Long ago, the French speaker brand Focal , then still under the name JMlab, loudspeakers with a very distinctive yellow cone. A Kevlar cone made from a sandwich of aramid fibers. Recently, because of the 40 anniversary of Focal released a Spectral anniversary model in a limited edition of 400 pair, now a limited edition model with kevlar cone material appears again under the name Aria 936 K2. Completely based on the Aria 936 that has been on the market for a few years.

Different cone material means a different filter and a limited edition a custom livery picked from the Utopia line. When Focal introduces such a model, it always has something special, so very curious about this creation, the Aria 936 K2 put down, connected and listened to. Unfortunately not at home due to a renovation planned by my dear wife, but at my second home base where I have access to a variety of resources to repair the Aria 936 K2 to perform optimally.

Plenty of choice I have thought about it for a while: what equipment do you use with the Focal Aria 936 K2 ? Because on the one hand I think it is a loudspeaker that will mainly appeal to the youth, where the budget for an amplifier and streamer may not be too big. Then NAD or Rotel quickly springs to mind. On the other hand, it is a serious driver of which you already know that a good amplifier can grow the set, which makes the case for PrimaLuna, Cambridge Audio Edge or Hegel.

The best choice is perhaps the brand that Focal owns, the English Naim Audio. For that reason, a Naim NAIT XS 3 amplifier and a Naim ND5 XS 2 streamer / dac were chosen. Partly because I highly appreciate both devices and know their performance. The NAIT XS 3 with its price of â ?? ¬ 2. 936 , – and the ND5 XS 2 with a price of â ?? ¬ 2. 925, – are of course not the cheapest, the quality has now been amply proven, just like the lifespan and the money they are worth later with an upgrade.

A cheaper alternative is a Naim Uniti Atom, but I do not think it is very popular with the target group for the Focal Aria 936 K2. The number of variables has been reduced to one for me with NAIT and ND5, namely the reproducers. Also not entirely unimportant.

Inside and outside Uninhibited and without prejudice listening is guaranteed, I don’t know anything about this speaker at the time except what I can see. A metal dome tweeter, underneath a mid-tone unit with phase plug and three woofers. Two reflex ports on the front and one in the bottom help the woofers to give an efficiency boost in the low end. Because there is a reflex port in the bottom of the housing, the Aria 936 K2 on a metal base in which spikes can be found. The nice thing is that the spikes can be turned out from the top, so you don’t have to roll over the floor. If you do not turn the spikes out, put the base of the speaker on rubber rings.

The most striking behind the included fronts is the Kevlar cone material of the midrange and woofers. Which of course immediately reminds of the Focal Spectral 50 th Anniversary loudspeaker and the earlier times when Kevlar was an important woofer material. Focal calls it â ???? K2â ???? material. The front and rear of the speakers are matte black leather look, the top is glossy black, the sides are Focal Utopia high-gloss gray, the base is finished in matte dark gray.

Anyone who finds the yellow of the K2 material too intense can use the supplied black fronts. Dark aluminum rings have been placed around the woofers and the midrange, unobtrusive yet very chic. On which is hardly visible at some distance: â ???? Aria K2 Limited Editionâ ???? and â ???? Focal â ???? Made in Franceâ ????. I would rather have continued the French touch with â ???? Fabriquà © en Franceâ ???? and â € œdition limità © eâ €, but that’s nitpicking. All in all, it has undeniably become a focal speaker that can attract quite a bit of attention.

Power woman After quite a while â ?? listened in ?? ?? We go for tricky music by Rachelle Ferrell and her CD “First instrument”. Difficult given the great voice of the singer, the often bold low and the amount of details known from experience that I would like to hear. The first thing I can and want to say about the reproducers is how easily the Focal’s let go of the music from the cabinet. Music is created in space, over and over again and with every piece of music so far. I know the two Naim devices contribute to that, but the reproducers have to make that heard. You don’t even have to close your eyes. The stereo image is realistic in size, has so far been located within the arrangement of the reproducers and has depth and height, but not to a very strong degree. Always difficult for a large floorstander to optimize that, a monitor can naturally do that much better.

Rachelle has a huge range in her voice and can make tweeting very difficult . Focal used to have the reputation of playing sharply and (too) clearly, that has been completely outdated for years. The Aria 936 K2 could be even brighter from me. Some more pointed with percussion, hissing in the cymbals. The reproduction is now on the quiet side of the line, so that the volume can be increased without problems. This makes the dynamics a bit smaller than that of a more expressive model, don’t worry, the dynamics are fine, as Ferrell says.

The display is relative to a strictly neutral display on the Aria 936 K2 on the dark side, a bit old-fashioned that does appeal to me. Not that excessive pushing of tones, often caused by resonance peaks or too bright a tuning. This calmer character listens more pleasantly and makes long listening possible. With the internal damping of the Aria 936 K2 is nothing wrong, no coloring off hearing that angle in the voice, at the same time the voice is not inhibited either by an excess of damping that can seriously damage details and dynamics.

The character in the low tones means that they are not among the tightest in the expected price range. Three ports and two woofers can go deep, the resolving power has suffered a bit. Or have I become too spoiled and used to tight woofers from a high-quality two-way system.

I would like to be able to distinguish the bass lines a bit better from the bass drum. What I get in change is a bass reproduction that is above average in depth and strength. A correct choice if the Aria 936 K2 is not only used for music reproduction but also must fill the room for an exciting series or spectacle film.

Piano piano Triggered by the lively and powerful piano notes on the Ferrell CD, I would like to give Marietta Petkova the opportunity to play a play four piano sonatas, composed by Joseph Anton Steffan. The sound of the classical piano is not disappointing at all. The solo instrument has a lively sound, with striking high notes and a wide sustain of the sound of the fuselage. The woofers take care of that. The middle is a bit mechanical and not as pleasing as other systems sometimes are.

What is very positive is the power of the instrument, something that comes out very well. The game is lively, the tones could take a bit longer to die out. It is and remains an instrument that exposes all aspects of a loudspeaker and the better the recording, the more merciless the criticism. Within the price range, the Aria 936 K2 is best allowed to drop a stitch here and there . In higher price ranges, Focal has a lot more to offer to the piano â ???? howeverâ ???? to play. You already get so much for the money with this system.

If I am honest (and I like to be a lot) then I like the â ???? Arnold Ouverturesâ ???? performed by Malcolm Arnold & The London Philharmonic Orchestra on Reference Recordings Awful. However, they put the loudspeaker to the test in dynamics, the overwhelming position of the orchestra, the holding of the brass instruments and the bang of the percussion from cymbals to timpani. It’s all there, in the dynamic range specified by Roon software of 22! The WAV 176. 4kHz / 24 bit file puts the Naim ND5 XS 2 under considerable pressure and chases the amplifier into the current consumption. With the high efficiency of the Focal, that is no problem for the NAIT XS 3, it can handle that easily. Nowhere does the music close, solo instruments are released, the orchestra forms the basis against which the soloist can oppose. It’s impressive to say the least, but I turn it off for music I prefer to listen to.

Flip-out woofers Infected Mushroom is great on the Aria 936 K2, how hard it can be and it goes deep. Some sounds do stick to the baffles, nothing can be changed with a different location of the speaker or turning it in more or less. What happens between the speakers can scare the neighbors hard, the three cones of the woofers beat out quite a bit and that is all possible with this system. Fans of Infected Mushroom will definitely blush here. It’s fast, loud, intense, fundamentally good.

The ears less harassing is music by Laura Marling , guitar and vocals with some vague accompaniment in the background. Just rest and relax with this lady. Little love caster shows that a quiet song can also make an impression. The attention remains constant on Marling’s music and vocals. Her words are perfectly intelligible, the instruments used are enough of the voice to not merge too much, which can make the reproduction messy. The atmosphere is dark, the Focal’s keep that atmosphere very well. Mary Black is recommended for those who like to hear Irish traditionals. Her CD â ???? The holy groundâ ???? is full of it. The Aria 936 K2 is running as if Ireland is now part of France. Wonderful how the voice can transport you across the Irish countryside, taking you into the pub, where singing and playing are part of Irish life every night. Second voices remain separated, a soft guitar completes without sinking into the voices or the accordion. Here you can come for the day while enjoying a pint of Guinness.

Character of wine To what extent the quiet character of the Aria 936 K2 influences jazz music I would also like to know. Scandinavian jazz in particular can be full of dark sounds and the Aria tends towards the dark side rather than light-footedness. Too many heavy Bordeaux wines were drunk in St. Etienne instead of a lighter and happier Italian Bardolino. Let’s start with some â € œModulesâ € from Nik Bärtschâ ???? s Ronin. The sound is indeed dark, but with clear percussion that manages to maintain a strong rhythm.

The distinction between the bass and the low notes of the piano sometimes blends too much with the drum beats of Nik’s musicians, I would like to have more distinction there. What it did very well with Infected Mushroom, the power and intensity, is a bit lost with the more subtle music of Bärtsch.

a? Quiet winter night: an acoustic jazz project ?? of the Hoff Ensemble is less bothered by it. Here the atmosphere is correct, supplemented with singing by various people. Also some more instruments where the Focal does its best to let the listener discover them. Harmonious and pure, never disturbing, suitable for long listening. Wind instruments beautifully illuminated, piano runs clear and playful, bass not too bold, just enough to emphasize the atmosphere.

Each speaker remains a compromise, so also the Focal Aria 936 K2 Limited Edition as it is called in full, just like all living rooms where we would like to listen to music. With the jazz of Hoff a very pleasant compromise, with Infected Mushroom a power compromise, with voices like Rachelle Ferrell or Mary Black a lively compromise. Is it your compromise then? Listen for yourself, preferably on your own amplifier and source.

The papers

Eventually specifications and description become available and I can tell you some extras about the Aria 936 K2. As the eye noted, it is a 3-way system, according to Focal suitable for rooms from 25 m2. The tweeter is a Focal TNF inverse dome formed from aluminum and magnesium alloy suspended in Poron. A urethane plate has been placed around the tweeter for better radiation behavior. The woofers and midrange are all 16, 5 cm or 6.5 inch. The cone is always a sandwich of aramid fibers, trade name Kevlar. The housing is made of MDF, whereby no parallel walls can be found in the cabinet. The base plate is made of cast aluminum. The price for the Focal Aria 936 K2 is â ?? ¬ 1. 999,- per Unit.

Some technical data at a glance:

3-way bass reflex system 3 woofers 6,5â ???? midrange 6,5â ???? Al / Mg TNF inverted dome tweeter Frequency Response: (+/- 3dB) 39 Hz – 29 kHz – 6 dB Point: 32 Hz Efficiency: 92 dB Nominal impedance: 8? Minimum impedance: 2.8? Recommended amplifier power: 50 – 300 W Crossover Frequencies: 260 / 3100 Hz Dimensions: 1150 x 294X371 mm Weight: 29 kg Stuffed Ears The ears are filled with music, the specifications saved on paper and so it is time for a summary about what I could listen to. The term final judgment or conclusion is actually overloaded in this. After all, a loudspeaker performs as well as the surrounding acoustics allows and performance is partly dependent on the source and amplification that is used. I’m not worried about source and amplification, that’s fine for each other. Nor does the acoustics give cause for complaint, although it is less familiar to me than my own living room.

Let me start with the cone material that most brands step away from and which gives Focal a new lease of life. Well, there is nothing negative about it compared to the flax cone in the normal Aria series. Kevlar is said to have colors and a hard sound, the Aria 936 K2 is rather â ???? sweet ?? then â ???? hardâ ????. With its light dark color, the reproduction is far from aggressive, which results in the possibility to listen to music for a long time and intensively without the music getting tired.

The Aria 936 K2 is widely applicable, from classical to electro pop, where the high efficiency ensures that pop can be played loud to very loud. Classical with the very great dynamics of a symphony orchestra therefore does not experience any obstacles whatsoever. The Focal will have to rely on its performance in the musical field, because although the appearance is neatly finished with a beautiful color scheme, it is and remains a large speaker that will stand out in the listening room without the fronts for the yellow cones and that is not something everyone’s preference.

The ease with which the Focal plays and can be controlled makes it widely applicable for stereo and for home cinema application. In home cinema setup, the 936 K2 can of course be combined with other Aria models with a Flex cone. Let me conclude by noting that the Focal Aria 936 K2 is at least remarkable may be mentioned with the Kevlar application. It could just become a cult model that will be loved and cherished over the years.

Focal Aria 936 K2

â ?? ¬ 1. 999, – per piece | www.smart-audio.nl

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