So I think I’m trying to talk myself out of upgrading my speakers which I’ve only just had for about 10 months and I’m very impressed with. But my dealer has presented me with an opportunity to upgrade to the No.2s for $2k (the difference in retail is $3k and I paid considerably less than retail for the No.1s)
I would have to convince the wife on moving from standmount speakers to floorstanders in the living room (she already thinks the No.1s are “big”)
Space is a bit tight (speakers are close to the wall) so a bit concerned what that means for the bass.
But dang having that greater bass extension and fuller sound sure is appealing.
Curious on folks thoughts or if anyone has the Kanta 2s?
I have no experience with Kantas but a home demo of any speakers is essential to ensure a good match with your system and your room.
Not sure of your room size and setup but in my modest sized music room (3.5m x 3.5m) I’ve always struggled with volume levels, bass control and imaging with larger speakers. I’ve now moved on to stand mounts (ATC 19s) which are a much better match for my room. There is no way I would go back to floorstanders now.
Why not see if your dealer will let you try the No 2’s at home so you can compare alongside your No 1’s?
I have Kanta 2’s and absolutely love them, I like the direction Focal have taken with the Kanta v the other lines (sopra etc which can be a tad analytical).
I have listened to Kanta 1’s and the 2’s have the same signature but as with all speakers you really need a home demo before jumping in.
If the rest of your system is good enough (what is it) then the only way to know is to try them at home. It sounds from your post that you are happy with what you have and that there is really no need to change. You may well be better spending the cash on a source or amplifier improvement, dedicated mains, a better stand, better cables…
If you like the 1s in your room then the 2s need to earn their place by showing themselves better in that setting. If your dealer really wants to sell you that upgrade he’ll let you try them in situ and hopefully help set them up there. It seem that the status quo is very much an option so make him work for it even if it means missing out on that discount, getting it right is more important.
Thanks for all the responses… I’ve set up a home audition for over the weekend. Will let you guys know how it goes including my wife’s reaction to the size difference :s
It really would be good if you could get the speakers on the same wall about six feet apart - it would give a much more together sound. Speakers should be away from side walls ideally and the right hand one seems awfully shut it. A bigger issue for me at least is that with the 2 your system becomes very unbalanced. I’d suggest you’d be better with an NDX2 and the 1s rather than an ND5X2 and the 2s. I’m not convinced your dealer has your best interest at heart and seems keener on shifting an inappropriate set of speakers than your long term musical enjoyment.
I’m not generally a fan of the looks of Focals but the Kantas do look really nice, especially in those two front baffle finishes. Overall, I’d stick with the 1s and find a new dealer
I did some A/B home testing with speakers a while back, it’s a head wreck as you cant stop yourself constantly swopping back and forth and you just end up confused, at least I did anyway! I think best to remove your original speakers and just leave the Kanta 2’s in the room and position them optimally, have an extended listening session preferably over a few days if your dealer allows and then put back in the Kanta 1’s and see how you feel
Looking at those Kanta No. 1 near the toys in particular I hope you have good home insurance coverage… Or maybe your offspring is much “calmer” than mine…
Ok so after comments on this forum… I convinced my wife that we should do a little furniture shifting. Will have to listen to the new positioning tomorrow as it’s a little late tonight.
The No 2s did provide a slightly fuller sound and on certain music much more bass (not surprisingly) but not as much of a difference ias I was expecting. I agree that it’s a bit of a head wreck going back and forth with them as always trying to determine is there that much if s difference.
At this point I’m leaning towards keeping the kanta 1s (and not just because the wife thinks the 2s are way too big for our space -well ok, maybe a little bit ) I will have to give the new positioning of the 1s a chance but I have to say they really do provide spectacular sound and given that I rarely put the volume dial past 10 O’clock and I’m not a bass head - I think the extra 2k may well be spent better elsewhere. Will let you guys know what end up doing. Cheers
) I will have to give the new positioning of the 1s a chance but I have to say they really do provide spectacular sound and given that I rarely put the volume dial past 10 O’clock and I’m not a bass head - I think the extra 2k may well be spent better elsewhere. Will let you guys know what end up doing. Cheers