All About Focal Chorus 836 W Prestige Loudspeakers You Must Know


Focal Chorus 836 W Prestige Loudspeakers - Recently, the Quebec-based arm of the government-funded Canadian Broadcasting Company obtained itself in trouble by streaming, on one of their web sites, the TV show Hard, a French manufacturing that numerous Canadians considered also sex-related in nature even for the Net, despite that it was aired at 4 a.m. The oversight humiliated the bumbling bureaucrats in Canada's capital, Ottawa; nevertheless, it was the taxpayers that 'd born the expense.

However as I viewed the TELEVISION newspaper article about the scandal, that included eye-opening, exciting pictures from Difficult, I couldn't aid thinking of the Focal Carolers 836 W Prestige loudspeakers in my paying attention area. A number of individuals have explained their strong red finish as gorgeous, a word rarely applied to hi-fi. The Carolers 836 W Stature, also, comes from France. No doubt about it-- the French know ways to spice things up.

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Focal Chorus 836 W Prestige Loudspeakers



  • Description


The 836 W is the largest and most costly ($4499 USD each pair) entrance in Focal's Carolers 800 W Prestige line, a fairly brand-new collection of speakers that integrates the shape of the lower-priced Carolers V series with some components of Focal's leading models, the Utopias. The smallest in the line, the 807 W, is a bookshelf model ($1599/pair); fellow customer Philip Beaudette has a set of 807 Ws in for evaluation right now. Between the 807 and also 836 is another floorstander, the 826 W ($3699/pair). Those that want to branch off right into residence movie theater can consider the CC800 W center-channel ($899) as well as the SW 800 powered subwoofer ($1599).

All the Chorus 800 W Reputation vehicles discuss the same layout perfects and also a lot of the very same parts. The 836 W actions concerning 45.25"H x 11.125"W x 14.75"D and evaluates simply over 65 pounds. It's a three-way layout making up a 1" TNV Al/Mg inverted-dome tweeter, a 6.5" midrange motorist, as well as 3 6.5" woofers. All drivers are made in-house by Focal. The crossover points are claimed to be 250Hz and 3kHz.


  • Focal 836 W tweeter


The TNV Al/Mg tweeter is based upon Focal's TNC tweeter, their first with a diaphragm made of aluminum and magnesium, as its name suggests. The TNV has a new surround and motor system, which Focal cases results in three times less distortion compared to the TNC design at 1kHz, and also 6 times less at 500Hz.

The midrange as well as woofer cones are made from a material that Focal calls W, trickled down from the Paradise line. The lower-priced Carolers V collection makes use of Polyglass, for several years a hallmark of Focal motorists. The W cones have a foam-based core bordered by 2 quite thin levels of woven glass. Using these two different products allows the developers enhance the cones' tightness and self-damping, the proportion of woven glass to foam transforming relying on the frequencies the driver will certainly be asked to duplicate.

The 836 W's ports are intriguing-- there are 2 on the front, towards the bottom of the baffle, as well as a 3rd on the bottom of the closet. As a result of this downward-firing port, it's vital to utilize the 836 W's bolt-on metal plinth, to ensure that the air from the port could escape. That plinth holds the huge, adjustable floor spikes, which work remarkably well on carpet, and also have plastic caps for the points for resting the audio speakers on hardwood floors.

Focal claims for the 836 W a regularity reaction of 40Hz-28kHz, +/ -3 dB, a sensitivity of 92dB (2.83 V/m), and a nominal impedance of 8 ohms (3 ohms minimum). There is a single pair of binding articles on the back panel.

The 800 W series' looks, the work of the Paris-based company Pineau & Le Porcher and also mostly stemmed from the V collection, are daringly distinct. Focal explains the 836 W as having "a high-end appearance with a strong, modern-day as well as fashionable visual." I consider the speakers, with their grilles in position, as having a kind of Iron Man ambiance. Whether or not you like just what you see will mainly depend on your taste, undoubtedly, however also on the finish chosen, in addition to the space the audio speakers will certainly be used in.

The 836 W's front, rear, top, and bottom panels are consistently completed in a glossy black, yet there are choices for the sloped side panels (these are shallower toward the back, offering the closet a slightly less blocky look), which are readily available in French Walnut Veneer, Black or White High Gloss, and also my favorite, Red Carmin High Gloss. To my eyes, this red, which is similar to the hue utilized for the Utopia collection, is not just striking but quite appealing too-- in a word, sexy. The right red will do that-- believe vehicles as well as ladies's lipstick. This Red Carmin most likely wouldn't be right for a typical residence setting, but neither would the White High Gloss; both require a modern design. If that doesn't define your residence, adhere to the French Walnut or the Black High Gloss.

Under the 836 W's vibrant exterior is a strong MDF-based closet with sidewalls that range from concerning 0.8" to 1" thick. A cutaway picture provided by Focal discloses that the midrange vehicle driver operates in its very own chamber, and that the area housing the bass motorists is supported. The unit's internal wall surfaces are declared to be nonparallel, to lower internal standing waves. When I knocked on the closet's sides it seemed fairly solid, but sounded a bit hollow as compared to some of the ultra-expensive audio speakers I have actually examined, for which brave initiatives are taken to make the closet as dead as feasible. Clearly, when a developer needs to stay within a certain price budget plan, only so much can be done. However the overall handiwork of the review samples was very good for the price, as well as I liked that each 836 W was confined in a soft bag, with peel-off plastic securing the gloss-black surfaces. Plainly, Focal cares that their sound speakers arrive at your listening space healthy.


  • Sound


My 836 W review samples were all new, so I damaged them in for a while, driving them with my 13-year-old, 100Wpc Nakamichi AV-10 receiver at quite high quantity levels. They were a breeze to drive, as well as the break-in did them great. Right out of the box, the sound speakers seemed lightweight as well as stuffed, specifically with voices; a few days later on, the bass expanded and also the midrange opened up. Quickly after, I linkeded them to my reference system, that included the 300Wpc Bryston 4B SST2, an amp that's overkill for these speakers in regards to power result, however its solid-state muscular tissue did aid to show just what the 836 Ws could possibly do.

Focal's motto is "The Spirit of Sound," which basically explained the 836 W's efficiency. From the beginning, the 836 W displayed a vibrant, punchy, perky sound that was fairly neutral total, but that somewhat highlighted the higher regularities simply over the existence area. If there's too little energy in this area, an audio speaker could seem plain; excessive as well as it could appear too brilliant with instruments, too sibilant with voices. The 836 W masterfully strolled that line, seeming much from dull yet never ever straying into being bright-- it seemed fun.

One factor this voicing worked so well might have related to the severe highs (above 10kHz or two), which were really thorough however surprisingly refined-- unexpected because they seemed fairly unlike the somewhat brilliant, rowdy highs created by some older Focal speakers I've listened to. If anything, the 836 W's highest regularities stammered much more toward the polite than the bright-- cymbals seemed clear and also in-depth, yet not also onward, which I suched as. The top end of the acoustic guitar seemed clean and also sharp, however never as well tipped up or unusually bold-- again, a very good point. I wouldn't claim that the 836 W's leading end was as refined as those created by the finest beryllium-based diaphragms being utilized in the tweeters of several of today's topflight sound speakers-- Focal's very own Utopia collection, for example, in addition to my recommendation Revel Ultima Salon2s, which cost about $22,000/ set. However the 836 W seemed at least as clean as the high-quality aluminum-dome tweeters that often dominate this midrange rate factor, and appeared a clear boost from what I used to speaking with Focal's reduced- as well as moderate-priced audio speakers.

To truly examine whether that last bit of upper-register energy would certainly be a trouble for the 836 W and also ensure recordings sound bright or sibilant, I played "Rolling in the Deep," from Adele's 21 (16/44.1 FLAC, XL Recordings), which has stressed highs that can get really bothersome truly quick. This track sounded a bit a lot more onward through the 836 Ws than I'm utilized to, but only a bit, and also the sound had not been in the least objectionable. I completely appreciated exactly what I listened to-- it had a vibrant, exciting feeling. What most caught my interest, however, was the meat of the midrange, where voices lie. Adele's voice appeared strikingly smooth, clean, and also pure, however with a touch of splendor that offered some body to it-- a splendor evocative tube audio.


  • Focal 836 W tweeter


The 836 W's midrange impressed me as a lot, if not more, with male voices. All ten tracks on Leonard Cohen's brand-new cd, Old Ideas (16/44.1 FLAC, Columbia), are truly good, however the 7:35-long "Amen" is presently my favorite. It appeared very excellent through the 836 Ws, partly since their touch of warmth made his voice sound splendidly complete and all-natural, however mostly since Cohen's baritone never ever appeared as well full, to the point of being chesty or overblown, as I have actually heard it seem with some sound speakers. Ditto for "Chelsea Resort," from another one of Cohen's fantastic current launches, Tunes from the Road (16/44.1 FLAC, Heritage), one of the very best live cds I have actually listened to in years. (The Blu-ray video clip variation is sensational; along with the concert video, it has a 24-bit/96kHz PCM stereo soundtrack.) "Chelsea Hotel" could seem woolly and also resonant if a speaker is ill-behaved in the lower mids, whether it's because of the vehicle drivers or serious closet resonances-- however via the 836 Ws it seemed very clean, with lots of detail, together with that hint of body and weight that makes Cohen's voice sound exceptionally natural.

Bruce Cockburn is another singer whose voice could seem blurred as well as woolly if the sound speaker isn't really rather neutral as well as well-behaved with the midband. "Pacing the Cage," from his The Charity of Evening (16/44.1 FLAC, Rykodisc), stunned me for just how abundant his voice appeared, and for just how comprehensive and also exactly how well took from the mix it was: center stage, starkly specified, and with superb separation from the area around him. All informed, the 836 W's midrange reproduction was superior, and the means it presented voices, male or female, was fantastic: It struck an excellent equilibrium between information and musicality, never ever erring excessive in either instructions.

The bass efficiency stunned me, also, but also for various reasons. Simply taking a look at this sound speaker-- its dimension, its trios of woofers and ports-- some could think it can reach down to 20Hz, a regularity whose solid reproduction certifies a loudspeaker as a "full-range" style. I did listen to extremely solid output at quite-high SPLs down to concerning 35Hz; listed below that, things went missing. I understand because I've heard those very same regularities via the large, extremely pricey Dazzling Audio Giya G2 ($50,000/ pair), in addition to my present full-range recommendation, Revel's Ultima Salon2 ($22,000/ pair). The bottom octave was trimmed. However high-SPL, low-distortion bass reproduction down to 35Hz is plenty deep for most audiences; thinking about the 836 W's price of $4499/pair, it was more than commendable, dued to the fact that some store brands hawk minimonitors that cost this much or much more, however do not go less than 60Hz with any sort of authority.

Most important, the bass the 836 W delivered counted-- the audio speaker stressed high quality over amount. My five-year-old boy enjoys WALL-E, an excellent Pixar movie with a superbly recorded soundtrack as well as some actually deep bass. When those bass regularities were recreated, the 836 Ws shook the area-- without the help of a speaker, center-channel, or surrounds. It was interesting for me to hear, or even more so for my boy-- when those bass frequencies struck, he jumped up from his chair, blared, as well as slapped his hands with exhilaration. I think Pixar understands that excellent audio can be appreciated at any type of age. While the 836 W certainly wasn't full array, its bass distribution more than pleased me.


  • Focal 836 W tweeter


And when it concerned songs, the Focal never ever left me desiring much more bass. The drums on 21 sounded extremely powerful as well as very limited. The speakers' closets were rather recognizable here, including a mild resonant high quality when I played music really loud and also the drums were hit very hard-- but offered the Focals' rate, their performance was still remarkably made up. When I played "Mining for Gold" as well as "Misdirected Angel," the initial 2 tracks of the Cowboy Junkies' The Trinity Session (16/44.1 FLAC, RCA), the noise through the 836 Ws was deep, limited, and also well full. They could not pressurize the area the means the Revels and Vivids can, however it is necessary to take into point of view that those audio speakers set you back five as well as ten times the 836 W's price-- you can not obtain every little thing in a sound speaker for under five grand, but exactly what the 836 W gave was really good. Recordings such as Cockburn's as well as Cohen's sounded incredibly durable and also full-- though you 'd assume they have to have really deep bass, they really have virtually no power near 20Hz. Therefore, they seemed as abundant, durable, and also active through the Focals as with my huge Revels. Only a few recordings include music info down around 20Hz; even if the 836 Ws cannot generate the most affordable octave, you're not missing out on much. However if you decide you can't live without that bottommost audio, take into consideration a speaker prior to you take into consideration not buying the Focals.

With every recording I've mentioned, the 836 Ws did a very good work of obtaining the sound out of the boxes-- they developed a big, sizable soundfield that was basically detached from the speaker cabinets themselves. This is crucial for a convincing stereo impression, as well as in comparison to those speakers whose audio is never ever totally without their units, or that generate some telltale features (such as significant vibrations) that continually determine the speakers as the resources of the noise. The 836 Ws cast a large, secure soundstage that extended easily from speaker to audio speaker and also a little bit past them, and also always with impressive center fill-- the diva in the voice-dominated tracks stated above were always exactly put in the center, without being drew or smeared to either side.

The 836 Ws likewise supplied soundstage depth that was good, though not remarkable-- which didn't actually shock or disappoint me. For instance, the choral-based soundtrack to the film The Mission (16/44.1 FLAC, Virgin) has a soundstage that's extremely deep when I play it through the cutting edge Vivid Giya G2s-- it prolongs far past the front wall surface of my space. With the 836 Ws, the stage merely came close to that wall. As I said, I had not been shocked; I have actually located that several tall, moderately priced, multi-driver audio speakers provide you a large, secure soundstage, yet just so-so deepness; they don't necessarily image like minimonitors, whose motorists are all very close together-- or like cost-no-object speakers where every element of efficiency has actually been optimized. On the other hand, unlike many of the cost effective, multi-driver speakers I've listened to-- those made so inadequately that each motorist area can be listened to definitely from the others-- the 836 W's audio obtained high marks for coherence: Its five drivers did an excellent work of acting as if they were one.


  • Conclusions


Routine readers of my evaluations understand that I detest "me-too" products: those without originality or flair, mere copycats of various other, much more original job. It's rather very easy making yet an additional me-too, three-way, five-driver floorstander-- think it or not, there a great deal of these designs, a lot of configured fairly in a similar way, at practically every cost point. It's hard to bring something brand-new to the table, and also the Focal Chorus 836 W Status could quickly have been one more dull five-way.

But the French appear rather efficient in spicing things up, and that's just what Focal has actually done. Initially, there's the unique styling and also the numerous side-panel surfaces, among which, Red Carmin, I enjoy for its strong good looks. After that there's the noise, which mirrors that vibrant appearance: powerful, lively, and spirited, however with a huge audio the 836 W can call its very own, and also polished touches that expose the sound speaker's high-end pedigree. Among those touches is that little emphasis simply above the existence region, which gives the sound a little the life and also snap that help make the music come alive. But there's no increase in the highest frequencies-- instead, in my system, the top end seemed extremely specificed and also extremely fine-tuned, erring more to the polite than to the bright side, which most audiophiles will certainly locate a great point. The 836 W's bass shelved off in my space at regarding 35Hz, however every little thing over that was replicated with major power as well as effect, as well as both sound speakers had no trouble charging up my large listening area. Just a genuine bass addict will be left desiring much more. Yet exactly what most impressed me about the 836 W was its abundant midrange-- gorgeous and also complete, it wonderfully strolled the fine line between musicality and information, never crossing it making the music noise chesty or overblown. It reminded me of sound speakers costing much more.

All informed, Focal's Carolers 836 W Prestige is a distinctively styled, splendidly voiced audio speaker that supplies lots of efficiency for its price. It's a great bargain. Yet if $4499/pair is still also high for you, stay tuned for Philip Beaudette's testimonial of the entry-level Focal Chorus 807 W Eminence, which costs just a third as much. It will be released next month, right here on SoundStage! Hi-Fi.


All About Focal Chorus 836 W Prestige Loudspeakers You Must Know Rating: 4.5 Written By: Unknown

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