I owned the rp600m. Even with an upgrade to the crossover, they are still harsh and a 2 dimensional speaker. The B&W are a cheapened version of the line, and the tweeter is too cheap and sizzles. It calls attention to itself. Since I had firsthand experience, this one is easy. the Chora were much more hi-fi than the others by a comfortable margin. The Chora scale up better as well.
Terry Mate !! You have taken up this herculean task of comparing good speakers With some fine ones ! I must say it is such a pleasure watching & understanding the minute differences along the way . Definitely looking forward to the final Winner 🏆👍
B&W has the best look and size for me. Auditioning now and they sound very nice. Preferred the sound over the RP600M. The Chora 806 don't really appeal to me visually.
What has looks got to do with the sound? The looks make the speaker sound better? Substance over aesthetics, every single time. I love the way you compared with other well known speakers, it gives the audience a good gauge on where to place the sonic qualities with your narrative. Btw, I bought the speaker after watching. Two thumbs up!
Wow! Great review, I dont know why I didnt watch this first, I've been watching all the others, you know, Thomas, Zero Fidelity, the audiophilac, the British Audiophile, etc, great job! keep up the good work! Subscribing now!
I look forward to the sound demo of the Chora 806. The 'bright speakers' comment from audiophiles regarding Focal speakers are mostly directed towards their higher end Berilium tweeter models. Personally, I can't stand the Kanta, but love the rest of the higher end models. The sweet spot being the Sopra no.3. Thanks Terry.
Hi Pursuit Perfect System! Thanks for your great review. I have a pair of Focal Chora 806 in white cream. They are great speakers but a bit too much forward with mids (vocal) in my place. I paired it with an Class D smsl amp. i would like to pair them with a more laidback amp ( kind of v curve) for now and i'm ready to upgrade. I was thinking about the denon pma 600 which is laidback but maybe too much. Which amps do you recommend in order to get a less forward and less mid tone sound in the 400-600 euros range without loosing to much the clean tigh bass. even if i have a subwoofer to compensate a bit. Denon, Yamaha, Cambridge, others? Small tube amp? a softer Dac? Thank you so much for your reply. Musically.
That’s the one thing I wasn’t happy with. I find them very bright. On phono stage Marantz PM6007. Bass is particularly lean to the point of almost absent despite using budget phono stage (maybe need better phono stage or subwoofer when playing vinyls). Plenty of detail on vocals and treble although did sound adequate on other inputs.😮
Thank you for organising this comparative review. I really enjoyed it. It encouraged me to consider the Focal Chora 806 speakers based on my limited budget. I agree that they seem to look best with that cream/beige front and oak sides (they call it light wood). So today I decided to order a pair in that colour with matching Chora stands. These stands are designed to tilt them upwards slightly to deliver a better sound. Cant wait to try them out!
Hello, how do you like them? I'm thinking of buying these as well, but I don't have the opportunity to demo them... Do your find the speakers enjoyable at low volume? What about multimedia use with movies and tv shows? Thanks
@@paolosoddu9642 I have had them about 4 weeks and am really enjoying them, especially at low volume. My challenge is that in my home the only suitable space I have is a small 2.2m by 2.9m room, so I do most of my listening about 1.2 m in front of them. I have them paired with an Audiolab 6000A Play amp/streamer. I haven't used them much with multimedia yet but have tested them watching a movie on my computer and configuring the sound via bluetooth to the Audiolab and they sounded very good.
Yes I think people say they are bright because of crap amplifiers they are using receivers and if they're Japanese well what can you say about Japanese amplifiers in the bin mate. made a mistake by putting a rubber surround shame wen tot all the way to make them light and stuck rubber on it, be interested if anybody tried replacing with foam silk foam.
This is a very useful review btw… Being an owner of both the Klipsch and Focals, I agree with your overall thoughts here. The Klipsch is fun sounding with multiple flaws when you start to examine more closely. No matter how I placed the Klipsch, even when I had great center image, I could always tell where sounds were coming from. The stage was never impressive but they were very engaging up top with nice bass. As many have said before, I think for HT, you’d be hard pressed to find better at the price. However, the Focal Chora is a superior sounding speaker for 2-channel listening by a long shot to my ears and they do “disappear”. When I first put the Focals in place I was a bit concerned about the lack of bass in them. However, as I always do, I stepped away from them for about an hour or two. As I had hoped, when I returned that bass was absolutely there. I was pleased with the obvious change. The speaker had done something for sure and it was for the better. The Focal Choras are not a bass lover’s speaker by any means but it’s there and the quality is very good but its not the focal point. If bass is a priority, these will benefit from a sub. The balance between treble and mids is really where it’s at with the Focals. I felt voices had nice body and instruments sounded right without color unlike the Klipsch which is a very “enriched” showroom presentation that loses appeal after the honeymoon period. I really enjoy the Heresy and Cornwall so nothing against Klipsch coming from me. And honestly, I didn’t love the appearance of the Focal at first but it grew on me. Also, if origin means anything to you, these are made from in-house materials by folks that get paid a living wage. It is a very well built speaker. The Focals are an impressive and engaging speaker that definitely need some break-in to achieve their full potential. In addition just for fun, I put these in place without the Focal stands at first but found there was improvement w/the stands after all. Take that for what it is… After all was said and done, I found with their stands, 8 ft. apart, and about 3 ft. from the rear wall worked for me. Good stage beyond left and right, perfect center image, and plenty of un-cluttered detail. And in 2022, at $499 + stands $149, it’s a great hi-fi speaker that pleases on many levels IMO.
@@Zenos174 I am sure they will sound very good in most cases. However, the difference in my room was definitely there w/the Focal stands. And you can test this just by elevating the speakers on your current stands. Lastly, the bonus of the stands is that the speakers are secured/anchored. They also look very nice. Hope that helps and congrats on your speakers.
So I'm a long time Klipsch lover, and one of the biggest things I love about their speakers is just their speed and dynamics, now he hints here in the review about it but I'm just curious on your thoughts as to the dynamics and speediness between the two
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Do you have any experience with the old Chorus series? I am curious how better is the Chora line over their predecessor. Thank you.
Yep they would have been good to have included. I am pretty sure I contacted Monitor Audio but I didnt think to contact Dyn Audio. 9 different speakers is enough though man
I would guess the Silver 100 would add more bottom end and low mids while Focal would have a bit more detail in the mids and highs. The Silvers, at least previous models have a nice tone to instruments, don't know if that has changed. Never heard a Dynaudio but from what I read, they may prefer grittier music such as Rock to Focals handling of Jazz and classical.
What is it with all these reviews (here and other reviewers) who don’t play any music? No, you can’t judge over RU-vid! (Potential buyers need to use their own ears) but it might at least entice...
I know, comparing 9 speakers is enough. :) But for a future review, it would be interesting to compare the Axiom Audio M5HP to the Wharfedale Evo 4.2. They cost about the same, at least in the US. And they are both rare examples of 3 way stand mount speakers.
I need speakers for mostly movies/gaming, but also hifi qualities for the weekends (because of neighbours dont often hear music and if then not loud). Hearing Classic Rock, Modern Rock/Metal and Techno/House. Klipsch could fit as they seem to have spectacular sound. Focals more of an allrounder? Are they also good for movies and gaming? Only for Hifi my decision would be Focal. But for movies and gaming im Not Sure.
Man i'm so excited for the conclusion. Can't wait to know which stands the best. Great job man i am definitely keeping your reviews as a basis for which speaker i'm going to buy in the near future. Keep up!
I would not base a purchasing decision on another person's personal opinion. Speaker A might be his favourite but not yours when you compare them yourself.
hi sir, i am choosing between the focal chora 806 and klipsch rp500m II with the price reduction for focal 806 it stand at same price with rp500m II. which one would you recommend? thanks
Recently purchased the Focal as side speakers and I am amazed at the detail they produce. My front towers are Paradigm (24 yers old and still going strong) and after listening to these Focal’s I am realizing that I have been missing some details. Any advice on pairing the 806’s with new Focal Aria 936’s? Thanks.
Their not constant only at the beginning and sometimes between sections. I make these videos using headphones and watch them over and over to edit them and it doesn't bother me I think it adds to the effect but you cant please everyone clearly.
I contacted Elac initially and they didn't get back to me that is why they are not included - I think there are more than enough good speakers in this group test covering all the main bases to not worry about missing them, no hard feelings towards them of course
The Focal Chora should be a step ahead of the Focal Chorus 706 which has a very large soundstage at the expense of some definition. What I mean is the sound of individual instruments is a bit stretched and voice a bit softer in detail though larger sounding. I have the Focal 807W and I havn't found anything near its' price that can beat it for me at least. Though the soundstage is smaller on the 807W it is very refined and resolves instruments better, better separation, etc. The Chora is probably somewhere in between. I prefer the older AlMg tweeter to the Poron damped one as it has more bite. In comparison to the others, I am not surprised Focal holds its' own and is even better in some regards. I agree, it's an ugly speaker in black but decent in the lighter wood color. The 906 Aria should be even more refined but given the choice, I prefer the W driver. Some British designs may give better definition but it is hard to not notice Focals as they are a very engaging, captivating speaker rendering a very emotional musical experience. I am not a fan of laid back speakers though. BTW, anyone have any experience with Canton Vento and Reference and how they compare with each other and against Focals?
Hello, I'm thinking of buying these as well, but I don't have the opportunity to demo them... Did you find the speakers enjoyable at low volume? What about multimedia use with movies and tv shows? A 30/35w AB amplifier would be sufficient? Thanks
I’m quite late here but the Focals are gonna be second to none in this particular comparison as far as low volume listening. Klipsch seem to sound better for louder listening situations. In fact, the Focals can be a challenging experience up top with even slightly bright amplification. I have both of these speakers currently and IMO, the Focals are a marked improvement in every area w/the exception of HT use. In a 2-channel situation, is just not a contest unless you just enjoy the color of the Klipsch. To each his/her own though… Hope you find what you’re looking for.
Excellent review. Seeing the bass appears to be the weakest point of these speakers, I wonder if their performance would be improved not only with Dirac but also with a subwoofer.
Cheers, thanks and welcome, my take on audio is a little different to Johns but that's cool and what its all about finding the way that best suits you and makes you happy, all the best
Great reviews, really insightful! I would like to ask you about the positioning of the speakers, which one can be placed closer to the back wall? Should these speakers considered bookself? I would presume the Focals, having their bass port in the front, wouldn’t need to have a lot of space there. Also, how about lower volumes? Which speaker doesn’t need higher volume to shine?
@@seanrichardson9404$ 6k for every comment replied and $ 3k for every comment i make. Thanks for replying. Have a wonderful time. If you want to convince yourself just buy a pair of Wharfedale Evo 4.1 and listen to them for 1 week then buy any other speakers below 5.000 and see or hear quality coming from these speakers. They aren't great only for music, they excell with movie's because of their capability to create a 360 degrees sound much like a 5.1 surround sound. They envelop you in sound ( music and movies) so much that My Mom or the other people that are in the room listening keep asking from where is that sound coming? I am amazed every time i listen to them. A word of advice : The Diamond line of speakers are very good too but i recommend to buy the Wharfedale Evo 4.1 for a 25-35 square meters room or from Evo 4.3 up if you will place them in a bigger room. Ok... Now i will try to sleep because here's 4 A.M. Have a great day everyone.
I really agree on the looks. Every one of those other spekars looked really nice to me, but those focals in basically any finish just look dated. The blue woofer on the lighter color is out of place. Speakers are meant to be seen and these look like garbage, no matter how good they sound
I didnt get any sibilance with my system and setup but I cant guarantee that for all systems and setups - I really dont know about the Naim to comment on that sorry