Best Bookshelf Speakers Series: Focal Aria Evo X No. 1 Review

[@adrianalexander2651]

Jason - very nice review- I love your vocabulary.

[@Jason_Methfessel]

Thanks, Adrian!

[@KWPS]

Respect

[@rvbsoundfactory]

Low level listening, kind of important! Most definitely handsome Bookis.

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

I like that you highlight that these speakers need a little volume to come alive and may not be for apartment dwellers. This sort of consideration matters more than most might think when considering which speaker to buy, along with optimal placement from room boundaries and the room itself.

[@SashaNem]

thanks

[@dannyc9784]

I miss my Fried studio V's better than any current reasonably priced speaker on the market.

[@richardpeters2193]

I can't call 90db "relaxed listening" at my age. I tend to listen in the 70's.

[@Jason_Methfessel]

I would certainly agree. As stated, the notes on SQ (e.g. relaxing) were based on listening at 80dB. Thanks for watching!

[@x-techgaming]

Why is the video volume SO LOW..? You'd think a hifi channel would get that right, but I guess not.

[@justadad2304]

I wish all the cynics commenting here had a chance to go to my daughter's elementary school. I don't mean to brag but it is EXCELLENT and they are great both at teaching realistic assessment skills and also polite ways of expressing frustrations and criticisms. These are kids whose ages are in the single digits with more maturity than the people writing on this page

[@mkaye818]

Nothing said or written would make me want to audition these speakers. TAS's UK sister publication Hi-Fi + gave an amazing review to the similarly priced Jean Marie Reynaus Bliss Jubilee bookshelf speakers (also French in origin) that would make me want to buy them in a heartbeat. The JMRs play music, the Focals seem to be lacking humanity.

[@robertpincus6528]

This is a small prosumer monitor, so why is the reviewer placing them in a large room and sitting so far from the speakers?

[@TASmagazine]

@@robertpincus6528 Focal says this is a “home speaker”. We saw no suggestion that they are intended as near field monitors. In line with that, we tested them on the matching Focal stands which are sized for listening while seated on a chair or sofa. The listener distance is set by the acoustics of the room and based on a relatively standard isosceles triangle layout with a 0.85 base. Hope that helps.

[@robertpincus6528]

Thanks for responding. Your answer helps, but I still think they'd sound better if the the listener was closer.

[@freekwo7772]

This is briliant review!!! My experinece with older Arias of the samw size and lover line named Chorus ended in buying Choruses. I wasn’t alone in this judgement because the prefessional piano player did the same. But I kept asking myself why is that? Now I know thanks to this review. They need to be loud to give a dynamics. And that does not suits my living conditions so I’ve never tested them from that perspective. I considered to take a new model to my home but after this review I decided not because I understood what was the problem at the first place. But Focal makes great speakers with organic and natural sound, but obviously my room is too small

[@Jason_Methfessel]

Thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed the review ☺️

[@mdvp123]

The Focal Aria’s are low level champions. It’s the Hegel that only comes alive at higher volumes. Trust me. With less efficient speakers you don’t notice this as much because you have to push the Hegel harder, early on. I owned Hegel twice, both times I sold it after a month because they are just boring at low volume.

[@Jason_Methfessel]

Thanks for the info and for watching. I'll have to do some more experimenting with that. I will say, that was very distinctly not the case with the H190v on the Q Acoustics 5020s from my last review; the detail and dynamics were well maintained to very low levels 🤷🏼 - admittedly, this is one data point.

[@dajikbatarang1]

Seems like you didnt enjoy these as much as the other stuff you had in your room. Focal just seems to raise prices but not performance these days.

[@Jason_Methfessel]

Apologies if my energy seemed lower relative to my previous reviews. I typically try not to write my script and film in the same day - which deadlines required in this case. And yes, I use a script; if I didn't, my videos would likely be 3X as long and contain about 60% of the substance I'm able to pack into a script. 😂 Thanks for watching!

[@amcore6281]

der Hochtöner bei Focal ist immer sehr Kritisch..aber in den billigen Modellen das Paradebeispiel dafür wie es nicht klingen sollte !!!

[@Mark-j5h2b]

Some people are better suited to the written page, this guy is an example of that. Also, you seriously felt the need to explain to AS viewers what toroidal means??

[@Jason_Methfessel]

I apologize if you found that comment patronizing. About 60% of our viewers are new to the channel; it was a lighthearted jab to help those new to Hi-Fi feel 'a part of' (via comedic relief) a hobby that has a tendency of being a bit intimidating.

[@misterzero8667]

You need to be a bit more lively in your presentation , not so monotone and dull, maybe KZbin is not your forte

[@scottlowell493]

Too bad the tweeter is a cheap version of the better quality focal. And the cheap junk crossover. I guess if you like a fake/etched sounding treble... "When you don't like paying less money for better speakers...Focal..."

[@BigBaller-he1dz]

Oh cmon they have to be decent sounding for what they cost.