Focal Chora 806
(Priced Each Speaker)
2-WAY BOOKSHELF LOUDSPEAKER
The Chora 806 loudspeaker showcases meticulous manufacturing and design. Let yourself be transported by the delightful, dynamic musical quality emitted by its 61/2” (16.5cm) bass/midrange speaker driver, equipped with the exclusive Focal Slatefiber cone. Alongside the TNF Aluminium/Magnesium tweeter with its silky treble, the “slate” colour of the speaker driver makes it an attractive yet high-performance solution.
Perfectly balanced, this bookshelf speaker is ideal for rooms of up to 215ft² (20m²).
The surround linking the dome to its stand uses a memory foam material called Poron. This surround is directly derived from the Utopia’s famous Beryllium tweeter and reduces distortion by a third between 2,000Hz and 3,000Hz, the ear’s high-sensitivity range. The spatialisation and very low directionality of the inverted dome allow silky trebles to be heard from any point in your listening room.
Slatefiber technology, exclusive to Focal, involves the use of recycled, non-woven carbon fibres applied as a sandwich between two layers of thermoplastic polymer. In their quest for perfection, Focal engineers have opted to use non-woven carbon fibres, all pointing in the same direction to achieve even greater rigidity and better damping.
Manufactured in the Focal workshops using an ultra-modern industrial tool, the “slate” effect of the cone provides better damping and rigidity, but also lightness – the three “essentials” of a good speaker driver.
Type | 2-way bass-reflex bookshelf loudspeaker |
Drivers | 61/2” (16.5cm) Slatefiber Midbass 1″ (25mm) TNF Al/Mg inverted dome tweeter |
Sensitivity (2,83V/1m) | 89dB |
Frequency response (±3 dB) | 58Hz-28kHz |
Low frequency point (-6 dB) | 49Hz |
Nominal impedance | 8Ω |
Minimum impedance | 4.6Ω |
Recommanded amplifier power | 25/120W |
Crossover frequency | 3.000Hz |
Dimensions (WxDxH) | 81/4x105/8x1631/32“ (21x27x43.1cm) |
Net weight (unit with grille) | 16.2lbs (7.35kg) |
Packaging dimensions (WxDxH) | 231/4x153/8x207/8“ (59x39x53cm) |
Net weight (with packaging) | 39.6lbs (18kg) |
Tone
The Chora 806’s soundstaging capability, complementing their marvelous sonic reproduction, offers an immersive experience generally associated with speakers costing much more. The Chora 806 speakers provide an open and emotionally-engaging window to the music.
The Focal Chora 806 is a class leader. This kind of performance is only available from a company like Focal, with such a vertical design and manufacturing base. A best buy!
These are incredible speakers for someone just getting into the hifi game, and more than worthy of one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2020.
The Absolute Sound
It’s an efficiently well-rounded package of solidly engineered performance that touches a multitude of sonic bases and serves the music and the listener well—a fitting reminder that even in 2020, there’s still a lot of life left in the little two-way compact monitor.
I can’t imagine any compact enthusiast with $799 to spend being anything but thrilled with the Chora 806.
Soundstage!HiFi
The first sentence of the final paragraph of Diego’s “Conclusion” well sums up this French loudspeaker: “For a stand-mounted speaker costing $990/pair, Focal’s Chora 806 did little wrong and so many things right.” Those things it did right, and its respectable measurements, helped the Chora 806 earn a Reviewers’ Choice award when Diego’s review was published. This month, they helped it earn a spot on our list of Recommended Reference Components.
Sounstage!Access
For a stand-mounted speaker costing $990/pair, Focal’s Chora 806 did little wrong and so many things right. If you’re in the market for a high-quality minimonitor anywhere near $1000/pair, you owe it to yourself to run to your nearest Focal dealer to listen to a pair of Chora 806es.
The Focal Chora 806 exceeded my expectations. Their imaging focus was first-rate, and while the bass wasn’t as tight as I’ve heard from other two-way minimonitors, it was weighty enough to make this speaker sound bigger than it is. The top end was consistently nimble, delicate, detailed, and extended, and just right in terms of output — not too bright, definitely not dull. The 806’s treble, with its perfect blend of control and aggression, made the sounds of cymbals, whether softly brushed or struck hard, pure joys — I heard no hint of metallic sheen, which can really be off-putting. And oh, that sublime midrange. I’ve now listened to three different Focal loudspeakers at home, and they share a strong family resemblance in the midrange — a resemblance I really like. Through the Chora 806, acoustic piano, acoustic or electric guitar, strings, and especially voices, all had a palpable, detailed, reach-out-and-touch-it presence that I found especially rewarding. Complementing this midrange presence and liveliness were a rich tonality and body that revealed in the sound a sense of weight and, at times, warmth.
The Chora 806’s midrange was pure delight — lots of detail, with that full-bodied, forward, lively sound I’ve come to expect from and enjoy with Focal speakers.
But while of similar build quality, the Focals mopped the floor with my old B&Ws, besting or equaling them in every category of sound. There was no contest — with every track I played, the Chora 806 bested the 685 S1.