prashanth14485
New Member
It was about a couple of months ago that I heard these two speakers and since then Ive been trying to take some time out to pen down my thoughts and observations. Finally decided to take sometime out today. My friend Denny (owner of bassntreble) got a couple of new floor standers in the likes of MA RX6 and Focal Chorus 816 and was kind enough to invite me to over for an audition. They both cost about 85K after discounts and I thought it was fair to compare the two because they are of the same league.
I auditioned these speakers twice in a span of two weeks and here is what happened.
The first time, I went over without carrying my amplifier and listened to them. They were hooked on to a Marantz SA 7001 CDP, Manley Shrimp Tube Pre and Quad 909 Power. I straightaway found the MAs to be way bright and on my face sounding. It didn't take me long before I realized this and I was sure of what I felt because I eventually spent over an hour with each speaker. The mids and vocals were of top quality but upper mids and highs somehow irritated me especially with songs that had some. I listened to a variety of songs but couldn't tolerate when I played some David Gray and Mumford and Sons. The vocals got way too shrill when the singer/s was singing at a high pitch and the orchestra sort of thing just went out of control. It seemed like the speakers just couldnt handle it even at a moderate volume.
On the other hand, the Focals sounded more tolerable and lively. The sense of involvement was much more in the Focals and found them to be more musical. They didnt sound harsh in order to show me the level of detailing they were capable of and this is something that I had never experienced in a lot of speakers before. The vocals were not as exciting and totally different sounding from the MAs. I didnt think they were bad but I thought they were soft and less excited. I found it strange when I later heard from a lot of people that the Focals too are bright speakers and I somehow couldnt second that opinion.
As far as low frequencies were concerned, I thought the MAs were tight and had a lot of punch. Focals though they had a bigger bass driver where not as punchy or extended but were definitely sounding more realistic and complimented the music well. I may be a little biased here because I am not a big fan of bass and anything close to real sounding would do even if it doesnt leave an impact.
Imaging and Soundstage - Both speakers produced good imaging but the soundstage got wider with the Focals. I am not a technical guy and have very little/no knowledge about all this but this is what I felt when I heard them.. lolzz
Feeling when I walked out of the showroom that evening Bittersweet! I had heard a lot of great things about the MAs and was a bit disappointed that it didn't live up to my expectations. However, I always knew that the amp used had a role to play in the harsh sound so I decided to carry my Marantz over on my next visit. I decided to start with the MAs this time and noticed an immediate difference. I kind of started liking the MAs and vocals sounded like never before (even better than last time). It was then that I realized that some tube pre amps can make things sound shrill if partnered with like sounding speakers. I heard the exact same CD again and they sounded much better than they did last time around but my conclusion of the MA is that they still sounded a tad bright with my amplifier too. No new discovery here because we all know that Marantz is a bit on the brighter side but even then the pair sounded better than earlier.
Once I was done with the MAs , I was very eager to see how the Focals react to the change. Well there was no surprise here, they acted no different and there was a vast improvement in their sonic quality too. Vocals improved, Bass got a little extension and more tightness and in all they sounded even more musical. Not on my face types and at low volumes believe you me, anybody could go to sleep over these speakers. They sound heavenly!!
I have always wanted to get a bookshelf speaker and havent really had a chance to audition the Chorus BS thus far. I was told that they have the same sound signature as their floor stander so cant wait to audition them.
The MAs were smaller in size and weight as compared to the Focals and the latter clearly looked and felt better in terms of build quality. I was told that the Focals were handcrafted in France..
Hope this helps but let me know if you have any questions, concerns, thoughts, etc. Cheers everyone!
Regards,
Prashanth
I auditioned these speakers twice in a span of two weeks and here is what happened.
The first time, I went over without carrying my amplifier and listened to them. They were hooked on to a Marantz SA 7001 CDP, Manley Shrimp Tube Pre and Quad 909 Power. I straightaway found the MAs to be way bright and on my face sounding. It didn't take me long before I realized this and I was sure of what I felt because I eventually spent over an hour with each speaker. The mids and vocals were of top quality but upper mids and highs somehow irritated me especially with songs that had some. I listened to a variety of songs but couldn't tolerate when I played some David Gray and Mumford and Sons. The vocals got way too shrill when the singer/s was singing at a high pitch and the orchestra sort of thing just went out of control. It seemed like the speakers just couldnt handle it even at a moderate volume.
On the other hand, the Focals sounded more tolerable and lively. The sense of involvement was much more in the Focals and found them to be more musical. They didnt sound harsh in order to show me the level of detailing they were capable of and this is something that I had never experienced in a lot of speakers before. The vocals were not as exciting and totally different sounding from the MAs. I didnt think they were bad but I thought they were soft and less excited. I found it strange when I later heard from a lot of people that the Focals too are bright speakers and I somehow couldnt second that opinion.
As far as low frequencies were concerned, I thought the MAs were tight and had a lot of punch. Focals though they had a bigger bass driver where not as punchy or extended but were definitely sounding more realistic and complimented the music well. I may be a little biased here because I am not a big fan of bass and anything close to real sounding would do even if it doesnt leave an impact.
Imaging and Soundstage - Both speakers produced good imaging but the soundstage got wider with the Focals. I am not a technical guy and have very little/no knowledge about all this but this is what I felt when I heard them.. lolzz
Feeling when I walked out of the showroom that evening Bittersweet! I had heard a lot of great things about the MAs and was a bit disappointed that it didn't live up to my expectations. However, I always knew that the amp used had a role to play in the harsh sound so I decided to carry my Marantz over on my next visit. I decided to start with the MAs this time and noticed an immediate difference. I kind of started liking the MAs and vocals sounded like never before (even better than last time). It was then that I realized that some tube pre amps can make things sound shrill if partnered with like sounding speakers. I heard the exact same CD again and they sounded much better than they did last time around but my conclusion of the MA is that they still sounded a tad bright with my amplifier too. No new discovery here because we all know that Marantz is a bit on the brighter side but even then the pair sounded better than earlier.
Once I was done with the MAs , I was very eager to see how the Focals react to the change. Well there was no surprise here, they acted no different and there was a vast improvement in their sonic quality too. Vocals improved, Bass got a little extension and more tightness and in all they sounded even more musical. Not on my face types and at low volumes believe you me, anybody could go to sleep over these speakers. They sound heavenly!!
I have always wanted to get a bookshelf speaker and havent really had a chance to audition the Chorus BS thus far. I was told that they have the same sound signature as their floor stander so cant wait to audition them.
The MAs were smaller in size and weight as compared to the Focals and the latter clearly looked and felt better in terms of build quality. I was told that the Focals were handcrafted in France..
Hope this helps but let me know if you have any questions, concerns, thoughts, etc. Cheers everyone!
Regards,
Prashanth
