After Driving 12 Hours Yesterday....

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kevhed72
kevhed72 Posts: 5,243
in Speakers
The fruits of my labor. I don't quite know what to expect but need a neighbor to help me get them out of my trunk:
87rw8zr3g3ve.jpeg
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 29,752
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    Awesome!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 8,320
    edited October 18
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    Kanta? N°2 or N°3?
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  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 5,243
    edited October 18
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    Number 2. The seller also has a pair of Sopras he wants to sell soon. Really nice guy with some sweets Bryston, BAT, Luxman, and Oppo gear. I will say the Sopras powered by the giant Bryston amp, was a much more direct, tight sound than I am used to. Not necessarily bad, but different.
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  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 8,320
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    Nice. 12 hrs is worth it. I've been on a couple of those road trips.
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  • stangman67
    stangman67 Posts: 2,334
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    You’ll love them. Kantas are great speakers
    2 Channel in my home attic/bar/man cave

    2 Channel Focal Kanta 3 I Modwright SWL9.0 Anniversary Pre I Modwright PH9.0X I Modwright KWA-150SE I VPI Prime Signature w/ Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC I Lumin U2 Mini I North Star Designs Intenso DAC I Audience OHNO ICs/Audience Furutech FP-S55N and FP-S032N Power Cables/Acoustic Zen Satori I Isotek Sirius
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,685
    edited October 20
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    Congrats on awesome speakers.
    Focal speakers present a bit differently Than most other speakers. They tend to be extremely detailed and less forgiving with the distance off the back wall due to the front port. They also are extremely even response and don't produce an insane amount of bass. it's more natural and clean. You should use a high quality pair of subwoofers with them to really complete the experience.

    The key to those speakers is setup . See those crazy carpet spikes? What is very nice is you can adjust them without having to lift the speaker. What you want to do is tilt them back some. Measure your ear sitting position height and what you want to do is get the tweeter just firing above your ear. A laser pointer helps but it doesn't have to be exact. Then you want to make sure they are level side to side.

    I don't know if the plastic is still on the tips of the spikes, that is for hard wood but I don't like it either way. I Would put rubber cups underneath each spike, like Dining room chair round rubber cups. You can get them at Home Depot or a hardware store.

    Here is another very cool thing about most Focal Speakers, they do not need a super powerful amp. You can Get away with a nice solid 100 watt Solid state amp and be very happy.

    Suggestion
    Drop the back to spikes so the speaker basically rests on the floor. Then jack up the front evenly for the tilt.
    You also want about 3/4 width as the measurement in distance from the each speaker. So easy math is 10 feet from you to speaker and 7.5 feet in between the 2 speakers. Also keep them about 12 inches or more away from the back wall. If you can do only 3 to 6 inches off the back wall, you will just create a bit of a bass boost. That might be ok in your room , it may not.

    Let me know if you need any pointers more to get them bad boys to sound wonderful. I did Focals for years and own a pair myself.I have had a few in my lifetime .
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 5,243
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    I was able to move them in a well padded wheel barrow down a hill and into the basement without killing myself. Forget about lifting them up and down stairs unless you have a Schwartzenegger physique, which I no longer do. I plan on doing some serious listening this weekend.
    Here is a pic:
    hd89oaaltps5.jpeg
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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,400
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    Nice pickup!! Well worth the trip for sure. Many, many hours of enjoyment await!!
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  • The_Mandalorian
    The_Mandalorian Posts: 39
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    Are you going to wear them grilles on or grilles off?

    Maybe you should add a pic with grilles off.
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  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 5,243
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    Ill get some naked pics of them up soon. I will say moving them forward just 3 or 4 inches made a huge difference in the boominess. Also, these are a very tight, direct sound. Im am grateful for carpeted room at this point. Gobs of detail in acoustical guitar and Mick's voice fer sur.
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  • Geoff4rfc
    Geoff4rfc Posts: 3,059
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    Congratulations @kevhed72, "You have chosen wisely" lol. Yes, just inches to and from the wall can make a huge difference in the bomminess. I have mine 20" from back of speaker to the wall.

    @mantis has some great advice on set up. I come close to having mine in a tri-lateral set up. Having the tweeter at least at ear level makes a tremendous difference, mine are on hockey pucks. And driving them with a tube amp???? Dude, nothing but love there. I got to hear a pair of Sopras on a tube amp and what a treat that was.

    It was @stangman67 that inspired me to go Focal and I've been in 2ch bliss ever since.

    And be sure to tell Clint, "Dying ain't much of a living boy"
    Marantz AV10-Emotiva ERC3-Denafrips Venus-Panasonic UB820-AudioQuest Power Quest 707-Emotiva DR3, DR2, XPA2, XPA6-Focal Kanta No2, Sopra Center-PolkAudio RTiA9, RTiA3, LSiM 702F/X-Epik Empire-SVS SB5000-11.3
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