Focal Kanta

Gary - Iver van de Zand has a pair and started a thread on the topic quite recently. A quick search should reveal it. Meanwhile I've had an in-store demo of a pair and liked what I heard. They need only modest amplification to produce a very big and rich sound.

Hi Gary, I indedd recently purchased the Focal Kanta 2 and us it with my system compromising NAC282/NAPSC/HiCapDr/200Dr/NDX .. It is very, very good. The Kanta's match Naim wonderfully well. I spend a lot of time and effort searching for new floorstanders and in the end choose the Kanta's over KEF, Sonus Faber and Q-Acoustics. Highly recommended

hello Iver,

I am very interested in your comparison between SF Olympica 2 en Focal Kanta? Why did you chose the Kanta over the SF Olympica 2?

I heard the Kanta at the loal dealer with both the 272/250 and the Nova. Left me cold both times. Could be the setup...

Just totally different from the speakers I'll used to (kudos)...

Hey MangoM,

i assume something must have been wrong with the set-up. The Kanta’s are very well received here in Europe especially in set-ups colbined with Naim. There are a few reviews available of the Kanta/Nova combinations which all are rated very, very high. Of course a review doesn’t say anything, yet it surprises they are all in praise.

maybe re-listen to the Kanta’s at another dealer if you have the chance. They are worth the try

iver

Didn't care for them.

Could be nice to hear why you did not like them? just to say did not care for them is not real answer.

i fore one would like to hear more comments on how the Focal Kanta sound. The speakers looks

nice and the tech used to build this speaker looks promising Did not hear them yet. Looking

to upgrade in a few months so far two contenders Sonus Faber Olympica 2 or Focal Kanta so all info is wellcome?

To pick up on CP62's questions:

The Kanta 2 are quite big but look nicer and more elegant in the flesh than they do in photos.  The finish is excellent.

The sound is typically 'Focal' - detailed and airy at the top end. The bass goes down a very long way - a double-bass sounded lovely and you could easily tell that the instrument was made of wood.  

I heard a pair on the end of a pretty big Naim system but at the end of the demo the dealer plugged them into a one-box system (an Atom, I think) and I was amazed at how big the sound was. The Kanta 2s seem to be a very easy load and are highly efficient. Well worth an audition in my view. 

CP62 posted:

Could be nice to hear why you did not like them? just to say did not care for them is not real answer.

I thought they sounded excellent, but other speakers in their price range can be a little more enjoyable, that is to my taste, I thought they tried a little to hard to tone down the treble response, they almost sounded a little rounded off to me, especially after hearing the Sopras. Bass was very good. Build quality seems fine.

Between the two speakers mentioned, I would choose the Focals every time. Compared to some like priced rivals, they do seem like excellent value, in the States they are roughly the same price as Kudos S20's.

Speakers are such a personal decision, some speakers that I personally preferred to the Focal Kanta's are the Athom GT2, the Spendor D9 and the Proac D48. But, like I said, that is to my taste, not necessarily to yours.

I heard them at Basically Sound’s Naim evening with an Atom. i liked  the retro look and was very impressed with the sound they made. I was wondering why they hadn’t been mentioned much in the context of pairing them further up the Naim range. 

I currently have fact 8’s with a 552 / 300 system and was contemplating a change. 

Will no doubt demo as and when the time is right for me

Gary

Hi all,

As mentioned in another thread, the Kanta’s really do it for me when it comes to “disappearing as loudspeakers”. The music is fully separated from the loudspeakers and for me (ex Naim Allae) this was completely new. I like it a lot. Also the bass is outstanding; very deep and punchy. Third, I really appreciate the 3d imaging: the depth and staging of each individual instrument is very nice. They are really “the boss” in my living room; when I play music, there is something happening in the living room :-)

I am a fan of Jazz and Folk music but also appreciate “Woman Vocals”. It is with these types of music I judged the Kanta’s when purchasing them. Voices are very well pronounced and placed with the Kanta’s. Other than Hardlands ilpressions, I had to get used to the relatively harsh and crisp high tones. This is probably due to the Beryllium tweeter. The high tones are almost shrill but never irritating or fategue. 

I only have a 200Dr (and some dealers of course tell me “at least” a 250Dr is needed) but I think the Kanta’s are an easy drive. Of course 300Dr or even hight will make them shine even more. 

My Kanta’s do require some space to breath. They are around 40cm from the backwall and free on the sides.