AE Radiance 2 or Focal Aria 906 or Tannoy Precision 6.2

I'm between these two speakers which I am unfortunately unable to audition. They will be in a room approx 39 SQM powered by a either an Audiolab 8200P or CA Azur 651W power amp. Music taste : electronic, chill out, piano, some acoustic. Leaning towards Aria's as they are similar to B&W's I had years back (CDM2 SE) and loved.

Any owners of these? Any opinions? Cheers
 
Thanks - I can get the Focals (with stands) for around £550 so both about the same price and both heavily discounted
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rainsoothe

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Are you sure you don't want floorstanders for a room that size? Like Q Acoustics 3050 or whatever XTZ, B&W, Tannoy or Focal offering you can find at the price? (with a special nod for XTZ, which are amazing vfm and can be auditioned in your home for 2 weeks and sent back for full refund if you don't like them). Also, if you don't already have the amplification, consider a Rogue Audio Sphinx or Roksan K3 for the more laid back or neutral speakers, or a Roksan K2 for the livelier ones.

Don't get me wrong, I think the Aria 906 are great speakers, I absolutely love my own, which are paired with arcam A19, I just wanna make sure YOU're sure you don't need floorstanders.
 
thanks Rainsoothe - some great advice there! Yes I was orginally after floorstanders but, for reasons that probably defy logic; I ended up going with the Aria 906. Probably because they are similar to the B&W's I used to have and are at a cracking price. The floor standing Focals (700 series) which are within my budget seemed to have mixed reviews. I am plannng to run them from a Cambridge Audio 651W power amp, and they will be on their dedicated stands. My shorlisted floor standers where the 3050's, Raidiance 2, Tannoy DCT6e and Focal 716..in fact I was getting overwhelmed by reviews etc.

Sounds like you know your stuff and I assume auditoned the 906's against the competition?

PS. I just measured the room again and it's probably nearer 24 SQ/M.

It is an absolute nightmare buying when you're unable to audition first so really appriciate your comments!
 

friendly_ghost

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I have the Aria's for 2 weeks now and am very, very happy with the purchase even having paid an amount considerably higher than what you are going to pay.
However, I think they were quite different from the B&W's I auditioned and think that these two makes have always been a little different from what I've read. If you like B&W with your amp in your room, you might not like the more forward way the Focals present the music...
 

friendly_ghost

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I must add though that if you don't liste to your music too loudly, the Focals will surely be sufficient for your room size (unless you like bass-heavy music).
 
Thanks friendly-ghost. I am glad to hear you're happy; brings the confidence that I (might) have made the right choice back! I don't really know what a 'forward' speaker would, well, sound like :) I was hoping the 906's would be open, have a very detailed sound stage and have a nice, warm (not harsh or too bright) sound. I want a speaker where the pianos and vocals really stand out. Is it the 906's you have?
 

rainsoothe

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Ok, some points - and don't hate me if it seems like I'm muddying the waters :)

First of all, 24 sq m is way smaller, and decent standmounts should be enough.
Secondly, I haven't auditioned that many standmounters alongside the focals, when I went, I was looking for a specific type of sound, and the focals+arcam were it.
Now. Some are saying that the focals can sound harsh with brighter sounding stuff, like some of the Naims. Your CA is also considered a bit bright. Arcam is warmer sounding. The Aria 906 might be perfect for you, but you might just as well dislike them, no way to tell without auditioning. Only way to tell would be to take the plunge, keeping in mind the fact that you might need to change amplification at a later date - think arcam a19 or croft phono integrated. As for the Focal's bass performance, it's very good for their size and pricerange, but might seem lighter compared to BW (because BW have an artificial upperbass bump to make small speakers sound bigger). It's not the absolute tightest bass, but it's good.

Now. If your amplification is on the brighter side, I strongly suggest you check out XTZ 99.26 mk II - since you can send these back if you don't like them - but I think they are wonderful speakers, and they have adjustable treble!!! Another suggestion would be Kef R300 if they fit your budget - these are pretty warm speakers iirc, and have nice tight bass. These, however, are not as open sounding as the Focals. XTZ are also darker than Focals, but have awesome ribbon tweeter, and they vanish with good amplification.

Again, if you're willing to consider changing amplification at a later date, the 906 are very very good and lovely speakers, and the match with your amps might be perfect for you. The order I would do it in though would be checking XTZ first, then try to audition the kefs and, if that's impossible, take the plunge on the Focals.
 
Thanks Rainsoothe...great points there. My source, tbh, it's all up for grabs! I have just ordered a CA Streammagic 6 v2, plan was to use it as a pre amp for the matching CA Azur 651w power amp. I could send it back and start from scratch I suppose! TBH I'm quickly getting to the point where I cancel / return everything and head down south for a weekend auditioning!
 

rainsoothe

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well don't let me put you off. As I said, the combo might be just what you're looking for - and I don't mean it like it's highly unlikely. I think a lot of people use the combination exactly like that: Stream Magic 6 v2 with the 651W. And, if the dealer stocks both CA and Focal, you could just take the trip before sending your stuff back, and audition the Stream magic + 651W at the dealers with different sets of speakers and take those home with you. I'm saying this so you don't send perfectly good sounding stuff back before hearing it properly. And, if you like completely different gear, you could just send the CAs back at a later date and order what you auditioned.

Have fun auditioning, I, for one, like doing it, and you might enjoy it as well :)
 
Thanks again. Issue is a) I'm so far from a dealer and b) no dealer keeps both amp and speakers I'm interested in. I've canceled the order for the Arias and will be sending back the CA streamer (I'm concerned about how much ex service stuff there is for sale! Seems 1 in 2 need to be fixed!). Going to head to glasgow and Edinburgh in a few weeks for some listening!
 

georgescookie

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I have the 906s in a small room and got to say I love them, I find them transparant, punchy with great dynamics accompanied with a wide soundstage. Im sure they would be fine in a larger room
 

friendly_ghost

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I do have the 906's and use them in a largish room. We live in an apartment, so I did not want to opt for bassheavy floorstanders. I use a Marantz PM 6005 for the amplification, which is considered on the warm side of things. I think it pairs very well with the Focals.
When I auditioned the Focals compared to the B&W 685, the B&W's seemed to blend in to the background. They needed more attentative listening. The Focals demand your attention, presenting the music much more as at a live venue, which I like a lot.
I do love voices and piano on the Focals!
 

georgescookie

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The Kandy K3 drove the 906s really well and sounded brill, like I said before. The Marantz PM8005, although sounding really good & clean, I always felt something was missing & that it did not drive the speakers quite as well the K3 and was not as punchy/exciting. Although the 906s are easy to drive, they still need decent amplification to really see thier capabilities

I cant comment on the audiolab as ive never used it it...I hope this helps!
 

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