Focal's Aria K2 936 earns more high praise…
Robert Schryer for Stereophile is smitten by the Focal Aria K2 936 iteration from France's 'living heritage company' Focal.
See some quotes below for a taster and you can read the review in full here or visit our product page here for more info, technical spec, prices, etc.
"If I held any biased prereview assumption, it was that the 936's aluminum-magnesium tweeter would exhibit an etched, metallic character. That was dead in the gutter—the assumption, not the tweeter. Its silky highs may as well have been woven by Rapunzel: They were a balm to my ears, without sounding dull or incongruous"
"everything about the speaker's build, from the spiked base assembly to its premium Ash Grey side panels and leatherette baffle, seemed thoughtfully conceived"
"the Arias were the easiest speakers I've ever set up in my listening room"
"At 40Hz, bass was solid; at 31.5Hz, it was decent. At 25Hz it was, surprisingly, still audible, though more of a suggestion than an actual (warble) tone"
"The Focals brought me a sense of that live-venue air accompanied by out-of-body jolts provoked by a fleeting belief that I was out and about again, back in the social fabric, mingling in celebration with members of my species"
"I can't imagine the average audiophile, or music lover, not liking the K2 936"
"The K2 936s have a balance that gives notes foundation and fleshes things out from the bottom up, but it isn't dark or obscuring. The soundstage had an illumined quality that gave me a front-row view into what each musician was doing. I couldn't recall the last time I heard the band on this album sounding this on the ball or inventive"
"The orchestra sounded smooth and unctuous and caught me off guard with a climactic violin sweep—not a big sweep but a small one. Through the Focals, even small sweeps had lift and drama"
"Bass lines were limber and bold, while drums and most notably the cymbals sounded simultaneously weighty and weightless"
“The Focals breathed the music in and out. They sucked me in with their whispers and pushed me back with their force”
"The Focals renewed my awe for music I'd been taking for granted"
“…the K2 936s endowed the music with a warm, hearty tone that sounded about as unclinical as I could imagine music sounding. Music poured out of them adorned of flesh and a pulse. But the Aria's strongest suit lies in its ability to mine out melodies and give them gravitas. Its defining spirit is that of a melodymaker"
