What is the MOST STYLISH and GREAT SOUNDING loudspeaker in your opinion? And if you watch until the end, what's your answer 😉? COMMENT AND POSTING RULES: (Please read before commenting) Please remember to be kind and courteous to one another in the comments. It's okay to disagree just keep things civil. Harassment will not be tolerated. WORRIED YOUR COMMENT WAS DELETED? Comments containing profanity are automatically flagged and deleted by RUclips. Comments containing links of any kind to outside URLs (including RUclips links) are automatically flagged and deleted. If you aren't seeing your comment, please make sure you didn't accidentally leave out a space before or after a period your sentence. RUclips sees this as a URL link. Since we cannot edit your comments, any of the above violations will result in your comment not be visible. Thank you, and be well!
Zü Dirty weekends. Simple design and available (when you can find them) in some really gorgeous finishes. If apple ever made audiophile speakers, they’d cop their design.
@@tomwebb7091there are literally suicide nets around the factory that produces Huawei phones. Tell yourself what ever you want but it is not ethical work environments
I've just bought these loudspeakers (in black). I tried different ones in the shop in the same price range and these were easily the best. As Andrew's description perfectly highlights, the sound coming out of these speakers has a perfect balance. I tried them with kind of "extreme" music, such as dub-electronica with powerful bass tones, and post-punk guitar-oriented sound. Even at high volume, the coherence of the sound was perfect. Highly recommended.
I just bought a pair of these beauties based on your review. I'm driving them with a Rotel RA-1592Mk 2 and can't believe how good these speakers are. The more they break in, the wider and deeper the soundstage gets. Really incredible. These little guys are (imho) better than my KLH Kendalls and my Wharfedale EVO 4.4 in that much more detail in the high end is available. Damn nice to look at with their dedicated stands as well. Thanks for the great review Andrew.
I think Chora is a good looking entry level bookshelf speakers from Focal. The look of the woofer is the look of the raw material used for the driver, so the look can only be changed if they paint over it. I strongly agree that speakers has to look good. To be honest, looking at it is part of the experience on top of listening to it. A good looking speaker add so much more to the experience.
I agree with Andrew here. Soundstage is amazing. Feels wider than the speakers themselves. You cannot hear the boxes. You only the music. The boxes disappear. I ran these with an active crossover set around 60hz. Loved it. Ran the low end to an 8" Emotiva active sub. LOVELY. Very very pleasing listening experience.
I have focal chora 816, and these sound downright amazing am now selling all my dali speakers fazon f5 zensor 5 and spektor 6 are going out. what Focal has, Dali doesn't have, and that soundstage that your speakers disappear. that the sound comes from the middle not from the speakers as with Dali. Thank you Kristy and Andrew. Greeting from The Netherlands 👍👋.
As of this post, the Focals reviewed here are $400 off using the link above. I just bought them with zero hesitation. The center channel is also on sale. I saved $700+ on the 3 speakers.
Currently playing catch-up on Blindspot. It's utterly preposterous, but it sells it with such drive that it defies logical analysis: put brain in neutral, enjoy the ride! Totally agree about aesthetics. It's not an optional extra. If people say "aesthetics don't influence me", what's often happening is that they're subconsciously buying into the sales pitch that if something looks brutally utilitarian, therefore it must be great at what it does. I do appreciate Canon's 90s brief foray into manufacturing wide-dispersion speakers, with Allen Boothroyd brought on board as co-designer. I own a pair of S-35s and they're a classic example of form following function.
I bought the Aria 906's earlier this year and am really happy with them. I haven't heard the 806's but the Arias are the next line up and not that much more money if you look for a good deal. Paired with my HSU Research subwoofer, you can't ask for much more without spending a TON of extra money.
Watched this review 3 times, seriously considering them. They look good too. One of the best looking speakers I have ever seen is the Wharfedale EVO 4,2 in all colours. It looks the part. Never heard it trying to find a dealer to hear it. Thanks for a nice, detailed review.
Btw. A good feedback. At the beginning I felt strange about the phantasmagoric presence of Kristi. Now I love it. And her opinions frequently align with mine. I bought a Cambridge Audio AXR100 because of her review at the end of the video about the 35 or 85, I don't remember. The reviews are great! Good job! Now let me go back to my caipirinha...
I think I finally made my decision. I didn’t even know this speaker exists until I stumbled upon it while scrolling through your reviews playlist. It’s lack of online presence is astonishing. Is there a reason why this speaker doesn’t come up as a comparison on any other speaker review? A week ago I was deciding between the Evo 4.1 and the Denton 85s, but the Chora 806s look nicer, are more efficient, don’t lack vertical imaging unlike the 4.1s and are front ported.
Great speakers! I owned these a couple of years ago when trying out bookshelves, I picked them over the Paradigm Studio 20's if that tells you something. My favorite bookshelf of all time?... Believe it or not I've never heard a bookshelf that outperformed my Boston Acoustic VR-M50. This was Bostons only attempt at high end and trust me they are superb.
I have these in black paired with nad c700 and svs pro sub and you are right they disappear in the room and the Soundstage is crystal clear amazing at this price point love them and anyone that has heard them doesn't believe all that sound is coming from those small speakers
Hi Russel, I plan on getting the same combo (Chora 806 with NAD C700). How are the highs in your system? Any harshness, listening fatigue, etc.? Rock, punk, electronica, alternative... Thanks.
I'm with you 100% about esthetics, especially if you pay a high price, you want them to sound good AND look great! With todays manufacturing techniques, it is easy to combines great looks and quality at competitive pricing. Thanks for the review!
Absolutely correct. I'm not a big fan of Chinese-made loud speakers. Especially when the company has European origins. The fact that Focal has managed to keep production in France, while keeping costs sensible is amazing.
The problem with getting gorgeous looking speakers (for me that would be Q Acoustics Concept 300 mainly for the stands) is that then my couch will look crappy so I'll need a new couch. Not to mention coffee table. Credenza. Don't forget the rest of the audio equipment. And also lose 20 pounds because now I'm the thing spoiling the look.
Was looking at the Klipsch RP-600's but as soon as my wife saw them she said NO! And then found the Focal's herself! Super excited to get and try them out!
Coherence... let me tell you how important this is (Not Andrew, but viewers of this video) There are speakers with concentric drivers, there are two ways at the same price, and ribbon tweeter equipped hybrids at this price point. MANY of them sound like the tweeter is a separate entity from the woofer. Ascend Sierra 2ex (ribbon) , B&W's lower lines, and others just don't sound like one sound source. Other designs at this price point are just too rolled off on top to deliver the realism focal has, or "hard" sounding like axiom/B&W. The new focal tweeter is a leap over the old tioxid , which resonated at 17khz. It has much better treble detail and refinement. Focal kills my elac DBR62, B&W, the S400's, and others that can't match it. FWIW: dynaudio is too polite on top for me. The Chora>excite or evoke.
Hi, many thanks for your honest & enthusiastic review.....also thank you & well done Kristi for finding these wonderful speakers. I bought a pair of the grey / walnut for my new set up (with the stands) & absolutely love the look & the sound!! So pleased to be listening to vinyl once again after a 30 year hiatus....keep up the great work, I'm really enjoying your channel.
I have Focal 807Ws in Red gloss. They are remarkable speakers and have been fantastic speakers in all sonic regards. The better the amp, the better they perform. Also have Triangle Plaisir ZETAs. Also great speakers. While the more expensive Focals outperform the budget Triangles, both were better than Focal 706s I demoed in white gloss. The 706s were the prettiest speakers I ever had but the V drivers stretched the music for a taller stage which distorted instruments. I also think I prefer the treble on the older tweeter vs the newer Poron one. But it was the mid driver where the biggest difference was heard. Sent them back but hoped they could replace the 807Ws because, they're big at 17 in tall and wanted a bit smaller. But, can't let them go. If I wanted new speakers today, I would try the Focal Chora 806 and also the Triangle Borea series. Haven't found anything else under a grand I like better, or even close to the 807Ws. Something about French speakers I guess. If you want budget, I would recommend the Triangle Borea 2s or 3s. Over a grand, either Focal or Triangle depending on taste. I think Triangle would be more exciting, a bit brighter perhaps with the horn tweeter vs the inverted Poron. The Focal tweeter does have wide dispersion though. As does the Borea tweeter which is not horn loaded. BTW, I have the Zetas hooked up to a Chifi class D Aiyima amp and Aiyima dac which sounds really, really good. All for less than $400...no complaints and all in all I could live with it without going after better...I I had to. Although I have better but you now, diminishing returns as the mains and Amp were 8X the price. I think you were right that class D can sound better than AB until you reach a higher price point. Tried a Musical Fidelity m2si which had bloated bass and grainy mids to name a few. Astounding what they have done with budget gear. I also have Infinity R152s (a bit more detailed than the Zetas but bigger), Deftech SM 45s (less detailed but very dynamic sounding), and have tried Dali Spektor 1,2 and Oberon 1 (nice but a bit more laid back, less dynamic), Kef Q100s (sent back, beamy, less musical), Ascends cbm 170s (sent back, bland tone), etc., etc. Satisfying when you finally find a sound you like. The Zetas for desktop, Focals for Mains. Both are satisfying for music and movies. Best regards in these crazy times.
They do. We used these on the Bandwidth Audio setup and the combo was very, very nice. But don't think that you NEED tubes in order for Focal speakers to sound good. We like them with Class D amps too! Thank you for watching!
I think you've identified my next speaker purchase. They do look good and fit an apartment setting. You sold me on your description of the high end clarity/detail and the focused sound stage. Thank you.
Wonderful review. I have the Chorus 706 and the floorstanding 716 and fully agree with you! They do sound warmer and still maintaining their clarity and refinement if you add a tube buffer/preamp, or a tube amp. It takes the "edge" off and make them sound even smoother.
#1. We watched Picard; now looking for something else. Maybe season 2 of Lost in Space or start The Witcher. #2 In the old days of audio on the internet (newsgroups like rec.audio.high-end or HTF, HTT, etc...) a term arose which would be the overriding factor in any purchase: WAF i.e. Wife Approval Factor. This led us to Sonus Faber. Wife saw them at an old Austin store, Hi Fidelity Inc. (RIP), and from there it's been our go to brand ever since. Even speakers from their 90s line look amazing today. It helps they generally sound excellent as well. Aesthetics is the driving force of our purchases. If I want to buy it, it better catch the eye of the Mrs.
I've been repeat watching your videos, trying to decide what speakers and amp to get! I think I've decided on the Audiolab 6000a, would the Focal be a good match? Or the Klipsch 600m or Wharfedale 12.2's?
Bookshelf speakers that look and sound great according to ME: Jamo s803 (white) Sony SS-CG1 (piano gloss black) B&W CM1 (wenge) Kef LS50 Wireless (black, unfortunately only the ls50 has an all black edition)
I've compared these to everything dynaudio, B&W, svs, Buchardt and kef under $2000/pr. These win, and make the others sound dull and veiled. For my tastes, B&W was closest- but B&W has an arid and lifeless midrange. The Kef LS50 had a metallic coloration. The Buchardt were not as refined or coherent at all. The dynaudio excite were too polite. Horns? been there, done that... never again. I am getting these and a chora center channel for my home theater system.
I personally like the style of some Sonus Faber speakers. Hope to be able to afford a pair one day... I finished House MD, just before the lockdown here in the UK, I have the blue ray box set. And after that I started to watch The Mentalist... I am on season 5 now, Those 2 are the only programs that I can watch again and again and again...
Two best sounding and looking speakers I had was Q Acoustics Concept 40 and Yamaha NS-F700 both in white gloss. I'm my opinion looks matters as much as performance if your hi fi is in living room and visitors and family can see it. Love your channel. Cheers
Yes. I'm enjoying my pair at the moment. The rustic oak/white baffle version looks stylish with the tweed grill and the sound - is oh, so beautiful! Not only a "subjective" opinion, because the Elac Debut Reference speaker has been well reviewed - based on a thorough test of frequency sweeps, measurements, etc.
Fred Ruiz Very true, Elac and Q Acoustics are much less expensive and they are really respectable I suspect they would need some serious system matching for Focal
My current set up is pleasing to my eye : Taga harmony hta 700 v2 and Triangle Borea Br02. I'm waiting for the Chora 806 to arrive and the Triangle Titus EZ (the most stylish :)
Hi don't know whether you''re going to read this but I'm interested in and split between Focal chora 806 and the Triangle borea BR02. Did you really get both? And if so, what did you think of them and the relative good and weak points of both? Thanks, Rob
Great review and you may have me sold on these focals! 100% agree appearance plays a large part in the over satisfaction of a speaker. I’ve been reading your reviews online for years but did not realize you were producing videos now. Keep up the good work!
Hmmmm, the prettiest, best sounding speaker I own is a pair of 1979 La Scalas. I just think they are gorgeous. Maybe the best speakers ever made. Definitely the best sounding, overall, that I have owned. But, the aesthetic is not for everyone and they are, of course, ENORMOUS. The nicest combo of aesthetics and sound of anything I own that the average person could live with are the Dali Zensor 3 bookshelves. They image like champs and the 7" woofer digs deep. The walnut with piano black front baffle combined with the red pulp woofer is just a super classy look. Unfortunately, they are pre-magnetic grill era, so have holes on the front, but other wise they are super looking and sound fantastic. My Eaton 2A3 amp just loves them.
1) best looking speaker on the market today would be the Sonus Faber Amati. It helps that it is also a great sounding speaker. 2) best sounding speaker would be the Wilson Chronosonic XVX (i like it better than the master chronosonic) 3) So far we finished, picard, freud, lock & key, message for the king, ozark, the end of the f**king world, and a bunch of Marvel and Star Wars movies....and a ton of youtube videos on cars.
Love my Choras still. Im moving into a small room at a long term care facility from my large house and am going to put my Chora surround system away but keep using my 806"s in my room with a small sub . Hard to belive 4 years ago . Funny ending 😂❤
it was def love at 1st site (and listen) with the very similar and most stunning Focal Kanta . Kanta begot Chora no doubt. Over the years I really have liked or loved just about anything Focal has made.. same for Jl Audio. Excellent companies that really care about sound and product quality .::.
Hi I bought the focal chora 806 based on your review and many others, I was driving them with Audiolab 6000a Audiolab cdp well I am auditioning Hegel h95 wow oh wow oh wow! Did I say wow? You bet!!
@@Yaroslavskyyy funny I just recently sold my Audiolab and bought the hegel95 yes much better not that the Audiolab wasn’t just better, now saving up to buy a pair of Martin Logan esl, so that makes 3 amps and 3 speakers within a year! Hopefully that’ll do it!
Thank you for introducing me to these speakers. They are so pretty! But I wish they used a vintage cloth grill instead. Most speakers need to be placed in the middle of the room to sound good, is really not so smart. I wish Klipsch brings back some front port speakers other than stealing from Jamo s803.
Dispersion, separation and detail are what I most appreciate about my focals and agree with your review Andrew. Im going to try to pair mine with a Decware amp and see how that sounds. With a nice subwoofer these outperform or hang with several much more expensive speakers. As always thank you for sharing.
Great reviews. I decided to build my own speakers because I do not like the looks of most speakers I can reasonably afford. I am a amateur woodworker and love Scandinavian design. The speakers can’t be black boxes. Fun project, taking spec inspiration from a few reference bookshelf speakers and finding components that would get close, curious to hear the result.
I never got to do a proper side by side. I'd say in this instance think of what you'll be using to drive them. The elacs aren't as sensitive. I imagine the focals will sound better with a more run of the mill amp whereas the elacs will perform better if driven by a higher performance amp
Definitely agree with aesthetics. I regularly say that I can't understand why so many manufacturers pay little attention to aesthetics. Is typically (not always) that European companies (speakers/amp), pay attention to their finish. It's something to be proud of as as manufacture, not just a box or ugly lump of a chassis (amp)
I heard them in Paragon Sight and Sound in Ann Arbor Michigan and they blew my mind! They were driven by a class D Naim through a digital streaming service, two things I find morally repugnant but the sound from the speakers were so good I was able to look past it. :) If you're in or near Michigan you must check them out! Paragon is the best audio shop in that region of the country!!
I started buying all the Marvel movies on Blu-ray and 4k Blu-ray about 5 months ago off of Ebay. We put our discs in a binder to save Space(y).😏 I have been watching them whenever time alows. I'm currently 37 minutes into Avengers: Infinity War and would really like to finish it before April is gone. Did you ever notice that one really nice thing about watching the same stuff is you don't have to stop playback at the beginning of every show to adjust the subwoofer and center channel levels? That still gets me in trouble with my girlfriend's kids. They are coming around though and my plot to condition them into becoming audio enthusiasts is showing promise. Apparently my girlfriend adjusts the sound controls when I am gone. She really likes the rumblies but doesn't like too much of the good stuff.
Oh, and since I can't slow down, I think you bear a significant resemblance to Lionel Richie. Gotta go. It's time for me to see if dancing on the ceiling can cure insomnia.
Andrew, how would you compare the Focals 800 line to the Dali Oberons that you recently reviewed? On the street, they're not that far apart in price (~$100-$200) and I know you liked both. These are two speakers very high on my list in a music-first system which doubles as a HT. And for the record, my musical tastes run towards acoustic jazz and classical. I DO listen to most everything else, but that's gravy. I want acoustic pianos to sound like an acoustic piano. THX !!!
Andrew,unrelated but I finally decided on the fluance rt85 based on many reviews with yours carrying more weight than others. Received it today and am totally happy with my purchase,thank you. I would like to see a review of phono preamps under $500 because the preamp that is built in to my klipsch the sixes leaves alot to be desired.
Now that all of the Focal Chora series are marked down, do you think these are still worth it at the discounted price? Would these bookshelves fill a large room with high open ceilings? (Marantz nr1609 with Emotiva A2 amp). Or go for the Chora 816 or 826 series?
@@tainle I already pulled the trigger on the chora 826's (scratch and dent at crutchfield) for $531/spkr. I love the speakers, their sound and their looks...but not feeling this new Yamaha Rx-A2a receiver paired with them. Any suggestions?
They look great, especially with blue-gray front. Esthetics is as important as sound. My biggest concern about those speakers are low frequencies, need to hear them in person to develop own impression
I just bought NAD C 368 BluOS-2i receiver and, because of your review, the focal chora 806 speakers black. I wonder if you can recommend a subwoofer for this combo.... and what do you think of this particular NAD system? Originally wanted marantz PM7000N, but its been sold out for months and I got tired of waiting. The NAD system BluOS APP is taking alot to get used to....
Hi Andrew, Just stumbled on your channel while researching our next set of speakers. You also have one of the only reviews of the Davone Studio speakers which we had a listen to today at a local HiFi shop. Whilst I realise these are in completely different price brackets, your review of the Focals seems to be glowing in comparison. Any comments on the two options given they are both visually very pleasing. Keep up the amazing work! Cheers.
Andrew, thank you, I am going to buy new bookshelf speakers, now I have Sonus Faber Principia 5, I am moving to another home where my listening room is a little bit smaller (20m2) I am thinking buying Sonus Faber Lumina 2 (I did hear those speakers, I loved it a lot) or Focal Aria 906 (I am going to hear) or Chora 806. My taste of music is only classical music, Chora 806 goes well with classical music? Greetings from the Netherlands.
Can the 806 be used as a surround sound speaker to pair with the 826? I recently purchased the 826 and the center unit and was considering pairing them with the 806 as surround sound speakers.
Great review Andrew - been considering replacing our Klipsch towers with smaller speakers lately. These look so damned refined and elegant. Serious contenders ✌🏻
Did you find these speakers just a little too bright or fatiguing in the upper frequencies? I've heard that's a common trait of Focal speakers. Also, are the Chora's versatile when it comes to genres or are they picky in that regard? Should I steer clear of them if I like rock music, for example?
Totally appreciate you watching and I understand the request however, we do not do sound demos on this channel. There is no way that a digitally compressed file (from RUclips) played through your listening device will give you an accurate representation of this product. So we just don't do them. Ever.
@@NottsModeller the same price?? Wow, if that's the case then get the floor standers! My local shop had that bundle with the floorstanders as well, but it was more money. Can't remember price increase. I got the Atom, Naim Audio speaker cables, and the Chora 806 speakers for $3299. Insanely good deal!
Andrew, I couldn't tell from the angle in your video. Were you also using the Focal stands for the Chora? They have a slight tilt on the stands so that the tweeter sits back a bit, for better time alignment with the woofer. I also remember Steven Guttenberg's review of these speakers a few months back - his impressions were so-so. Again, just take the subjective reviews at face value. Decide for yourselves what impresses you and keeps you well connected to the music you enjoy!
WJ Ernst We were not sent stands and are using the ones that came with the Buchardt’s S400s. Focal does sell stands for them though. We don’t make it a habit of watching other audio related RUclipsrs so we can’t comment on SG’s experience- not that we would anyway...So yes! Everyone should decide for themselves. 😊
Interesting. Steve Guttenburg reviewed them back in December and didn't much care for either their sound or build quality. I've owned Focal headphones and had mixed experiences. The Elegia ($899) are fantastic and are my current travel headphones, so I bought the Utopia ($4,000) thinking they would be incredible. I hated them so much I couldn't get them back in the box fast enough to return. So, put me in the "I'd have to hear to believe" group when it comes to Focal, especially considering there are some incredible bookshelf speakers out there in that price range.
No one is going to like and/or appreciate the sound of any AV product the same. Different strokes for different folks. We're fans of the Focal Chora over here, but it's cool if Steve's tastes differ from mine.
@@r423fplip Steve is older yes, but with vast experience and knowledge that can't be underestimated or dismissed. He's still king of the hill, although there are (naturally) a few others that also have very respectable audio cred and write/video some excellent reviews.
Craig Persel yes, but audio has moved on, but somehow I don’t think he has. The bloke from ps audio is another and as for John darko well some how he thinks that audio is beyond the realms of physics. It’s is a different job these days, especially with the internet. Very difficult to pull the wool over people’s eyes. Well mine it is.😊
@@r423fplip How has audio moved on? Please explain. Both John and Steve (and Paul and Z review and NRD and Zero Fidelity) have at or over 100k subscribers each and have incredible (and well deserved) admiration from audiophiles around the world. Their deep technical knowledge also doesn't get in the way of very useful, practical reviews. I'm not sure who you are looking up to in this field, but by dismissing those you mentioned I wouldn't put much veracity in it.
I am watching LobosJr play through Doom Eternal. Last week I bought a REL T/9i, so I am listening to a lot of music. New season of WestWorld sounds really good. I am also re watching Eurogamer play through Dark Soul. It makes me crazy, because of their poor decision making skills. Thanks for the review.
Great review. Just upgraded from the chorus 806v loved them and wanted to stay with focal even though they seem very picky when it comes to choosing electronics. I ended up going with the Kanta 2 which are amazing
Your description with all the links are on point. Really like all that info with direct links to the products. I know its alot of work to do, hopefully the affiliate links help in the long run. One question.....What stands you using in the video?
What is the MOST STYLISH and GREAT SOUNDING loudspeaker in your opinion? And if you watch until the end, what's your answer 😉?
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Thank you, and be well!
Klipsch la Scala if I spelled it right!!!!!
Sonus Faber, hands down!
Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniversary
Zü Dirty weekends. Simple design and available (when you can find them) in some really gorgeous finishes. If apple ever made audiophile speakers, they’d cop their design.
richard martinez Those are nice.
You had me at "Made in France." Most speakers under $1K are made in China. Hats off to Focal.
@@tomwebb7091 slave labor much?
@@tomwebb7091there are literally suicide nets around the factory that produces Huawei phones. Tell yourself what ever you want but it is not ethical work environments
I've just bought these loudspeakers (in black). I tried different ones in the shop in the same price range and these were easily the best. As Andrew's description perfectly highlights, the sound coming out of these speakers has a perfect balance. I tried them with kind of "extreme" music, such as dub-electronica with powerful bass tones, and post-punk guitar-oriented sound. Even at high volume, the coherence of the sound was perfect. Highly recommended.
I just bought a pair of these beauties based on your review. I'm driving them with a Rotel RA-1592Mk 2 and can't believe how good these speakers are. The more they break in, the wider and deeper the soundstage gets. Really incredible. These little guys are (imho) better than my KLH Kendalls and my Wharfedale EVO 4.4 in that much more detail in the high end is available. Damn nice to look at with their dedicated stands as well. Thanks for the great review Andrew.
I think Chora is a good looking entry level bookshelf speakers from Focal. The look of the woofer is the look of the raw material used for the driver, so the look can only be changed if they paint over it. I strongly agree that speakers has to look good. To be honest, looking at it is part of the experience on top of listening to it. A good looking speaker add so much more to the experience.
I agree with Andrew here. Soundstage is amazing. Feels wider than the speakers themselves. You cannot hear the boxes. You only the music. The boxes disappear. I ran these with an active crossover set around 60hz. Loved it. Ran the low end to an 8" Emotiva active sub. LOVELY. Very very pleasing listening experience.
I have focal chora 816, and these sound downright amazing am now selling all my dali speakers fazon f5 zensor 5 and spektor 6 are going out. what Focal has, Dali doesn't have, and that soundstage that your speakers disappear. that the sound comes from the middle not from the speakers as with Dali. Thank you Kristy and Andrew. Greeting from The Netherlands 👍👋.
As of this post, the Focals reviewed here are $400 off using the link above. I just bought them with zero hesitation. The center channel is also on sale. I saved $700+ on the 3 speakers.
Currently playing catch-up on Blindspot. It's utterly preposterous, but it sells it with such drive that it defies logical analysis: put brain in neutral, enjoy the ride!
Totally agree about aesthetics. It's not an optional extra. If people say "aesthetics don't influence me", what's often happening is that they're subconsciously buying into the sales pitch that if something looks brutally utilitarian, therefore it must be great at what it does.
I do appreciate Canon's 90s brief foray into manufacturing wide-dispersion speakers, with Allen Boothroyd brought on board as co-designer. I own a pair of S-35s and they're a classic example of form following function.
I bought the Aria 906's earlier this year and am really happy with them. I haven't heard the 806's but the Arias are the next line up and not that much more money if you look for a good deal. Paired with my HSU Research subwoofer, you can't ask for much more without spending a TON of extra money.
Yup, I pair mine, 926, with SVS and it's satisfying....
I have my father's JM Lab Focal Cobalt 806s and 15 years later they still sound great. It even has a window showcasing the crossover circuit inside.
Watched this review 3 times, seriously considering them. They look good too. One of the best looking speakers I have ever seen is the Wharfedale EVO 4,2 in all colours. It looks the part. Never heard it trying to find a dealer to hear it. Thanks for a nice, detailed review.
Btw. A good feedback. At the beginning I felt strange about the phantasmagoric presence of Kristi. Now I love it. And her opinions frequently align with mine. I bought a Cambridge Audio AXR100 because of her review at the end of the video about the 35 or 85, I don't remember. The reviews are great! Good job! Now let me go back to my caipirinha...
I think I finally made my decision. I didn’t even know this speaker exists until I stumbled upon it while scrolling through your reviews playlist. It’s lack of online presence is astonishing.
Is there a reason why this speaker doesn’t come up as a comparison on any other speaker review? A week ago I was deciding between the Evo 4.1 and the Denton 85s, but the Chora 806s look nicer, are more efficient, don’t lack vertical imaging unlike the 4.1s and are front ported.
How you liking them? If you got.
Great speakers! I owned these a couple of years ago when trying out bookshelves, I picked them over the Paradigm Studio 20's if that tells you something. My favorite bookshelf of all time?... Believe it or not I've never heard a bookshelf that outperformed my Boston Acoustic VR-M50. This was Bostons only attempt at high end and trust me they are superb.
I have these in black paired with nad c700 and svs pro sub and you are right they disappear in the room and the Soundstage is crystal clear amazing at this price point love them and anyone that has heard them doesn't believe all that sound is coming from those small speakers
Hi Russel, I plan on getting the same combo (Chora 806 with NAD C700). How are the highs in your system? Any harshness, listening fatigue, etc.? Rock, punk, electronica, alternative... Thanks.
I'm with you 100% about esthetics, especially if you pay a high price, you want them to sound good AND look great! With todays manufacturing techniques, it is easy to combines great looks and quality at competitive pricing. Thanks for the review!
The speakers look great. How would they fair when compared directly to say the B&W 606 bookshelves?
Exactly, I really want to know the different on these guys.
Absolutely correct.
I'm not a big fan of Chinese-made loud speakers. Especially when the company has European origins.
The fact that Focal has managed to keep production in France, while keeping costs sensible is amazing.
The problem with getting gorgeous looking speakers (for me that would be Q Acoustics Concept 300 mainly for the stands) is that then my couch will look crappy so I'll need a new couch. Not to mention coffee table. Credenza. Don't forget the rest of the audio equipment. And also lose 20 pounds because now I'm the thing spoiling the look.
HAHA. Totally feel you there, Rasheed.
😂😂😂😂
I always find the Focal speakers very beautiful. The Focal Soprano1 bookshelf sounds great: very open.
Was looking at the Klipsch RP-600's but as soon as my wife saw them she said NO! And then found the Focal's herself! Super excited to get and try them out!
How do they sound on your behalf?
Coherence... let me tell you how important this is (Not Andrew, but viewers of this video)
There are speakers with concentric drivers, there are two ways at the same price, and ribbon tweeter equipped hybrids at this price point.
MANY of them sound like the tweeter is a separate entity from the woofer. Ascend Sierra 2ex (ribbon) , B&W's lower lines, and others just don't sound like one sound source.
Other designs at this price point are just too rolled off on top to deliver the realism focal has, or "hard" sounding like axiom/B&W.
The new focal tweeter is a leap over the old tioxid , which resonated at 17khz. It has much better treble detail and refinement.
Focal kills my elac DBR62, B&W, the S400's, and others that can't match it. FWIW: dynaudio is too polite on top for me. The Chora>excite or evoke.
Hi, many thanks for your honest & enthusiastic review.....also thank you & well done Kristi for finding these wonderful speakers. I bought a pair of the grey / walnut for my new set up (with the stands) & absolutely love the look & the sound!! So pleased to be listening to vinyl once again after a 30 year hiatus....keep up the great work, I'm really enjoying your channel.
I have Focal 807Ws in Red gloss. They are remarkable speakers and have been fantastic speakers in all sonic regards. The better the amp, the better they perform. Also have Triangle Plaisir ZETAs. Also great speakers. While the more expensive Focals outperform the budget Triangles, both were better than Focal 706s I demoed in white gloss. The 706s were the prettiest speakers I ever had but the V drivers stretched the music for a taller stage which distorted instruments. I also think I prefer the treble on the older tweeter vs the newer Poron one. But it was the mid driver where the biggest difference was heard. Sent them back but hoped they could replace the 807Ws because, they're big at 17 in tall and wanted a bit smaller. But, can't let them go. If I wanted new speakers today, I would try the Focal Chora 806 and also the Triangle Borea series. Haven't found anything else under a grand I like better, or even close to the 807Ws. Something about French speakers I guess.
If you want budget, I would recommend the Triangle Borea 2s or 3s. Over a grand, either Focal or Triangle depending on taste. I think Triangle would be more exciting, a bit brighter perhaps with the horn tweeter vs the inverted Poron. The Focal tweeter does have wide dispersion though. As does the Borea tweeter which is not horn loaded.
BTW, I have the Zetas hooked up to a Chifi class D Aiyima amp and Aiyima dac which sounds really, really good. All for less than $400...no complaints and all in all I could live with it without going after better...I I had to. Although I have better but you now, diminishing returns as the mains and Amp were 8X the price. I think you were right that class D can sound better than AB until you reach a higher price point. Tried a Musical Fidelity m2si which had bloated bass and grainy mids to name a few. Astounding what they have done with budget gear. I also have Infinity R152s (a bit more detailed than the Zetas but bigger), Deftech SM 45s (less detailed but very dynamic sounding), and have tried Dali Spektor 1,2 and Oberon 1 (nice but a bit more laid back, less dynamic), Kef Q100s (sent back, beamy, less musical), Ascends cbm 170s (sent back, bland tone), etc., etc. Satisfying when you finally find a sound you like. The Zetas for desktop, Focals for Mains. Both are satisfying for music and movies.
Best regards in these crazy times.
The Focal headphones and speakers I've heard sound pretty great, very detailed. Focal products and Tubes generally seem to go together nicely.
They do. We used these on the Bandwidth Audio setup and the combo was very, very nice. But don't think that you NEED tubes in order for Focal speakers to sound good. We like them with Class D amps too! Thank you for watching!
I think you've identified my next speaker purchase. They do look good and fit an apartment setting. You sold me on your description of the high end clarity/detail and the focused sound stage. Thank you.
You can't go wrong with Focal.
Can you review Focal Aria 906? Or how is it?
Wonderful review. I have the Chorus 706 and the floorstanding 716 and fully agree with you! They do sound warmer and still maintaining their clarity and refinement if you add a tube buffer/preamp, or a tube amp. It takes the "edge" off and make them sound even smoother.
#1. We watched Picard; now looking for something else. Maybe season 2 of Lost in Space or start The Witcher. #2 In the old days of audio on the internet (newsgroups like rec.audio.high-end or HTF, HTT, etc...) a term arose which would be the overriding factor in any purchase: WAF i.e. Wife Approval Factor. This led us to Sonus Faber. Wife saw them at an old Austin store, Hi Fidelity Inc. (RIP), and from there it's been our go to brand ever since. Even speakers from their 90s line look amazing today. It helps they generally sound excellent as well. Aesthetics is the driving force of our purchases. If I want to buy it, it better catch the eye of the Mrs.
I've been repeat watching your videos, trying to decide what speakers and amp to get! I think I've decided on the Audiolab 6000a, would the Focal be a good match? Or the Klipsch 600m or Wharfedale 12.2's?
Bookshelf speakers that look and sound great according to ME:
Jamo s803 (white)
Sony SS-CG1 (piano gloss black)
B&W CM1 (wenge)
Kef LS50 Wireless (black, unfortunately only the ls50 has an all black edition)
bynahelemaal I just discovered Jamo on IG and they’re so beautiful. Looking forward to hearing them soon.
It would be nice to hear an opinion/comparison from the older models from the same brand. Focal used to have titanium tweeters other than the Al/Mag
I've compared these to everything dynaudio, B&W, svs, Buchardt and kef under $2000/pr. These win, and make the others sound dull and veiled.
For my tastes, B&W was closest- but B&W has an arid and lifeless midrange. The Kef LS50 had a metallic coloration. The Buchardt were not as refined or coherent at all. The dynaudio excite were too polite.
Horns? been there, done that... never again.
I am getting these and a chora center channel for my home theater system.
I personally like the style of some Sonus Faber speakers. Hope to be able to afford a pair one day...
I finished House MD, just before the lockdown here in the UK, I have the blue ray box set. And after that I started to watch The Mentalist... I am on season 5 now, Those 2 are the only programs that I can watch again and again and again...
Two best sounding and looking speakers I had was Q Acoustics Concept 40 and Yamaha NS-F700 both in white gloss. I'm my opinion looks matters as much as performance if your hi fi is in living room and visitors and family can see it. Love your channel. Cheers
Thank you so much. And I agree with you. If it's welcoming, people gravitate towards it and use it! Thanks for watching!
You should check out the Elac debut reference bookshelf speakers. A bit less in price but very stylish and front ported.
Yes. I'm enjoying my pair at the moment. The rustic oak/white baffle version looks stylish with the tweed grill and the sound - is oh, so beautiful! Not only a "subjective" opinion, because the Elac Debut Reference speaker has been well reviewed - based on a thorough test of frequency sweeps, measurements, etc.
Fred Ruiz
Very true, Elac and Q Acoustics are much less expensive and they are really respectable
I suspect they would need some serious system matching for Focal
My current set up is pleasing to my eye : Taga harmony hta 700 v2 and Triangle Borea Br02. I'm waiting for the Chora 806 to arrive and the Triangle Titus EZ (the most stylish :)
Hi don't know whether you''re going to read this but I'm interested in and split between Focal chora 806 and the Triangle borea BR02. Did you really get both? And if so, what did you think of them and the relative good and weak points of both? Thanks, Rob
Hey man, I own a pair Dali Oberon 7 and they're a aesthetic beauty and sound great. Super important part of the enjoyment.
Great review and you may have me sold on these focals! 100% agree appearance plays a large part in the over satisfaction of a speaker. I’ve been reading your reviews online for years but did not realize you were producing videos now. Keep up the good work!
Thank you.
For most people (WAF) aesthetics are king. Focal always seems to find the happy medium with their products.
I run a pair of Focal Chorus 706. They’re amazing!
Bosuac Jafari I bet they’re great!
Hmmmm, the prettiest, best sounding speaker I own is a pair of 1979 La Scalas. I just think they are gorgeous. Maybe the best speakers ever made. Definitely the best sounding, overall, that I have owned. But, the aesthetic is not for everyone and they are, of course, ENORMOUS. The nicest combo of aesthetics and sound of anything I own that the average person could live with are the Dali Zensor 3 bookshelves. They image like champs and the 7" woofer digs deep. The walnut with piano black front baffle combined with the red pulp woofer is just a super classy look. Unfortunately, they are pre-magnetic grill era, so have holes on the front, but other wise they are super looking and sound fantastic. My Eaton 2A3 amp just loves them.
Just got in a pair of Focal Chora 826's for my main speakers. You made up my mind about replacing my Klipsch Surrounds with these.
1) best looking speaker on the market today would be the Sonus Faber Amati. It helps that it is also a great sounding speaker.
2) best sounding speaker would be the Wilson Chronosonic XVX (i like it better than the master chronosonic)
3) So far we finished, picard, freud, lock & key, message for the king, ozark, the end of the f**king world, and a bunch of Marvel and Star Wars movies....and a ton of youtube videos on cars.
Wonder how they pair to a Marantz Cinema 70s if they are 8 ohms.. I don't listen very loud, but could they use a power amp to drive them?
Love my Choras still. Im moving into a small room at a long term care facility from my large house and am going to put my Chora surround system away but keep using my 806"s in my room with a small sub . Hard to belive 4 years ago . Funny ending 😂❤
it was def love at 1st site (and listen) with the very similar and most stunning Focal Kanta . Kanta begot Chora no doubt. Over the years I really have liked or loved just about anything Focal has made.. same for Jl Audio. Excellent companies that really care about sound and product quality .::.
Great video Andrew. I just finished watching Ozark, and it's a great sounding series and deserves to be watched loud :)
Looks like we'll have to go back to this one. You're the second person to recommend it.
I just bought the Chora 806. I can’t find the factory stand. Have you done a video on quality stands for bookshelf speakers?
Hi I bought the focal chora 806 based on your review and many others, I was driving them with Audiolab 6000a Audiolab cdp well I am auditioning Hegel h95 wow oh wow oh wow! Did I say wow? You bet!!
Does Hegel h95 fits well to chora?
@@Yaroslavskyyy funny I just recently sold my Audiolab and bought the hegel95 yes much better not that the Audiolab wasn’t just better, now saving up to buy a pair of Martin Logan esl, so that makes 3 amps and 3 speakers within a year! Hopefully that’ll do it!
They sound beautiful.
Just pulled the trigger on the Naim Atom and focal 806 bundle...can’t wait til it arrives!
Have fun! That's a great system.
Please keep us posted.
@@brucelavender Naim is a sister company of Focal. you will be happy for certain
Thank you for introducing me to these speakers. They are so pretty! But I wish they used a vintage cloth grill instead. Most speakers need to be placed in the middle of the room to sound good, is really not so smart. I wish Klipsch brings back some front port speakers other than stealing from Jamo s803.
Focal Chora 806 vs B&W 706 S2 ??
Wrong comparison. The 706 are in the Focal Aria range of price and performance.
Dispersion, separation and detail are what I most appreciate about my focals and agree with your review Andrew. Im going to try to pair mine with a Decware amp and see how that sounds. With a nice subwoofer these outperform or hang with several much more expensive speakers. As always thank you for sharing.
Yes, aesthetics matter. There are enough quality products out there that you don't have to ignore it.
Great reviews. I decided to build my own speakers because I do not like the looks of most speakers I can reasonably afford. I am a amateur woodworker and love Scandinavian design. The speakers can’t be black boxes. Fun project, taking spec inspiration from a few reference bookshelf speakers and finding components that would get close, curious to hear the result.
Which is better, Focal Chora 806 or Elac DBR-62, that being both front ported.
I have both coming. Shall return with my thoughts
@@KevJC79 hi! i'm interested in your thoughts
I never got to do a proper side by side. I'd say in this instance think of what you'll be using to drive them. The elacs aren't as sensitive. I imagine the focals will sound better with a more run of the mill amp whereas the elacs will perform better if driven by a higher performance amp
Definitely agree with aesthetics. I regularly say that I can't understand why so many manufacturers pay little attention to aesthetics.
Is typically (not always) that European companies (speakers/amp), pay attention to their finish. It's something to be proud of as as manufacture, not just a box or ugly lump of a chassis (amp)
"Made in Japan" still means a quality finish, although their visual design tends towards the conservative these days.
I bought these speakers a few months ago. I heard them at an amazing stereo shop in AnnArbor Mi. They sounded so good I had to have them!
We love them! Which finish did you go with?
@@KristiWright You have to get the light tan ones like you have here in your video. The others don't look nearly as good.
Totally agree, aesthetics are a huge factor! Thats the main factor why I am not more into DIY ..
Would you go with BW 606 or Focals for movies? If you had to pick out of the 2
I would go Focal though that is almost entirely based on my not having heard the new B&Ws yet.
I heard them in Paragon Sight and Sound in Ann Arbor Michigan and they blew my mind! They were driven by a class D Naim through a digital streaming service, two things I find morally repugnant but the sound from the speakers were so good I was able to look past it. :) If you're in or near Michigan you must check them out! Paragon is the best audio shop in that region of the country!!
Focal Chora 806 or Elac UBR62? What aspect will drive you to choose one versus the other?
I started buying all the Marvel movies on Blu-ray and 4k Blu-ray about 5 months ago off of Ebay. We put our discs in a binder to save Space(y).😏 I have been watching them whenever time alows. I'm currently 37 minutes into Avengers: Infinity War and would really like to finish it before April is gone.
Did you ever notice that one really nice thing about watching the same stuff is you don't have to stop playback at the beginning of every show to adjust the subwoofer and center channel levels? That still gets me in trouble with my girlfriend's kids. They are coming around though and my plot to condition them into becoming audio enthusiasts is showing promise. Apparently my girlfriend adjusts the sound controls when I am gone. She really likes the rumblies but doesn't like too much of the good stuff.
Oh, and since I can't slow down, I think you bear a significant resemblance to Lionel Richie. Gotta go. It's time for me to see if dancing on the ceiling can cure insomnia.
Andrew, how would you compare the Focals 800 line to the Dali Oberons that you recently reviewed? On the street, they're not that far apart in price (~$100-$200) and I know you liked both. These are two speakers very high on my list in a music-first system which doubles as a HT. And for the record, my musical tastes run towards acoustic jazz and classical.
I DO listen to most everything else, but that's gravy. I want acoustic pianos to sound like an acoustic piano. THX !!!
thanks for this! these sound like a potentially great fit with the Marantz NR1200. Not a bad setup for less then 2K.
Andrew,unrelated but I finally decided on the fluance rt85 based on many reviews with yours carrying more weight than others. Received it today and am totally happy with my purchase,thank you. I would like to see a review of phono preamps under $500 because the preamp that is built in to my klipsch the sixes leaves alot to be desired.
We’ll likely do this. The Fluance phono preamp is actually pretty good, just FYI. Glad to hear you’re enjoying the RT85. Be well!
Now that all of the Focal Chora series are marked down, do you think these are still worth it at the discounted price? Would these bookshelves fill a large room with high open ceilings? (Marantz nr1609 with Emotiva A2 amp). Or go for the Chora 816 or 826 series?
no you need a floor standing speakers
@@tainle I already pulled the trigger on the chora 826's (scratch and dent at crutchfield) for $531/spkr. I love the speakers, their sound and their looks...but not feeling this new Yamaha Rx-A2a receiver paired with them. Any suggestions?
Andrew, your last couple of reviews have been enlightening, as well as, informative. Great work !!!
Glad you like them!
Can’t decide between this and the b&w 606...
i demod these and went with the focals . a bit smoother and spacious .
Get them both.
They look great, especially with blue-gray front. Esthetics is as important as sound. My biggest concern about those speakers are low frequencies, need to hear them in person to develop own impression
You should always listen for yourself whenever possible before making any purchasing decision. Just my 2 cents.
These or the Elac unify 2.0?
Bought the Crown apm because of your recommendation, great amp, thanks! What kind of setup do you use to drive this speakers?
We used them with the Pro-Ject (linked in the description), a Marantz NR1509 and a vintage Pioneer receiver. Happy to hear you are enjoying the Crown!
Andrew Robinson thank you!
Can i drive chora 806 with yamaha R-N 803??
I just bought NAD C 368 BluOS-2i receiver and, because of your review, the focal chora 806 speakers black. I wonder if you can recommend a subwoofer for this combo.... and what do you think of this particular NAD system? Originally wanted marantz PM7000N, but its been sold out for months and I got tired of waiting. The NAD system BluOS APP is taking alot to get used to....
Hi, what are most people setting the crossover to on these being they are lacking low frequency punch?
Hi Andrew, Just stumbled on your channel while researching our next set of speakers. You also have one of the only reviews of the Davone Studio speakers which we had a listen to today at a local HiFi shop. Whilst I realise these are in completely different price brackets, your review of the Focals seems to be glowing in comparison. Any comments on the two options given they are both visually very pleasing. Keep up the amazing work! Cheers.
No style does not matter. You can colour it phlegm green or make it pitch black or make it a little fatter, I will still buy this incredible speaker.
I have svs ultra bookshelves which are the same price. Just wondering if these would be an upgrade. Just feeling like going up a bit
In my opinion, the Focal product is more refined, better constructed and overall better looking. I think you'll find the sound more nuanced as well.
Andrew Robinson Thanks for the answer. I just might pick up a pair.
Now this has me super curious about the 826 Chora Towers? Big enough difference...bang for the buck?
Andrew, thank you, I am going to buy new bookshelf speakers, now I have Sonus Faber Principia 5, I am moving to another home where my listening room is a little bit smaller (20m2) I am thinking buying Sonus Faber Lumina 2 (I did hear those speakers, I loved it a lot) or Focal Aria 906 (I am going to hear) or Chora 806. My taste of music is only classical music, Chora 806 goes well with classical music? Greetings from the Netherlands.
wonder what speakers you got and if you're happy with them. i also listen to classical (and jazz!) and would love your input.
Focal, Legacy, and Wilson Audio are my favorite speaker companies.
I respect Wilson but I can actually afford Focal!
Took the words right out of my mouth Kevin.
Can the 806 be used as a surround sound speaker to pair with the 826? I recently purchased the 826 and the center unit and was considering pairing them with the 806 as surround sound speakers.
Yeah you can use them as surrounds pairs really well with the 826 and center
Great
Great review Andrew - been considering replacing our Klipsch towers with smaller speakers lately. These look so damned refined and elegant. Serious contenders ✌🏻
Did you find these speakers just a little too bright or fatiguing in the upper frequencies? I've heard that's a common trait of Focal speakers.
Also, are the Chora's versatile when it comes to genres or are they picky in that regard? Should I steer clear of them if I like rock music, for example?
I hade a paire of electra 906 , and I preffer my sonneto II a lot !!! ..do you think your gonna review some sonus faber products ??
We might, though COVID is making some products more difficult for us to get at the moment. Be well!
Nice reviews, but I think short demos with different music in the end of each video would elevate the delivered review package.
Totally appreciate you watching and I understand the request however, we do not do sound demos on this channel. There is no way that a digitally compressed file (from RUclips) played through your listening device will give you an accurate representation of this product. So we just don't do them. Ever.
Hey Andrew! Thanks for the review! Quick question, did you find you had to toe these speakers in? Or did you leave them straight on?
Great to hear you like these Focal inexpensive speakers, I have always been attracted to Focals but never owned them.
They're superb. I was a Focal Electra owner many moons ago, but these Chora bookshelf speakers are a real treat.
They’re really fun to own!
Can you please make a review for Focal Kanta 2 Please .....
I have these speakers paired with a Naim Uniti Atom. Love it all! Excellent setup!
Both on my want list. Possibly with a subwoofer?
This is the setup I’m considering.
@@NottsModeller Do it! You won’t regret it.
@@Krazy_Shorts would these be better than the 816 floor standers? It’s the same price weirdly for the atom bundle at my local shop!
@@NottsModeller the same price?? Wow, if that's the case then get the floor standers! My local shop had that bundle with the floorstanders as well, but it was more money. Can't remember price increase. I got the Atom, Naim Audio speaker cables, and the Chora 806 speakers for $3299. Insanely good deal!
Andrew, I couldn't tell from the angle in your video. Were you also using the Focal stands for the Chora? They have a slight tilt on the stands so that the tweeter sits back a bit, for better time alignment with the woofer. I also remember Steven Guttenberg's review of these speakers a few months back - his impressions were so-so. Again, just take the subjective reviews at face value. Decide for yourselves what impresses you and keeps you well connected to the music you enjoy!
WJ Ernst We were not sent stands and are using the ones that came with the Buchardt’s S400s. Focal does sell stands for them though. We don’t make it a habit of watching other audio related RUclipsrs so we can’t comment on SG’s experience- not that we would anyway...So yes! Everyone should decide for themselves. 😊
Interesting. Steve Guttenburg reviewed them back in December and didn't much care for either their sound or build quality. I've owned Focal headphones and had mixed experiences. The Elegia ($899) are fantastic and are my current travel headphones, so I bought the Utopia ($4,000) thinking they would be incredible. I hated them so much I couldn't get them back in the box fast enough to return. So, put me in the "I'd have to hear to believe" group when it comes to Focal, especially considering there are some incredible bookshelf speakers out there in that price range.
No one is going to like and/or appreciate the sound of any AV product the same. Different strokes for different folks. We're fans of the Focal Chora over here, but it's cool if Steve's tastes differ from mine.
Steve has got quite old ears, maybe his day is done. They don’t last forever.
@@r423fplip Steve is older yes, but with vast experience and knowledge that can't be underestimated or dismissed. He's still king of the hill, although there are (naturally) a few others that also have very respectable audio cred and write/video some excellent reviews.
Craig Persel yes, but audio has moved on, but somehow I don’t think he has. The bloke from ps audio is another and as for John darko well some how he thinks that audio is beyond the realms of physics. It’s is a different job these days, especially with the internet. Very difficult to pull the wool over people’s eyes. Well mine it is.😊
@@r423fplip How has audio moved on? Please explain. Both John and Steve (and Paul and Z review and NRD and Zero Fidelity) have at or over 100k subscribers each and have incredible (and well deserved) admiration from audiophiles around the world. Their deep technical knowledge also doesn't get in the way of very useful, practical reviews. I'm not sure who you are looking up to in this field, but by dismissing those you mentioned I wouldn't put much veracity in it.
Please kindly advice me, B&W 606 or Focal 806 ?
b&w is made in china and not nearly as well finished
How about the most important finish, the sound !!.
Please compare b&w 606 s2
He hated the 606s2.
I am watching LobosJr play through Doom Eternal. Last week I bought a REL T/9i, so I am listening to a lot of music. New season of WestWorld sounds really good. I am also re watching Eurogamer play through Dark Soul. It makes me crazy, because of their poor decision making skills. Thanks for the review.
Great review. Just upgraded from the chorus 806v loved them and wanted to stay with focal even though they seem very picky when it comes to choosing electronics.
I ended up going with the Kanta 2 which are amazing
Your description with all the links are on point. Really like all that info with direct links to the products. I know its alot of work to do, hopefully the affiliate links help in the long run. One question.....What stands you using in the video?
cfoyt The stands came with the Buchardt S400s. Appreciate your appreciation! 🙌
are this similar to the Focal Chorus 706?