Focal Aria 926 vs 936

mrrodge

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Hi all,

I know this's been done many times before; the general consensus seems to be that it's worth it to pay more and get the 936 because it goes lower, however my room size is bang in the middle between the recommended minimum for the 926 and the 936 (23m2). Is the 936 too much for my room? To be paired with Arcam SR250 and placed as per the attached (red position).

Thanks!
 

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No takers?
 
my room size is bang in the middle between the recommended minimum for the 926 and the 936 (23m2).

I haven't checked out Focal's website for minimum room sizes vs speakers so I'm going on what you say. Acting on this information, you should go for the 926 because Focal say the 936 is too large for your room (i.e. the 936 suggested minimum room size is larger than your room so your room doesn't fit the bill).

I've taken a look at these speakers and agree with Focal in that the 936 is (way?) too large for a 23 sqm room.
 
All Focal are nice speakers, very clean and present. But in general they do not have the greatest bass depth, fine, but other speaker have more.

Given how close to the walls, I would say likely the 926, though remember no speaker functions well shoved back against the wall. They need space. But the most easy to accommodate would be the 926.

However, I have heard the full 800-Series, which is the predecessor to the 900-Series, and I was blown away by the 836. A very good speaker. But to the extent that I can determine, you room and placement make the 936 less likely.

Though you didn't provide any dimensions, so we are left guessing. Square meters don't tell us as much as the full three dimensions and general construction and layout of the room.

Also, will this system be used with a TV? That could make a difference.

I would suggest minimum 12" behind the speaker, and better would be 14" to 18", and equal distance away form the sidewalls MINIMUM. Though whether that is possible in your room is for you to determine.

My personal instinct is to say the 936, but I tend toward large speakers, and I have heard the 836, and that was a very find speaker with perfectly rendered bass without thump or boom. Very life like. Most likely either speaker would be a good speaker with only minor differences in the Bass Response.

Steve/bluewizard
 
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Thanks for the replies - much appreciated.

Yes, they'll be used with a TV for movies and music video surfing but the primary focus is music (Lossless FLAC/Some high res). I intend to leave some excess cable behind the speakers so I can move them further away from the wall for serious music sessions and part of the lure with the Focals is the front ports, so was hoping I could get away with leaving them slightly closer to the wall for movie viewing.

I'm currently constructing a 95mm deep false chimney breast to mount the TV to, between the speakers.

The longest dimension (middle of bay to next room boundary so longest dimension) is 7.38m, the widest part of the room is 3.9m wide by 4.5m to the bay extremity and the narrowest 2.6m, ceiling the usual 2.35m. There's no door to the next room which is 2.5 by 2.5, not sure if that's relevant.

Any issues foreseen with the amp in the SR250? I've read that the Focals can sometimes have low impedance that can be demanding of some amps.

Thanks again!
 
Bump!
 
Any issues foreseen with the amp in the SR250? I've read that the Focals can sometimes have low impedance that can be demanding of some amps.

Can't say I've used this combo but, from what I've read, you'll be fine. No review mentions any problems driving these speakers with a variety of half-decent amps. Although the impedance of the Focal Aria 926 hits a low 2.9 Ohms (according to Focal's spec), it is an efficient speaker with a nominal impedance of 8 Ohms, allegedly, so a big amp like the SR250 will have no trouble driving them.

Any sound issues due to less-than-ideal speaker positioning should be compensated with Dirac room correction. In theory, you should even be able to use a pair of 936s in your room because Dirac would sort out the likely excessive bass (though it would be illogical to do this).
 
I have the 726 (same size as the 926..maybe slightly smaller cabinet size) and my Arcam can drive them to some pretty intense volumes. They can fill a 5*5 room at -50db indicated on the amp. Bass isn't bad once they've run in a bit.

If you use Dirac it should sort out any issues with the 936. I never had much success with Dirac myself, but I'm not really into spending endless hours tweaking things and reading graphs and all that jazz.
 
I have the 726 (same size as the 926..maybe slightly smaller cabinet size) and my Arcam can drive them to some pretty intense volumes. They can fill a 5*5 room at -50db indicated on the amp. Bass isn't bad once they've run in a bit.

If you use Dirac it should sort out any issues with the 936. I never had much success with Dirac myself, but I'm not really into spending endless hours tweaking things and reading graphs and all that jazz.

So if Dirac can get rid of the possibility of excess bass, the 936 is the one to go for given that I'll get the lows?
 
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If no sub, grab the 936 - though that would depend on your music choice?

I find my 726 bass light at low volumes, but once the volume goes up bass is pretty decent considering they're only rated at 48hz@3db at say -30db indicated I have zero need for a sub for any genre besides EDM.
 
If no sub, grab the 936 - though that would depend on your music choice?

I find my 726 bass light at low volumes, but once the volume goes up bass is pretty decent considering they're only rated at 48hz@3db at say -30db indicated I have zero need for a sub for any genre besides EDM.

No sub. Bit of everything music-wise, mostly 90s indie/britpop/rock type stuff though. Not a fan of thumping/overwhelming bass but we do like to hear as much range as possible. I just don't want the bass swamping the rest of it due to speakers being too big for the room.
 
So if Dirac can get rid of the possibility of excess bass, the 936 is the one to go for given that I'll get the lows?

How far do you take that argument?

(a tad over budget, I imagine)

I've no experience of using sophisticated room correction software but I question the logic of purchasing the £700 more expensive 936 so that Dirac can remove much of the extra bass it has over the 926. That said, you will get slightly deeper bass extension with the 936 but there's not much in it. According to Focal, the 936 is -6dB at 32Hz whereas the 926 is -6dB at 37Hz. In a typical domestic listening room, both speakers will exhibit greater bass extension than these specification figures anyway.

Will you always use some form of room correcting software? If there's a possibility you won't, then remember that Focal adjudge the 936 as too large for your room so it may not give a sufficiently accurate sound without room correction.

At the end of the day, I suspect you'd be very content with either speaker as they are both, reputedly, excellent.
 
I take your point. In fairness I think I actually prefer the look of the 926 as well. Sounds silly given that their design is almost idential, I just think the 936 looks a bit crammed in.
 
Hi, it's a few years on but I currently have the same dilemma! My room is also 23m2 and I'm choosing between the 926 and 936, agree the latter looks a bit crammed in - so I'm leaning towards the 926, especially as I'll be getting a sub too.

Just thought I'd asked if you got the 926s and if so, were you happy with them?
 
Just thought I'd asked if you got the 926s and if so, were you happy with them?
It appears it's been nearly 18 months since @mrrodge has logged in to avforums so you'll be lucky to get an answer. Probably means he/she (or whatever pronoun is appropriate) is very happy with their purchase - whatever it was.

I just have to question why anyone (who seeks accurate sound quality) would want to go against advice from the manufacturer, Focal, when they recommend a particular speaker for a given room size range - especially when Focal clearly stand to make more profit from selling their more expensive speakers.
 
It appears it's been nearly 18 months since @mrrodge has logged in to avforums so you'll be lucky to get an answer. Probably means he/she (or whatever pronoun is appropriate) is very happy with their purchase - whatever it was.

I just have to question why anyone (who seeks accurate sound quality) would want to go against advice from the manufacturer, Focal, when they recommend a particular speaker for a given room size range - especially when Focal clearly stand to make more profit from selling their more expensive speakers.
Hi, fully agree and I was about to purchase the 926s, BUT found a single pair of the K2 936s on clearance for significantly less than I could get the 926s for, so it was a no brainer!

Just waiting for them to arrive 🙂
 
Sounds like you've bagged yourself a bargain. Enjoy.
 
I was considering those myself but then I was reading about Triangle Borea BR09, any thoughts on those vs the Focal's?

 
No takers?
go for 936 mate my room is 12f x12f 8ft celing they sound brilliant I have them in 7.1.2 focals connected to yamaha A S2100 amp thats Assigned to yamaha rx a6a, believe me mate i have no problems with them
 

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