Focal Kanta No1 Speaker Review & Comments

@Paul7777x,
Left the day after I purchased them for a holiday in Florida to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary. Only got back a few days ago so will make up for it in the coming weeks.
Gregory
 
Shame on you Ed, I spent the last couple of weeks feeling like the 'cat who got the cream' because I sourced a new sealed pair of Dynaudio 40's at a great price as my final ever speaker purchase and then along comes the Focal Kanta 1's !! 😁😁😁
I can only imagine how complicated it must be to do a speaker review (or review of anything for that matter) but I did smile at the end when you referred to the 40's as phenomenal and the Kanta 1's as meaningfully better. 😮
Time to smash yet another piggy-bank !! 😉

Great review Ed, but I do agree with other comments about the general look of the Kanta 1's. I would expect them to be aesthetically pleasing for that much wonga !!

I also forgot to say: every time you upgrade your speakers you run the risk that they will reveal weaknesses in either your source or amplification.

So what seems on the surface like a simple change and improvement can end up costing a small fortune as you then upgrade other components to keep up with your new speakers!

I would say to anyone: are you enjoying your music? If the answer is yes, then there's no need to change anything. If not, then think carefully about what you're changing and the overall financial implications of doing so.
 
This is a particularly vigorous example of something that really does look better in the flesh though. Another facet to the appearance is that, placed correctly, from the listening position, you only see the baffle which also works well in the context.
I understand some Focal Speakers are very fussy with system pairing, but if done right are a dynamite combo. What system would you recommend?
 
I’m late to this review because I’ve only just started looking at new speakers. I owned Dynaudio Focus 160s for around 10 years and enjoyed them very much and currently own Dyn Confidence C1s. That’s established my credentials as a Dynaudio owner and fan. Having said that I don’t think my amp (80wpc) is doing my C1s any justice. I was told by my local store that the C1s need much more power and suggested I look for alternative speakers. As I know the people well and they stock both Dynaudio and Focal, they allowed me to take home a pair of Kanta 1s and Special 40s to listen to over the weekend. So I feel I’m in a position to give my views from personal experience.
Yes, my amp drove both speakers much easier than they did the C1s. The other obvious observation was that the Focals were so far ahead in terms of sound quality that they weren’t even on the same playing field. As they should be for the difference in the price. Around 20 years ago I owned a pair of speakers with Focals’ inverted titanium tweeter and hated them for their brightness and listener fatigue so I was reluctant to take the Kantas home. However the dealer persuaded me to try them. I couldn’t believe their smoothness and dynamics at the same time and how very different they are from the old Focal tweeters. On a side by side listen there was no comparison in my room. On a side by side comparison with the Sopras 1 in the shop, the Kantas help up very well and the difference in the sound with the Sopras didn’t equate to the difference in price (law of diminishing returns definitely showing itself).
As for the shape, Ed is right you don’t see the curve when you are facing them. And in any case I think they are a very interesting shape. I just wonder if all those people who are so nasty and critical of the shape would do the same if these speakers were built in the UK.
 
They would have been as heinously ugly even if they had been built in Santa’s grotto by hot ladies in skimpy Knicks.

Your comment to the contrary makes no sense.

Nor does your ‘dealers’ advice.

It would have been less expensive, and have allowed you to keep the C1s you may own to have simply bought a better amplifier.

Incidentally, I’ve no doubt the Focals are a very fine speaker indeed, but that does not preclude having the appearance of a battered and bent cheesy wotsit.
 
They would have been as heinously ugly even if they had been built in Santa’s grotto by hot ladies in skimpy Knicks.

Your comment to the contrary makes no sense.

Nor does your ‘dealers’ advice.

It would have been less expensive, and have allowed you to keep the C1s you may own to have simply bought a better amplifier.

Incidentally, I’ve no doubt the Focals are a very fine speaker indeed, but that does not preclude having the appearance of a battered and bent cheesy wotsit.
Well I guess you think you’re being funny. In any case you have assumed I swapped my C1s.
 
Yes :thumbsup:

And no, I haven’t assumed you’ve swapped the C1s.

But why not, if the Focals are that much better?
 
Well I guess you think you’re being funny.
To be fair, the bit about the bent cheesy wotsit did make me laugh.

I don't think the country of origin stops them from being fugly either.
 
Does anyone know how much better this speaker would be compared to the latest KEF LS50 Meta? So many have said that KEF is way better that cost would imply, and I wonder what is to be gained (if much at all) moving from this already excellent speaker to the Kanta No1?
 
KEF LS50 Meta £1,000 a pair, Focal Kanta 1 £4,500 a pair. Once you buy the Focal Kanta 1's you'll need to buy amplification in a similar price range to the speakers. I doubt the amplifier you are using for the KEF's would be of sufficient wattage or current for the Focals.
I have a pair of Dynaudio Special 40's (£2,700 a pair) and the Focals are a better speaker all round (so the experts say). I also have a pair of KEF LS50's and the Dynaudio's are far superior.
More importantly, the Focals are ugly and they're French !!!
 
KEF LS50 Meta £1,000 a pair, Focal Kanta 1 £4,500 a pair. Once you buy the Focal Kanta 1's you'll need to buy amplification in a similar price range to the speakers. I doubt the amplifier you are using for the KEF's would be of sufficient wattage or current for the Focals.
I have a pair of Dynaudio Special 40's (£2,700 a pair) and the Focals are a better speaker all round (so the experts say). I also have a pair of KEF LS50's and the Dynaudio's are far superior.
More importantly, the Focals are ugly and they're French !!!
Hmmmm, well.. I was asking for anyone’s experience actually hearing both the Kanta no1 and the KEF LS50 META and the difference in performance. You went to price right out of the gate, which in my experience is not always an indicator of quality, especially when talking about the KEF speaker that performs well beyond what the price may indicate. Hence the reason for the question in the first place.
Then you doubt the quality of the amps I own? i guess you were assuming that anyone owning a less expensive speaker would no doubt not be able to afford quality amps.
Well, you’re wrong. I own some pretty nice Theta Amps (Dreadnaught), PS Audio M700 mono blocks, and even an Emotiva amp (uh-oh, looks like a cheap amp!) which happens to be a pretty damn good amp! So yeah.. I think I’ve got the whole “sufficient amp” thing covered. Never doubt a mans amps by the choice of his speakers!

Again, if anyone has actually heard the LS50 Metas (that’s the new ones) AND the Kanta No1, I’d love to know your thoughts on the differences and if the difference is worth the upgrade.
 
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I wrote the reviews for both speakers and the Kanta No1 continues to live here with the kind permission of Focal;

1619259384701.png


The Kanta is not four times as good as the LS50 Meta- it's a statement of the blindingly obvious but it warrants repeating because people tend to fall back to numbers.

Something that might also seem counter intuitive is that the Kanta is easier to drive than the KEF. It has a higher sensitivity, higher minimum impedance (and spends less time near that figure than the KEF does to its). You can (and I have) achieve very satisfying results with the Focal on a thirty watt valve amp which you can't do with the LS50 Meta.

In performance terms, the key difference between the two is tonal realism and detail retrieval. The KEF is exceptionally good for a £1,000 speaker but; used on the same partnering equipment (the Mscaler/TT2 into the Edge A mainly), the Focal will do things with voices and instrumentation that aren't really hinted at when the KEF is running. Uni-Q is exceptionally cohesive but there aren't many brands at any price that can extract more from a recording than Focal can. The reason why the Kantas are so useful for review work is because they relay exactly what the equipment further up the chain is doing.

The 'worth' of these improvements is entirely up to the purchaser but a £1,000 speaker punching above its weight won't trouble a £4,500 doing much the same thing.
 
Hi Hubbman,
I certainly was not implying that you would not be able to afford a more expensive amp, sorry if I gave that impression. I just read in these forums on a regular basis the benefits of having a balanced system in terms of costs and abilities. Just reading about the amps you own and yes, you have serious quality there.
Jason
 
I wrote the reviews for both speakers and the Kanta No1 continues to live here with the kind permission of Focal;

View attachment 1499976

The Kanta is not four times as good as the LS50 Meta- it's a statement of the blindingly obvious but it warrants repeating because people tend to fall back to numbers.

Something that might also seem counter intuitive is that the Kanta is easier to drive than the KEF. It has a higher sensitivity, higher minimum impedance (and spends less time near that figure than the KEF does to its). You can (and I have) achieve very satisfying results with the Focal on a thirty watt valve amp which you can't do with the LS50 Meta.

In performance terms, the key difference between the two is tonal realism and detail retrieval. The KEF is exceptionally good for a £1,000 speaker but; used on the same partnering equipment (the Mscaler/TT2 into the Edge A mainly), the Focal will do things with voices and instrumentation that aren't really hinted at when the KEF is running. Uni-Q is exceptionally cohesive but there aren't many brands at any price that can extract more from a recording than Focal can. The reason why the Kantas are so useful for review work is because they relay exactly what the equipment further up the chain is doing.

The 'worth' of these improvements is entirely up to the purchaser but a £1,000 speaker punching above its weight won't trouble a £4,500 doing much the same thing.
Wow! Thank you, this is exactly the type of feedback was looking for!

I really appreciate your description of the differences. I suspected this would be the case..
 
I wrote the reviews for both speakers and the Kanta No1 continues to live here with the kind permission of Focal;

View attachment 1499976

The Kanta is not four times as good as the LS50 Meta- it's a statement of the blindingly obvious but it warrants repeating because people tend to fall back to numbers.

Something that might also seem counter intuitive is that the Kanta is easier to drive than the KEF. It has a higher sensitivity, higher minimum impedance (and spends less time near that figure than the KEF does to its). You can (and I have) achieve very satisfying results with the Focal on a thirty watt valve amp which you can't do with the LS50 Meta.

In performance terms, the key difference between the two is tonal realism and detail retrieval. The KEF is exceptionally good for a £1,000 speaker but; used on the same partnering equipment (the Mscaler/TT2 into the Edge A mainly), the Focal will do things with voices and instrumentation that aren't really hinted at when the KEF is running. Uni-Q is exceptionally cohesive but there aren't many brands at any price that can extract more from a recording than Focal can. The reason why the Kantas are so useful for review work is because they relay exactly what the equipment further up the chain is doing.

The 'worth' of these improvements is entirely up to the purchaser but a £1,000 speaker punching above its weight won't trouble a £4,500 doing much the same thing.
Well crap... I just went and listened to the Kanta 1s and they are without a doubt a more spectacular speaker. The only way I can describe it is to say it’s like moving up to the big leagues from college. Everything is just that much “more”.... The pair I listened to had just been set up yesterday, so I found the tremble a bit harsh, but I expected that from this speaker in particular until it’s had some time to mellow. The tweeter needs time.. but I can tell it’s all there and the perfect size for my 17’x17’ room with two JL Audio e110 subs...
I think I’m going to need to move up.....
 
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And the deed is done. Kanta No1s are on the way.
 

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You can list your speakers in our classifieds but are you aware that this is a UK based Forum? It may not be the best place to advertise them as you are really on the other side of the world. You could try the US based Forum AVS and of course there's flea bay.


I've edited your latest post to keep you within our Forum rules.
 
I wrote the reviews for both speakers and the Kanta No1 continues to live here with the kind permission of Focal;

View attachment 1499976

The Kanta is not four times as good as the LS50 Meta- it's a statement of the blindingly obvious but it warrants repeating because people tend to fall back to numbers.

Something that might also seem counter intuitive is that the Kanta is easier to drive than the KEF. It has a higher sensitivity, higher minimum impedance (and spends less time near that figure than the KEF does to its). You can (and I have) achieve very satisfying results with the Focal on a thirty watt valve amp which you can't do with the LS50 Meta.

In performance terms, the key difference between the two is tonal realism and detail retrieval. The KEF is exceptionally good for a £1,000 speaker but; used on the same partnering equipment (the Mscaler/TT2 into the Edge A mainly), the Focal will do things with voices and instrumentation that aren't really hinted at when the KEF is running. Uni-Q is exceptionally cohesive but there aren't many brands at any price that can extract more from a recording than Focal can. The reason why the Kantas are so useful for review work is because they relay exactly what the equipment further up the chain is doing.

The 'worth' of these improvements is entirely up to the purchaser but a £1,000 speaker punching above its weight won't trouble a £4,500 doing much the same thing.
Hey Ed,

wondering where you would recommend crossing over the Kanta No1 with dual JL Audio e110 subs? I was thinking 65hz... These speakers will be used 70% 2 ch music, 30% full surround sound movies. My room is 260sqft with standard 8ft (ish) ceiling.

thank you!
 
You can list your speakers in our classifieds but are you aware that this is a UK based Forum? It may not be the best place to advertise them as you are really on the other side of the world. You could try the US based Forum AVS and of course there's flea bay.


I've edited your latest post to keep you within our Forum rules.
Yeah...good call.. I totally forgot this was a UK based forum.. my bad..
 
This is a particularly vigorous example of something that really does look better in the flesh though. Another facet to the appearance is that, placed correctly, from the listening position, you only see the baffle which also works well in the context.
You know... at first I wasn’t understanding why so many people were ripping on the look of this speaker. However, the more I look at these pics the more I sort of understand where the disconnect is. I have these speakers in the beautiful gloss black front with the black lacquer and they look amazing in person. I’ve also seen the all white high gloss version and they look great as well. I totally agree that they don’t photograph too well... but in person they are really nice.. maybe the matte finish is to blame?
 
Too much money... Buy the Buchard S400 instead. Match them with Hegel amplifiers, and you got a killer system. Perhaps subwoofer also down the line. The law of diminishing returns kicks in very fast. Plus they look like “we come in peace” speakers from space. I really have no clue what Focal was thinking of when they designed this speakers.
 
I just love it when people chime in with alternative recommendations (when no one asked) knowing full well the person already has a solution they like... Also wondering if said poster has ever even heard the speaker/ amp the original poster is using before talking about diminishing returns?
 
This is an interesting post as you're right: Ed did give the Dynaudio's a particularly glowing review and I can see why someone would buy them as their last-ever standmount.

The problem is, it's all relative. The Focal's are nearly twice the price of the Dynaudio's, so you would expect some improvement. But twice as good? Not so sure as the Law of Diminishing Returns tends to kick in.

I also believe that Bowers & Wilkins and KEF do very expensive standmounts too if you like their particular sound signature. And if you really want to push the boat out, there's these three:




The search for the "best" speaker can be never ending, so it's probably better to find something you love and just stick to it.
I think we all know when you get to about 2K price becomes irrelevant, I'd sure would short list the focal kanta 2 if I had the money. I'm not expecting to hear night and day but now the kids have gone, I think the beryllium tweeter should be amazing.
 

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