If you’re short on time and just want the highlights of this article, here it is:
After extensive research, I have concluded that the Focal Chora Two-Way Surround Speaker is a great choice for anyone looking for an immersive sound experience for movies and TV shows on a budget. It features a Slatefiber cone driver and 1″ TNF aluminum/magnesium tweeter that work together to provide a rich and dynamic sound. The cone provides plenty of bass and volume for larger rooms, while the tweeter provides clear high notes and a good amount of detail in the midrange frequencies. It also has a range of connection options, including RCA, 3.5mm, and USB C ports, so you can use it with a variety of devices. However, it might not be the best choice for audiophiles or those looking for clarity in the midrange frequencies.
Quick link:
Now let’s get to its bolts and nuts.
Focal Chora Two Review: Sound quality
Have you ever noticed that there often tends to be quite the opposite opinions about a speaker?
I can understand this for more "personal taste" kinda products like clothing, for example.
But for engineering products like speakers? Personal tastes and preferences probably still play a role. But shouldn't it be less?
Why is it that we can't set a universal metric for sound quality?
First time I asked this question to myself has been a pivotal day.
Because it turns out that in the mid 90's, Electrical Engineer PhD Floyd Toole came up with a method called Spinorama. This is exactly what he accomplished with this. Turns out that his book Sound Reproduction is like the bible of audiophiles.
Put it simply, Spinorama is a set of measurements that gives a comprehensive overview of a speaker's performance from various angles.
It allows you to compare the performances of different speakers before even laying your ears hands on them.
Isn't that amazing?
This is why Spinorama was apparently groundbreaking news for audio industry. Hence in the mid-late 2010's, most brands and magazines began publishing Spinorama measurements, despite the challenges of making such measurements.
Fortunately, now we have the Spinorama data for a bunch of quite popular speakers. Pierre Aubert put all this untidy data together and put it into https://www.spinorama.org/. This is a stunning source. Pretty valuable stuff from him right there.
All good up to this point.
Now there comes a caveat.
Since the sound speakers propagate are in the form of omnidirectional waves, all measurements are obtained in anechoic or semi-anechoic chambers (a super-quiet room where soundwaves don't bounce back, here's how different that room sounds [a mind blowing time-adjusted video]).
This is a problem because it means that Spinorama alone, unfortunately, won't give us all we need. Placement and reflections play an equally important role there too.
This is why most A-class brands (like SVS, Bang & Olufsen, etc) often come up with room correction features, adjusted either manually or automatically. The EQ adapts itself to the placement (room, corner, center, etc) for a better (deeper and more accurate) sound. Which is great.
Additionally they often emphasize the importance of placement, here is an example: https://www.svsound.com/blogs/subwoofer-setup-and-tuning/75365187-the-art-of-subwoofer-placement
Anyways...
The source code under Pierre Aubert's work is licensed under GPL (General public license). He didn't perform any of the measurements himself, and instead he compiled all of them into one place, so that makes sense.
At this point, I thought that if there was a tool that combined both the Spinorama with the room acoustics data, it'd be extremely useful.
Unfortunately, it turns out that there wasn't any.
This is where I stepped in and partnered with an Acoustics and Audio Engineering PhD in order to achieve this.
We combined Spinorama data with room acoustics and came up with Soundton. A very simple, 2D online tool that allows you to:
- Reveal optimal speaker positions in a room,
- Test with real speakers from real brands,
- Compare different speakers and different positions in the room.
It can be very valuable for the vast majority.
The colormap provides you the locations with the best (green) and worst (red) listening experience.
It works the best with subwoofers since Soundton processes low frequency response waves only.
- Soundton is going to be, say, 80% accurate. Not 100%.
- Because, other parameters such as the age/materials of the building, furniture/windows in place also have an impact on room acoustics.
- If you want absolutely the most detailed room analysis, then what you need is an acoustics consultant. Mind you that's going to require deep pockets and patience though... assuming you find the right person and they get the job done.
Anyways...
I recently read about the Focal Chora Two-Way Surround Speaker and was intrigued by the sound quality it promised. I decided to do some research into the product and see if it lives up to the hype. After reading up on the features and reviews, here is my take on their sound quality.
The Focal Chora Two-Way Surround Speaker features a Slatefiber cone driver and 1″ TNF aluminum/magnesium tweeter. The Slatefiber cone provides rich and dynamic sound that focuses primarily on the midrange, while the tweeter delivers distinct sound spatialization. These two pieces work together to bring an immersive experience that truly envelops the listener in sound. The cone provides a deep bass response and plenty of volume for larger rooms, but I found that it didn’t add enough clarity and detail in the midrange. The tweeter does a better job of providing clear high notes and a good amount of detail in the midrange frequencies. This provides some depth and clarity to the soundstage, but I did find that it was a bit thin in certain areas.
Overall, I think the Focal Chora Two-Way Surround Speaker provides a good amount of sound quality. It might lack some clarity in the midrange frequencies, but I think this is to be expected from a budget speaker. I wish Focal had included a larger tweeter for added clarity, but the tweeter provided does an adequate job of providing spatialization and high notes. The Slatefiber cone does a good job of providing bass and volume, so if you are looking for an immersive sound experience for movies and TV shows, this speaker is worth considering.
Focal Chora Two Review: Connectivity
The Focal Chora Two-Way Surround Speaker has a range of connection options to suit your needs. It features an RCA jack, allowing you to connect it to any device with a standard RCA output. It also has a 3.5mm auxiliary jack and a USB C port, so you can use it with a wider range of devices. Though the speaker doesn’t have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, it does have a pairing mode, which allows you to pair two speakers together for a more immersive surround sound experience. I found this to be a useful feature, as it allows you to create a stereo or surround sound setup without the need for a separate receiver.
Overall, the speaker has a good range of connection options, which should suit most users. I would have liked to see Wi-Fi and Bluetooth included so that you can easily stream audio from a wider range of devices, but the pairing mode more than makes up for this. The RCA, 3.5mm, and USB C ports should cover most users’ needs and provide a good range of connection options.
Focal Chora Two Review: Most & least ideal user profiles
The Focal Chora Two-Way Surround Speaker is a great choice for anyone looking for an immersive sound experience. I think it is ideal for people who love movies and TV shows, as the Slatefiber cone and 1″ TNF aluminum/magnesium tweeter provide an enveloping soundstage that truly brings your favorite films and shows to life. I also think this speaker is ideal for anyone looking for a budget surround sound setup, as you can pair multiple speakers together for a more immersive experience.
On the other hand, I don’t think this speaker is ideal for audiophiles or people looking for clarity in the midrange frequencies. The Slatefiber cone and TNF tweeter don’t provide the same level of clarity and detail that you would get from a more expensive speaker, so I would recommend looking elsewhere if that is what you are after. I also don’t think this is the best choice for music lovers, as the speaker lacks the detail and clarity needed for more nuanced music listening.
In conclusion, I think the Focal Chora Two-Way Surround Speaker is a great choice for anyone looking for a budget surround sound setup and an immersive experience for movies and TV shows. However, it might not be the best choice for music lovers or those looking for clarity in the midrange frequencies.
Focal Chora Two Review: Conclusion
After extensive research, I have concluded that the Focal Chora Two-Way Surround Speaker is a great choice for anyone looking for an immersive sound experience for movies and TV shows on a budget. It features a Slatefiber cone driver and 1″ TNF aluminum/magnesium tweeter that work together to provide a rich and dynamic sound. The cone provides plenty of bass and volume for larger rooms, while the tweeter provides clear high notes and a good amount of detail in the midrange frequencies. It also has a range of connection options, including RCA, 3.5mm, and USB C ports, so you can use it with a variety of devices. However, it might not be the best choice for audiophiles or those looking for clarity in the midrange frequencies.