Focal Aria Floorstanders

[praggers1]

Greetings WHF,

When do you expect to review the new floorstanders in the new Focal Aria range? Wouldn't mind knowing what you think.

Cheers, steve

 

[plastic penguin]

They only review products if the companies lend a review sample.

The 926s were reviewed by an ex-WHFI employee.

 

[bigfish786]

Focal Speakers are definitely worth listening to. I bought mine several months ago and have been blown away by them. quality build, brilliant sound. look beautiful. when money allows, i will be venturing further up the range.

 

[iceman16]

Focal Speakers are definitely worth listening to. I bought mine several months ago and have been blown away by them. quality build, brilliant sound. look beautiful. when money allows, i will be venturing further up the range.

Im glad you're still enjoying your Focals. Mine are over 3 yrs old and still give me some goosebumps

 

[Tzutzu]

@Bigfish +1

@Iceman Have you had the chance to compare your Electras with Harbeth SHL5? I-m thinking to upgrade from Aria, I really like the sound of Focal but I've heard Harbeth could make some miracles when it comes to natural...ness

 

[hifikrazy]

See my post in the other thread, the Harbeths do sound natural, but if you're used to the Focal's dynamics, they can sound rather lethargic. In my opinon, they're not a great all rounder.

 

[Infiniteloop]

Focal Speakers are definitely worth listening to. I bought mine several months ago and have been blown away by them. quality build, brilliant sound. look beautiful. when money allows, i will be venturing further up the range.

I agree. I listened to a lot of speakers before finally settling on my Focals. They seemed to be just more natural and honest than anything else I listened to. Perhaps it's the beryllium tweeter....

I guess my next upgrade will be to the Diablo Utopia.

(I'm going to have to be extra special nice to Mrs Loop!).

 

[Jota180]

Focal Speakers are definitely worth listening to. I bought mine several months ago and have been blown away by them. quality build, brilliant sound. look beautiful. when money allows, i will be venturing further up the range.

I agree. I listened to a lot of speakers before finally settling on my Focals. They seemed to be just more natural and honest than anything else I listened to. Perhaps it's the beryllium tweeter....

I guess my next upgrade will be to the Diablo Utopia.

(I'm going to have to be extra special nice to Mrs Loop!).

Just get a nice pair of trousers, put them on and have a big piece of cardboard cut into an arrow shape with "the pants, the house, the man" written on it. She'll see sense.

 

[aahonari]

I agree. I purchased a pair of Focal Chorus 836 Vs a few months ago. I just love their sound presence. But I upgraded my amp a couple of weeks ago, and I feel these speakers don't do justice to the amp, as they now sound a bit forward. So I am upgrading them to Focal Electra 1038 Be. Will let you know...

 

[gowiththeflow]

I got the chance to hear the Aria 926's during a Naim NAIT promo evening, listening session, being driven by the Nait series (5Si, XS2, SN2), along with various Naim power upgrades to the XS2, SN2 and the sources (Naim CDP and ND5XS Streamer).

They kept the 926's as the only speakers during the whole two hours or so, playing both CD's and HiRes FLAC files.

I have to say, I was more than a bit underwhelmed by almost everything I heard. There was a tendency to stridency and more than a hint of sibilance and distortion on the high notes on various tracks played, more so on some tracks than others but it was there for most of the time.

The power supply upgrades did calm this down and eliminated a lot of it, giving smoother sounding results, but also had the effect of slightly flattening and taking just a little bit of the life out of the music.

More surprising was the bass performance, which I thought was a touch lightweight, but that may have been exacerbated by the choice of music.

I don't know if the lacklustre experience was the choice of recordings, the Naim/Focal combination or the Focals themselves.

I have read two or three comments suggesting that the Naim/Focal combination is not a good one, so I'm keen to hear the Focal Aria's on the end of some alternative amps, where I'll be pitting them against the KEF R500/700's and PMC Twenty-23's.

 

[Infiniteloop]

I agree. I purchased a pair of Focal Chorus 836 Vs a few months ago. I just love their sound presence. But I upgraded my amp a couple of weeks ago, and I feel these speakers don't do justice to the amp, as they now sound a bit forward. So I am upgrading them to Focal Electra 1038 Be. Will let you know...

It's probably not your speakers. It might be your Amp.

Focals are very honest about what's fed to them.

 

[Infiniteloop]

Focal Speakers are definitely worth listening to. I bought mine several months ago and have been blown away by them. quality build, brilliant sound. look beautiful. when money allows, i will be venturing further up the range.

I agree. I listened to a lot of speakers before finally settling on my Focals. They seemed to be just more natural and honest than anything else I listened to. Perhaps it's the beryllium tweeter....

I guess my next upgrade will be to the Diablo Utopia.

(I'm going to have to be extra special nice to Mrs Loop!).

Just get a nice pair of trousers, put them on and have a big piece of cardboard cut into an arrow shape with "the pants, the house, the man" written on it. She'll see sense.

Thanks for the tip, but unfortunately she beat me to it. :O

 

[CnoEvil]

I agree. I purchased a pair of Focal Chorus 836 Vs a few months ago. I just love their sound presence. But I upgraded my amp a couple of weeks ago, and I feel these speakers don't do justice to the amp, as they now sound a bit forward. So I am upgrading them to Focal Electra 1038 Be. Will let you know...

It's probably not your speakers. It might be your Amp.

Focals are very honest about what's fed to them.

His amp is the MF AMS 35i, so unlikely to be the culprit of a slightly bright, bass light presentation.

 

[CnoEvil]

I got the chance to hear the Aria 926's during a Naim NAIT promo evening, listening session, being driven by the Nait series (5Si, XS2, SN2), along with various Naim power upgrades to the XS2, SN2 and the sources (Naim CDP and ND5XS Streamer).

They kept the 926's as the only speakers during the whole two hours or so, playing both CD's and HiRes FLAC files.

I have to say, I was more than a bit underwhelmed by almost everything I heard. There was a tendency to stridency and more than a hint of sibilance and distortion on the high notes on various tracks played, more so on some tracks than others but it was there for most of the time.

The power supply upgrades did calm this down and eliminated a lot of it, giving smoother sounding results, but also had the effect of slightly flattening and taking just a little bit of the life out of the music.

More surprising was the bass performance, which I thought was a touch lightweight, but that may have been exacerbated by the choice of music.

I don't know if the lacklustre experience was the choice of recordings, the Naim/Focal combination or the Focals themselves.

I have read two or three comments suggesting that the Naim/Focal combination is not a good one, so I'm keen to hear the Focal Aria's on the end of some alternative amps, where I'll be pitting them against the KEF R500/700's and PMC Twenty-23's.

I found the same thing....wrote about it here: http://www.whathifi.com/forum/shows/belfast-show

 

[Infiniteloop]

I agree. I purchased a pair of Focal Chorus 836 Vs a few months ago. I just love their sound presence. But I upgraded my amp a couple of weeks ago, and I feel these speakers don't do justice to the amp, as they now sound a bit forward. So I am upgrading them to Focal Electra 1038 Be. Will let you know...

It's probably not your speakers. It might be your Amp.

Focals are very honest about what's fed to them.

His amp is the MF AMS 35i, so unlikely to be the culprit of a slightly bright, bass light presentation.

He liked the sound of the speakers before he changed his Amp, and now after the change, they sound too 'forward'. Surely it can only be the new Amp that has caused the 'forwardness', unless his previous Amp was exceptionally laid back?

 

[CnoEvil]

He liked the sound of the speakers before he changed his Amp, and now after the change, they sound too 'forward'. Surely it can only be the new Amp that has caused the 'forwardness', unless his previous Amp was exceptionally laid back?

I can only speak from personal experience, as well as professional reviews and that of owners / people who have demoed it....and that is to say, the amp isn't bright and bass light. I know this is subjective, but it's a big body of evidence.

Icemen has the 35i + Focal and is simply delighted, but he has a much better source and a treated room. Acalex, when he was demoing the amp, said it had many qualities of the Jadis Valve amp, that he ended up buying, as his girlfriend preferred the looks.

I have heard the 35i driving Focal speakers many times, including Diablos and Scalas, and the sound was exciting, with great bass.....though I prefer the less exhausting sound of Kef Refs.

There are many elements at play here, one of which could well be the source, as it is now having a spotlight shone on it.

 

[aahonari]

I agree. I purchased a pair of Focal Chorus 836 Vs a few months ago. I just love their sound presence. But I upgraded my amp a couple of weeks ago, and I feel these speakers don't do justice to the amp, as they now sound a bit forward. So I am upgrading them to Focal Electra 1038 Be. Will let you know...

It's probably not your speakers. It might be your Amp.

Focals are very honest about what's fed to them.

His amp is the MF AMS 35i, so unlikely to be the culprit of a slightly bright, bass light presentation.

He liked the sound of the speakers before he changed his Amp, and now after the change, they sound too 'forward'. Surely it can only be the new Amp that has caused the 'forwardness', unless his previous Amp was exceptionally laid back?

Cno is correct. The amp is just brilliant. It just has tons of energy, plenty of detail, offers spacious sound, and an amazingly taut bass. It is simply a matter of mismatch of the amp with the Focal Chorus. The speakers simply cannot -- yes, I am boldly claiming that -- handle the amp. The highs at anything above 30% volume just are right in your face. Anything above that, and you know the speakers are suffering by pouring their heart and soul out. I invested in better interconnects, speaker cables, and power cord, and it has made a lot of difference by making the highs sound warmer and silkier (and simultaneously the base even more punchier), but still there is something missing, hence my upgrade of the speakers. As I said before, I really "enjoy" listening to the sound of Chorus, it is just a matter of my heart not being fully captured ... that simple...

 

[CnoEvil]

I invested in better interconnects, speaker cables, and power cord, and it has made a lot of difference by making the highs sound warmer and silkier (and simultaneously the base even more punchier), but still there is something missing, hence my upgrade of the speakers. As I said before, I really "enjoy" listening to the sound of Chorus, it is just a matter of my heart not being fully captured ... that simple...

Which cables are you now using and where have you used them?.....Please feel free to reply on my 35i thread, so as not to disrupt this one.

 

[Infiniteloop]

I agree. I purchased a pair of Focal Chorus 836 Vs a few months ago. I just love their sound presence. But I upgraded my amp a couple of weeks ago, and I feel these speakers don't do justice to the amp, as they now sound a bit forward. So I am upgrading them to Focal Electra 1038 Be. Will let you know...

It's probably not your speakers. It might be your Amp.

Focals are very honest about what's fed to them.

His amp is the MF AMS 35i, so unlikely to be the culprit of a slightly bright, bass light presentation.

He liked the sound of the speakers before he changed his Amp, and now after the change, they sound too 'forward'. Surely it can only be the new Amp that has caused the 'forwardness', unless his previous Amp was exceptionally laid back?

Cno is correct. The amp is just brilliant. It just has tons of energy, plenty of detail, offers spacious sound, and an amazingly taut bass. It is simply a matter of mismatch of the amp with the Focal Chorus. The speakers simply cannot -- yes, I am boldly claiming that -- handle the amp. The highs at anything above 30% volume just are right in your face. Anything above that, and you know the speakers are suffering by pouring their heart and soul out. I invested in better interconnects, speaker cables, and power cord, and it has made a lot of difference by making the highs sound warmer and silkier (and simultaneously the base even more punchier), but still there is something missing, hence my upgrade of the speakers. As I said before, I really "enjoy" listening to the sound of Chorus, it is just a matter of my heart not being fully captured ... that simple...

Very interesting. I'm itching to know how you get on.

 

[Infiniteloop]

He liked the sound of the speakers before he changed his Amp, and now after the change, they sound too 'forward'. Surely it can only be the new Amp that has caused the 'forwardness', unless his previous Amp was exceptionally laid back?

I can only speak from personal experience, as well as professional reviews and that of owners / people who have demoed it....and that is to say, the amp isn't bright and bass light. I know this is subjective, but it's a big body of evidence.

Icemen has the 35i + Focal and is simply delighted, but he has a much better source and a treated room. Acalex, when he was demoing the amp, said it had many qualities of the Jadis Valve amp, that he ended up buying, as his girlfriend preferred the looks.

I have heard the 35i driving Focal speakers many times, including Diablos and Scalas, and the sound was exciting, with great bass.....though I prefer the less exhausting sound of Kef Refs.

There are many elements at play here, one of which could well be the source, as it is now having a spotlight shone on it.

Very good points, particularly about the source.... Which is why I'm interested in the Devialet 200, as basically, it becomes the source. On-board DAC, SAM processing (not for my speakers as yet, but eventually...).

Auditioning this combo this week, taking a Mac mini full of music with me and will report back. :type:

 

[gowiththeflow]

All very interesting I'm sure...........and the Focal Aria's ?

 

[lashing]

I have the Focal ARia 926 right here, right now. The glowing reviews must be paid in my opinion becuase I agree with the others here. The 926 are harsh in the highs. The lack mid range and basically rob the life from music. Things like snare drums and guitars in rock sound really small on the Focal. The bass gets boomy too. Not the worst speakers but if I had tried them blind and then was told what they cost I would have laughed for an hour. As it stands I am just disappointed as these were hyped up pretty good.

I've had them 5 days. I took a few days to get used to them and then did comparisons. My initial reactions stand. Music with punch has no punch of the focals. Yet switch speakers and the punck it back. I have a nice Violin records, Midori playing paganini. Its just her, solo violin. The Focal make it sound like I was behind glass in a studio listening thru monitors. Changed speakers and there we go again - the "live" of it was back.

So I must concur these speakers are anything but true, honest, musical speakers. They seem to filter out a ton of mids and really turn up the highs. I compared them with a set of Klipsch reference towers and the Klipsch won in every respect. Thats right .... the Klipsch had less hars highs than the Focals. Even better I could feel bass lines in my chest with them as opposed to the Focals. Even on the heaviest music the Aria seems to filter the aggresion and attack from everything.

There were only a few recordings that went Focals way. Female voice and Piano. But then there were instruments that I could barely hear. Switch over the the Klipsch and back are the buried instruments, nice and clear in the mix. The Klipsch sounded live and I could "feel" things. Focal sounded like it was 2am and I was stuck in a studio mixing a recording ... how do I get those missing frequencies? Oh its the speakers.

 

[CnoEvil]

I have the Focal ARia 926 right here, right now. The glowing reviews must be paid in my opinion becuase I agree with the others here. The 926 are harsh in the highs. The lack mid range and basically rob the life from music. Things like snare drums and guitars in rock sound really small on the Focal. The bass gets boomy too. Not the worst speakers but if I had tried them blind and then was told what they cost I would have laughed for an hour. As it stands I am just disappointed as these were hyped up pretty good.

I've had them 5 days. I took a few days to get used to them and then did comparisons. My initial reactions stand. Music with punch has no punch of the focals. Yet switch speakers and the punck it back. I have a nice Violin records, Midori playing paganini. Its just her, solo violin. The Focal make it sound like I was behind glass in a studio listening thru monitors. Changed speakers and there we go again - the "live" of it was back.

So I must concur these speakers are anything but true, honest, musical speakers. They seem to filter out a ton of mids and really turn up the highs. I compared them with a set of Klipsch reference towers and the Klipsch won in every respect. Thats right .... the Klipsch had less hars highs than the Focals. Even better I could feel bass lines in my chest with them as opposed to the Focals. Even on the heaviest music the Aria seems to filter the aggresion and attack from everything.

There were only a few recordings that went Focals way. Female voice and Piano. But then there were instruments that I could barely hear. Switch over the the Klipsch and back are the buried instruments, nice and clear in the mix. The Klipsch sounded live and I could "feel" things. Focal sounded like it was 2am and I was stuck in a studio mixing a recording ... how do I get those missing frequencies? Oh its the speakers.

What system were they on the end of, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[plastic penguin]

IMHO and based on my knowledge of the 'V' series, they'll need very careful partnering. In some ways their presentation is scarily similar to RS6s, in that they aren't shy in coming forward. Best to match with an amp that has a slight recess to its midrange:

Arcam, Nad, midrange Marantz, midrange Yams, MF, Roksan Kandy, Audio Analogue or any valve amp.

Avoid IMO: Naim, Cyrus, Leema...

This is based purely on the sound I like.

 

[Krorghar]

I have had a pair of Arias 948 at home. They sounded Bright and clear, but I found them Lacking in Bass power. Anyway that could have been my room, that is problematic, and my personal liking for a strong bass.