Focal Kanta No2 Floorstanding & Center Speakers: Audiophile Sound Meets Good Looks

Focal has proven to us that they're making speakers that sound as good as they look with the Kanta series. Don and Gene spent extensive time testing the Kanta No2 tower speakers and matching Kanta center channel in a variety of rooms and equipment to really understand how they perform.
The Kanta No2 is a 3-way, 4 driver floorstanding loudspeaker that employs their own proprietary Flax mid and bass drivers and 1" Beryllium inverted dome tweeter. The fit and finish and build quality is among the best we've seen in speakers costing $11k/pair.
The Focal Kanta Center (MSRP: $4k) is a great compliment to the Kanta No2s. It employs dual Flax woofers and the same 1" Beryllium tweeter.
For more information, read: bit.ly/FocalKanta
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[@Tom_Brennan]

Honestly, I purchased the Focal Sopra 2s on the used market for less than 10k. Focals depreciate in value, so I would highly suggest anyone interested in the Kantas seek out a used pair of Sopras instead. Kantas are excellent but there is a significant leap in quality when you go to Sopras. Sopras are the only speakers that are relatively inexpensive, but also have the trickle-down technology from the insanely expensive Utopia line. That's just my two cents.

[@SoundsGood07]

I like this idea, but don’t you worry that used speakers could be over or under driven and could have suffered some damage from previous owner?

[@Tom_Brennan]

@@SoundsGood07 There is always a concern, but buying used audiophile gear is different. You’re mostly buying from people who are like minded and know how to treat and care for quality gear. With local pickup, you can test it out first.

[@RodneyAllanPoe]

I bought mine in 2020. I love them!!! Emotiva XPA-DR2 drives them, balanced signal path, with Isoacoustic supports. 🤘

[@FocalNL]

Very passionate presentation. However, let me correct a few things. Timestamp 4:13 - CarrEra is a Porsche name (commemorates success in Carrera Panamericana race). CarrAra is a type of white marble and comes from Carrara Italy. This is the reference that Focal makes. Timestamp 5:06 - The patent is not on the use of Beryllium but on the tweeter design. Timestamp 12:41 - "Magnetic" and aluminum? Maybe Magnesium? The Zamac base is in aluminum. Timestamp 12:52 - IsoAcoustics Gaia. Effectively it only lifts the speaker, but it's true you hear "that" difference. Often it's beneficiary to the sound. By the way - The Kanta is realy a good speaker. Also "we" should all stop the WAF comments in general, but that's a whole different story (that I could explain).

[@Eric-xx3mb]

I've got the Arias. I love these speakers! Sound great and beautiful.

[@HaraldMacGerhard]

Gene and Don, you guys form the new Dream team when it comes to speaker reviews. I listened to these speakers several times in a shop and they never fail, what is imminent is that they just provide that unique musical experience, play incredibly beautiful music, the hi-end is sweet, beautiful, nice, never sharp. The only downside, they seemingly don´t make Don Dunn dance 🤣

[@cristiantolbaru7153]

Great seeing your thoughts match mine regarding the performances/sound of these speakers! And the lovely design offcourse. Waiting for Matt's measurements, but I expect them to be good where it matters

[@Zoomerland]

The Sopra N3's I acquired are my end game speaker. These are so wonderful. These were demos and I got a great price.

[@jeffreythurston1822]

I have these speakers and have tried them with multiple amps. Despite their sensitivity they have a challenging impedance curve. My experience is that higher powered amplifiers definitely make these speakers sing. I have mine connected to a Mark Levinson 335 power amp. They sound amazing with it.

[@michaelalfredson4246]

Focal is my favorite. I own the utopia evo vivas. They are incredible

[@Techthusiasm]

Focal, after doing my theater room originally with Electra and Aria, and now with 1000 Series in-walls is my absolute go-to brand on speakers. Now in my theater and in my living room with the 1000 series. Focal, IMO, is just stellar all-around for performance and looks and Kanta is one of my favorites. The only downside to my Focal in-walls is not actually really seeing them.

[@gaurd3]

Great back and forth. Reminds me of the old days with Hugo

[@Bryan-hd7nm]

Great video! Does the iso acoustic make a difference with the center channel?

[@Smellslikegelfling]

Gene is looking jacked. Okay with comparable prices, would you buy the Focal Kanta or the Perlisten R7t?

[@DTA_Crypto]

I wonder what would be better the sopra no 1 and center or the kanta no2 and center, your review on the sopra no 1 have me leaning that way for a living room 7.2.4 HT set up

[@rainman3269]

Gene ... Any follow up on the part review of the Yamaha a6a ... Its been some time which doesn't look good for the amp since Yamaha were meant to be getting back to you ... Thanks in advance

[@rynev3392]

Any plans for a full review of the NAD T778?

[@davidrivera2165]

Shade towards Shane from Don Dunn and Gene.. I've listened to the Kanta no.2, Sopra no.2&3, The entire Utopia line. All Premium Focal speakers are slightly forward in sound projection, but the Kantas can come across as " bright/harsh", specially when driven above 85 dbs. The Sopra 2 are the Goldilocks pick in the entire Focal speaker lines.

[@DTA_Crypto]

Did you experince the same brightness as shane from spare change did with the Kanta no3?

[@mikes121]

Heard these paired with a McIntosh MA 352. I was ready to sell a kid to get that setup. Wife was on board but we started wondering if it was legal.

[@summerforever6736]

It is in some countries

[@mikeeygauthier2959]

Just saw the video now. Did you get a chance to use the IsoAccoustic Gaias?? Let me know, be very interested.

[@bryang9290]

I've sat in show rooms with $60,000-$100,000 systems with Mcintosh monoblocks and B&W and Sonos Faber... those types of systems but the first one to truly amaze me was this local stereo shop with Kanta No2s powered by a Naime amplifier. That system total I think would've been $12,500 or so for both amp and speakers and that was the first time I was like yea this system is worth their money if I were to buy one.

[@JB-sh2mm]

Which Naim amp?

[@bryang9290]

@@JB-sh2mm I didn’t get the model name of it

[@StereoWars]

Curious to know how these speakers compare to the focal 300 series in wall

[@barbouradam]

What iso stand is that? Seems slimmer than the ones on their website?

[@Rockhurst22]

Lol, I love the sign off, "there're out there!"

[@mikegoddard7354]

Gene hit 30 sets before filming this💪💪💪 They came to don for quality home theater and two channel entertainment

[@cchandonait]

I love that Funko

[@Jon-nz3dm]

Gene, could you review some more affordable towers? Under $2000 per pair is quite a bit more accessible

[@quickkill2021]

What tv is that?

[@brooklynknightss]

I still love my Def tech BP20s

[@melberg9098]

sososo nice

[@Eugene737]

Gene, even if this goes down to , what if they are not in the best place to fix a room mode in ones rectangular room? Am I doing something wrong or do 2 channel aficionados don’t really care for that?

[@Audioholics]

Nah I just meant thry had good bass. A sub may definitely be needed to smooth out bass for a wider listening area or if you just want more depth and slam.

[@trevorparmer5231]

What ya think compared to the PerformaBe?

[@Audioholics]

I have both the F328Be and Kanta No2 and find the Kanta's to be a more engaging speaker.

[@masudkabir9214]

Very Bright

[@SirMountainpass]

Pair it with the Sopra SW1000 active subwoofer - it will not disappoint 😉

[@musicman8270]

I have a pair of Celestee phones, and they are like a piece of jewelry. And the sound. Kinda makes me wish I went with Focal, but my kidney is too old to fetch enough dough

[@ganesang5537]

I auditioned Mambo No.5 on the Kanta No.2 and Sopra No.2, both super awesome, but preferred the latter, though broke af.

[@berduss7149]

I will say the forbiden word : Tube amp with those !!!

[@mikez-ht7706]

I highly enjoy my Kanta 2, Going on a year now having them, they still give me the chills listening to them! My End game is my Kanta 2. Also that is impressive is that they go down to 35hz for me no need for a subwoofer for 2.0 channel, and very nice warmth SQ to them. Also adding the IsoAcoustics GAIA II makes a huge difference in SQ as well.

[@BobFrostV]

For anyone that adds non-full range channels like a center, the problem will be the center channel content won't send the bass to the full range speakers. A sub is needed. Receivers can be configured to send the bass the weaker channels can't do to a sub. This guy in the video needs a sub if he doesn't have one.

[@praetor47]

"Also adding the IsoAcoustics GAIA II makes a huge difference in SQ as well." no they don't

[@GB-je5tc]

They are LOOKERS ain't they? THX Boys. :)

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

I am a fan of Focal (have owned a few) but with their latest price adjustments I have moved to Revel as I think your get more for your money with Revel in the states.

[@RSCamaroBlack]

Hey Gene, show us how big a beach ball is.

[@stevenmichael7770]

Great review, however, in my house the wife acceptance factor for $11k speakers would be very low indeed, lol.

[@markpocock183]

No measurements?

[@Audioholics]

Dir you watch the video?

[@Novilicious]

Try tube amps with them! Allegedly tames the treble and gives a honey like warm-sound. Boy these are stunning! Also for those wanting more bass and output, the Kanta #3 is substantially bigger and has way more lower end.

[@TheDanEdwards]

​@@Roof_Pizza All speakers are compromises.

[@summerforever6736]

Those things needs power to shine tubes wont cut it....

[@dextermorgan1]

What exactly does "honey" sound like?

[@tdw57]

Uh, no--I was waiting on the review of the Kanta No.3. Hee hee--just kidding. Can't afford them yet, but just got the Aria 936 K2--driving with a Musical Fidelity M8xi. AWESOME. Focal rocks. Especially for classical symphonic stuff. Upgraded from Vandersteen 3A signature. The Aria K2 has TREMENDOUS bass extension, provided you FEED them well, and the MF M8 is fully capable. I can ONLY IMAGINE how good the Kanta line must sound. But I'll save for the Sopra, No. 3 for my dream system....ONE NOTE, for Focals, I ran these 24x7, using Pink Noise overnight, for 2 weeks, and they got much SMOOTHER in the high end. Thx for all the work, honesty, and reviews.

[@Novilicious]

The mx8i is unbelievable. You can scale to Utopias with this! Definitely upgrade to Kanta 3s or used sopras Next chance you get. The Arias are unbeatable for the money but your amp exceeds your speakers ability by a factor of 2 or 3 :)

[@Smellslikegelfling]

Speaker break in is a placebo. It's really just your brain getting used to the sound over time.

[@dawn-moon]

@@Smellslikegelfling I agree, in fact, one of the well known treatments of tinnitus is playing test tones around the frequency of your tinnitus tone/beep ( every tinnitus case has different degrees and frequencies ). The way they treat it, playing a similar test tone for hours, then your brain get used to that tone and your brain learns to ignore that sound. After several sessions most people have major improvements. It's indeed your brain getting used to the sound, not your speaker breaking in. The only influence could be your speakers needing to acclimatize

[@summerforever6736]

@@Smellslikegelfling maybe the speakers rubber surround gets softer more flexible over time ?? Makes sense...

[@HiRezViews]

For such a highend/upmarket system, the lack of a 3-way center is an absurd oversight

[@Audioholics]

Yea I'm a bit disappointed by that as well.

[@mrkajtar]

Where are the measurements?

[@Audioholics]

They are there and beautifully done. Must have missed them ;)

[@galactusgalan4233]

Wow. This guy was selling haaaaard lol.

[@veritasfan11]

they are not a warm sounding speaker they sound the best with tube gear or warm sounding solid state in my opinion.

[@dawn-moon]

I have paid 10000€ for a pair of Kanta no3's last year, but France is just a few 100 kilometers away from Belgium. In US and Canada Focal prices are way too high imho, even taking into account transport and local distributors. I can agree on the sound, the Kanta nr2 is a little smaller compared to mine, but I fell in love with the product line hearing the Kanta no1 at my local dealer 2 years ago. So size doesn't really matter. All 3 Kanta versions are great, they have a similar sound signature. Even with my NAD M33, their sound signature is still very "Focal". ( can be a little too bright for some people, but I think it's spot on ! ) And talking about Europeans and bass, I think you're misunderstanding, Belgium, Holland, Italy Germany, they all have pretty big techno, Hardcore ( not the Metal Hardcore you know ), Hardstyle, Dubstep and D&B, all very popular here :) Tip of the week : "Oddprophet - Angels & Blindfolds", good break in for your Focal Kanta no3's, the louder the better :)

[@nagumaninagu9368]

Hi sir from India. I am big audiophile. No money. Please help someone?

[@summerforever6736]

For base you need enclosure volume...no other way around it

[@dawn-moon]

@@summerforever6736 agree, but the sound signature of all Kanta's is the same, and for their size, all sound pretty warm and have decent bass output ( for their class/size )

[@summerforever6736]

@@dawn-moon they do

[@unfinishedbusiness12]

Focal kanta vs perlisten

[@ryanrodriguez70]

Oh no please fix that led light behind the tv with a defuser

[@summerforever6736]

Why

[@nathanjones4039]

Lol, Don believes in UFO’s lol….I agree, save your money those Focals wouldn’t benefit from the GAIA feet. I went down that rabbit hole thinking of those for my Founders 100F, but the 700 dollars for those feet for the marginal difference, at best isn’t worth it IMO.

[@eattoast6378]

I love to see a good channel wetting its beak, but its about as hard to watch these pure subjective reviews of "high end" as it is to read descriptions companies write for their own products.

[@TimBaoht]

When a man selling you an $11,000 speaker pair says eXpechally..... especially essssssssssss pecially

[@joes3800]

Audioholics: where are the measurements in different rooms? You don't have to be ASR, but I don't consider you to be completely subjective & descriptive either, like you were in this video.

[@Audioholics]

We are nothing like ASR, thankfully. Watch the video where I said rwpeatedly a measurement report will follow.

[@brooklynknightss]

Those are not cheap....

[@summerforever6736]

Yes you pay for the design mostly i think ...

[@praetor47]

i thought this was a science based channel? where are the measurements? what does bi-amping have to do with anything, as it offers exactly 0 audible benefits?

[@Audioholics]

Can't always measure every product to the standard we set in our reviews, unfortunately. However, in-room sweeps showed these speakers perform loke they sound, excellent. Biamping definitely has benefits though not fully realized unless paired with active crossovers.

[@praetor47]

@@Audioholics i'm guessing the percentage of people who aren't DIY-ing but buying consumer speakers that are using active crossovers is probably less than 1% (never seen one in the wild). the vast majority of people just plug the cables from the amp(s) to the speakers. no benefit there. plenty of tests, and as you're more than competent with those, feel free to show the evidence that it has audible benefits some of the manufacturers who are measurements-focused (i.e. based on science) in their development, like Focal and Dynaudio for example, also agree it provides no audible benefits, hence them not supporting that option on the majority (or all) of their products

[@Audioholics]

@@praetor47 there absolutely is benefit for passive biamping for speakers with lots of bass drivers. You can also use the 2nd amp to boost bass and even apply room correction just to the bass section. Active towers with powered bass sections like the Founder 120h from Paradigm are superior to the fully passive 100h model for this very reason.

[@davidelmquist8670]

Get rid of that horrible chest of drawers