I didn't Really Like These Speakers...
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- Huge shoutout to the staff at Barney Miller's in Lexington, Ky, for giving me free access to everything in their showroom! Make sure to check out their website for everything home theater and automation!
www.barneymill...
Link to Focal Kanta NO°2:
www.focal.com/...
I first heard focal speakers back in the day at a car audio dealer. The sales rep did a side by side listening test with me comparing them to Pioneer and Alpine components. The mids and highs on the Focals put the others to shame, it wasn't even close. If i had the budget, I would buy some nice Focal tower speakers just because their mids and highs are so good and even if the bass is lacking I would just integrate them with a subwoofer. I've never heard a speaker from a french company (Cabasse, focal and elipson) that didn't have amazing mids and highs.
I agree with you on that! Focal puts many brands to shame, even their entry level speakers are much better. I've auditioned $200 per pair Focal vs JL Audio $540 per pair car speakers and JL Audio wasn't even close to Focal sound.
I've been running the Kanta 2s for a couple years now and find your results interesting. The speakers are definitely not for everyone, but saying they are lacking in the bass/low end department is hardly fair. They are very precise, with extrememely accurate bass, just without much of the mid-bass bloat that many other speakers present. You metioned KEF Metas, which I found very muddy in comparison, with LOTS of chuffing from the rear-facing ports. Regardless, positioning and electronics matching is very important with these, as well as giving plenty of time to break in (which mostly applies to the tweeter). I'm driving the Kantas with Naim separates and there is LOTS of slam on the low end.
Ive never gotten my kefs to Chuff at any volume level. I've found them to be too neutral to do it.
@@Kpaceguy Fair; each person's experiences are their own. I demo'd the Ref 1s, 3s and 5s at a premier dealer outside of Cambridge and encountered chuffing on each system. Plus, I found the mids overly dry to my tastes. But again, each different speaker will find fans in different people.
@TheBenupton I have the R11s and will be upgrading for a more lively sound!
Thanks for your honest opinion.
@@davidfranklin4534 thanks for watching
Love your videos... Its impossible to review a speaker unless its in a room your are familiar with, and have equipment you know well. So many unknown variables, but it was a good first listen.
@@Linkone7 Absolutely. But this is what most people are going to do. Go listen to them and decide in that room if they want to take a chance on their own room.
@@Kpaceguy good point and very true
Good to know the "placebo effect" hasn't taken over your ears, at least not yet 😌My definition of "neutral" is lifeless, and although it might be considered as blasphemy in the "audiophile" world, i always use an equalizer as i find it essential in fine-tuning speakers.
Ppl don't seem to realize that it's all about what appeals to THEIR ears.
It's definitely the pairing of equipment.
FOCAL are that price for a reason, it's because they're that good.
You have to pair them with the right equipment.
My FOCALs in my gome theater have so much dynamics and details not heard in other speakers.
I think he used the best equipement and the best room. If the speakers don't like this setup, I wonder what will. My Qaccoustics sound very nice with a much less installation.
I have been dying for an honest review of these speakers and now what I've been hearing makes sense and also why Nemo doesn't main the bookshelves every day even though they were expensive, he runs S400s. I think the problem is those flax cones, which if you look at car audio they are the mid quality (inexpensive) driver meant for delicate sound. They are like second to the bottom of their line. So those things are not going to hit, even in a tower. They are officially off my radar and I was intrigued by them for years. Well done man.
@@Audfile I appreciate it! Thanks for watching!
I have these kanta no 2 speakers powered by naim audio, they have really good bass mid bass with great dynamic slam. Two things i would say is they need lots of power & current to sound there best + kanta no 2 are really for smallish to mid size rooms kanta no 3 work well in bigger rooms the no 2 have plenty of good reviews online too.
@@MrZookeeper38 has to be something with the setup they had going
I know revel has a speaker that uses a beryllium tweeter I'm curious how that speaker would sound compared to the kantas.
Looks like Paradigm Premiers 800F inside the Focals?....Your valuable opinion would be welcomed and very sincere. Thank you. Luv the channel.
Yeah, it's good to let any kind of tubed or Class A amp sections warm up before any type of critical listening. IOW, they take some TIME to warm up before they play like they should - maybe about 20-30 minutes AT LEAST.......
The Focal Kanta n3 is way better than the n2 in my opinion.
There's also a break in period for the mids and woofers to settle in.
@RecoveryoneDrone Yes Kanta specifically require a break in but I'd have to assume after having them in their showroom for 6-7 months now, they've probably reached their 20hr break in
I have a pair of Kanta No. 3s that I adore. I’m driving them with a Simaudio amplifier and there’s plenty of bass.
Have you listened Sopra N2? If yes, Kanta n3 are equally good as sopra?
@@hassannasir90 I’ve spent a lot of time listening to them with my father. The Sopra 2 has a slightly more direct sound, while the Kanta 3 sounds warmer and fuller. Each has its own unique strengths, but in the end, they’re both equally impressive overall.
Ports are front and rear and they handle up to 300 watts. They sound killer to me and tons tight bass but then again mine are in a small room and in corners. I’m not getting the hole thing.
Hello, Kpaceguy I have a Dolby Atmos receiver that is connected to my PC. Using HDMI, how can I get Dolby Atmos audio to my receiver?
@mikeblack3657 Your PC has to be able to decode it..usually need to download the atmos or dts:x app from the Microsoft store but your pc has to be able to detect that sound format regardless.
@@Kpaceguy Wow, that was quick. I’m going to do that. Thank you very much for answering.👍
i saw some paradigm and anthem products in your previous video. im betting the paradigm founder 120H coupled with that anthem mrx 1140 would make a good combo. i was going to buy those speakers but decided on a different brand eventually. do love them though. the focals are a nice looking speaker but like you i have never heard a set before. good honest video.
For everyone looking at this comment, Kyle and I were happy with the tweeter, that seems to be their selling point. Their woofers are high quality, as well as the whole cabinet, but we were very disappointed with everything else, Kyle played a song that has lots of bass, and these played NONE of it. I would persist half the price than they want for them. I felt very off about them. They definitely aren’t for my ears.
In your HT, you should get Hans Zimmer: Live in Prague! You won’t be disappointed.
Most likely it was the amp, playing digital music through a tube amp is not a good idea, and a tube amp has to warm up for a while before it sounds good, a regular solid state amp will give you what you think it should be
own one , sound very wild sound stage match with SET wyetech amp , <A pre , wonderful forward resolution detailed as if singer sing in front . However , the tweeter is a little bright until I. put a gri cloth over it balance out wonderful , just right . I think he bass is the best I have heard solid & fast dynamic. I can ear each individual bass note from each instrument we which I never can tell. from other speaker . I think pairing right equipment is very very important!!
Agreed!
This guy is a dope ,he knows -0 about audio ,cables and amplifiers have everything to do with it
McIntosh has gone way down hil 1000s of others don’t agree
I heard these in a showroom and wasn’t impressed compared to my *much* cheaper set of Focal at home.
Sure the Berillyium tweeter brought some more discernible detail but it wasn’t a cohesive sound to me.
They were paired with a tube amp. Maybe wrong pairing.
Maybe so!
@@Kpaceguy I think if you listened to the Sopra model it would be a much larger difference due to different drivers. (w cones)
I think you may not like the sound of the Flax woofers. They sounded overdampened to me and almost lifeless.
The overdampened bass combined with such an amazing tweeter really sounds odd paired together.
@@ChaiBearProductions I 100% agree. Like a woman giving me mixed signals lol
you miss the punch in the speaker.
that amplifier behind you can't deliver that because it's a hybrid.
Push-Pull amplifiers are generally more powerful and have better bass performance. The best Push-Pull designs approach single-ended quality, and there are also nice single-ended designs with more power and good bass performance, but they are a lot rarer and more expensive.
I myself have a Mystère ia21 integrated amplifier [ Tung-Sol KT120] with the usher minni dancer 1 [ Berillyium tweeter] it clicks together then you get that punch
@@laecatara1 makes sense
sounds bright to me through youtube
@@SlotHits777 That's because of the lack of everything else
@5:30 🤔🧐 HMM, THOSE SUCKERS ALMOST SOUND AS IF THEY’RE OUT OF PHASE OR SOMETHING, HUH ?? 😆 😢
That's exactly what they sound like! I should have checked!
Put them in your system, to really tell whats going on
@@lildadh5308 i would love to
When the French can understand you review (it is in English after all) they will hopefully react to this, and/or take action to improve.
Not sure this was a fare assessment. You may want a wider genre of music because all those were pop songs that did not any bass. Plus, you should have played with the amp settings since you had full access to the room and equipment.
I did. And i intentionally listened to songs with bass and got nothing back. I switched those songs to a different setup and speakers and got the bass i was looking for
It may be something with how they have it set up, but nonetheless, that's the impression it gives when you turn it on.
I heard the sopra 3 on a naim stack aswell as the new diva utopia both blew away much better than the kanta.
Could be the room
@@eddietours3728 maybe. The other speakers sounded great in their, however.
The Arendal 1528 surpass these speakers even the tweeter by a mile. You'll never want to hear another speaker after hearing those. They pound your soul while also caressing it. Must hear get them in for a review. Smh lol
I want to soooo bad because I'd actually buy them lol
miniDSP will fix that
No, the KEF will be more accurate.
Just look for example how the speakers are positioned ,facing away towards the walls Really? This says it all 😂 , some review dumb,Dumber !!
This is a showroom. You act like i put the gear in here. Go to church.
Expensive but not deep details Soundstage with pinpoint imaging
@@thinkIndependent2024 That's exactly the description!
to me focal has alway, been a product similar to b&o! overpriced and not worth the price!
Bad amps. Bad placement. Poor evaluation.
I wouldn't say the amps are bad but the pairing was weird. My evaluation is just like any other customer would be, walking in the door
This guy is a dope ,he knows -0 about audio ,cables and amplifiers have everything to do with it
McIntosh has gone way down hil 1000s of others don’t agree