Focal Chora 816 Speaker Review

[GXAlan]

First impressions of the Vestia No. 1 is that the treble is really rolled off. I am below the tweeter axis where I am sitting but the classic brilliance of the old inverted Focal tweeters does not seem to be carried over to the new generation of speakers.

The light wood color is a very yellow cream/beige. It’s definitely not as white as the marketing pictures suggest.

 

[Geertidow]

Just bought them, review helped a lot. More my kind of sound than the KEF with the PEQ as suggested earlier.
Any recommendation on subwoofer xo based on the measurements?

 

[Geertidow]

Update after 4 days after a lot of listening (room is 3.3 x 5.5 meters):

1. Bass goes really low for speaker type. If I wouldn't have had a sub already, I probably would not have bought one for this setup (easily plays massive attack etc). I am very impressed with the bass response.
2. The EQ as suggested in the second post is really, really worth it.
3. Stereo imaging with toe in is really nice (after doing .2).
4. I have a lot less listening fatigue as compared to KEF R3.
5. So far I am not considering DIRAC (after removing 38 and 67 peaks from the subwoofer). The sound is already really nice.
6. I ended up on a 80 hz xo (24 db/oct) because with the sub crawl method the 60 - 80 hz region is a bit better on the sub (I think it's more the positioning).

My room is untreated except for carpet and curtains so I have a pretty massive dip around 190 hz.

My 2 cents

 

[Geertidow]

Here is my take on the EQ.

Please report your findings, positive or negative!

The following EQs are “anechoic” EQs to get the speaker right before room integration. If you able to implement these EQs you must add EQ at LF for room integration, that is usually not optional… see hints there: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...helf-speaker-review.11144/page-26#post-800725

The raw data with corrected ER and PIR:

Score no EQ: 3.8
With Sub: 5.9

Spinorama with no EQ:

• Many, many resonances (driver and box)
• HF ?
• Will probably react well to EQ

View attachment 272143
Directivity:
Better stay at tweeter height
Horizontally, better toe-in the speakers by 10/20deg and have the axis crossing in front of the listening location, might help dosing the upper range.
View attachment 272152
View attachment 272159
EQ design:

I have generated two EQs. The APO config files are attached.

• The first one, labelled, LW is targeted at making the LW flat
• The second, labelled Score, starts with the first one and adds the score as an optimization variable.
• The EQs are designed in the context of regular stereo use i.e. domestic environment, no warranty is provided for a near field use in a studio environment although the LW might be better suited for this purpose.

Score EQ LW: 4.6
with sub: 6.6

Score EQ Score: 5.2
with sub: 7.3

Focal Chora 816 APO EQ LW 96000Hz
March162023-142841

Preamp: -2 dB

Filter 1: ON HPQ Fc 50.25,    0.00,    1.24
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 91.59,    -1.87,    1.57
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 659.24,    -2.40,    6.92
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1695.21,    -0.96,    2.83
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 3422.33,    1.92,    1.41
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 7503.62,    -1.92,    2.00

Focal Chora 816 APO EQ Score 1 96000Hz
March162023-142841

Preamp: -2.2 dB

Filter 1: ON HPQ Fc 51.10,    0.00,    1.33
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 93.69,    -1.97,    1.09
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 669.40,    -2.40,    5.43
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1780.97,    -1.26,    4.24
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 3168.17,    1.80,    2.00
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 7960.21,    -2.86,    1.37

View attachment 272146


Spinorama EQ LW
View attachment 272144

Spinorama EQ Score
View attachment 272145

Zoom PIR-LW-ON
View attachment 272149

Regression - Tonal
View attachment 272147

Radar no EQ vs EQ score

Nice improvements

View attachment 272148

The rest of the plots is attached.

Score EQ Score: 5.4
with sub: 7.5

Focal Chora 816 APO EQ Score 2 96000Hz
March162023-143427

Preamp: -2.2 dB

Filter 1: ON HPQ Fc 51.10,    0.00,    1.33
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 95.69,    -1.97,    1.09
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 671.40,    -2.40,    5.20
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1769.39,    -1.26,    6.25
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 3210.86,    1.80,    2.44
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 7606.63,    -3.58,    1.07

View attachment 272142

View attachment 272141

Just to make sure this is the EQ from .2 as stated above

 

[TSD]

Hello-forum newbie here. This site is unbelievable! I have learned much in a short time. I'm a baby boomer who is trying to get current in modern home audio systems and pretty much having to start from scratch. I've watched a number of Amir's great tutorials/explainers. I recently purchased a pair of the Focal Chora 816s due to the glowing review but think a subwoofer or two (as some have suggested) is a good next step. My next purchase will probably be a miniDSP Flex to EQ the subs. I have looked at @sweetchaos subwoofer spreadsheet but the ELAC SUB1010, which I think would be ideal as I get up to speed on all this, is out of stock as are some of the other low price selections. I'm trying not to spend too much money until I know better what I need and what I'm doing. The 816 woofers are 6.5", so is 10" or 12" better with these speakers, or doesn't it matter? Any suggestions on lower priced, (say under $300) and available subwoofers to get me going? I open to buying used but I don't know what I'm doing there either and wonder if the subs should match to make the EQ task easier?

[I bought a UMIK-1 mic and will do some room measurements with REW this weekend. Not sure what that will show but my room is about 15x20 and open/semi-open on two sides with a sloping ceiling that opens to the second floor. The shorter dimension has the speakers and equipment on one end and the other end opens into a dining and kitchen area. One long side has two large windows and a fireplace while its opposing side opens to a combo front entry way and staircase leading up]. With deep gratitude for all the deep knowledge and experience you all have made available here, Tom

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

Hello-forum newbie here. This site is unbelievable! I have learned much in a short time. I'm a baby boomer who is trying to get current in modern home audio systems and pretty much having to start from scratch. I've watched a number of Amir's great tutorials/explainers. I recently purchased a pair of the Focal Chora 816s due to the glowing review but think a subwoofer or two (as some have suggested) is a good next step. My next purchase will probably be a miniDSP Flex to EQ the subs. I have looked at @sweetchaos subwoofer spreadsheet but the ELAC SUB1010, which I think would be ideal as I get up to speed on all this, is out of stock as are some of the other low price selections. I'm trying not to spend too much money until I know better what I need and what I'm doing. The 816 woofers are 6.5", so is 10" or 12" better with these speakers, or doesn't it matter? Any suggestions on lower priced, (say under $300) and available subwoofers to get me going? I open to buying used but I don't know what I'm doing there either and wonder if the subs should match to make the EQ task easier?

[I bought a UMIK-1 mic and will do some room measurements with REW this weekend. Not sure what that will show but my room is about 15x20 and open/semi-open on two sides with a sloping ceiling that opens to the second floor. The shorter dimension has the speakers and equipment on one end and the other end opens into a dining and kitchen area. One long side has two large windows and a fireplace while its opposing side opens to a combo front entry way and staircase leading up]. With deep gratitude for all the deep knowledge and experience you all have made available here, Tom

Infinity sub when on sale

 

[Geertidow]

Hello-forum newbie here. This site is unbelievable! I have learned much in a short time. I'm a baby boomer who is trying to get current in modern home audio systems and pretty much having to start from scratch. I've watched a number of Amir's great tutorials/explainers. I recently purchased a pair of the Focal Chora 816s due to the glowing review but think a subwoofer or two (as some have suggested) is a good next step. My next purchase will probably be a miniDSP Flex to EQ the subs. I have looked at @sweetchaos subwoofer spreadsheet but the ELAC SUB1010, which I think would be ideal as I get up to speed on all this, is out of stock as are some of the other low price selections. I'm trying not to spend too much money until I know better what I need and what I'm doing. The 816 woofers are 6.5", so is 10" or 12" better with these speakers, or doesn't it matter? Any suggestions on lower priced, (say under $300) and available subwoofers to get me going? I open to buying used but I don't know what I'm doing there either and wonder if the subs should match to make the EQ task easier?

[I bought a UMIK-1 mic and will do some room measurements with REW this weekend. Not sure what that will show but my room is about 15x20 and open/semi-open on two sides with a sloping ceiling that opens to the second floor. The shorter dimension has the speakers and equipment on one end and the other end opens into a dining and kitchen area. One long side has two large windows and a fireplace while its opposing side opens to a combo front entry way and staircase leading up]. With deep gratitude for all the deep knowledge and experience you all have made available here, Tom

If anything: keep it simple if you are new to the game.
If you get 1 sub a minidsp flex, using DIRAC live (separate license purchase) can really make a difference. However, it has a learning curve.
Using @abdo123's tutorial on subwoofer allignment with DIRAC live you can do it fairly easily.

Then do the whole DIRAC calibration and enjoy.
Only thing is: there is a learning curve and these things cost time. Accept that this is so.
If you buy more subs then the sound will be maybe better, but also more complex to get it right. Maybe start with 1 sub and see where that gets you.

Finally, I cannot stress this enough: the EQ of the focal 816 mentioned in these reviews make the sound of your Focal's a lot better.
For my setup (Focal Chora816 with sub, miniDSP flex and NC252MP/NC500MP amps) this made a huge difference.

Enjoy your music!

EDIT: a view type-o-s

 

[Red5]

Update after 4 days after a lot of listening (room is 3.3 x 5.5 meters):

1. Bass goes really low for speaker type. If I wouldn't have had a sub already, I probably would not have bought one for this setup (easily plays massive attack etc). I am very impressed with the bass response.
2. The EQ as suggested in the second post is really, really worth it.
3. Stereo imaging with toe in is really nice (after doing .2).
4. I have a lot less listening fatigue as compared to KEF R3.
5. So far I am not considering DIRAC (after removing 38 and 67 peaks from the subwoofer). The sound is already really nice.
6. I ended up on a 80 hz xo (24 db/oct) because with the sub crawl method the 60 - 80 hz region is a bit better on the sub (I think it's more the positioning).

My room is untreated except for carpet and curtains so I have a pretty massive dip around 190 hz.

My 2 cents

Hello Geertidow,

Can you elaborate a bit more comparing Kef R3 vs Chora 816? I have been using 816 as a 2.1 setup for my 90% movie usage but I am now considering the R3 meta. I am using Denon 8500 with Kef KC62 sub. Is R3 good for mostly movie compare to Chora?
Many thanks!

 

[Geertidow]

I actually have no idea since I don't watch movies. But sure, I guess it's maybe more transparent? I really like both speakers, but the focal more. I can't really say why.

 

[Red5]

I actually have no idea since I don't watch movies. But sure, I guess it's maybe more transparent? I really like both speakers, but the focal more. I can't really say why.

Thank you for your reply. I was hoping KEF will bring more 3D image when watching movie in a 2.1 setup. Having said that, the price for a pair if R3 Meta is enough to get 816 as front, 806 as rear and a centre now.

 

[Geertidow]

It would be very difficult for another 2.1 setup to beat that.

 

[Red5]

It would be very difficult for another 2.1 setup to beat that.

You mean 2.1 setup with 816 or R3?

 

[Geertidow]

I mean using a system with a front and rear/center setup.

 

[Red5]

I mean using a system with a front and rear/center setup.

Will keep you updated

 

[Red5]

Will keep you updated

Ok, so I have listened to the R3 meta and R11 meta, driven by Naim Atom with Mcintosh amplifier (one of the latest model I was told). My newbie impression with them are they sound very very clear. Vocal for R3 stands out more than R11 and I enjoy R11 more. Soundstage is quite wide but not as much as LS50W2 but both not as fatiguing as LS50W2. I didnt get any "wow" moment listening to them comparing to my Chora 816. Infact, I enjoy 816 more so I dropped the idea upgrade to R series. Btw, To kill my buying bug, I ordered the Umik-1.

 

[testp]

Ok, so I have listened to the R3 meta and R11 meta, driven by Naim Atom with Mcintosh amplifier (one of the latest model I was told). My newbie impression with them are they sound very very clear. Vocal for R3 stands out more than R11 and I enjoy R11 more. Soundstage is quite wide but not as much as LS50W2 but both not as fatiguing as LS50W2. I didnt get any "wow" moment listening to them comparing to my Chora 816. Infact, I enjoy 816 more so I dropped the idea upgrade to R series. Btw, To kill my buying bug, I ordered the Umik-1.

Umik is always a great listening buddy

 

[Geertidow]

Ok, so I have listened to the R3 meta and R11 meta, driven by Naim Atom with Mcintosh amplifier (one of the latest model I was told). My newbie impression with them are they sound very very clear. Vocal for R3 stands out more than R11 and I enjoy R11 more. Soundstage is quite wide but not as much as LS50W2 but both not as fatiguing as LS50W2. I didnt get any "wow" moment listening to them comparing to my Chora 816. Infact, I enjoy 816 more so I dropped the idea upgrade to R series. Btw, To kill my buying bug, I ordered the Umik-1.

Let us know how it goes with UMIK!

 

[Red5]

Let us know how it goes with UMIK!

Yes I will. I have received the Umik but I am waiting for the USB to USB cable to arrive for the sound output. What I have done in the meantime is moved my TV from wall mount to the console top (mostly for cosmetic reason) and pulling 816 further away from the front wall by about 5cm to 35cm. And IMO it makes quite a difference, everything sound more "airy" (is that the proper terms to describe the less congested sound) and more depth too. Next I will play with toe-in and see if it makes a difference.

 

[testp]

and pulling 816 further away from the front wall by about 5cm to 35cm. And IMO it makes quite a difference, everything sound more "airy"

with Umik in place, still try different positions from the back wall, bc. wall boundary effect (for bass) + baffel diffraction thingy could be better < 35 cm.

 

[Red5]

Some hiccups, it turns out I cannot use the usb port on my avm as sound input. Luckily I have an old Mac mini which has HDMI.

I fire up REW, download the mic file. I cannot cal the mic input as the tutorial as I am using a Mac and cannot do the loop thing. Then I just hit measure with 3 sweeps. The cap are the third sweep.
I tested crossover with 40/60/80 and they are follows. I also pull up a sweep with 40xo and Audyssey off.

This is my first time playing with umik and REW, so a learning curve ahead.

My untreated room turns out not so bad correct?