Kanta......anyone have a pair yet?
 

Thoughts?

A review should be coming shortly in HiFi+.

Hopefully, they will expand the Kanta line to a smaller floorstander and a monitor.

Actually, I was hoping for a bigger model, with larger bass drivers. :D:thumbsup:

It exists.
It's called Sopra. :D

lol, lol! Which, btw, sounds incredible. :thumbsup:

It's a top contender in its price class. :yes:

got my eye on Kanta

I heard it with Naim Uniti and it sounds good. To me the Paradigm Persona 3f was a good bit better with an unbelievable soundstage and clarity in the mids/highs but got a little harsh at the top end on certain recordings...this was with an Anthem STR integrated....the dealer and some posts on forums suggest that would improve with the right cables and the room correction (they had literally gotten them in 2 days before and just set them up). The 3F reminded me very much of the Sopra 2 I had heard some months before. I am also looking forward to hearing the Magico A3. The 10K speaker segment seems to be very competetive suddenly with a lot of great products (Kanta, Persona, Magico A3, B&W 804d3 Dynaudio Contour 60, Upcoming Revel f208be).

On a side note, it looks like Focal is cracking down on discounting. Two dealers I knew of that would ship Focal at a nice discount no longer offer the line...they both gave me other reasons for dropping the line but I suspect Focal dropped them.

Focal Kanto No2 floorstanding loudspeaker...HI-FI+ Magazine has a review in the january issue...i think barnes and nobles carries this mag

I had the chance to audition the Kanta No2 today. I have to say, i have pretty much never liked the forward sound of the Focal speakers. I've always found them to be a bit bright and too much in your face. The Kanta has changed my mind. It was very detailed but not fatiguing and I didn't find the treble too forward, like i have in other Focal's. I have tried the electra series and honestly couldn't listen for very long, due to brightness.

I listened to the Kanta first with the Primaluna Dialogue Premium and then with the Hegel H160. Interesting comparison, they both sounded wonderful, with my personal preference being the Hegel.

It took quite some time at the dealer to get decent sound, given all the other equipment nearby. I was finally able to get a decent setup with about 3 feet from each side wall and 6 feet from the back wall. The toe in was very slight and the speakers disappeared. Amazing tone, huge soundstage and wow the detail. Listening to Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa was insane!!! If you haven't heard this on a highly resolving system, i strongly recommend it. It will have you turning your head and hearing sounds from behind and the side of you. The Ballad of Bill Hubbard from Roger Water's Amused to Death is also amazing on this system.

As a side note, you know when you are listening to a record you've heard about 500 times and think you know every single instrument/sound, and then you listen to a new system and all of a sudden you hear something new? That happened on several records with the Kanta/Hegel pair. I was grinning ear to ear, as this doesn't happen often!

The Hegel seemed to have a bit more depth in the bass than the PL, and the soundstage opened up a bit more. The Hegel Dac probably had a lot to do with it since I had to use the CD player's (Marantz) Dac with the PL. The Hegel was a wonderful combination. I am guessing the Dialogue HP would be a much fairer comparison both in sonics and price, but would also need a Dac for my purposes. By the way, would love to hear the Chord Qutest with this setup!

Do i think these are worth $10k? I don't know. I do know that they were very very enjoyable and would definitely put them up against other speakers in the price range.

Thanks Ruby...........for your detailed thoughts on the Kanta. Once they add a center channel speaker I will consider further. :music:

Ron

Wish Focal would offer a Kanta No.1. I'm thinking Sopra. But, no hurry, so there may be a No. 1 by the time I ready to pull the trigger.

I decided to pull the trigger on the Kanta’s. They sound even better at home! As you can see from the pic, I am in pretty bad need of room treatment (and some artwork too). I’ll report how they break in over time.

Cheers!



Attachment 53512

rubytuesday,

Congrats!!... your setup looks great! Not many people are fortunate enough to have a dedicated listening room. Enjoy!

Looking forward to some of your early impressions with these gorgeous speakers!

What was your short list of speakers before you decided on these?

good luck!

mike

Thanks Mike! I have a very understanding wife. :)

I had the Vivid V1.5 at home for a tryout (beautiful imaging but a sub is necessary).

I also tried the Magnepan 1.7i (yes I know not in the same league as the 3.7i or 20.7i but my wife isn’t THAT understanding). Again, a sub is a must.

Finally the Spendor D7. Beautiful, but not in the same league as the Kanta. I honestly couldn’t be happier, although I don’t really think I have the placement dialed in yet and I still need more time for run-in.

I bought these as a dealer demo (they have about 75 hours on them) for a price I just couldn’t pass up. I went in to listen to the Golden Ear Triton and again it wasn’t close. The Kanta is simply amazing for my tastes and musical preferences.

A great speaker at a great price is always very cool!

just curious. did you ever hear the focal sopra 3? how does it compare to kanta?

focal was not a blip on my radar until a few months ago i went to a dealership in southern pa to pick up a TT,and saw the sopra3 and asked to hear them. i was shocked how good they sounded. but the price,...too high ...20g's

then i read about the new kanta at half the list price and it incorporates a lot of the sopra 3 technology along with new improvements. my interest is piqued and i hope to go back there when they have the kanta.

I heard the sopra 2. Very nice and if I had $14k I would get it. More bass, better soundstage, more detail. Although come to think of it, if I had $14k, I might get the Wilson Sabrina’s. :)

the kanta look superb in your room. i think you made a great choice. don't look back. just enjoy the music!

Thanks much!!

Congrats! Welcome to the "Focal Family"
 

I've had a pair of Sopra No2's for about 28 months now. They seemed to be "broken in" in about 100 or so hours...but I was enjoying them at the six month point and they seemed to really "settle down". After a few years of trading this, upgrading that, I'm "set" with the Focals. I suspect your Kanta's will only get better over time!

Sorry for changing the subject but I'd be surprised if you preferred the Wilson Sabrina's much more than the Kanta's. Wilson has used Focal drivers in many of their higher end models and even though I don't know for sure, I'd be willing to bet the Sabrina's also use some Focal drivers. Focal's vertical integration from the design to manufacturing of every part of their speakers is what makes them one of the best bargains in audio. Have fun with your latest purchase and don't second guess your decision. An excellent choice, in my opinion.:thumbsup:

Wilson used to use Focal titanium tweeters which they haven't used in a few years - they're now using a silk tweeter. The beryllium tweeters of the Focals sets them apart not to mention the fact that all components are produced in house. Focal remains on the cutting edge of speaker design.

i wouldn't be surprised if i came home with kanta after my audition next week.

IF, I get a good price from my dealer. LOL...ya never know how that will go.

and to be honest,i don't even know what a "good" price would be anymore.

HI-END audio shopping is not exactly car shopping. we need an Edmund's for audio...lol

mike

Adam, a hearty congrats!
These are very fine speakers.
You'll enjoy them.

Looks like the DFWAC will be auditioning the Kanta 2's on Wednesday evening. I'm sure some of the guys will post their impressions!

I am pretty certain these speakers are going to stay in my house for a long time (unless i decide to upgrade, which has been known to happen to a few of us :)).

I have no second thoughts about the decision. My current consternation is with all my other components/cables/power and the desire to upgrade THEM ALL RIGHT NOW to match the quality of the speakers. Need to slow down, get used to my room and the components and make good decisions when upgrading...slowly. (That sounded good, right?)

As for the Wilson's, I have wanted a pair since I was a starving college student in the 80's when they came out with the WAMM Series 6. That is the speaker that started this journey for me. (I ended up buying a pair of Spica TC-50's, as that's all I could afford) :banana:

Congratulations on your fine choice of speakers and enjoy them in good health!.:music:

Ron

Thanks Ron.


A night shot. Boy do those diffuser/traps help an immense amount.

Finally, completely blown away by the HRS Nimbus footers under the turntable. Making progress.



Attachment 53559

rubytuesday...that looks terrific! wall treatments!!..your wife is awesome. i would be out on the street.( along with my gear)

mike

maybe i missed it but what does your system consist of?

i think i see a MAC7200?

what lies ahead?

My system consists of:

—McIntosh MA6500 (13 years old)
—Clearaudio Concept (Black) w/Satisfy Arm and Maestro v2 MM Cartridge
—Bluesound Node 2
—Shunyata Hydra 4
—Synergistic Research Cables
—Acoustic Geometry Diffusers/Absorbers

What’s next? A new integrated. Streaming solution. Something like an Aurender or an UltraRendu/Chord Qutest.

If you decide on a new McIntosh integrated you might want to listen to one at home with your new speakers before purchasing. The new McIntosh integrated amps sound quite different from the older models. The more 'modern' sound may not work as well for you.

I got the Mc at an estate sale for a song. I’m considering the following amps:

—Hegel H360/190
—VTL IT-85
—Naim Supernait 2
—AR VSi75/60
—Vac 160i

I know. A mix of tubes and solid state. I’m just trying to figure out what I like.

Lot of great integrated amp choices out there.

I think a new McIntosh integrated amp would be a fine choice with your new speakers. I've always had McIntosh amplification with my different Focal speakers and find them to be great together.

Ruby, nice setup looks great. As an option also you may want to listen to the NAD Masters integrated or separates. I'm running my Sopra 3's with the separates and the BluOs card, and it sounds really good.

I heard the kanta2 yesterday with a group of audiophiles. Personally I liked it. It did have just wee bit of zing at the top end sometimes but I can look past it for the midrange and bass it pumped out.

joey

what kind of electronics? maybe the zing was too much solid state? or otherwise?

mike

mark levinson 585 integrated.

It sounded very average through bluesound node 2.

Then became good with the esoteric. Then fantastic with the emm labs dac2x.