Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Focal Aria K2 936 loudspeaker Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog sources: Rega P5 turntable with RB700 tonearm and Audio MusiKraft Denon DL-103 cartridge.
Digital sources: Simaudio Moon 260D transport, Bryston BDP-1 USB Digital Player running Tidal, Bryston BDA-2 DAC.
Preamplification: Sonic Frontiers SFP-1 Signature phono preamp, Audible Illusions L3A preamp.
Amplifier: Grandinote Shinai integrated amplifier.
Loudspeakers: KEF LS50, Totem Skylight.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (USB), BIS Audio Maestro (RCA S/PDIF). Interconnect: Moon Audio Silver Dragon (RCA). Speaker: Nordost Heimdall. Power: Shunyata Research Black Mamba CX, LessLoss DFPC.
Accessories: Shunyata Research Venom PS8 power conditioner, a component rack and wood plinth stand (under turntable) whose brandnames are lost to time.—Robert Schryer

COMPANY INFO
Focal
US and Canada distributor: Focal Naim America
313 Rue Marion, Repentigny
QC J5Z 4W8
(800) 663-9352
focalnaimamerica.com
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
mtrot's picture
Submitted by mtrot on May 14, 2021 - 2:04pm

Any comment as to how the K2 936 sound in comparison to Aria 936? Inquiring minds want to know! I will say, with those neon yellow drivers, the WAF may suffer in comparison to the flax drivers.

As to the tweeter height, I also seem to have the situation of my ear level being a foot or more below the tweeters on many modern tower speakers, which is one reason I really like the way Focal positions the tweeters on the Kanta series.

MZKM's picture
Submitted by MZKM on May 14, 2021 - 2:53pm

At least Focal made the sound signature downward sloping to account for the directivity mismatch at the tweeter. However, would have liked it not to be there in the first place and thus allow a neutral listening window. Maybe it’s for higher sensitivity, but I’m not totally sure why so many companies have woofer sides drivers act as midranges (6.5” crossed at 3100Hz), 4” is usually the largest you want for good directivity.

Onthehouse88's picture
Submitted by Onthehouse88 on September 8, 2021 - 12:41am

Focal doesn't use the same drivers for midrange and woofer's in their speakers. The midrange are designed to work as a midrange and the woofer are made to work as a woofer, the drivers do their job as intended - but yes many other companies, use the same drivers for midrange and the woofers.

Glotz's picture
Submitted by Glotz on May 14, 2021 - 4:14pm

is luscious and deep! I love the yellow aramid drivers in contrast as well.

leefy's picture
Submitted by leefy on May 14, 2021 - 4:55pm

Focal (formerly JM Labs) did not begin in Paris but rather in Saint-Etienne just outside of Lyon where they are still located.
Aside from that minor quibble, thanks for the enjoyable review.

rschryer's picture
Submitted by rschryer on May 14, 2021 - 5:07pm

...to remove that quibble.

As per Wikipedia: "Focal-JMlab, a research office dedicated to acoustics was founded in 1979 in Paris..."

So we're good? :-)

leefy's picture
Submitted by leefy on May 14, 2021 - 5:14pm

Hi Robert:

Thanks. I wasn't aware of that. I had visited the factory several times (as a dealer then. now retired) and talked to M. Mahul and he had never mentioned any Paris history so I was unaware of that. You learn something every day!

Thanks again for the review of what sounds like a lovely product.
Cheers
Lee

David C's picture
Submitted by David C on May 14, 2021 - 6:54pm

...Wikipedia is not always a reliable source. Both Robert Deutsch's review of the Aria 936 and the Focal website indicate that the company was founded in Saint Etienne, France. I would venture that Leefy made the comment in a good faith effort to correct a minor error, which should have been caught in editing, in what is otherwise a very enjoyable and informative review.

https://www.focal.com/en/dates-and-history-of-focal

leefy's picture
Submitted by leefy on May 14, 2021 - 7:47pm

Thanks David

I did not want to pursue it as it might have been seen as pedantic (and it is a minor point) but I appreciate your kind words as I do think the Paris reference is an error on the part of Wikipedia. I'll leave it at that and stick with enjoying Robert's enjoyable review. Thanks again for your comment.

avanti1960's picture
Submitted by avanti1960 on May 15, 2021 - 6:21am

if they included bi-amp terminals.
three way towers are prime candidates for bi-amplification.

Jack L's picture
Submitted by Jack L on May 17, 2021 - 1:50pm

Hi

Maybe this Focal model has been designed to be sensitive enough to operate without need of bi-wiring/bi-amping.

That said, I am a die-hard bi-wiring advocate ! IMO, bi-wiring (or bi-amping for this matter) can improve the sound of its single-wired version big time due to substantial reduction of hi & low requencies intermodulation inside the SAME connecting cable.

I converted my KEF 2-way standspeakers to bi-wiring by re-design/building its lousy factory X-over to do the job many many years back. The bi-wired conversion has made substantial sonic improvement with the rest of the rig remain UNchanged.

In fact, quite a few brand-name loudspeakers come with such biwiring/bi-amp terminals, including bookshelves. It only shows those bi-wired loudspeaker makers got good musical ears.

Bi-amp will be another story as it will involve complex outboard active/passive hi/low frequency crossovers & acoustical level balancing. It can be a can of worms for every Joe Blow consumers.

Listening is believing

Jack L

Kal Rubinson's picture
Submitted by Kal Rubinson on May 17, 2021 - 2:10pm
Quote:

In fact, quite a few brand-name loudspeakers come with such biwiring/bi-amp terminals, including bookshelves. It only shows those bi-wired loudspeaker makers got good musical ears.

That is certainly one possible interpretation. ;-)

teched58's picture
Submitted by teched58 on May 17, 2021 - 2:49pm

We have an unsolvable conundrum. As in, it's getting ridiculous, but this is what we've gotta indulge to survive. (I worked in the trade press for many years, and have personally experienced the, er, existential havoc wrought by the internet, beginning in the mid 90s and accelerating to death star mode after the bursting of the dot bomb bubble ca. 2001.)

JRT's picture
Submitted by JRT on May 18, 2021 - 8:28am

You could buffer the output of your existing amplifiers (flea powered tube amps?) with a pair of Musical Fidelity 750k Superchargers (circa 2008), and use those to power the loads full spectrum, if you can find some available for your purchase. The point of the exercise is that the Superchargers can power difficult loads while presenting an easy load to your tube amplifiers (you may need to add a suitable resistor across your amplifier outputs in parallel with the 50_Ohm load presented by the Supercharger), and the nonlinearities of your tube amplifiers will dominate the resulting sound character of the amplifier combination. Or you could buy a different pair of suitable amplifiers.

https://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/1208mf/index.html

http://www.musicalfidelity.com/uploads/manuals/English/750k_manual_english.pdf

JRT's picture
Submitted by JRT on May 16, 2021 - 6:38pm

I suggest that you consider using VituixCAD to provide a graphic showing an EPDR curve with impedance and phase curves with respect to frequency. In the image below, the dark gray color curve is impedance, the light gray color curve is phase, and the violet color curve is EPDR (Equivalent Peak Dissipation Resistance).

https://kimmosaunisto.net/Software/VituixCAD/VituixCAD_help_20.html#Impedance

While VituixCAD is free for private use, and you could try it out that way, the author Kimmo Saunisto charges €200 for first seat commercial license, and €50 each for additional commercial license seats.

You can import measurements taken using Arta Labs' Limp. A commercial license for Arta's software package is €149. You can try it for free.

I understand that you have Audio Precision measurement gear, but this is quick, easy, effective and accurate, and with laptop and compact outboard gear is more easily luggable when and where that might be an issue.

I have no affiliation with any of this. This is just a recommendation, not SPAM.

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