I couldn’t wait to buy and review these speakers, as Chora 806 are one of my favorite speakers in the budget level. I loved those speakers and have heaps of praise for them. If you are interested in me singing praise about these speakers, you can see the review on my channel. I will link it in the description of this video.
First Listening session problems
So I finally bought them, and it was a rocky start to the relationship. Was it my hype, my expectations, or just lack of information on these speakers, and how to create a loving, safe home for them? They were really shy when paired originally with my Arcam a15, almost as if the new environment made them uncomfortable.
I still remember how shocked I was with the lack of verve and punch, and how reserved they were. I was there on my couch, looking at acoustic treatments and bass traps, thinking maybe I overdid it and it ate my dynamics. Or was it me? Maybe I am now used to different sonic signatures and audio embellishments. Doubt started creeping in about me and my calling to review speakers.
But I knew there was more to these French romantics. They are part of a company with a deep lineage and experience, and these speakers have been loved by many. So I needed to think more about what was going on here to truly assess its quality for this review.
Focal Recommendations and Technical specifications
Let’s first see what Focal recommends. They say it works best with a room size of 15m², with a distance of 2.5 meters between them and the listener. The frequency response is 55Hz to 28kHz, with a sensitivity of 89dB and an impedance of 4 ohms to 6 and 8 ohms. This is pretty standard in this price range, and my room does fit those requirements.
We also have an aluminum tweeter, which by default in my experience, has a bit of a brighter response in the treble range. And Flax cone, I guess, which when stripped of all its fancy adjectives that Focal uses to explain it, is fiberglass-type flax fiber which is almost like linen. The texture of the cones sure does look like that. It brings neutrality, stability, and precision.
I should probably like this—a bit of duality in makeup there, of treble and mids, with front-firing bass. And yes, that bass really benefits from the larger boxes of Aria. The bass certainly has a punch.
Sound quality and characteristics
Okay, enough with technicalities; cut to the chase. What happened in my relationship further after the first listening session? So I appreciate the effort that Focal was giving me in keeping my attention. I could definitely appreciate how amazingly detailed it is, how it is approachable by cutting enough resonances and distortions to give quite a clear picture with a bunch of details to feast on.
I enjoy that I could sit and really analyze the sounds coming to me. It is done in a very unintrusive way that I could spend a lot of time just hanging around and be in awe of all the tiny micro details and micro tonalism I could observe and dissect. Look at the sax work in the background, oh those percussions, how are they there, those synth voices are really rich and dynamic. Hmmm… where did that come from?
And the imaging is superb. This is a bit trademark of Focals, how well they throw dispersion, but also how firmly they hold everything together to not become too airy. So that is the work of having more metallic tweeters that detail a lot, with neutral mid cones.
If the speakers are talented, they will create sound that is able to create the perception of a bigger soundstage.
By hearing more, the instruments get that third dimension, and the better the production, the better the spatial effect of instruments set on their stage with lane and direction.
The sound is rather balanced, too much in my opinion. And that a bit ruins the fun. It is just that the dynamic verve of presentation lacks a punch and drive. It is too clinical and dragging everything down, it is boring to listen to. I want passion, drama, a fire… but here there is as much drama as in a library session.
Mixing and experimenting with Pairing and Placing
But I started to be more flexible in trying to find common ground. I brought in Audiolab, Denon, Arcam, and Cambridge Audio… I started experimenting with positioning, synergy pairing, and stands.
And you won't believe it, how much a stand height and alignment changed the sound.
Focal disperses sound vertically, it reaches dramatic heights and the taller the stands, the more information will get lost. It just strives on the stands around 50-60cm, and it gives more verve as treble and bass couple better that way. Also, do not toe them in, as I wholeheartedly recommend for them to fire straight as high dispersion will muddy the sound otherwise.
And lastly, find suitable partners. I grew over time to really like the Arcam synergy with Focals, but I also really enjoyed Audiolab and Denon pairing. They need a partner that will push all the dynamics and expose all its richness these speakers possess, especially around the midrange. Audiolab 9000a was a fantastic pairing, also Denon Pma 1700 and Arcam a15.
There are two ways to go with pairing for these speakers, the amps that will enrich the speakers even more, or the ones which will give more push in treble. Both of these amps really work great with these speakers.
"Focal Magic"
And once you adjust your expectations, spend time to know these speakers, and these speakers to know you. Find a great partner, live with it for some time. And then the Focal magic begins.
I caught myself listening to Focal Aria 906 for extended periods of time without even noticing it. I started to be enveloped in the web of sonics this Frenchman is creating. And I realized how smooth and beautiful actually the sound is. I think the reason for that is how it ropes the midrange into slowly descending on treble and bass on both ends. How nothing peaks, rather have this very balanced approach into slowly easing you into bass and treble.
It is such a smooth operator that creates a feeling of familiarity and tranquility while listening to music. The midrange is smooth, especially it is gifted in presenting vocals who are separated greatly from the rest of the instrumentation and have this lovely richness to them. I think when properly helped, these vocals shine and have weight and presence. Maybe not the most forward presentation, but it is there.
And all of that is topped with incredible imaging and soundstage and what I mentioned earlier, great insight and details.
Those details around mids and treble, how insightful it is, are what makes Aria special. So I could be engulfed in this sea of sonics for a long time, and yet I am also a very active listener. I am able to detect those micro details, those inflections, production tricks. It truly is amazing.
Focal magic represents that love, I can say sort of dreamy love as I cannot call it passion. As Focal is not so passionate, it is more dreamy. You will love to sit and enjoy listening to music with these speakers.
Bass
One more point I have to add is how much I was surprised with the bass. I had zero expectations out of it, and I was pleasantly surprised with the reach and authority of the bass. I think this is thanks to the bass reflex being stored in a rather large wooden box, so it allows the lower end to have bigger expression. It truly helped the music to be more grounded and present. It still is not something of tower level, or to not require an additional subwoofer, but if you are not a bass head, and I don’t see bass enthusiasts going for these speakers at all, it could really be enough.
Listening Experience - Real World examples
Let’s get a few real-world examples out of the way. Mars Volta, their first two records are in my opinion the best rock records of the 21st century. They are incredibly creative in how they structure, play, and explore the sounds of prog rock. And their recordings are packed really densely, with a lot of layers, both instrumentally and vocally. There is a fury of harmonic dissonances, savant musicianship, and just raw emotion.
Now the reason why I choose Mars Volta Frances the Mute, is just that their music in the entire length of an album has it all. It has quiet acoustic parts, almost singer-songwriter, it has these super complex prog sections, it has big highs with vocals colliding with orchestration and even passages of ambient textures. I can assess its weaknesses and strengths here by comparing to the results of other speakers.
From the get-go, Focals do a great job of putting some order in chaos. These pentatonic scales, and weird time signatures like 9/8 and 12/8, are fighting with vocals. And yet the Focal is allowing separation to happen, this is what great speakers are supposed to do. It is all how the midrange is filled with most details, that it pushes out on the soundstage in different intervals, for better timing. More warmer speakers would struggle here, but with balanced presentation, nothing is overwhelming each other and everything is heard.
I wished that vocals were more forward and fun. That treble were more filled with information so things could force me to stand up when a rush of blood rises to my head with all the adrenaline. But these are not that kind of speakers. But they kept me entertained enough to listen and observe.
Also, when calmer parts appeared and these were high guitars. They can sound very bright on some speakers, same issue I have with pianos, horns, and violins on some speakers, they have been smoothed out, and that is the perk of smooth sound how it shaves the highs and it does that here. It is less expressive but in my opinion far easier to listen to.
Problems
And let’s talk about cons, and that is also a bit connected with Frances the Mute record. That record is built with tension and release, it is built with recording stream of live instrumentation with dynamic range built to be played like a live record. Which means there is a lot of raw musicianship to it.
Focal smooths out that, Focals shaves highs, so the sound feels more reserved. More down to earth, and therefore the rhythmic section does not have that same impact that some people might expect. There is a dip in treble, which is done to have this sexy smooth sound, but that comes with problems, that these speakers are not that expressive in that part of dynamic range.
For people that listen to a lot of jazz, you might really like the details and separation, but you might miss a bit of tension and drama of very textured instruments played at different speed intervals.
Same with vocals, they are really nice, and they are separated great, but they are not so forward and present. This is not a speaker that is showman, rather than part of a band kind of speaker. Vocals will not floor you.
Alternatives
And to continue on explaining problems of these speakers I think the best thing is to compare it to two speakers I know so well and are similarly priced in this price level. And these are Kef LS550 meta and Sonus Faber Lumina II. For all these speakers, there are reviews on this channel, I will link them below.
Kef LS50 Meta
Let’s start with Kef LS50 meta, ultra-popular Kefs. Well, if Kef is not your cup of tea, there is a great chance you might not like Focals either. As they both have a similar purpose to reveal and create insightful sound, it unlocks those hidden areas of your music that you did not know exist. But truth be told, KEF is a mighty informative and revealing speaker, in this price range. If you like transparency, black background…. yeah, KEFs do provide more. But KEFs are also brighter. To me, Focals are more fun… if I can say that. And the reason for that is that the bass is much better in Focals, giving the lower end more meat and rhythm. Also, a more smooth, balanced approach helps for longer listening sessions with Focals, it truly helps vocals and the midsection to sound beautiful. Which one is better? I don’t know, that is for you to decide, it is what are you looking for from speakers.
Sonus Faber Lumina II
Next is Sonus Faber Lumina II, completely different speakers to this one. If you follow my channel you know how much I love Sonus Fabers, and there is a lot of praise for them here. But sometimes, I just miss insight and transparency with them. I love how beautiful they sound, how vocals sound amazing, how there is passion and drive in them. How much I enjoy listening to rock and jazz, and just music with drive with them. And not just like that, female vocalists sound amazing.
To me, Focals are somewhere in between Kef and Sonus Fabers. For better or for worse. They are not as transparent and insightful as Kef, nor live, vivid, and full of passion as Sonus Faber. But they have stuff other speakers don’t have, they are more a jack of all trades than these two. As regarding Sonus Faber, they kill it with insightfulness and dynamics in the midrange. And the bass is bigger in Focals, but fuller and weightier on Sonus Faber, which obviously have a warmer sound.
Conclusion
Focal Aria 906 are great speakers, and they are for a more patient listener who can wait before the speaker blooms in front of them, but they are also speakers I cannot recommend to everyone. I love them, but it took me quite some time to truly appreciate them. They require care in positioning and pairing. They really require your utmost attention to that to not sound very reserved and flat. But they offer so much if you accommodate them correctly.
From incredible extraction of details, to smooth and beautiful sound, to great bass. It is all packaged so you can have a listening experience for a long time, and if after all that, you ask for more. In my opinion, genres that strive with these speakers are electronic music, classical, singer-songwriters, pop, ambient… anything that does not benefit from a live-up treble and presentation.
It does require careful pairing to create a cocktail of sound to be more live and upfront. And I believe that is half of the fun of audiophile listening, to search via experimentation which sonic signatures and characteristics you like the most, and to build a system fitting you perfectly and uniquely.
Otherwise, these are really dreamy speakers, which are smooth and beautiful. It will make your life a dream, it will relax you and teach you all about the secrets of music. You will love them and cherish them for a long time, I can guarantee that.
Thanks for watching my review. If you enjoy my content please support me by liking, subscribing, or donating via Patreon. Even the smallest help is a big motivation for me to continue doing this and grow this passion of mine.
Keep daydreaming!
See you next time, bye!
Commenti