Focal Chora Range Review

Farewell to the Chorus series that we listened to with so much pleasure and welcome to the new range of Focal Chora speakers. Focal currently offers 3 models, 2 floorstanding speakers Chora 826, Chora 816 and a bookshelf speaker Chora 806, the flagship of this new range is the Chora 826.

Let’s talk aesthetics

The modern, clean, pure finish does not come at the expense of listening quality. In addition to the technological innovations of the loudspeakers, the speaker is distinguished by a remarkable feature, its base tilting the speaker backwards in order to optimally direct the sound signal towards the listening area.

Let’s talk technical

• For the loudspeakers (midrange and woofer): Focal offers new diaphragms for its Chora: The Slatefiber diaphragm developed and manufactured in Focal’s workshops in France. These 16.5 cm diameter loudspeakers generate highly precise midrange and confident, uncomplicated bass. Also noteworthy, as they are bass-reflex, the vent is located on the front and helps balance the bass.

• For the tweeters, (TNF Aluminum/Magnesium) of 2.5 cm quality, the suspension of the dome to its support uses Poron. This suspension is derived from the Utopia Be tweeter and divides the distortion of the upper midrange by three.

Let’s talk wallet

Reassuring, beautiful and good speakers without breaking the bank, a recipe particularly evident with the Chora and one that Focal regularly practices on all its products.

Our tests for the Chora 826 floorstanding speaker

During our tests, and through listening and as these speakers were broken in, we learned a few lessons about the associations between these speakers and certain amplifiers and cables. Our opinions are of course subjective, personal and depend on the acoustics of the room, we just modestly claim to share our first impressions with you and they are very good!

The HCS team particularly appreciated

Transparent sound that is less aggressive than the previous generation, detailed with a nice presence on string instruments, suppleness in the bass without being abyssal, quite dry (Bob Marley-Buffalo Soldier) and a nice presence on the voice (Musica Nuda-Live at Fip).

The HCS team’s advice for use

We obtained a very good balance with a surprising Denon DRA-800H black, but less detailed. More substance in the midrange with a Marantz PM8006 black, but less flexibility (perhaps due to a certain lack of break-in) and very detailed on a Cambridge Audio CXA80 black, but with a clearer and rising sound.

Complementary products recommended by the HCS team

Equipment used: Rotel RA-1572 black amplifier, Cambridge Audio CXN V2 black network player, Audioquest Yukon RCA 1m RCA cable, Cardas HP Crosslink (2 x 3m) speaker cable, used on Audioquest NRG-Z3 1m power cable connected to a GigaWatt PF-1e power strip accompanied by a GigaWatt LC-2 MK3+ 1M cable.