Focal Astral 16 AV Processor/Amplifier Review & Comments

Can't be better than Meridian 861V8
 
Apart from the extra amplification and the fact that Dirac actually works now - what do you get for 20k that you don’t get on the £3-7k 16 channel beasties from arcam, emotiva, jbl, Monoprice etc?
 
It looks like a rebadged StormAudio ISP 3D.16 ELITE,but 50 percent more expensive.

On a side note,is the omission of HDMI 2.1 a big deal?Setups with processors like this are based around front projection and i bet that there wont be a native 8k projector anytime soon.Or a 120fps 4k blu-ray movie.
 
is thia product endorsed by adidas?

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Ideal for a shed, however you will need something more serious for the lounge or home cinema.

On the up side it looks smart and symmetrical, unlike the new Arcam's which are a complete abortion in the visual design stakes. (A 2 year old could design something better and make it properly symmetrical)

Bill
 
Why don't the back of all AV receivers look like that.. instead of all the dumb legacy connections that NOBODY uses...
 
Would be interesting to compare this to a storm audio processor with nord power amps.
 
I mention that it's a rebadged Storm Audio ISP 3D.16 ELITE in the second paragraph of the review.
Oh,my bad.It is probably not a coincidence that both are French companies,as is Trinnov.I would be well chuffed with the Marantz pre,but if cost and space were not a consideration...
 
It looks like a rebadged StormAudio ISP 3D.16 ELITE,but 50 percent more expensive.

It does have built in amplification... which will go some way to explaining the extra cost. I'd wager the 16 channels built in, aren't of the cheap 'n shit variety!
 
One has to wonder why you'd want integrated amplification if going for something intended to be located in isolation out of the main listening room? The convenience of integrated amplification isn't really all that relevant and you may as well use a pre amp processor plus external power amps. The noise from the fans makes it less than ideal for use in the main room.

Is there really any demand for integrated units for use in large scale home theatre installations? Plus the fact that such installations invariable keep the amplification and simply swap the processing when it comes to updating things. You'd be adding to the cost of any future updates by employing an intergrated unit as opposed to seperate processor and external amplifcation.
 
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It does have built in amplification... which will go some way to explaining the extra cost. I'd wager the 16 channels built in, aren't of the cheap 'n sh*t variety!
It is actually a rebranded StormAudio I.ISP 3D. 16.12 ELITE,which is more expensive than the processor only version.
 
It is actually a rebranded StormAudio I.ISP 3D. 16.12 ELITE,which is more expensive than the processor only version.

Yup, that I agree with... but can't find pricing of that!

Could be perfect for my needs as I can only fit an integrated in. Maybe a tad pricey though :D
 
It has 12 channels built-in, but can decode a total of 16.

I only have 7... i'd be fine :D

It's almost like the new Arcam AVR's would be more than adequate for my needs :D
 
Storm dont make it anymore under the Storm brand. They gave Focal exclusivity on that form factor when the Astral was launched.
 

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