. I am on my third set. They are ALL amazing.
yes i heard so many good things about them, almost picked up a pair of D28. Any suggestions that are not crazy prized? do they all have the same kind of sound?
I agree! I've had a pair of studio 130, they sound extremely good for the price. Now i have a pair of response 3.5 and i am amazed of how good they perform. Compared them to the d38 and was surprised the 3.5 sounded better imo
Agreed. They sounds amazing, I will buy them next once I have enough cash, currently own ARIA 948
Hi, is FOCAL ARIA 926 can be a good match to ROKSAN K3 integrated amplifier? Thanks
No idea, sorry.
Hello Thomas. I hawe focal aria 926 and thinking about two aditional sobwooferes. What is your opinion? if i pair with rel t9i subs ?
I think it is a great idea as 926 is a bit light on the bass.
@@ThomasAndStereo Thanks Thomas. next week i will try this setup.
Hello, I have the Arcam SA-20 integrated amplifier. It pushes 90 wpc at 8 ohms. Do you think this will be plenty to power the Aria 926's?
I like how the amp sounds with the Polk Audio Rti8 towers but its time to upgrade. Any input will help. Thanks
If you like the Polk RTI8, have you consider the LSIM 707? It's a bit darker but it's an excellent speaker. I don't know if Arcam will do well with 926. 926 sparkles more compare to 707, faster and tigher bass but compared to the 707, the 707 has much more power when it comes to bass. 926 is like a turbo l4 while 707 is like a V8 with muscular power.
@@ThomasAndStereo thank you for the awesome comparison between those 2 speakers. I did consider high end Polk Audio LSIM series bit my concern is that Im not sure if the Arcam has enough power to make them sing with power. Thanks
I'm torn between these speakers and the bxw 603 anniversary edition. i don't know what to get...Help!!
They probably sound similar with the bass faster on the focal and heavier on the B&W.
Hi mate good review thanks..
Please let me know if you think pairing these speakers with a Cambridge cxa80 would be ok..
Thanks
My only experience with Cambridge are the 851W and 851E which is the preamp and power amp. That one was Class XD. My issue with it is that it sounded digital and too bright so that would have been an awful match with focal. Now the CXA80, I have not heard it and it's class AB instead of XD. If it does not have the same type of sound as the 851, then maybe it's ok. If it does, I would stay away from it if considering pairing with Focal.
darn I'm in the same predicament now. What you end up going with audio addiction?
Was looking at the Aria 936.. i LOVE BASS so I am wondering since the 926 is light in bass the 936 may not be enough as well. Wondering if a step up to the 948 WOULD be better. Or even the KEF R700? Thoughts on this
If you LOVE bass then yeah, 936 is a minimum. Someone mentioned he has the 948 in one of the comments and there is good bass with it. I never heard the R KEF series so no idea how it is. If bass is important to you, I would skip the 926.
If you read many reviews/comments on the 948 its bottom end is not tight, can be boomy, its a bitch to set up because of the bottom end, needs a LARGE room and overall many people opt for the 936 instead. I was at my local dealer 2days ago and had this same conversation. He doesnt even stock the 948 anymore because of the boomy bottom end....go with the 936!! That was my choice after listening to several set ups on friday....well except for the Dynaudio Contour 20's...Those are simply amazing!!!
Thomas, any interest on reviewing the Dynaudio Contour 20 and the Klipsch Forte 3? I auditioned the Focal 926/936, Mobile Audio Silver 300 and the Dynaudio C20's..WOW the Dynaudios were amazing! The 936 was my pick from Focal....Don
I would love to but too expensive
I stream punk rock to my Marantz NA 11s1, through my Marantz PM10, and driving Focal 714’s and Focal Sub 300P.
Can anyone advice me if I’d be worth switching the 714’s for 926’s?
Looking at getting a focal set. Would you prefer focal chorus 826v or focal aria 905. After buying stands for arias i can get them probably for around same price as the towers. Thanks
Ill be using the intefrated amp inside the sony hap s1 media player until i upgrade someday. Its a class A 40 watt per speaker output. I just need to know which route to go. Either focal aria 905/906 or focal chorus 826v. The chorus has a higher sensitiviy and i could always upgrade amps later on. But which route should i go? Thanks
Help!!! Thanks
Depends what you value more. 905 bass is more accurate, faster and you can hear better texture. Top end is more refined. I personally prefer the 826v because it's a full size tower with more powerful bass. I have the 936 and even that, I find the bass barely powerful enough.
@@ThomasAndStereo what if i sucker up and add the focals electra be 1007 bookshelf? Between the aria bookshelfs electra bookshelfs and chorus 826v? Thanks
Im just being difficult lol
I had the 1027s and it's a dark sounding speaker actually. Dark in the sense the treble is not tilted up compare to the other focal I tried. The 1028 is treble tilted up. If you are just starting out, then perhaps a 836v is a better choice. Although the higher bookshelf models are more refined, it does lack bass compare to the 836v. In the beginning, I value powerful bass more and that is why I would choose it. To here the fine difference in refinement, its it important? I would argue not necessary for everyone.
do you think they will sound good with Rotel? (say RA12 integrated or 1552mkii power amp)
I never heard those Rotel so I don't know it's sound signature. Is it bright or dark those amps? If bright, then not a good idea.