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!!