Focal Aria 936 vs 926 bass response

I would get the 936 from the dealer and if it doesn't work out in your room, return them for the 926 instead.

So, like a lot of the Focal's in the line, these have a really uncomfortable minimum impedance of around 3 Ohms at 100 Hz, though not at a terrible angle.

Make sure in either case you have a sturdy amp for them. Also remember you can balance the overall bass output by moving them closer or further away from the walls. I would consider based on specs these two speakers to be effectively identical otherwise.

Best,

Erik

I vote for the 936.  My listening room has almost the exact same  L shaped configuration with the rear wall only extending about half way behind my listening position.  Main listening area is 12'x24' with a 12'x12' wing forming the L.  Ceiling is 7.5' ( basement).  Carpeted floor and large sectional couch about 8' from speakers.

I have a pair of Focal Chorus 836V's which have nearly the identical spec as the Aria 936, including the 3 Ohm dip at 100 hz. I traded up from a pair of Chorus 826v's.  Love the sound, but, frankly, still wanted mor low end range and found a Focal SW800 subwoofer.  This still only goes down to 27hz, but it made a huge difference - I still have the amazing mids and upper beauty that drew me to Focal in the first place, but would never give up what the subwoofer added.

I think there is a risk that any room can potentially be overwhelmed in the bass range, but doubt that will be an issue with the 936.  If it is, you can always work with room treatments to tweak the issue. 

BTW - the 836v is rated at 92db efficiency, as are the Aria 936; I drove these with a Marantz PM8005 (70wpc@8 Ohm / 100w@4 Ohm) and they sounded fine.  I recently upgraded to a Marantz PM 11S3 ( 100wpc@8 Ohm / 200wpc @ 4 Ohm - although tests indicate these are very understated) and the system sings whether played at low volumes or fully cranked.  In my view, any more power is just overkill.

Sjtm,

Thanks for your response. So it sounds like you found an appreciable difference between the 826v and 836v bass response? As I said, I have not been able to demo the 926, so it's speculation on my part as to what I would be giving up. Just curious, what are your music preferences? I don't listen to a lot of bass heavy music.

Eh, I wouldn't fool with the 926.  Although Focal claims -3dB at 45Hz, sometimes these companies are a bit optimistic.  Also, with the room open to the other room, that is a lot of air to pressurize.  And you also lose a bass driver with the 926.

braudio7 - I am not sure how to quantify "appreciable", but I was willing to upgrade based on my listening impressions.  My decision was also influenced by the price ($1,200 for a virtually brand new pair). 

My music taste are fairly broad, but mostly Chicago blues,  classic rock and contemporary jazz.

Both are outstanding.  The 936 in some way benefits the most from the fact that it's a taller speaker.  It sounds "larger" and even more "real" because of it.  Especially because the tweeters and mids do SO well off axis in this series. 

Get either of them, you will be very happy.

When you get them, make sure you don't toe them in too much at all, as it is completely unnecessary. 

Thanks everyone for the responses. Any considerations for the listening distance? On their website Focal recommends 10-12 feet for the 936, and I am around 8-9 feet. My room is fairly large but the speakers are on the long wall.

The long wall should do well. I personally think having adequate distance from the wall is more critical that the listening distance. I think the reason they recommend 10+ feet is because the tweeter is so high and you've got to be that far out to be in it's sweet spot. I work around that by turning the rear spikes all the way down and turning out the fronts just enough to get through the carpet. I've got mine pulled out 23 inches and toes to see a shallow angle of the insides. I STRONGLY recommend a diffraction or absorbing solution for the wall they're facing, possibly both, with little or nothing behind them. That seems to yield the deepest, widest imaging. 
I love these speakers. I think with proper placement, room treatment, and electronics these things are extremely hard to beat for the money. 

I'm considering the Focal Aria 936s with the Moon ACE. The ACE is 50wpc at 8 ohms. I've heard that the 936s require a lot of power to drive them well and sound good, despite their their high sensitivity of 92db. Can anyone tell me whether the Moon ACE will be a good paring with the 936s, and whether the 936s will sound good and reach their full potential with this amp?

One other thing. I'm also looking at the KEF R-500s with the Moon ACE. Anyone have an opinion of these speakers generally and specifically with the ACE? How do they compare with the Focal Aria 936s?

The 936 is a much more musical speaker than the KEF.  I highly recommend listening to a pair.  The R500 isn’t a bad speaker at all, just a little less open holographic and musical.  I’d also check out a Peachtree Nova 300 to power the 936.  Excellent pairing.

contuzzi, I've been leaning toward your thoughts, as well. Unfortunately the 936s are $1,4000.00 more than the R500s, but you get what you pay for. :-) As to the Peachtree Nova 300, I'll definitely give it a try, although I'll be mainly streaming, so I'm looking for an all in one, like the Moon ACE. Thanks, again.

The Peachtree has a Wi-Fi Module coming for $100-200 bucks by the end of the year.  It’s already prepped for it, with a Wi-Fi input and pause play etc on the remote.  

Will that let me stream Tidal controlling with an Android app, rather than on a PC with a direct USB connection?

Yes.  Give Peachtree a call and they will tell you all about it.  Very excited for it.  

Thanks. :-)

The 936's don't require obscenely muscular amps to drive them, just an amp that can drive a low impedance load. I'm currently listening to my 936's powered with a Nelson Pass F5 clone biased up to around 36 watts RMS class A and it's driving them with muscular authority. Bassnectar? No problem with this amp! 936's have a nasty impedance dip in the upper bass combined with a strong negative phase angle a little further up. You don't so much need raw power as you need a solid amp that will really belt out the current at lower impedance. This F5, biased as it is, drives these Focals to screaming loud volumes with absolute easy. The nice thing about the 936's is that they'll really show off what an amp like that is really capable of. 

I'm looking at the Simaudio Moon ACE, and I'd like to know if this amp, which is 50wpc output power at 8 ohms and 22,100 ohms input impedance, will drive the 936s well and get the most out of the 936s that they're capable of.

Trick is blending a tower with a good sub! I recommend JL subs (e series) and focal aria line is excellent! You want bass go to the 948's! Typically you roll off at  80 hz! Why above the low of your towers! The decision often settled by affordablity !

Thanks. I'm not a big bass person, so I'll see what they sound like and come back to your advice, if needed. What I really need to know is whether the ACE will drive the 936s well and get the most out of the 936s that they're capable of. If anyone has experience with the ACE and the 936s, I'd really appreciate some feedback on this.

FWIW I prefer the 936 over the 948’s.  :)

The 936’s need no subs to dig down to 32Hz quite flatly with some considered boundary reinforcement. They make just as much deep bass as the 948’s and are simply better suited for a smaller room.

The thing with the 936’s is that they will reveal the virtues and drawbacks of the best amps you put behind them. Mine are totally taking advantage of the virtues of a Pass class A amp and I rather doubt you’re going to find a better commercial integrated. I understand it’s not common to dump as much or more than the speakers are worth into amplification, but these speakers WILL take full advantage of the best power you can buy. I strongly recommend quality over quantity in so much as at least having to power to satisfy your volume demands. At a listening distance of 12 feet, 36 watts RMS is plenty for my listening tastes and is in fact more than enough to do hearing damage.

All that said HR at Stereophile reviewed them with a stack of Moon gear to good effect. He also used the Primary Luna tube integrated at 30 watts or so and was pleased as well.

I've pretty much settled on the NAD M32 integrated amp (150Wpc), but I'm trying to decide on paring it with the Focal Aria 926 or 936 speakers. As I said above, I don't like a ton of bass. I listened to the 936s with the M32 and liked them a lot (although a bit too much bass). I also listened to the 926s with the Moon ACE (50Wpc), and did not like that combo at all (not a big soundstage, nor great definition or placement). My room is about 12x10x8, with very little space behind and to the side of where the speakers must be placed. Any advice on the M32 paired with the 926s or the 936s?

The 926 and 936 are very similar. Their placement demands will be similar. I definitely think 936's would overwhelm your room. The recommended listening distance Focal suggests are generally well advised, give or take a little. If one amp drive the 936's well, it'll be very similar with the 926's. I auditioned the 926 and 948 and bought the 936 sight unseen given the very similar sound of each. 
I've got mine a good 2 feet from the wall. Any less and imaging suffers and bass gets boomy and muddled. They are speakers that want to be properly placed and toed. They will exploit the best amp you can buy too. I'm feeding mine power through a beefed up Pass F5 clone and they are simply amazing. Endlessly deep and wide, crisp, clear, and well focused. The depth ranges from faint and distant to attacking your face and wrapping around you. If you're not getting something like that from the 900 series they're either poorly placed or poorly matched to power. 

Thanks, kosst. Placement will be a problem, but not much I can presently do.

I'd seriously consider acoustically simulating that space with room treatment in that case. Walmart has urethane matress pads for like 10 bucks. Not pretty or ideal, but they're dirt cheap and will give you a good idea what treatment can do and where it would be most useful before you throw down real money. 

Good ideal. Thanks for the info.

Paul -- did you end up with the NAD32/936 combo?  That's what I'm thinking of, too and am curious how it is working out...
Thanks!

I listened to the NAD M32/Focal Aria 936 combo at Upscale Audio in California and loved what I heard. I also listened to the M32/926 combo at Upscale and the Moon ACE and the 926s (not at Upscale). I really didn't like the ACE/926 combo (although I think the reason was a bad presentation - room, placement, cables, etc.). The 926 with the M32 were OK, but not amazing. Also, I just yesterday locally listened to the 936s with the Hegel Rost. Really liked the Rost/936 combo also, except, while you can stream Tidal, etc. with the  BubbleUPnP app, the Rost still won't do MQA (except one MQA unfolding using the Tidal desktop app with a direct computer/USB connection. You could add a Bluesound Node 2 to the Rost to do full MQA).

The 936s are REALLY great, made even better by the relatively low cost.

BiTW, my Upscale Audio experience was first rate. Got to meet Kevin "Mr. Tubes" Deal briefly, but Craig Hoffman, who is very knowledgeable (audio AND music) was GREAT. He spent a LOT of time with me (as he has done by e-mail for many weeks) and is very patient. I just made my 936 "color" decision (dark walnut), and I've just asked Craig at Upscale to send me an invoice, so, to answer the question, I haven't had them in home, yet, but I'm buying the NAD M32/Focal Aria 936 combo. I think you'd like them. GET GOOD CABLES! :-) I'll post when I've had some M32/936 in home listening. Hope this helps. If you get the M32/936 combo, post your thoughts on the combo.

They really are great speakers for the price. I've tweaked out the F5 a bit and I'm getting some exceptional sound out of them. Mine sound better in my room than they did in the shop by a wide margin. It's rare to make an truly zero regret purchase in life and I have no regret at all with these speakers. 

:-)

I just looked up the M32. The specs look like a good match to the speakers. I sincerely doubt you'll ever use even half that power with the most aggressive material at crazy loud volume. My F5 is operating at 41wpc RMS in class A with no sign of clipping. Definitely play with the placement. Break in on them isn't significant and doesn't take much time. Unless you're comfortable hoisting a 60 pound cabinet out of the box you might want some help. The best way to install the plinth is just laying it on it's back. I kept the boxes which came in handy when I moved. The EU makes them put plugs in the posts for bananas. They pull right out. I never looked up inside them until I pulled the plinths off to move. Those are some real pretty drivers in there. 

kosst, Thanks for the advice/suggestions. Yes, the 936s sounded great with the M32. I know the speakers are really sensitive, and don't need much to drive them, but I've read that, while they drive easily, it take a lot of juice to get the BEST from them. True? As for unboxing, I'm mush too old and short to handle the 936s myself, so I've got a friend lined up to help. The set I listed to locally yesterday had only about 30 hours on them, and they sounded great. I've kept the boxes from my present two (bedroom and living room) speakers, and it does making moving easier (and safer). I'm looking forward to having them.

Speaking of "mush", did you hear about the dog sledder who got a speeding ticket, because he was going mush too fast. :-)

It's that low impedance dip that punishes an amp. The 926's are actually worse in that regard. The nature of a push-pull class A amp is they start making excess heat when you drive them into class AB. 41 watts RMS drives them plenty loud with no sign of clipping. Bassnectar barely makes that amp break a sweat. I think you'll be very pleased what those speakers will do when you've got them tweaked in just right. 

I have been listening to the Aria 926 for about two years and have not auditioned the 936.  Originally the 926 speakers were driven by a NAD C356BEE integrated amp.  Very careful room placement per the manual gave false bass (boomy) and it got worse closer to a wall.  I used the Focal test tones and the 45 Hz limit is accurate.  I verified with a SPL meter.  For me, I solved everything with the addition of a Gallo TR2 sub with embedded 80Hz filter.  The tone sweep with sub in place is within 3 Db, down to 35 Hz.  Now, as to the amp, I got curious and replaced the NAD integrated with a preamp and Rotel RB1080, at 200 watts a channel.  That made a huge difference, more than expected.  With listening levels being equal the soundstage was broader, imaging much more precise, and I heard things I did not hear before, like people talking in the background during a Miles Davis recording.  I also heard what I would call a sympathetic vibration in bass drum and snare rattle on the drum skin, not just the hiss.  I bought the Rotel primarily to avoid clipping, but got a lot more out of the speakers even at reasonable listening levels.  I don't know how much of this is a better circuit or more juice.  But it's not placebo - I put the NAD back in then went back to the preamp/Rotel and the difference was clear.

Any owners of Focal should try the Isoacoustics GAIA isolation feet . Giant improvement in imaging and bass . The demo at RMAF was impressive with 2 pair of 936's alternating back and forth with and without the GAIA .

That's largely reflected my experience with the 936's as far as bass. They certainly don't need any boundary reinforcement. Focal's placement guide wasn't the most useful for me either. 2 feet from the wall got the job done. 
As for isolation as a must... Not so much. It really depends on the floor. I enjoy the luxury of a very solid slab. I suspect a giant resonant hotel room floor might make them more useful. 

Kosst.i am on a concrete slab . the devices worked great on a pair of electrostats. So i would still give them a try .

How does the Aria 936 compare to Revel F208s? The Revel appear to be highly praised everywhere, and can be often found heavily discounted 

Every Focal distributor is blowing them out lately...That is the "walnut"(vinyl wrap) finish. The Black are at their regular price.
The 936/948's are hard to pass up.
My "buy now" finger is twitching.....
Nothing wrong with my current setup...I could use a little audio excitement.

I wonder if Focal has updated model in the works?

As far as Revel goes I would absolutely not agree with what you said and those have not been my findings at all.

As far as Aria updates, none in sight.  I was told that Focal supposedly has a real wood version of the Arias coming, which is why they are clearing out the Walnut.

Best deal ever.  Jump on it!

 I found the bass of the 948s to be muddy when I auditioned them recently at a local dealer. Not to my tastes at all, and I really appreciat a deep, articulate bass.

I don’t recommend the 948 because they are extremely difficult to get to sound right.  You likely heard a bad setup, but I don’t blame them — they’re extremely hard to set up.

I think the 936 is an absolutely superior sounding speaker.

The room had some issues for certain, but the setup was top notch. Other Focals—Kantas  and Sopras 1 and 3–sounded terrific with the same gear. I realize they are at a different price point but just to say that the 948s were a big disappointment. The amplification was Primaluna HP amp and Dialogue Preamp and source was EAT C-major TT .

Both Revels and Focals can be found heavily discounted. I'm not a huge fan of either, but my opinion, having extensively auditioned both, was that the 936s were overpriced at their MSRP and belong in the $2.5K segment. In contrast, the Revel 208 was a bargain at its MSRP. 

The 948's, with their hideous impedance low point of 2.5 ohm compounded by some phase angle, aren't easy to drive. The Kanta and all the Sopra's are easier to drive than the 948's. The thing I like about the 936's is they're not the most politely voiced speakers out there. They have a smooth, meaty, physicality to the sound from top to bottom that I think a lot of other speakers are voiced to avoid in the interest of sounding more polite. They attack from all angles when it's called for and they lay back and chill when it's not. 

As far as an update to the 900 series, I'm not sure what they'd change. Maybe the TMD driver from the Kanta?