Focal Kanta 2 with SuperNait 2 and NDX

I heard the Kanta 2 at a naim event at Basically Sound and was very impressed with their sound. I accept looks may not be for everyone but I really like the retro ish look. 

Can you post a picture when you post a more detailed reviews. I’m very tempted to try these myself

Gary

Just looked these up and I’m very jealous Iver. I really like their traditional looks I myself own big fairly traditional speakers. Does the slight inward curve affect the sound ?  Looking forward to hearing how they break in. 

Heard these at Audio Show East at the Naim demo room. It was just Uniti Nova streaming from Core thru Naca5 in a very large room. They sounded very good, and as a package for £12 k ish or so, is pretty impressive.

Congratulations Iver - from the press photos I've seen, their design looks so refreshing compared to the ubiquitous veneered tower monoliths. I hope they sound as good a they look. What colour did you choose - photos needed!

Did you compare with Sopra 2 ?

Regards

Roberto

rsch posted:

Did you compare with Sopra 2 ?

Regards

Roberto

That's a bit of a price difference!

Compare maybe with Electra...what i don't like at new Kantas is the design and materials, "The banana-shaped curved baffle is not like the Rest of the housing out of plywood but from a up to 55 mm thick plastic, the according to the Focal 70% denser, 15 percent stiffer and 25 percent steamed comes, therefore, as the ordinary medium-density fibreboard MDF." if the focal high end is made by plastic i will choose something else, they try with kantas to borrow high end technology from bigger series with cheap materials...it's just my opinion.

Adi Stefan posted:

Compare maybe with Electra...what i don't like at new Kantas is the design and materials, "The banana-shaped curved baffle is not like the Rest of the housing out of plywood but from a up to 55 mm thick plastic, the according to the Focal 70% denser, 15 percent stiffer and 25 percent steamed comes, therefore, as the ordinary medium-density fibreboard MDF." if the focal high end is made by plastic i will choose something else, they try with kantas to borrow high end technology from bigger series with cheap materials...it's just my opinion.

way to rain on Iver`s parade....

Nice to hear you like your Kanta's.   I'm hoping they create a Kanta 1(bookshelf speaker) or a smaller Kanta 2.   I have a feeling the Kanta's will replace the Electra line

Great! Enjoy Iver. Of course, some pic’s would be nice 

davidf posted:

Adi Stefan posted:

Compare maybe with Electra...what i don't like at new Kantas is the design and materials, "The banana-shaped curved baffle is not like the Rest of the housing out of plywood but from a up to 55 mm thick plastic, the according to the Focal 70% denser, 15 percent stiffer and 25 percent steamed comes, therefore, as the ordinary medium-density fibreboard MDF." if the focal high end is made by plastic i will choose something else, they try with kantas to borrow high end technology from bigger series with cheap materials...it's just my opinion.

way to rain on Iver`s parade....

Exactly - not really called for. The OP is delighted and that’s all that matters

I know that Focal Sopra 2s can be polarising (as with most things) but I love mine to bits. I owned Naim S600s before and also run a 252 pre. Perhaps it’s because I like Marmite?!

Well done Iver! Enjoy.

The Allaes were never set up properly!

Adi Stefan posted:

Compare maybe with Electra...what i don't like at new Kantas is the design and materials, "The banana-shaped curved baffle is not like the Rest of the housing out of plywood but from a up to 55 mm thick plastic, the according to the Focal 70% denser, 15 percent stiffer and 25 percent steamed comes, therefore, as the ordinary medium-density fibreboard MDF." if the focal high end is made by plastic i will choose something else, they try with kantas to borrow high end technology from bigger series with cheap materials...it's just my opinion.

If you're judging the Kanta's looks from photos you might revise your opinion once you see them in the flesh.  I think they are much better looking when you get in front of a pair.

Well done, Iver.  I had a demo of Kanta 2s a month or two back and was impressed at what I heard. Very, very easy to drive too. Hope that they please you and, yes, like others, am looking forward to a picture or two.

Mike 

The Kanta's are still running in. From time to time I turn op the volume a bit and listening with pleasure and interest. Every time the impress with a sound completely separated from the speakers; as if the speakers disappear. They also bring a great depth and 3-dimensionality. For me this is new and brings great joy. To my opinion the Naim Allae's I used previously were outstanding performers given price, but the Focal's show me how modern loudspeaker -building has evolved. It is a big step forward.

The curve in the baffle was designed on purpose and aims and a bettered radiation and reflection of the sound. Why and how? To be honest, I don't know and don't care too much. What I do care is that they sound as I have in mind a speaker in this range should sound. I can understand people like or dislike the looks; probably a matter of personal preference. I do think one should see the Kanta's live first, before judging. Some of the pics in the media do not give a good reflection of reality. They are "quite" big, by the way :-)

I haven't compared the Kanta's to Sopra's: I had a certain budget in mind and didn't feel it was appropriate to start comparing with speakers that were not in "my range". I can only refer to the comment of the dealer who said they get very close to what a Sopra does.

I saw somebody in this thread doubting the build-quality; I studied the Kanta's very carefully and compared to other brands I tested (Q-Acoustics, KEF and Sonus Faber); the Focal's are very, very solid and are not too far away of the built-quality of Sinus Faber. Also when playing loudly, not a piece of friction or torque. As a result, the bass is very tight and well defined. Their weight is 35kg+ each.

Below a few quick pics. They are bad quality, but at least it gives you an idea

Congratulations, you have made a great choice... if you enjoy them now you will be very very happy once they have run in...

Congradulations Iver, they look fabulous!

What a great value! I have a friend who owns Sopra-2 and he feels that the new Kantas are right there with them in the right room and electronics.Enjoy

NIce! Congratulations Iver! Thanks for the update! This is a speaker I'll be interested in auditioning next time I'm in northern Virginia. Let us know how you get on with them. I'm curious to hear what you think after you've had some time to run a lot of music through them.

I believe the Kanta 2 has a different tweeter than the Sopra does it not?Beautiful Speakers in my eyes.Focal has really upped their game in the headphone market,and it appears the beryllium tech is spilling over here,very nice!

Congrats on your new speakers. What finish did you go with ?

They are lovely looking speakers. I had a chance to demo a pale blue/wood veneer offering with my kit and I liked them very much. Nice controlled deep bass but never overpowering with smooth highs and no hint of any brightness at least not in the home demo I was able to do.  

In fact, a good friend just purchased a pair in an ivory/wood veneer finish and they look awesome. He's using them with his aging but still very capable Spectral amp/pre, an Aurender streamer and Chord TT DAC to very good results. He's only had them for a few weeks and they are sounding better all the time.

I too saw the Nova/Kanta demo at Audio Show East and was very impressed. I wasn’t sure about the aesthetics at first but my Wife loved the look of them after giving them her feel test. Having listened to them, I’ve learned to appreciate the looks more. Interestingly (or not) the light blue is actually called Gauloise Blue. Only the French would name their speaker baffle colour after a packet of cigarettes ????

Thanks Iver, nice write up and thy do look very nice.

Enjoy

Gary

I was at my local dealer yesterday and guess what they had the Kanta 2 with a Nova driving them, interesting the the 926 where nearby (looked ancient but similar size wise).

Must admit sounded great, bass was deep, details galore and a vivid soundstage, but £7k with a £4k Nova 

The color I choose is called Taupe (Beige/Grey like) with Veneer. The tweeter is indeed a Beryllium. It gives the higher frequencies a bit of bite and maybe even sharpness. Again a matter of taste. When I compared to for example the Kef Reference, one will notice Kef doesn't have this 'bite'.

For me it is not a surprise the Nova teams well with Focal Kanta. I use a SuperNait2/HiCapDR/NDX to drive them, and it seems they are "made for each other". A friend of mine had a demo of Nova with B&W803 and had similar positive feedback.

My budget drove me to continue using NACA-5 speaker cables. My previous pair was to short, so I ordered two times 5m of new NACA-5 soldered. It works out very well, but I didn't test with other makes or types.

I openly asked my dealer what they saw as possible/affordable improvement when they installed the Focal's. Apart fro the obvious (and expensive) XPSdr for my streamer, the guy spoke about the Isotek Acquarius power filter. They have very good experience with other customers running similar set-ups. It might be something to consider later this year. 

Once the Kanta's are run in a bit better, I'll summarize some more of my listening experience here