AudioAficionado.org  

Go Back   AudioAficionado.org > Manufacturers Forums > Focal Speakers

Focal Speakers The Spirit of Sound

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 01-20-2018, 11:48 AM
joey_v joey_v is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 2,179
Default Focal Kanta 2 - a quick and dirty review

I did not get to spend a ton of time with the Kanta 2, but I thought I was able to get a sense of what it did.

Last week, DFWAC met for another rowdy get-together, on the menu this week was the Focal Kanta 2.

The Focal Kanta 2 is a new speaker from the french manufacturer. More details can be found online, it was just debut'd last RMAF with great reception and rave reviews.

But basically, the Kanta learns from the Sopra and takes drivers from the Aria speaker line. It has a beryllium tweeter with boron surround and into a infinite horn loading rear module, a 6.5" flax midrange, and a dual 6.5" woofer. The Kanta 2 has dual ports, one in the front and one in the back.

The cabinet has no parallel walls. The baffle is made of a thick polymer, no longer MDF.

SOUND:
Most might find that the Focals are synonymous with hyper-detailed sound, some might find it bright, some might revel in the detail produced.

But this Kanta 2 seemed a bit different. It still has that Focal trademark, but it was definitely leaning warmer than my experience with prior. Perhaps it was the flax drivers making it sound more natural like paper.... or perhaps it was the way the tweeter is voiced in this new speaker line. The detail was all there, I did not detect anything was particularly amiss with this sound aspect. And it didn't require a particularly bright treble to make those details known.

The midrange sounded natural but with detail and the voices sounded smooth and believable. The bass was fantastic, could not believe this was coming from only 2x 6.5" woofers, it was really loading the 14x18 room without trouble, off an integrated amplifier.

I guess what most people would wonder remains the real question, was it bright?

That answer is it depends.

It depends on the source.

But no, it was not bright in a sense was it a klipsch.... it's not bright in general because the midrange-on-down seemed natural. The only trouble would be in the highest of frequencies. When we had the Kanta 2 connected to bluesound node 2 streamer with Tidal, the group didn't really sit down to listen, everyone was talking and drinking wine.

When we switched the source to an Esoteric K03x, people started to take notice and sit down and listen. The edge of frequency brightness was lessened, and things started to sound more balanced.

When we switched to another source and used the Esoteric K03x as transport into the Emm Labs DAC2x DAC, then it really came to life and it seemed most began to enjoy the speakers.

Conclusion:
What really did it for me with the Kanta 2 was how it was a facsimile of the sound I try to have at home (not as nuanced or balanced). I like the vocalist to be dead center, standing infront of the rack and with some energy directed towards me, I want the singer's and the soundstage height to be just right at approx 4-6 feet (I believe part of this is the fact the tweeter is mid/upper baffle in location with a midrange woofer just above it which controls the vertical dispersion/lobing)... aren't you guys tired of having a sound stage or singer that is 7 or 8 feet tall to the point where you're looking up and you have this VOID of sound from the midhalf of the speaker's vertical plane on down? The speakers did not disappear as well as my system at home does, but this was a minimally tweaked system. I have spent tons of time to control the vertical dispersion from the ceiling to the listening position, to control the lateral first reflections, to control the bass with bass traps... but this speaker in this room with no ceiling traps (though has first reflections and front wall covered with 2" traps) did so much right and so little wrong.

It's particularly a good feeling when the singer's voice feels like the energy is coming from the ground on up... it's pretty cool on some cuts.

No, it's not the speaker for everyone. Some may still prefer a less bright speaker in general. Some may prefer something even warmer.

Don't get me wrong, there were still moments where you can tell the tweeter still called to itself, but I did note that it was not as prominent with the better sources (Emm mostly).

But to me, I thought the Focal Kanta 2 was a winner at the price point. Take the time to pair it with the best upstreams, perhaps a tube preamp, and a great amp... and a great source, and cables.... and this can definitely be enough to your last speaker if the sound is to your liking.

For me, I think it is a special speaker. It had just enough warmth, the tweeter was less in your face than previous Focals, the bass was very good and clean and articulate.

The best part? It was resolute enough to discern between all 3 sources.

But THAT'S for another day...

SYSTEM:
Focal Kanta 2 speakers
Audioquest OAK speaker wire
Audioquest Wind RCA
Mark Levinson No 585 Integrated
Sources were Bluesound node 2 vs Esoteric K03x vs Emm Labs Dac2x
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 01-20-2018, 12:02 PM
joey_v joey_v is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 2,179
Default

Bottomline:

Not as warm as Sonus Faber Olympica 3.
More slam and more accurate bass than Sonus Faber Olympica 3.
Treble still called to itself at times. With lesser sources, it was bright.
Easier to place in a room than 802D3.
Vertical dispersion is controlled, no need to treat ceilings.
Midrange was quite natural.
Revealing of upstreams.
Can sound thin, but I wonder if this is a baseline sound or a function of upstreams.

Last edited by joey_v; 01-20-2018 at 12:42 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 01-22-2018, 01:06 AM
ChrisMag ChrisMag is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 62
Default

I went by my dealer to have a listen but they didn't have them set up when I arrived, and being that I already bought pair Sopra 2s, I'm not "in the market" and didn't want to to ask them to move everything around.

One thing about my Focals, they are very revealing to the equipment connected. Something as simple as a interconnect swap, power cable change, or even swapping between glass-fiber Toslink and a DH Labs D-750 coax digital cable between my Bluesound Node 2 and Parasound DAC is immediately apparent.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the internal DAC on the Node 2. It's not terrible, but in my system the Parasound ZDAC v2 outperforms it.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 01-28-2018, 01:04 PM
joey_v joey_v is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 2,179
Default

I think I was wrong, it wasn’t the internal dac of the bluesound but rather the internal dac of the levinson integrated
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 08-16-2018, 08:25 PM
dvir dvir is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 24
Default Rumors of Kanta no3?

So i've been hearing rumors about Kanta no.3 to be announced very soon.. anyone with some more information?
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 08-17-2018, 01:15 AM
joey_v joey_v is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 2,179
Default

Not heard of that yet...
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 08-17-2018, 07:08 AM
Masterlu's Avatar
Masterlu Masterlu is online now
AA Founder, Legend AV Owner



 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: South FL & Cape Cod MA
Posts: 78,466
Default

dvir... Welcome to AA!
__________________
Ivan
FLORIDA
MX136, MC1.2KW(10) MC2KW(2), MCD1100, MS750(2) MVP881, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, HT-2 SUBS(2) HT3F(2) WS350(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) XCS350(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" MOTORIZED SCREEN, CINEMA-TECH SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Reference System: ACCUPHASE A300 AMPS, C3900 PRE-AMP, DP1000 CD/SACD TRANSPORT, DC1000 DIGITAL PROCESSOR, DG-68 DIGITAL EQUALIZER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, PS1230 POWER SUPPLY, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, WW PLATINUM CABLES
CAPE COD

MX150, MC501(2) MC1.2KW(10) MC2301(2) MR88, MVP881, MCD1100, MDA1000, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, ESOTERIC K-01X 30th ANNIVERSARY (BLACK) SACD/CD PLAYER, G02-X CLOCK, HT3F(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(4) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) KALEIDESCAPE STRATO & TERRA SERVERS 80-TB, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" SCREEN, SONUS FABER STRADIVARI, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, FORTRESS SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Analog Rig: CLEARAUDIO INNOVATION WOOD, UNIVERSAL ARM w/ Da VINCI' CART, 2nd UNIVERSAL ARM w/ GOLDFINGER STATEMENT CART, HRS-MXR REFERENCE RACK-GLOSS BLACK w/ M3X SHELVES, AESTHETIX RHEA SIG PHONO-PRE, BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Reference System: BURMESTER 911MK3 AMP(3), 088 PRE-AMP, 089 CD PLAYER, 100 PHONO PRE-AMP, 948 POWER CONDITIONER, ACCUPHASE DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, AVID ACUTUS REFERENCE SP TT, GRAHAM PHANTOM II SUPREME ARM, BENZ MICRO LP-S CART, GRANDIOSO P1X/D1X STACK, G1X RUBIDIUM MASTER CLOCK, N05 NETWORK PLAYER, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, SONUS FABER AIDA SPEAKERS, JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(2) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) WW PLATINUM CABLES

Library System: GRANDIOSO M1 MONOBLOCK AMPS, C1 LINESTAGE PRE-AMP, K1X CD/SACD PLAYER, G1 MASTER RUBIDIUM CLOCK, E02 PHONO-PRE, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, AERIAL ACOUSTICS 20T V2, AERIAL SW12 SUBS(2), CANTON REF K1’s, VPI HRX TT w/ SDS POWER SUPPLY, ORTOFON CADENZA BLACK CART, KLAUDIO RCM, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2, SHUNYATA OMEGA QR’s, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Esoteric/Bryston System: ESOTERIC C02-X PRE-AMP, P-02X TRANSPORT, D02-X DAC, G02-X CLOCK, BRYSTON 28B3 CUBED MONOBLOCK AMPS(4), BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2(2) EVEREST 8000 POWER CONDITIONER(2) ALTAIRA CG & SG HUBS, AMR-DP777-SE DAC, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, QUADRASPIRE RACK, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Accuphase/Canton System: ACCUPHASE E800 INTEGRATED, DP570 CD/SACD PLAYER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, PS530 POWER SUPPLY, CANTON REF K3’s, CANTON REF K5’s, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS MXR REFERENCE MAHOGHANY RACK w/ M3X2 SHELVES, WW GOLD CABLES
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 08-17-2018, 07:05 PM
dvir dvir is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 24
Default

Thank you
I couldn't create a new topic because of newcomer restrictions :/
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 07-08-2021, 05:57 PM
JurisHP JurisHP is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 12
Default

I have the Kanta 2's and LOVE them.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Audioaficionado.org tested by Norton Internet Security

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:07 AM.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.10
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
©Copyright 2009-2023 AudioAficionado.org.Privately owned, All Rights Reserved.
Audio Aficionado Sponsors
AudioAficionado Subscriber
AudioAficionado Subscriber
Inspire By Dennis Had
Inspire By Dennis Had
Harmonic Resolution Systems
Harmonic Resolution Systems
Wyred4Sound
Wyred4Sound
Dragonfire Acoustics
Dragonfire Acoustics
GIK Acoustics
GIK Acoustics
Esoteric
Esoteric
AC Infinity
AC Infinity
JL Audio
JL Audio
Add Powr
Add Powr
Accuphase - Soulution
Accuphase - Soulution
Audio by E
Audio by E
Canton
Canton
Bryston
Bryston
WireWorld Cables
WireWorld Cables
Stillpoints
Stillpoints
Bricasti Design
Bricasti Design
Furutech
Furutech
Shunyata Research
Shunyata Research
Legend Audio & Video
Legend Audio & Video