Assessing the Good and Bad of the Focal Aria 906.

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[@davidcarr2216]

We really appreciate all your efforts Erin ❤

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Thank you very much for the kind words.

[@keirbarber5202]

Subscribed !

[@mpolaud2600]

I'm really satisfied with mine, bought two years ago 470€ the pair. I use them with two subs, at a moderate volume. They sound great, smooth and wide. I never noticed sibilances. My in room response is fine. I preferred them to the Elac Dbr-62 and the Kef LS-50 meta.

[@uribar-ner5055]

I have these speakers. They are powered by Yamaha HT reciever 3080. I auditioned many before buying. They sound to me wonderful.

[@zumobius]

Bought these when they were routinely listed for $999 a few years ago and I am SHOCKED they've more than doubled in price! I compared them side-by-side with the much cheaper Focal 706 and preferred the 706. Didn't think the 906 was worth $1k let alone $2.2k! I guess the prices for "F-Sandwiches" have skyrocketed 😂 Aside from that, you are killing it Erin! It's so great to have you back and it's awesome to see all the top-tier content you've been pumping out recently! You've helped me with many decisions and I always appreciate learning from you. Thanks for all you do, keep it up! 😁

[@wadimek116]

They still cost a 1000 eur and always were and thats with 20% vat. I bought my pair for 550 and sold it for 650

[@mattgiunt]

You're no frills, honest reviews and measurements are the best. Thanks for what you do.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I appreciate that!

[@kennymccormick8295]

Your*

[@kaneda7katsuragi]

can't believe how often your pumping out the reviews these days! Always appreciated. I've got a pair of kef r3 og's coming in the mail. (Excited to compare them to my technics sb-c700's and polk lsims...)

[@fertanollume4658]

I have one pair of Focal 906, and they sound much better than Revel M106 ! The sound stage on Revel M106 is not as wide ant separated as Focal. Also, there is an engenering report made for M106 and they produce a fair amount of distorsion.

[@VandepoelM]

in france/europe you can pick these up for under €600 per pair, i bought mine for €440 per pair (brand new, retail) in 2019. that brings close to the price range of the Elac Debut.

[@UhOhUmm]

That's wild. The cheapest I can find is 450€ for one.

[@vintageflanker7096]

Same price for me when I bought a pair at Cobra. Also seen deals at 410€/pair at HCS back then. But it was before COVID, then 2022 inflation...

[@darknesseclipse538]

Same. Bought them from France in Dec 2021 for around €450 per pair. Super happy about them! At the time they were £1200 or maybe more in UK.

[@vintageflanker7096]

Erin, This really look like some slightly different speaker than one Amir measured. The FR seems more like the Chora 806. If I share your thoughts about high SPL (MD doesn't surprise me. They aren't good at it and listening at high volumes puts the mids to distort), I did not find them to be overly bright at all, tho. I thought that they radiated wide enough to listen to them off-axis, with no toe-in. Was happy so far for the price I paid (deals at 400-500€/pair were common in France, while these were, and still are, completely overpriced in US). Looks like they changed something since... price is up, performance is down...😮

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Yeah, I saw his measurements. His review was posted nearly three years ago so it’s not always a straightforward making direct comparisons that far apart.. I also saw that he only took 800 measurement points. I’m curious what the fitting error was. Could explain our differences. Might not. But since I saw his results were different than mine I did a quick anechoic outdoor measurement to verify my measurements, and got pretty much the same result with a different microphone. Same HF boost clearly there with a different measurement setup (mic, amp, cal file, setting). 🤷‍♂️

[@vintageflanker7096]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Alright, thanks man. Doesn't look good for Focal anyway. I expect them to do better. Especially when they constantly increase their prices for a speaker that was initially released ten years ago.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

@@vintageflanker7096 yeah, it seems these have gone up a bit since their initial release.

[@danielcarlsson615]

Erin. Had sound dropouts like bad connection,but is it my or in the video ? Didn’t see this live.

[@CraigArnolduk]

Nice review Erin, the live format is fine if it is easier for you. A lot of speaker manufacturers have a small recess around the 3KHz range and certainly a lot of Focal's designs do that - right up to some of their most expensive (the sublime Sopra 2 for example has that dip too). I have to admit I prefer that slight recess as long as it can be EQ'd and if it comes with some other design benefits, it makes female vocals more tolerable for my taste. Having said that when I heard these in a showroom I wasn't very impressed, and the treble peak and distortion are something that I really wouldn't like.

[@leonsam12]

I don’t know why people call these speakers bright, I’ve had a couple of B & W 600 series’s speakers, Boston Acoustics, and sonus Faber speakers, and the Aria 906s and 936s I currently have, have been the most soft neutral, warm mid range and mid bass speakers, not bright at all🤔🤔

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Yikes.

[@maffs6270]

I agree mate, very odd. I love these (probably helped that I got them half price), but compared to b & w 600 series that sound like they have snakes trapped in them, these are much more enjoyable. makes me question the listening environment and / or paired equipment, I guess I have just managed to get lucky and nail it 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@ericdn3825]

interesting... somewhat similar to Amir's measurement but quite different above 10khz, it should be production variance I guess.

[@peterbaugh51]

F O C A L . Paying $400 per letter, getting a $200 speaker. My mama told me... You betta shop around... The old Advents had very good sound at a good price a long time ago (yes I heard them back then). There are better speakers now for less money than Focal in my opinion. Best wishes and thanks for your honest reviews.

[@pj1333]

Great work Erin! So glad you're back on KZbin giving us these great reviews! I love how you explain the data and how it translates to sound. So many want ONLY the data to form an opinion on how something sounds. I like your approach much better. Anyway, thank you for all the hard work in reviewing this stuff for us to enjoy in your free time!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Wow. Thank you so much for the kind words.

[@Eric-xx3mb]

This is surprising given that when Amir at ASR reviewed these speakers he gave them a glowingly high review...

[@bbfoto7248]

@Eric Well, that was about 3 years ago, so it is plausable that *something* changed in regards to their manufacturing and production due to supply chain or labor issues during the pandemic. Focal has transducer manufacturing and complete loudspeaker production facilities in both France and Asia. In all areas, production, labor, and transportaion costs have skyrocketed post-pandemic, and I wouldn't be surprised if Focal needed to find some way to reduce production costs in order to help bring profit margins more in line with pre-pandemic figures. Or, they might have needed to find a new supplier for a particular component. For all we know, the metal alloy or material used in the inverted tweeter domes (or some other aspect of manufacturing the tweeter) may have changed in order to reduce costs. For instance, even the use of aluminum vs copper wire for the voice coil windings can add up over a quantities such as 20k to 100k pieces. And the same for different vc bobbin materials. Or, they may have found a less expensive supplier for the electronic components used in the crossovers, and the quality and values or tolerances of those new, less expensive components might be significantly different now. They may have even reduced the number of parts in the crossover (i.e. removed a -1.5dB high-shelf filter that was previously in the circuit for the tweeter). We just don't know unless we get one of each of these from a current production run and from a 3 or 4 year-old pre-pandemic production run to compare the two. Even a miniscule 50 cent change in production costs can potentially add up to many thousands of dollars when implemented across an entire product line, and exponentially more if implemented across their entire vast line of products. This tends to happen A LOT in all areas of manufacturing, especially for any products where there are no minimum quality or safety regulations or standards required. Just one example. I had a pair of classic Porter-Cable 2.25HP routers for woodworking, and wanted a 3rd to eliminate having to switch bits and having to reset the perfect bit depth each time. So I bought a new one, and the spindle runout was nowhere near as tight as my older models. The spindle had way more play in it and wobbled side-to-side which produces rough cuts, gouges, and burns. :( The new router also failed in less than 6 months with only a few smaller projects having been completed. 😵‍💫 So, I took it apart to see if I could track down the issues (they are fairly simple electric motor designs), and discovered that 6 or 7 of the small parts in the motor that were previously machined cast aluminum were now cheap, brittle plastic. 😡 The sealed bearings for the spindle were obviously a different design/manufacturer from the originals as well. Then I noticed that the coil windings and stator was significantly different as well, and not in a good way. I didn't even bother getting it repaired. 🫤 I did some more research to confirm the consistent quality of several other brands & recent reviews, and ended up with a Japanese-made Makita and a smaller DeWalt trim router and they've been fantastic. Sorry for the rambling! Just sayin' that this sort of thing is not at all unusual. 🙁

[@brett.altEIGHTies]

Wouldn’t it come down to the source quality and the amplifier pairing? I have the 906 paired with a Quad 606 amplifier and it’s bloody brilliant

[@dgregory4178]

Being 57 years old the rise above 15k means nothing. I did an interesting experiment recently playing test tone videos on KZbin. The highest I can hear is 11.5k! Damn, kind of a bummer.

[@rosswarren436]

Yes, but if you have a cat or dog, there's no reason to abuse their ears. ;-)

[@lukeselker5175]

Thank you for reviews, in whatever format they arrive in! So interesting that you and amir have consistency between your measurements on the NFS but vastly different subjective opinions. At least this is not like the JBL stage series where the measurements appeared different as well! Not a criticism, just a point of interest🙂 thank you for all that you do!

[@alanrichey5745]

Well, I’ve never heard of Erin before but this review popped up as a google suggestion. I have a pair that I bought for $1000 a little over a year ago and I’m really happy with them. Sibilance is not an issue for me. In fact I find them quite revealing and I can really tell the difference between a good recording and a bad one. They’re bright when the recording is bright and not when the recording is not. I also find their soundstage to be quite good. They’re bookshelf speakers so anyone expecting a lot of bass is misguided. I use them with a sub and have the filter set at 80 hz. I also used room correction when setting them up which makes a huge difference. I’m not sure I’m a fan of this Erin guy and need to se more of his reviews but if your not correcting for your room anomalies, you’re fighting a losing battle. He didn’t mention that as far as I know.

[@ad_fletch]

Erin knows all about room correction and DSP. You can check out his history with such things on the car audio forums he frequents and ASR. The Klippel data give you the best possible starting point though. Be aware that these still actually rate really highly in the scheme of things (look at ASR speaker review tables). They're a lot cheaper in Europe though and don't have to compete with big hitters like the R3 Meta et al.

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

This seems like another case of the R200 where there are variations of batches being pumped out. There isnt a lifted top end response in Amir's and Soundstage Network's measurements. SSN measured it between the tweeter and the woofer, Amir did not specify. Maybe that caused the difference? The Aria was always an easy recommendation from me, now I have to think twice because Focal seem to be inconsistant in their speakers. Its always good to have more data, to keep us up to date with silent changes from the factory, if any. I still love how my 906 and 948 sound though, better than any KEF I have heard, namely the LS50 Meta and R3.

[@bbfoto7248]

@Mark Winston It's unfortunate, but I think it's going to be expected to have at least some tyoe of production batch variations with a speaker such as this that was initially released 10 years ago. For all we know, the actual production facility might have even changed during that time! And manufacturers are always checking with other suppliers for better quantity pricing for all of the raw materials (MDF, veneers, paint/lacquer, port tubes, damping/fiberfill batting, etc.), as well as electrical components for the crossovers, etc. Over time, it's guaranteed that materials and components are going to increase in price, and if a particular source for just one raw material or component that is used to produce a product increases in cost too much, they will seek out another supplier. For example, that might mean sourcing a lower cost capacitor from a different manufacturer, and those new capacitors that have been swapped in the crossovers might now have a higher ESR or looser tolerances, or even a slightly different, but "close enough" microfarad value, etc. ANYTHING they can do to reduce production costs over time makes the company more profitable, especially when that profit margin is multiplied over every single product that they produce! And Focal produces A LOT of different loudspeakers, studio monitors, car audio speaker systems, and amplifiers as well. So you can imagine that if they reduced the manufacturing cost of every product that they sell by just 50¢, that can translate into potentially Hundreds Of Thousands of Dollars or Euros annually. Noting that the ASR test & review is around 3 years old now, with the pandemic-related supply-chain issues, it's very possible that something was changed in the design. Focal's higher end transducer lines are manufactured in France, but they own a factory in Asia as well. So who knows?...The tweeter used in this product might have shifted from being produced in France to Asia. Or some aspect of its design and manufacturing may have been changed in order to reduce production costs, which may have resulted in the variation. Or maybe they only test every 1,000th tweeter for performance and QC now, whereas before the pandemic they might have tested every 250th tweeter that came off the line. There are so many possiblities. Because it is a 10 year old design and product, the vast majority of positive reviews have already been in the wild for quite some time, giving this speaker a relatively well-known and established reputation for "good performance" in general. So, Focal might be more willing to make some cost-cutting changes in the design now, knowing that current sales figures will most likely not be affected too much because they already have a well-established reputation with "solid" past reviews, and that's what most potential new buyers will read in old reviews, or hear from their dealers or other owners.

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

@@bbfoto7248 with all that being said, this poses a problem for people that wants a relatively good measuring speaker but still wants to buy an Aria. Arias have been considered good measuring speakers, all the way up to their floorstanders. General trend of the Aria's response seem to be dipped above 1khz to make up for a rising off axis response. The problem now is it will be a hit or miss when anyone purchases an Aria; will you be getting an old batch or a new one. Anyway, there are new speakers from Focal now, the Theva and Vestia. Many subjective reviews mentioned that the Vestia has a more 'refined' and 'subdued' treble response compared to the Chora and Aria, so maybe they might do better in objective testings.

[@bbfoto7248]

​​​​​​@@AbsoluteFidelity I completely agree. It's not a good situation for customers if the performance of a well-established product changes significantly mid-product cycle. Though, on one hand, it could be argued that an improvement in performance is welcomed. However, when any such significant change is implemented, I feel that it should be released as a new version (MK II, III, IV, etc.) to distinguish it from the original product. I'm currently using the Focal Elite Utopia M component speakers in one of my high-end car audio systems, and I'm extremely pleased with the performance and SQ. That Utopia "TBM" beryllium tweeter is also used in some of the newer line of Focal high end home Utopia models, and some of their studio monitors, such as the *Trio11 Be* and I can verify that it is definitely more refined compared to the older inverted dome and beryllium tweeters that Focal produced. But in that car audio system, I also have at my disposal a multi-channel DSP that allows me to have complete control over all of the individual Levels, Crossovers, Digital Delay, Phase rotation, and 31-bands per channel of P-EQ, including high- and low-shelf filters, Allpass filters, etc. One of the DSP's I'm using even allows for the use of DIRAC Live (miniDSP C-DSP 8x12 DL). I also previously used the Focal *Twin6 Be* studio monitors in my home studio setup (drummer/percussionist & saxophonist), and liked them a lot. But they used one of the previous versions of the Utopia beryllium tweeter that wasn't as refined as the newer version...and that was my main issue with them. But ultimately I built my own DIY design to replace them for about 1/3 the cost and couldn't be happier. It uses the *BlieSMa T34B-4* beryllium dome tweeters, which I find a bit more to my preference over the Utopia TBM. :P

[@hooch1111]

These speakers are on brighter side of spectrum, but also very detailed . They are very revealing overall, like every album sounds differently in terms of brightness, few of my music records actually sound quite good, some of The Cardigans and Simply Red for ex., barely any sibilance. In fact Arias helped me realize that my AV receiver is defective producing HF harshness, tried out a different one and bingo, harshness and recessed vocals completely gone!

[@kewlbug]

You can hear 20k?? lol pretty sure I cant get past 14-15k

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

I thought the same, nothing is lifted on axis relative to 1khz until the highest regions. The way I would intepret this chart (only on axis) is that it will never sound bright. PIR shows it has a slight dip in the 1-3khz region, which I personally like. The bump in the treble region seems to be like a variation, so thats remains a question.

[@59seank]

Thanks Erin. I like that you review speakers you don't like so I know which ones to avoid.

[@Cheeba118]

I am so glad that you said what you did about the boosted treble vs detail. I know a lot of people like that sound, and could see how many would like it for HT to hear dialogue better, but I am not a fan. It sounds so unnatural.

[@krjohnson29]

I'll say this: I like the LOOK of their drivers. I wish they were cheaper. A lot cheaper. 😂

[@vintageflanker7096]

They ARE a lot cheaper indeed... Just not in US. I paid mine 440€ for the pair. MSRP increased again last year, while this model is now ten years old...

[@bbfoto7248]

​@VintageFlanker @krjohnson29 Yes, the U.S. distributor/dealer markup on all types of European-manufactured audio products is usually AT LEAST Double of what they cost within Europe. I'm in the U.S., but I've purchased Norwegian, Danish, Italian, French, and German raw drivers, loudspeakers, and various audio electronics directly from Europe for far less than what it would cost from a retailer here in the States. And I've only had to pay import duties on one of those items, and overall I still saved quite a bit of money. Yes, the shipping can be expensive, but it is nearly always offset by the removal of the European V.A.T., as well as the often drastic reduction in price compared to purchasing in the U.S. But it will also depend on and fluctuate a bit with the current exchange rate between the € or £ and the US Dollar. Another thing that may have to be considered is the lack of dealer or warranty support when purchasing from overseas. But if a product that's Shipped to the U.S. is less than half the price when purchasing directly from Europe, that's a risk I will usually take.

[@vintageflanker7096]

Not "all" exactly, but most, yes. Take the Dynaudio Evoke 20 for instance, Made in Denmark, which I also owned. 2000€ in France VS 2200$ in US (now 2150€ VS 2400$). Even for Focal, some products, such as their headphones or higher end speakers (Sopra, Utopia) are priced much more similar to EU Market. Other products such as amplifiers or DAC do not vary form one side of the Atlantic or the other that much either.

[@user-xg6zz8qs3q]

@@bbfoto7248Since most reviewers are based in the USA, the French are willing to pay a higher markup for US brands like JBL, Schiit or Klipsch. It’s so silly because the French brands are way cheaper here, but they don’t get much visibility outside of France.

[@user-ge3xu4fv7m]

Do you have any recommendations for wide-directivity speakers like the Aria? I had the chance to listen to it side by side with the KEF R3, a few Revels and other KEF speakers in a well designed room- the Aria sounded, for the lack of a better descriptor, more natural and pleasant than the rest. I suspect their wide directivity more than made up for their lack of true ruler flatness.

[@daftcombo4402]

Thanks Erin! I have two pairs of those speakers, whcih I like a lot. In France the price is more like 450€ a pair!

[@DougMen1]

The 906 costs $1000 in Europe. They double the price of all their speakers in the US, something which many European speakers are guilty of, Monitor Audio, B&W, Wharfedale, Q Acoustics, and several others. KEF and Elac are a couple that are still more costly here, but only by a little, not as drastically as a lot of others.

[@MrGeorgeMunroe]

This mirrors my experience with Arias. I found the highs were hot in relation to the mids and bass but not particularly extended. Especially as the volume increased.

[@djoleradosavljevic2580]

These are a 1000 dollars in Europe and often on sale for much lower.

[@markrobby7136]

890 euro here in Europe. Excessive!

[@swd7901]

Just fine to just report on these less important products in this format

[@writemeanovel]

Good review, and fair. I've lived with the Aria 906 for years now and will attest that they do benefit from a sub. The are definitely resonant around 3k ish and I use a notch filter around 3.3khz via Roon. Combined with a sub at 80hz they are awesome for my small office. Not to be used with bright or energetic components. Tubes or vintage gear, OR some frequency tweaking like what i mentioned above.

[@BuffSquadBigBenni]

Really good points. Love your drops of knowledge with each review you make. Best speaker reviews on yt ❤

[@De132an]

Your Videos, great or not which they are just fine, carry more measurements and design content that is quite important when we need to makes a short list to chose from. Stuff like, “great, magical, surprising, punch way about its weight, a steal , best I’ve heard”, etc all are nice to hear but are just adjectives trying to tell us how the speakers perform. And that’s all great but without objective data with corresponding measurements we only get some of the picture. Your reviews are both sides of the coin, with what comes across as an unbiased review. One knows where you stand by the end of your videos, the good , bad , or ugly. We all might not agree with you but I’m pretty certain you are telling it like you see it. Can’t say that for a lot of the KZbinrs out there.

[@MRPC5]

I think Focal raised the price on these 40%.

[@Dimezis]

For what it's worth, they are ~50% cheaper in the EU, although I think they increased the price recently too

[@rosswarren436]

That's my beef with Monitor Audio prices here in the U.S. They are about 50% more expensive here for their Silver 500G than in the E.U. Makes me look to the JBL L100 Classics instead for not much more.

[@wktek48]

Your reviews are great because you're honest also if the speakers are not great! I don't see al your reviews because some brands, models or designs are not interesting for me. Alway's looking for bookshelf reviews because i have a 5.1.4 system in my not all to big livingroom.

[@mgsamps]

Always respect your findings Erin, one of the best on here, but, are you guys in the US getting a differently tuned version of these to EU? or have Focal changed the X-overs lately? I am puzzled, I got a pair of these about 4 years ago and sibilant they were definitely not, I wouldn't even call them that bright compared to some speakers and I am normally very sensitive to bright and sibilant speakers. I did find the mids a little recessed and there was something strange going on with the bass response that I could never figure out so ended up selling them on, but, the ones I had sounded pretty sweet and smooth and only cost me £600 UK as they were ex dem. $2'300 is way way too much for these so I can see why you guys in the US would be very critical.

[@majtextwriter1794]

Bravo Erin for the truthful opinon!! Such speakers as such Fuc*sals and most of modern B&W speakers, some of the Klipsch's etc... simply sucks!! Not a hi-fi at all. Horrible to listen to from almost all aspects of what hi-fi should be. Bravo again. I do agree with you 100 %. Some reviewres do not have much in between the ears. Such speakers are objective bad,... also if you see opionions and measurments of Amir and Danny...

[@gg0297]

1000 euros/pair here - EU. You guys are having crazy prices!

[@BericBuilds]

These speakers are the Flax on the car audio side of focal. I work at a focal/mosconi/jl shop. The Flax are my second favorite focal component sets in-car next to the kx2/kx3. *Edit* they were much cheaper for sure... and still are cheaper for in-car.

[@georgebliss964]

I did like this review. These speakers clearly do not have what it takes a for fully satisfying listening experience at any price. A frequency amplitude drop in the important presence region around 4K is guaranteed to take some vitality out of a piece of music.

[@jackfalco5351]

The speakers do not take the vitality out of the music. I own a pair very engaging.

[@PerryR1985]

Unbelievable that these cost as much as the far superior KEF R3 Meta in America.

[@peterphan227]

I went to the T.H.E. Show last week here in California. I went into the Focal room to give them a listen (my first time listening to Focal). Wow, the Aria speakers were bright! The high frequencies were just too much for me. So I am glad to see your measurements correspond with my experience.

[@mariokolenko4322]

Keep up the good work, you are normal honest man.

[@hudo]

Nice review! Did you try different amps with it? From my previous experience with Focals, they really change the sound with different amps, and that can maybe help with that lack of bass punch. I owned 2 Focals, 1007be and 1028be, and even they sounded "detailed", I felt highs are even a bit recessed, always tried to pull a bit more energy from the top from them. Tube preamp helped with mids, added more weight there.

[@spuddyl9938]

Jeez Erin at least smile a little in your thumbnail lol.☺ Thank you for the review.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

No! I refuse to smile! Everrrrr!

[@Simon_Hawkshaw]

Thank you so much for your time and efforts to share this with us. These speakers are a bit rich for me.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

My pleasure!

[@tomaszoslizo9226]

You are doing an amazing work. Thank you very much. Greetings from Poland.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Thank you very much!

[@318ishonk]

Thanks for the video, I found that very interesting. Would not have projected your subjective impression from the measured data. I once had a ScanSpeak Discovery-based DIY speaker that was "bright" but it sounded more like "fresh" or "open" than "piercing highs". It was a non-fatiguing brightness, and the new owner of that speaker is very happy with it (also in his room the whole speaker sounds much warmer). Maybe those Discovery drivers produce much less IM/Multitone distortion or are much more linear and smoother in the DI.

[@RennieAsh]

Probably a bit of everything. I believe those Focal tweeters are quite a little neo magnet with seemingly no room for vented chambers

[@sanglee7877]

저는 한쌍에 765$에 구입했죠 그 가격이면 괜찮은거 아닐까요

[@Desanusor]

amazing ive been considering this speaker in the past

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

I’ve seen the inside of this speaker and it ain’t no $2200 value

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

The tweeter in particular is a flimsy handful of nothing

[@djlee688]

Erin, You mentioned breaking in these speakers, which is a highly debated topic. What is your take on speaker break-in, myth or some science behind it?

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I think a speaker shouldn’t take more than a couple minutes for any break-in to occur. However, I let them play for quite a while just to quell any concerns about it from viewers.

[@djlee688]

@@ErinsAudioCorner I hear you, makes sense.

[@pliedtka]

The tuning point of the bass reflex will drop slightly as the suspension of the bass driver loosens and Fs drops. No magic there.

[@willmac5642]

Good to see you back with a ton of content!

[@johnh539]

fortunately for me I disagree with just about everything you said as I actually own the aria 906's. I have run them for about 600 hours with know my new Prima Luna integrated amp which I have know rum for just over 130 hours and it is to be frank the best sound I have ever heard. I was listening to music recently and particularly enjoying the base so I was particularly surprised when I realised I had forgotten to tern on my subwoofer. On an other occasion I was listening to a live performance when a member of the crowd gave one of thoughs persigne whistle and it sounded as horrid as it would have dune if you where standing next to them, witch I like. As for volume the high sensitivity means they play louder for any given volume setting. I used to have my Elac speakers louder for the same volume.

[@johnh539]

ps I just released a playlist on KZbin music that lasts for over 7 hours so I listened to music for 5 to 10 hours a day for 10 days strait to compile it.

[@johnh539]

I do agree that $2200 is a lot in the UK they are under £800. We in Europe have the same problem with Us made gear, stuff that is good value for money over their is way over priced here because of import taxes ,haulage etc.

[@berkut6313]

Whaaattt ? More than 2 grands ? Back in 2020 (just pre-covid), I bought a pair in "prime walnut" finish AND a Yamaha R-N402D receiver for 822€ here in France (987€ incl V.A.T.). Even adjusting for inflation, shortages and oversea premium, I don't see it clear of $1000 alone. Today they sell for about 1100€ a pair and the K2 model is no longer up for sale. As much as I like Focal and support the french industry, I don't see ever over here why you'd pay for something just as good for 100% more. On the bass side, I added a sub ideed, but I now have to filter out the room resonance whith a mini-dsp. Too bad, they rolled off just above it....

[@tpn8402]

These were quite disappointing in my home demo.. they sounded thin and hissy with weak (yet fluffy/not defined) bass. DBR62 smoked them. Might even prefer Kef Q100..

[@FOH3663]

Examining the "Estimated In-Room Response" trend line, if you shoot that through the response, weighing it more heavily on the 100-to-3k baseline, it exhibits a steady 5dB rise from 3k to the top. Nasty. Turns a pleasant at modest levels house curve ... into an unpleasant unbalanced experience. The compression in the LF drivers range ... really dings it hard, even a sub can't fully help. The demanding load pulls way too much current for the driver to be responsive in vital "power" region below 300. wrt your edited, vis-à-vis live, ... consuming at 2x, machts nichts.

[@TheDenix8]

Honestly I would much rather see you reviewing more speakers than lose time editing videos :) So this format is completely acceptable, we still got your opinion as well as data and how the two connect, so nothing has been lost. I cant believe that you reviewed this speaker right after it peeked my interest and I sadly found out that you haven't reviewed it yet so I was skeptical whether to buy it. Interestingly its one of amirm recommended speakers. After your review I'm glad I didnt. In Europe its just under a grand usually, but with the drawbacks you described I'm not that interested anymore xD I cant believe how hard it is to find a decent speaker, even at a grand. Keep up the good work :)

[@gogo-fk1lu]

I have had these speakers at home for two years, what can I say, for the price of 860€ in my country, they are excellent, well made and to me personally they sound very good...so why is this man talking about them for more than thirty minutes, I really don't understand why some people split atoms, the most important thing is that these speakers sound good in your apartment... and most people don't understand all these graphs anyway.Something must be admitted: in the USA they are really excessively expensive, for what these speakers are worth.

[@super-z8943]

Come on Erin, challenge yourself. Review something like Audio Note AN-E which has almost cult following but doesn't measure well.

[@andreasenstrom7911]

I have the aria 948 and experience the same with treble. Af axis dont du much, but leaning them back do! Have you tried that?

[@miscreant1739]

I prefer it edited, but this wasn't bad. The video quality was a bit poor and we got some extra filler time that would normally be removed. I'll gladly take those trade-offs if it means more frequent videos, a happier Erin, or both.

[@rosswarren436]

Doesn't sound like my cup of tea. Thanks for the honest review with measurements to back up what you heard. But do some audiophiles actually like speakers voiced like this? Focal sells a ton of them. Strange.

[@dgregory4178]

2200 a pair!?! I am done with bookshelf passive speakers. Bought a pair of used Adam A5X monitors, a used Presonce T10 studio sub and a RME ADI-2DAC. This system is the best I have ever heard and i paid a lot less than $2200. What i like about studio subs is a lot of them have a high pass filter. This keeps the low bass out of the monitors and cleans up the sound exponentially.

[@thomaslutro5560]

The thought just occurred to me. I actually trust your subjective listening impressions more than almost every other reviewer out there. Now, don't get me wrong and sell the Klippel, I still love the measurements for their educational value. But if you say "go check out this speaker", I will, measurements or not.

[@xprcloud]

I was delusional in thinking that Focal are better than good old cellulose(aka treated paper) cones, like most been making for over 100 years .

[@Clobercow1]

I think maybe AVR's are probably fine with 4ohm speakers now-a-days. I know my cheap Denons were.

[@Jellias11]

I bought these speakers for 800$ new online. I made the mistake of thinking the lifted treble was detail. Thank you for teaching me so much about speakers. These speakers work well for me in my set up but I would like to upgrade but I need an 8ohm bookshelf speaker with front ports. Any suggestions?

[@BobFrostV]

My lightweight NR1711 powers these 906s as sides. Haven't had an issue from the low impedance at my listening levels of 85db and under. I bought mine for like $1200 for the pair in ~2020.

[@michaelburton5198]

Would You Prefer Focal, Klipsch 🤔 Or Kefs, After Your Latest Views????

[@justinbeamon6624]

Great review again!!! I may have to check, but I think the outgoing Chora's did better from Audio Science?? That's nuts especially when they're a fraction of the price.

[@cremersalex]

15 pair of speakers? I hope the Denton 85th Anniversary is one of them because I would like to hear your findings on that one.

[@wallycunningham5090]

Like this concept for speakers you're not as keen on; I'd say try and tighten it up to 5-10 mins vs 30 if possible!

[@plompudu2529]

Could you send me the Neumi BS5 Klippel NFS csv files or is this patreon exclusive?

[@stevenvox6549]

This speaker design is about 25 years old - the 6 and a half inch woofer and a dome tweeter and a curved front. I noticed that this keeps coming back at a much higher price as if it's the latest innovation, though it still needs a sub woofer and a good amp.

[@rosswarren436]

Know you've done some JBL in the past. Wish you could do the L-100 Classic one day.

[@d3nswiper]

Hey Erin, just wanted to say that the format doesn't matter and this live thing you've done works just as well and provides just as much info as per usual. Just do whatever suits you and your schedule best. Also - any chance of you reviewing RSL speakers? Hard to find objective data on these, but they look like a bargain, especially their combo of mtms+sub.

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

EU prices are around 1000€. EQ should help the final rise and shallow mid dip.

[@michaelburton5198]

I'm Definitely DEFINITELY SUBSCRIBING!!!!

[@MrFryfish]

19:55 have you ever heard about REW room EQ wizard and microphone placement and white noise generator? How can you say we cannot equalise a room when we actually have instruments to do it? Room equalise or speaker equalise.. means always that same thing no other thing..

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Doesn’t work that way. You can’t EQ out directivity errors in a speaker. This is why crossover design and diffraction are very important.

[@MrFryfish]

@@ErinsAudioCorner when/where he is talking about directivity and crossover issue in his review?

[@rev909a]

@@MrFryfish I have these speakers. Everything he complains about in his "subjective" observations can be resolved if you play them in for a while and make a few fairly trivial corrections using REW & PEQ.

[@bsams3827]

I think you're doing a fine job bro. I really appreciate the effort! 👍

[@IliyaOsnovikov]

Erin, your decision to do detailed web site reviews only to exciting speakers looks like a good idea.

[@medeuce]

Better off testing their studio monitors for that price. At least those are powered.

[@BoBxPaiN]

Is this speaker good as surround speakers (for 700 usd a pair)

[@Quietprofessional1]

So they're really expensive and they don't sound very good.

[@nathandaniels4823]

Loving the live stuff! Do it if it works for you; I don’t mind it a bit!

[@Jon-nz3dm]

Really interested to see how the new Martin Logan speakers do. Andrew Robinson is certainly hyping them to up to be one of the best so we shall see. Also, what even is "detail"??? I feel like everyone is describing different things anyways. What are people listening for? Someone faintly coughing in the left channel? Pretty much _every_ speaker will reproduce the sounds. Some speakers just put forward certain frequencies more(just as you often say). So, what is your idea of detail?

[@user-xg6zz8qs3q]

Typically, faint background noise like somebody coughing is picked up by heightened treble. And that isn’t necessarily a good thing because you want the background noise to stay in the background and not overshadow the front stage. Cheap Sony earbuds have that problem of overbearing treble. Now I would clumsily describe detail as bass speed and instrument separation. But that may also describe an unnaturally digital « Hi-Fi » sound. These days I look for a smooth/forward midrange with realistic vocals and acoustic guitars , something which most budget speakers just can’t do. Single driver speakers excel at that but nobody takes them seriously.

[@Bradimus1]

Shockingly garbage. Paying for a name and a finish.

[@BhavikPatelhr]

Erin, can you suggest one speaker which is most perfect in your testing? Looking for bookshelf and your inputs are valued for me. Speaker should have good bass, mid and can be hear longer time without fatigue. Looking for your test results for polk elite series speaker. Thanks for your hard work.

[@rosswarren436]

He liked the Wharfedale Linton - a lot.

[@michaelrock1050]

H Erin would be great to hear your professional opinion on the Triangle BR03 speakers. Great to have you back on the air.

[@vintageflanker7096]

You can compare data to data, ASR did measure the BR03. Having listenned to both, the 906 is just in another league IMHO. BR03 are just "OK" entry level speakers, mostly unremarkable to me.

[@keirbarber5202]

What an incredible approach 👏 well done that man!

[@zefrog7482]

Another brand selling based on previous reputation it seems with little effort.🤦 Great stuff as usual.🙂

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Thank you!

[@deankim6687]

If I were to consider buying any speakers, one of the first places I’d check for reviews is your channel.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

That's very kind. Thank you. :)

[@michaelburton5198]

Focal Or Kefs R3 Meta'$ ????

[@BL-yj2wp]

2200$ seems way too much. In Europe these are about 1000€, but even that isn‘t particularly attractive. 1st gen R3 are around that price too and better, Elac DBR62 perform similarly well to these and cost 300€.

[@vintageflanker7096]

If announcing deal prices, let's compare apples to apples: Discontinued R3 are 1000€, yes. Sale DBR62 are 300€, yes. Then, 906 on sale are 450-500€ (and happened to be less). So yes, 2200$ is a rip-off. By the way, I preferred my 906 over the two others. But it seems like Focal changed "something" since. These do not measure as the sample Amir got 3 years ago.

[@VandepoelM]

where did you base the comparison of the DBR and aria on?

[@joddbeel]

Good to see you back. Live is fine.