Speaker Suggestions

For what it's worth, I've only ever really listened to Focal speakers as part of a Naim presentation at my dealer's annual show, and have only ever found them to be somewhat analytical and non-involving in their presentation ............. a bit "shouty", and not very musical.

When my new streamer was being installed a few weeks ago, my dealer, who knows his stuff, suggested that the last thing I would ever need to upgrade would be my existing Neat MF 9's, which he described as "simply awesome", which would seem to bear out Neat's claim that their development process :

"involves the process of listening to many different types of music and allowing the music to govern the tuning and voicing of the loudspeaker – to the exclusion of almost all other criteria."

I've lifted the above from their website, and whether or not one completely accepts it to be true, they do turn out some of the most "musical" speakers I've heard.

Just my opinion, of course.

Focals do seem to be a speaker that produces sharply divided opinion on here.  I can well understand that the styling and colours of some models will be love or hate.  What I don't think can be disputed is that they are very easy to drive.  I've heard a pair of Kanta 2s being driven by an Atom and was very impressed at how good they sounded.  

While I haven't heard the top-end Focals, I've heard lots of others from all ranges below the Utopia. I've have bought Focals to match Naim amplification before the tie-up between the two companies was announced.  They can be very revealing, especially at the top end where the beryllium tweeter is used.  They have the potential to sound bright if the matching or set-up isn't tight.  But, get it right, and they can be stunning.  

  So if I had a Nova I'd be looking to try something from the Aria range or even the Kanta 2s.    

Gazza posted:

Those same speakers were at Signals a week or two before, and were sent back.....not liked. On the day I thought a few folks like James liked them?

Yes i quite liked them. They certainly were able to show the differences as Jason went through the components all the way to the top but i'm not sure the bigger Focals are a match made in heaven with Naim. Speakers are a very individual thing though. 

It would have been interesting to hear the Kanta / Nova combination on display in the meeting room 

james n posted:

Gazza posted:

Those same speakers were at Signals a week or two before, and were sent back.....not liked. On the day I thought a few folks like James liked them?

Yes i quite liked them. They certainly were able to show the differences as Jason went through the components all the way to the top but i'm not sure the bigger Focals are a match made in heaven with Naim. Speakers are a very individual thing though. 

It would have been interesting to hear the Kanta / Nova combination on display in the meeting room 

Hi James,  100% about hearing the differences as Jason moved up the range.  My problem was (apart from listening to unfamiliar music) was they just didn't sound natural.     The Bob Marley track,  that I'm very familiar with,   did not have the dynamics as would have expected from such a (£££) speaker, at best it was the same maybe not as good as my speakers. The sound stage was a muddle & did not have the individual placements & separation of instruments & voices that I'm used to.   The acoustic folk track was nothing like simple un-amplified voices I would expect to hear in a folk club.  The electronic & other stuff I'm not familiar with so not qualified to comment.   But would I buy them ??  no way if that how they supposed to sound.       I heard Kanta's when I popped into a dealer a while back,  OK it was not a serious listen & was while I was being served & generally looking around the shop (as you do)  but they were good.  

I have been using Focal speakers with Naim for the past 15 years. First Focal Electra 906 with Nait 5i and then XS2. Now i have Focal Electra 1008 BEII with SN2. If you can demo them give them a try . Please let us know which speaker cables you are using, if they are not NACA5, give them a try before changing your speakers.