Focal 836W review

krishnamurthy

Active Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2015
Messages
301
Points
28
Location
bangalore
Have had a chance to audition them. These are huge speakers (4 ft tall give and take) and have 3 drivers (woofers), 1 mid-range and 1 inch tweeter. It was paired with Pioneer LX-85. There were 2 sub-woofers and the room was acoustically well done (diffusers, bass traps, reflectors etc).Room size is 14x11

We ended up playing some country music, some acoustic music and felt they are best suited for musical performances as the instrumentation was clear and one could clearly hear every stringed instrument coming to life. Even at very high volumes, we did not get the ear fatigue.
When we played movie clips, you could see that the speakers detailing was not that great, elaborate sound-stage somehow was missing when compared to music concert performance.

These are expensive speakers (2L a pair). Not VFM.
 
Well.... I use mine for Home theater they were bright with Rotel RA-1062... better with Primare I30.... less ear fatiguing.... fantastic with McIntosh.... next step tubes..... maybe TRI from Japan (TRIODE)..... or PrimaLuna....
 
i am using focal 836v for 2 channel music with onkyo tx nr 1000/integra dtr 10.5.
fantastic sound,very controlled bass.:).but need a sub if you want lows below 30hz.
 
To me Focal Chorus 826V is more balanced in the bass area . It was fantastic with the exposure Gears , especially the Exposure 2010S2 and the 3010S2 CD player . That was my first audition of the hifi Stereo ( off-course the demo room was good , not overly or under treated , other places it was very less impressive ) which got me into 2 channel
 
Last edited:
I auditioned these about 2 years ago (along with offerings from KEF, B&W, Paradigm, Monitor Audio Gold etc). I forget the amp used for the Focal but I believe it was one of the Jap brands (Onkyo, Denon, Pioneer or something in that vein). The Focals did not impress but then neither did the others. I had to move higher up the price chain to find a acceptable speaker-AVR combo. I suspect these speakers might do better in 2 channel audio (with a 2 channel amp like an Accuphase or McIntosh) than with a 5.1/7.1 AVR.
 
I auditioned these about 2 years ago (along with offerings from KEF, B&W, Paradigm, Monitor Audio Gold etc). I forget the amp used for the Focal but I believe it was one of the Jap brands (Onkyo, Denon, Pioneer or something in that vein). The Focals did not impress but then neither did the others. I had to move higher up the price chain to find a acceptable speaker-AVR combo. I suspect these speakers might do better in 2 channel audio (with a 2 channel amp like an Accuphase or McIntosh) than with a 5.1/7.1 AVR.

In my experience those electronics fall in the line of Denon, Pioneer, Onkyo is an avoidable combination with Focal. NAD is OK, they make the focal very energetic though not the best solution. Given an option, I will look elsewhere to the league of Exposure or Naim.

If some one is investing to the price range for 836, I would suggest to audition Octave tube amps. They are costly, but sheer musical and a good match with Focal speakers.

prospective buyers should make sure that they have enough room for these speakers to perform. They probably don't need a lot of power, but surely need volumes of air around it.
 
Best 836W with McIntosh (MA6900); Very good with Primare I30, but best Sound... Harbeth SHL5 & McIntosh.... more musical, sweet, warm, soft..... So focal/ Primare... only for movies... Happy ending...
 

Attachments

  • DSC00104.jpg
    DSC00104.jpg
    17.3 KB · Views: 88
Wharfedale Linton Heritage Speakers in Walnut finish at a Special Offer Price. BUY now before the price increase.
Back
Top