Speaker system Focal Aria 906 Noyer
Leading acoustic company in France - Focal presents a fresh line of Aria products. The series speakers are the first to use speakers with a cone made of flax material, where linen fabric is enclosed between two layers of fiberglass. Focal Aria 900 was the first series of home speakers to use the new Flax cone technology. The Flax diffuser consists of three layers: the middle layer is made of natural flax fiber, and the top and bottom are made of the finest (about 10 times thinner than the middle layer) fiberglass with special impregnation. Compared to the Polyglass technology familiar to Focal mid-range products, the new technology brings a significant increase in all objective and subjective characteristics. Lightness, rigidity, damping, speed of vibration propagation through the diffuser - according to these and many other specific acoustic criteria, Flax shows outstanding results. In some respects, it comes close and even outperforms the famous “W” diffuser of older Focal models, but has a lower cost.
Another innovation implemented in loudspeakers is tweeters made of an aluminum and magnesium alloy on a Poron porous polyurethane suspension, loaded on a small waveguide.
The bodies of the new products are made of wood-fiber boards with a thickness of 18 and 24 mm, while the presence of parallel surfaces is excluded. An interesting feature of the Aria series is that the pedestals of the floor towers are made of cast aluminum, which not only gives them additional stability, but also optimizes the operation of the bass reflex ports located in the bottom. The Focal Aria 906 is equipped with an inch TNF HF driver, which has a concave dome made of aluminum-magnesium alloy and a suspension made of Poron material, which has a shape memory effect and good damping properties. This suspension makes it possible to minimize distortion in the range of two to three kilohertz. The concave dome membrane provides excellent spatial characteristics and a wide radiation pattern. Thanks to such a membrane, it is possible to almost completely get rid of being tied to a specific listening location. The tweeter is located in an oval flange, which is a small waveguide that improves directivity in the horizontal plane.
Focal Aria 906 has an elegant classic design that harmonizes perfectly with modern interiors. The top panel of the speaker has an exquisite glass finish, and the front and back walls are covered in leather. The MDF body is reliably damped and has non-parallel sides, which eliminates internal standing waves and minimizes unwanted resonances. The bass reflex port is located on the front panel and supports Power Flow technology, which helps eliminate dynamic compression.
The Focal Aria 906 uses a 165 mm midrange/bass driver with a sandwich diffuser. In such a diffuser, the central layer consists of durable, lightweight flax fibers placed between ultra-thin reinforcing layers of glass fiber. The result is low weight, excellent internal damping, excellent flexural rigidity and high signal response speed. All this contributes to an accurate, natural and rich sound with tight, articulated bass, good dynamics and a minimum amount of distortion.
The Focal Aria 906 has a pair of high-quality screw terminals, and a solid fabric grill with magnetic fastening serves to protect the speakers.
According to the manufacturer, the speaker is designed to operate in rooms of at least 15 square meters. m. In this case, the distance from the listening point to the speaker must be at least 2.5 m. The speaker is available in various types of finishes, including piano lacquer. Aluminum pillars Aria S 900 are available as an option. Characteristics of Focal Aria 906
Number of bands 2 Number of speakers 2 Housing type bass reflex, port built into the front panel Tweeter 25 mm TNF tweeter with a concave aluminum-magnesium membrane and suspension made of elastic material Poron, placed in an oval waveguide flange MF/LF radiator 165 mm MF- driver with sandwich cone (Flax fiber sandwiched between two layers of glass fiber) and phase equalizing element Sensitivity 89.5 dB (2.83 V/1 m) Frequency response 55 Hz - 28 kHz (± 3 dB) Lower limit of frequency response 47 Hz (- 6 dB) Nominal impedance 8 Ohms Minimum impedance 4.6 Ohms Recommended amplifier power from 25 to 120 W per channel Crossover frequency 2800 Hz Input connectors 2 screw terminals Grill with magnetic mount Dimensions (WxHxD) 225x390x280 mm Weight 8.5 kg
Bookshelf monitors Focal Aria 906
These monitors have at least two features that set them apart from products from other manufacturers. Firstly, this is “not China” - both bodies and heads are made in France. Secondly, the midbass diffusers are made of a newly patented Flax material with unique properties.
I first talked about the “F” diffusers a month ago, although they were presented at the February Focal conference in Saint-Etienne. There, a strict embargo was imposed on the dissemination of information until the fall of 2013. Now that the patent has been granted and the Aria 900 line has been put into production, the secret can be revealed.
A short note for those who have not read the previous issue of the magazine. "F" stands for flax, i.e. linen, and the diffuser itself is a sandwich consisting of an inner layer of linen fabric 0.4 mm thick, on which a thin glass film is applied on both sides. Linen, as you know, consists of 80% cellulose, which has high strength and low specific gravity. The woven structure has good damping properties, and the glass coating prevents moisture absorption and increases resistance to bending deformation. In terms of all its parameters, Flax is superior to Polyglass, and is cheaper to produce than the W sandwich, since flax has been grown in huge quantities in France since ancient times, and in addition, the manufacture of F diffusers requires less manual labor.
This is exactly the diffuser of the 6.5-inch midbass installed in the Aria 906 two-way monitors. It works with a bass reflex port, the port of which is located on the front panel. The TNF tweeter with an inverted dome and suspension made of poron (a material with good shape memory) is placed in a waveguide that expands the radiation pattern horizontally. The high crossover frequency (according to the passport 2800 Hz) was chosen so that the entire voice spectrum could be reproduced by one speaker. At the same time, phase and frequency distortions will be less, and the sound will be more natural.
The design of the compact MDF housing was designed to minimize resonances. It is tapered towards the back and slightly rounded at the front, hence the side walls are not parallel. Accordingly, the rigidity is increased and unfavorable conditions are created for the occurrence of internal standing waves.
The exterior decoration is impeccable and elegant in a French way. The front panel is covered with artificial leather, and the sides are covered with vinyl film with a high-quality walnut veneer. The top surface is made of black polished plastic with a silver Focal logo. Rigid convex grills are attached with magnets. There are only two input terminals, their upper “lamps” are insulated. During transportation, the tweeters are covered with oval celluloid plates - a small thing, but a nice thing.
As it turned out during the test listening, to fully realize the musical potential of the 906s, it is enough to fulfill three conditions. First, be sure to warm up your new monitors before listening to loud music for at least two to three hours. During this time, the harshness disappears from the upper mids, and the sound as a whole becomes more comfortable to perceive. The second is to place the speakers on heavy stands, which subjectively makes the bass deeper and more specific. Finally, to equalize the tonal balance in the high-frequency region, it is worth experimenting with the directionality of the tweeters. In our not too dim room, the best results were achieved by placing the monitors parallel to the front line. After this, virtual sources were focused more clearly, and a tangible spatial perspective appeared in the sound stage.
But in any case, the first thing you notice is the purity and complete freedom that reigns in the upper range. I don’t know what gives this effect - a suspension made of poron or other tricks, but in terms of clarity and transparency, TNF tweeters are not inferior to ribbon drivers and do not have their disadvantages. The cymbals are very good - light, airy, with a bright natural spectrum and an abundance of “rough” harmonics. And the scene is built superbly, everything in it is clearly recorded in all three dimensions. At the same time, I cannot say that the monitors disappear in space, their presence is felt at the edges of the panorama, so there is no impression that all imaginary sources are concentrated in its center.
The dynamics are quite decent for drivers of this caliber; only at very high volumes can you notice slight compression, and there is no noticeable distortion or coloration. The character of the bass can be described as moderate, without attempts to embrace the immensity, and extremely accurate. Clarity and fast attack give the sound composure and rhythmic precision.
By their nature, Aria 906 are very musical; they are capable of not only creating the illusion of a real event, but also conveying its mood. And what else testifies to the level of performance is that complex works are not simplified, but seem easier to understand and do not cause a feeling of discomfort.
- MUSIC WE LISTENED TO
- 1. “Paul's Picks 2, Two channel demo CD”
- 2. The Beggars Opera. Original songs & airs. Harmonia Mundi, 2003
- 3. 20th Anniversary of Chesky Records. 2 CDs, Chesky Records, 2006
Focal Aria 906
Manufacturer: Focal-JMLab (France)
https://www.focal.com/ru/
Configuration: 2 bands, 2 emitters || Input power: 25 - 120 W || Crossover frequency: 2800 Hz || Resistance: nominal 8 ohms, minimum 4.6 ohms || Sensitivity (2.83V/1m): 89.5dB || Reproducible range: 55 - 28000 Hz (with unevenness -3 dB) || Dimensions: 390 x 225 x 250 mm || Weight: 8.5 kg || Price per pair: 40,000 rub.
- COMPONENTS
- CD player Primare CD-22 (RUB 66,500)
- Integrated amplifier Bryston B-100 SST (RUB 233,000)
- Cables:
- — interconnect Cardas Clear Light RCA 1 m (RUB 32,700)
- — acoustic Cardas Clear Sky Banana 3 m (RUB 46,485)
- — network Physics Style PW-Reference (38,000 rub.), Musical Wire Cadence Signature (25,900 rub.)
Power supply distributor Supra LoRad MD-06-EU Mk II/LoRad CS-EU 1.5 (RUB 7,000/4,300)
Recommend an amplifier for Focal JMLab Aria 906, but for growth?
I’ll briefly share the results of a short listening session of Focals today with a number of amplifiers.
So, these were: Roksan K3, Atoll in100 signature (db 200, but the manager mixed it up a little), Marantz PM8006 and Yamaha a-s3200. Music: Slot - Circles on the water, Nargiz - You are my heart, Karelia - Kali, Nino Katamadze - Olei, Rammstein - Links, Mgzavrebi - Damina, Anna Netrebko - Forse non fu, Doors - Changeling, Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song, Irina Surina — Prayer, Dolphin — 713
The first was Roxanne. Female vocals are excellent, instruments are excellent. Very dynamic, airy, lively. Dolphin intro, Dor, Ice Zeppelin - no comments. But unfortunately, on Rammstein and powerful fragments in Slot and Nargiz, a small boom appeared on the bass. Not like on my Exposure, but still. Considering that the space in the salon is large, I’m afraid this will be more pronounced in the room. If according to the 10-point system, it’s a solid 8-9.
Atoll. The first effect - wow! I even got goosebumps. But very quickly it turned out that the buzz on the bass, and its redundancy in general, was really strong. It seems that the edges of the range have been pulled up. The female vocals and instruments are even better than Roxanne. Dolphin, Doz and Ice Zeppelin - haunting, some kind of 4D. The heavy part went down, the booming low frequencies clogged everything up a bit. The overall feeling is that he paints the scene beautifully. It’s just like you’re at a concert in a club))) But it’s not always appropriate, or something. Overall rating 7.
Marantz......the general impression is that he plays, doesn’t bring anything down anywhere, doesn’t emphasize...at all. Well, in general. I’ll even leave it without a rating, otherwise in my case it will be incredibly low, perhaps it’s my ears and Focal.
Yamaha. Its appearance is due to the fact that I am considering the younger versions 1200 and 2200, but they are out of stock. The first effect is the arrows... she could play just for this))) A very calm, even sound that doesn’t gravitate anywhere, but not Marantz at all. The voices are good, but calmer than Roxanne. Dolphin, Doors, Led Zeppelin - everything is what I need. Passed the weight test))) there was almost no boozing, the bass was clear and accurate, the voices moved a little into the background. Then I turned on the tone block, increasing the treble by 2 hours. A liveliness and airiness appeared, light, not as intrusive as Atoll’s, and even seemingly less pronounced than Roxanne’s. Of course, there were more expectations from an amplifier for 600. But on the other hand, the impression was created that he was the most correct of all, but not boring. Those. he can, just give him somewhere. Score 8.
For myself, I came to the conclusion that 2/3 of my music, with proper amplification, will be played by focal points; finding a universal replacement for them will be oh so difficult. They easily moved into a large room. After them I listened a little to Elak Solano with Atoll 200 and Roxan - the Focals turned out to be more interesting to my ear.
As far as amps go, Roxanne is definitely one to consider. Marantz is also definitely not. It would be good for Yamaha to listen specifically to the 1200 or 2200. But it seems to me that Yamaha will allow you to focus as much as possible on the speakers. The most controversial Atoll. In 10 minutes, from the wow effect to goosebumps, to the desire to turn it down or turn off the phasic.
That's how it is, I hope this helps someone
