Really really glad I make my own.
Glad to see Focal is going back to a cabinet material that won't melt in the rain though!
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Glad to see Focal is going back to a cabinet material that won't melt in the rain though!
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Focal Kanta No.2
Focal introduced a new line today beginning with the Kanta No.2. It looks like they're positioning it between the W cone equipped 1000 series and the Sopra. It's got the shape of the older Utopia products before they went segmented. Any thoughts? Curious what people will think when they hear them.
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I listened to them as well. I realize they wouldn’t be at their best in a show setting, but they showed a lot of promise. I was told by another rep. , that they are replacing the Electra series with these. I think it is a good step. The Electra’s have been around a long time, but the new Kanta series will be a great companion to the Sopra line at a better price point. It was nice to be one of the first to see and hear the new product. |
This is one of few speaker companies that I pay attention to. Did you hear those with tube, hybrid or ss amps? One of the reasons of why I do is that some used Utopias can be had for a reasonable price. A lot of sound for $4k -$6k, especially with the right amp match. I also pay attention to speakers like Lansche and Kharma, but this is academic, I will unlikely ever be able to afford them. |
I haven't heard them yet, but I'm thinking I'd like to. I think I like the styling, though I'm not too sure I dig on the blue shades. A red or that burnt orange they do the Sopra's in would be better option than two shades of blue. It's nice that the style can range from bold to very organic. Apparently that base is made from the same stuff they cast the driver baskets from. I suspected they may be a replacement for the Electra series. I suppose that shows a lot of faith in the quality of the F cone. I'm going to assume they're going to ask Electra-like prices for those. I'd expect the Kanta No. 2 to go for about $6500-7500. My big question is will the No. 3 feature another 6.5" driver like the 936 and 1038, or will they do the NIC job on the 8.25" driver from the 948 and build out the cabinet a bit more for increased volume. I'm thinking they'll do 2 8.25" drivers. |
I doubt the price of the Sopra will increase in relation to this. The differential in pricing is currently five thousand greater with a model of similar specification. Additionally, pricing at each individual tier is based on what the market will bear with consideration to all peer competitors. Canton Ref K series is competitive to the Sopra series as do the B&W 800 Series. These factors will play a greater role in pricing then in house competition. Stereoplay has already produced its first review of the Kanta No.2 with a base set of measurements and ratings. Based on those figures, Focal has certainly achieved its stated goals on bass performance and it has most of the hallmarks of current Focal designs. The bass falls of -3db at 38hz and -6db at 34hz and should provide a fairly good in room performance. Its pretty even handed and doesn't show the mid bass boost used buy some. On axis, the frequency response is quite flat to 30 degrees to either side. Getting up to 60 degrees off axis does show some of expected response falloff at the lower treble and upper treble. Its expected given the 2.7khz crossover between the mid/tweeter and is a compromises made between driver dynamics and dispersion. It has slightly less emphasis at the upper treble, which is used often to balance in room response. Might be a slightly less airy sound as compared to the Sopra. Plenty of competition at this price point. B&W 804 D3, Canton Reference 7K or 5K, Revel's upcoming F228Be, PSB Imagine T3, and the Dynaudio Contour 30 are all within the target area. Focal is adding a some additional style to their product as a differentiation. |
The $9000 price is what you get when you convert UK pounds to US dollars. If you Google "kanta no. 1 price" you get a WhatHiFi article that indicates they will be £7000. If so, that's more than twice what I paid for my 936's. Can a copper ring, a new rubber surround, a Be tweeter, and a new box transform the $3000 926 into a $9000 speaker? That seems like a bold leap, a TON of confidence in the F cone over the W cone, and makes the 900 series look like a real steal. In my estimation, of course. |
Actually just had read they will price at $9995 for US customers. The UK and EU pricing is considerably lower, and at that price, I believe they may have pitched this product into too many strong competitors on this side of the pond. Since this product is pitched below the Sopra series and using it as a reference, I have significant doubts about its US pricing strategy. I'm expecting them to push the style a bit more than substance on this product. Well, good luck to them! Hopefully dealers have some space to negotiate as needed. They may very well need to. |
$1000 this way or that shouldn't be a big deal on a speaker like this. I have no doubt I could find a dealer to knock $1000 off a pair. My dealer knocked $700 off my 936's, and no, they weren't showroom models. The big problem with the Sopra line is they tend to work best in rather sizable rooms. A line below them better tailored for smaller spaces, but better sounding than the Electra line, isn't a bad idea. My impression of the F cone is that it captures some of the virtues of a paper driver better than the W cone. |
The folks at the show indicated a 9995.00 price to the group that were listening at 5he same time I was. He also said they were in the middle of the Kanta line and a center were forthcoming over the next year to 18 months. They may have had some variation through the day, but I clearly heard 9995.00. And at the price quoted, I think they will be considered a great value, I definitely want to hear more as those fit my budget, but I am not sure I want to wait that long to get all 5 as I need a 5.1setup in addition to 2 channel. |
If one is taking style with the substance, its at best fair value. Not doubting its a high performance transducer, but a few other speakers would make my shortlist. At that price, I feel others offer more at similar cost. If the European prices, which currently around fifteen hundred less, would be presented here in the US, it would change my sentiment about the value. |
I am very excited about these new speakers and am looking for some help help me with a decision I am trying to make. I have an opportunity to buy a used (mint) pair of Sonus Fabre Olympica iii speakers for around $7000 but unfortunately can’t audition them for too long as the seller is traveling soon. The Kantas sounded very good to me (driven by a Devialet 130 pro) at the dealers but the Sonus Fabres also sounded good albeit possibly a bit more laid back (they were driven by an Audio Research tube preamp and a pass labs power amp). Also the listening room at the sellers place was not at all ideal/treated so is difficult to do a fair comparison. If anyone here has heard both these speakers, any suggestions on whether the new Kantas are possibly worth giving up on the Olympicas at $7,000? Thanks! |
A lot of suppositions and market analysis here by the self appointed cognoscenti of Audio. I heard them and they are special in a way I haven’t heard in quite awhile....think Bozak B313b! They sound like music...warm, defined and full of dynamic swing. Superb soundstaging as well. I’ve owned Dynaudio C4’s, Wilson 6 and 7’s, Sophia’s, B&W lineup including 802D2’s and so many more. All had their virtues but none connected with me like the Kanta No.2 Speakers. Simply put, a symphony sounds closer to the real thing through them! |
@contuzzi - apologies, just saw your post today. I finally didn't buy the Olympica iiis as was unsure of the laid-back sound and didn't want to rush in to the purchase. They're no longer available to me as the seller has moved to another country. I've also decided to wait before deciding on the Kantas since they're so new, would like to hear more feedback about them. Am very curious to see how the new Magico A3s will be especially considering they're the same price as the Kantas! Also, with regard to your remark about the Devialet vs. the ARC/Pass Labs combo, is that a likely result irrespective of the type of speaker? I am very new to the world of high-end audio and don't have much experience listening to many tube systems. I listen to primarily rock (Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, Sting etc.), vocals (both male/female), but a bit of jazz and blues with very limited classical music. From what I've read I believe the general recommendation for this kind of music would be SS amps but I've also read very good things about tube amps like the Primaluna Dialogue. I'm also curious to understand how a combination of the a tube-preamp and an SS amp would suit my tastes in music? Thanks! |
I went to The Kimmel Center yesterday to hear The Philadelphia Symphony perform Shostakovich Symphony No.7...I had box seats right off the stage! Amazing performance that nearly had me in tears. This morning I played my SACD version of the No.7 on my system and I could hardly believe my ears....the Focal Kanta No.2’s delivered a stunningly lifelike recreation of my experience at the Kimmel!! From the lower octave fundamentals to the sweet open pristine highs...all of it was there and in correct proportion. Dynamics were completely realistic, plucked strings were spot on and the open panoramic vista of the orchestra was laid out in all it’s grandeur. The delicacy and the power of the full orchestra was delivered in full measure, with expression, warmth and most of all...emotion. The Kanta No.2’s are very special indeed and may just be one of the most musically “right” speaker system produced today. Truly remarkable!! Bravo Focal |
Test results at Stereoplay are rather mediocre for such a costly speaker. Mid range suck out means they probably sound laid back rather than accurate. I can’t understand why there is so much distortion between 1 and 2 KHz? I don’t think Focal will end up being proud of this cheaper version of their larger legendary speakers. Looks like they are selling a mediocre product off the back of their legendary name. https://oslohificenter.no/hoyttalere/gulvstaende/focal-kanta-no-2?iid=444276&pid=OHC-OHCProduct-... |
@kosst_amojan Well actually my interest in the measurements came because I have heard them recently. Not much to say except rather mediocre considering the price and they certainly can’t hold a candle to their top of the line products. I think the budget line of Focal like the 936 is much better value. The aesthetics may be the only significant improvement over their budget line. |
@shadorne I'd kinda hope you're getting a bit more sound quality when you spend 20 times the price of the Kantas No.2 on a pair of speakers. No doubt Focal's lower priced speaker represent excellent value! That's why I bought 936's instead of 1008 Be's. I wouldn't expect Kanta No.2's to compare well with Utopia products. I'd expect something like a 948's sound with more refined highs and better balanced dispersion. And I'd expect to pay twice what my 936's cost to get that. |
Dave, Unfortunately not even close. Since I have only ordinary bits of wire everywhere between components it is close to the worst on Audiogon. An ordinary USB cable too. Ordinary balanced XLR cables to the amp. The speaker wires are also just ordinary copper wires. Entirely ho hum and not even at your local Best Buy Monster cable level (around $100) which means absolutely terrible by Audiogon standards. No special fuses. No treatments. My system suffers every one of the horrible scary sound destroying ills that a multitude of specialist cables and tweaks could easily correct (with the appropriate hundreds of hours of break in, of course). |
Focal unfortunately decided to price the Kanta 2 quite a bit higher for the US market in comparison to the European market. It sells around $8,500 in Europe sans VAT, which I would expect a $9,000 USD price, but not more. It does have a certain style and I believe Focal is banking on this being a compelling high end lifestyle speaker. It appears to have that odd suck out right where the mid crosses to the tweeter, but oddly flares back up at the 30 degree off center mark. Possibly something lost out in not using the more curved baffle shape from the upmarket Sopra. Speaker toe in is going to have a very notable affect on the balance. It enters the market at well contested segment. B&W offers the 804D3, Dynaudio has the Contour 60, Paradigm has the Persona 3F, PSB offers the Imagine T3, Canton has the Reference 5K, Magico and Revel will be putting in new entries very shortly. Each speaker mentioned brings its own set of traits the table and are all easily competitive with one another. I'm sure they'll be fine speakers, but value will likely be considered fair or simply just good, but nothing great. I do intend to pick up a new pair of speakers in the next year right around this price point. Should be good fun. |
Some of my favorite speakers have had all sorts of measurement issues...My Wilson WP 6’s and 7’s, B&W 802D2’s, Totem Forest’s etc..yet they can sound amazing and all have quite a following. Some measure while others listen. A particular piece of the audio chain is just that...a piece. How you put the pieces together is the art. It’s all about balance and synergy! Anyone who would buy a system based on measurements alone is chasing a fools dream. |
Measurements are a tool and just like any other, you are free to use them as you like. With them, you can certainly gain inference on how you might set up a pair in your room. The exmaple of the B&W 802D2 isn't know to have linear dispersion across the audio band due to B&W's design which pushes the mid-tweeter crossover point well out of the mid range. With judicious setup and in room response measurements, I've seen them put in one very nicely done in room frequency response that belies its measured response. One example is having the phase and impedance plot of a loudspeaker system can give you insights to what amps might be unsuitable or in the least not an ideal pairing. As for this new Kanta 2, bass response has a quick fall which is certainly in place to keep distortion low. Deep bass will be missing and full range performance will need the assistance of a sub. Impedance does dip rather low at 100hz at 2.9Ohm and I would pair this speaker with amp that is known to be stable at that impedance range. Treble response is slightly shelved. Other that the toe in work, it shouldn't be to hard for room placement and I would think a good solid state amp that can provide current would work best. There are certainly enough options out there to fine tune the final result. I do think they will be overall as good as the Electra, but they are a bit different overall. |
@mmeysarosh I'm going to pick on you because you said something that echos a sentiment I see tossed around here a lot about any speaker that doesn't dig down to 20Hz -3dB. The Kanta is going to perform very flatly down to it's 29Hz low point considering typical boundary reinforcement of the bass in a real room. Do people forget that these figures are free space "anechoic" performance measurements and that isn't the result you're going to get in an actual room? I'd expect bass response to be very comparable to my 936's being the difference in low point is 3Hz. I wouldn't even briefly consider a sub with mine. Any additional bass reinforcement above 32Hz would be insanely unrealistic. |
The bass begins to roll off sharply around 40hz and is down -3db at 38hz and -6db at 34hz. In an appropriately sized room (which mine actually isn't for the Kanta 2), it could very well have enough gain to get down to 29hz, but it wouldn't be able to achieve the sense of pressure created by full range designs and remain clean with low distortion through the drivers audible band. There are a few musical genres where that does have a notable impact on the feel, so a lot if this does depend on room and musical tastes. In comparison to the similarly priced Dynaudio Contour 60 (At least the US Price), the Danes chose a larger pair of drivers with greater cabinet volume to achieve the ability to produce those tones cleanly and keep the driver more composed through the remainder of its response. Focal had expressed in interviews that the baffle construction was in part to maintain cabinet volume all the while keeping the overall size in a specified range. Aesthetic value was a choice Focal made in this product and obviously the Danes weren't quite as concerned about the imposing size of their product. The issue I have with Contour 60 is how high that mid-tweeter arrangement stand in relative to a typical listener height. Maybe its due to them being one of the tallest nations on Earth. I'm personally already used to having something that does dig a bit deeper down low. Would have to hear the Kanta to determine if it works for me, but from my experience, I've preferred a fuller range design. |
