FocalChora 826 3-Way bass Reflex floorstanding Loudspeaker, Dark Wood, Sold Individually

This review will be short and sweet. I was skeptical at first because of what I mostly read about these Focal Chora speakers. The reviews suggested that the speakers have a lot of treble, detailed midrange, and very little bass. None of that sounded appealing to my audio tastes (except for the midrange). I'm more partial to a warmer and bassier-sounding speaker like the Wharfedale Linton (which I also own). But my living room has very high ceilings and the Lintons failed to fill the living room with sound to my liking (although if I sat at a certain spot and used a sub, the Wharfedales were magical, especially with vocals; yet, the stereo imaging left me wanting more in the living room).And although I read the Focal Chora lacked bass, I also kept seeing reviews that stated it imaged like few other speakers in its price range and that you could clearly hear where instruments were set up in the recording. A subwoofer would remedy any lack of bass. I still had worries, however, about possibly shrilly highs. I decided to take a chance on my first Focal. And I'm happy I did!First, the way the Focal speakers sit on slates that angles them upward (I can't explain this in technical terms) seems to give it stereo imaging in spades! The sound fills my living room (high ceilings and all)! Now, it is true the bass sounded almost nonexistent in the first couple of listens, but I am a staunch believer in burn-in! As I put more hours into the speakers playing music, the bass started to open up. The speakers weren't bass cannons, but that deepness and subwoofer range wasn't missing either. I have an Emotiva BasX TA2 integrated amplifier. When I boosted the bass and bass-sub tonal controls in that amplifier a bit, the bass really showed itself and blended well with the other frequencies (always providing the right deepness of sound that is in the actual recording). And then I added an old small 8-inch Cambridge subwoofer to the mix, and wow! This bass doesn't shake the house or rattle the windows, but it mixes well with the whole sound spectrum. And the treble calmed down some too after burn-in.The whole speaker turns out to be superb in imaging, clarity, cohesiveness, and filling up the room. I wouldn't say the speakers are too cool (definitely not heavily warm-sounding either), but they are right in the middle. The details of instruments I have never heard in any other floor-standing speaker I've owned. The drumkit, for example, sounds like it is one spot on the floor, and you hear marvelous details from the kickdrum, snare, tom toms, and cymbals. The whole sound just envelops you into the music, and I can't think of any speakers I've heard that do this so well (and I own B&W Nautilus 804s, the Wharfedales I mentioned earlier, Q Acoustics 3050s, and the Emotiva B2+). Now, I love different sound signatures from speakers (I actually moved the Wharfedale Lintons to my bedroom and they sound like magic there), but the Focal Chora is the main one I can't wait to get home and listen to.I really don't think you have to spend thousands of dollars to get a top audiophile speaker that can compete with the big boys. This Focal speaker can compete with many of them that I've heard in the $5K-$10K range. It may be the best audiophile speaker out there for one who is on a budget. And the speakers also made me curious about Focal's headphones. I picked up the Clear model, and I'm having a similar experience with this headphone.If the Focal Chora 826 stays under $2K, I don't believe you can beat it for that price (although I believe this speaker will be discontinued soon). Happy Listening!(By the way: I mainly listen to jazz, but gospel, blues, classic r&b, classic rock, reggae, neo-soul, house music, and some hip hop also hit my turntable and cd player).Update 05/10/2023: I've gone from an Emotiva integrated amplifier to the new Yamaha R-N2000A Hi-Fi Network Receiver/Integrated Amplifier! All I can say is WOW! The Chora speakers are very happy, and the sound reflects that observation. Spacious, natural sounding, detailed and weighty (especially more in the bass) musical bliss!

Verkäufer:Bei AUDIOMATIV (HiFi aus Allendorf) gibt`s diese unverkannt großartig klingende Box bei einem sehr guten Service und zu einem großartigen Preis von 765 € (in deren Onlineshop sogar abzgl. weiterer 5 % Skonto). Sehr schnelle Lieferung und auch im Weiteren sehr gute Betreuung.Produkt:Die Chora 816 (gewohnt hervorragende Focal-Qualität) ist meilenweit ausdrucksstärker als die 806 und steht in mittelgroßen Räumen der deutlich teureren 826 nicht weit nach. Die 816 verfügt über ein plastisches Klangbild, dass sowohl bei akustischen Instrumenten und Stimmen als auch bei Rock und Elektro-Sounds sehr viel Freude bereitet. Kleinere Verstärker sind völlig ausreichend. Klare Empfehlung.

credo che non ci sia nulla di meglio in questa fascia di prezzo,il rapporto qualità prezzo è semplicemente imbattibile .le ho abbinate ad una catena con amplificatore marantz pm 8006 ,giradischi rega planar 3,lettore cd marantz cd6006 e un dac cambridge audio,una configurazione relativamente economica (sappiamo bene che in ambito hifi si possono spendere allegramente cifre superiori ai 10,000 euro ) ma che da davvero grandi soddisfazioni.i bassi sono corposi ma non invadenti,la pulizia sonora è ottima anche sugli alti,il suono è dettagliato e non affaticante e questo impianto riesce davvero a mettere in luce tutte le differenze sonore tra i vari dischi.a 1250 euro spediti non si può comprare nulla di meglio,consigliatissime

Not sure what to say about these speakers. I really wanted to like them but could not. Maybe it was my system (NuPrime DAC 10 and NuPrime ST 10 M mono blocks). I could not get a decent bass from them. No doubt a sub woofer would have complimented them. The mids were amazing and the highs were just as great. These speakers image like crazy, the best I have heard yet in my journey.

I have had a love affair with my floor standing Mission 753s for the last 30 years but like me, they were showing signs of aging and the bass drivers were starting to fail. I was nervous about findinga suitable pair of replacements because the Mission 753s produced just the right sound for my ears, and I was very reluctant to buy a modern pair that had a booming bass. I listen mostly to acoustic, jazz and classical music, so al though Billie Eulish’s‘“Bad Guy” is great, it’s not the type of music I regularly listen to. After many days of research and trepidation, I plumped for a pair of Focal Chora 826s which are in short supply as they are being discontinued but fortunately this also means you can find them massively reduced in price.I have to say that I am blown away by the sound the Chora’s produce. They have amazing quality in the highs and muds. With a bass that is resonant and clear, without shaking the floorboards, this pair also produces one of the best soundstages I have ever heard, giving great separation and width. More importantly they are not fatiguing to listen to for long periods.I would highly recommend these as being one of the best speakers in the sub-one thousand dollar range for anyone looking to bring out the nuances and detail in their music. I am not saying they would produce the deafening booming bass sounds for dramatic home theater Dolby atmospheric explosions, but if you want exquisitely nuanced sound from a 2 channel stereo amp, I don’t believe there is anything better in their price range.I have to shout out to Creative Sound for the swift and carefully packaged delivery. not to mention the surprise gist of a set of coasters, Great Job!