Center channel to go with Focal Aria 926.. Please suggest

[Lifespill]

Hi!

New enthusiast. My use is 80% streamed music, Strings, classic, Rock, minimal techno, Trance. 20% Movies. My system as of now is

A pair of Focal aria 926
Denon X4700
SVS PB 2000 pro

Now I am looking for surround experience. 7.2 channel. Please suggest me how to go about it. My plan is to get the following :

Aria SR 900 surrounds for side and back
PB 3000 as second sub

Now the problem is that I am unable to get Focal Aria Centre channel!

Can someone please help me finding a matching centre. I am looking for similar sound stage and similar timbre/tonality. Which center channel fits my need? I have few in mind but I don't know how they will go with Focal. Paradigm C600, B&W HTM 71-S2, or Klipsch or KEF.. ??

 

[sunilsanketh]

Hi!

New enthusiast. My use is 80% streamed music, Strings, classic, Rock, minimal techno, Trance. 20% Movies. My system as of now is

A pair of Focal aria 926
Denon X4700
SVS PB 2000 pro

Now I am looking for surround experience. 7.2 channel. Please suggest me how to go about it. My plan is to get the following :

Aria SR 900 surrounds for side and back
PB 3000 as second sub

Now the problem is that I am unable to get Focal Aria Centre channel!

Can someone please help me finding a matching centre. I am looking for similar sound stage and similar timbre/tonality. Which center channel fits my need? I have few in mind but I don't know how they will go with Focal. Paradigm C600, B&W HTM 71-S2, or Klipsch or KEF.. ??

How is your experience with Focal aria 926? I am planning to take them..

 

[insane79]

Hi!

New enthusiast. My use is 80% streamed music, Strings, classic, Rock, minimal techno, Trance. 20% Movies. My system as of now is

A pair of Focal aria 926
Denon X4700
SVS PB 2000 pro

Now I am looking for surround experience. 7.2 channel. Please suggest me how to go about it. My plan is to get the following :

Aria SR 900 surrounds for side and back
PB 3000 as second sub

Now the problem is that I am unable to get Focal Aria Centre channel!

Can someone please help me finding a matching centre. I am looking for similar sound stage and similar timbre/tonality. Which center channel fits my need? I have few in mind but I don't know how they will go with Focal. Paradigm C600, B&W HTM 71-S2, or Klipsch or KEF.. ??

Well you are better of getting a Center speaker from Focal, a series below or above the Aria would be fine & a close fit.
Since the Aria 926 has 6.5" drivers, it would be better to get a Center Speaker with similar size drivers.
The Center channel is the most used & most important in getting an immersive home cinema experience.

Cheers..

 

[headcase]

Really good speakers u got there..
Congrats!

Y are you not able to get focal matching centre...since it's not mentioned in ur post.

Focal Aria CC 900 Center Channel Speaker

Focal Aria CC 900 Center Channel Speaker 2-WAY CENTER SPEAKER The Aria CC 900 2-way centre speaker can be easily combined with the front speakers of the range. The CC 900 was developed with particular attention to timber matching in order to obtain sonic coherence and homogeneity for all kinds...

hifimart.com

Focal Aria 926 – Ownership Impressions

Focal Aria 926 – Impressions Introduction I started my journey as an audiophile with interest towards exploring various alternatives somewhere back in 2010 with headphones & IEMs. I was into the same world till 2020 barring a few HtiB setups (Polk TL1600/Phase Cinemicro) and multimedia...

www.hifivision.com

What are the room dimensions?

You may wanna hold on to the 2nd sub plan for now and finish the centre + surrounds first.

Since u hv Focal Aria 926 try to get CC900 only or higher. As it's best to hv Fronts + Centre match.

Do use the "dialogue enhancer" feature on ur x4700 once u install a Centre ch or u will hv to reach a high master volume to achieve satisfactory vocals. Increase the surrounds ch vol as per ur liking not too much as long as u will keep a headroom with master volume.

In future or replace now if recently bought. U may wanna consider much heavier Class D amp as ur speakers are 8 ohms & 250w quite demanding. e.g. Pioneer sc-lx 904 or 905. Class D is 95% efficient and runs really cool.

*Note - Never go reference level. Enjoy!

 

[Lifespill]

How is your experience with Focal aria 926? I am planning to take them..

Excellent! I am in love with Focal sound. The whole setup is like this..



AVR Denon X4700h

Focal Aria 926 Front Left and Right

Focal CC 900 as Center channel

Focal Aria 906 as Side Left and Right

Focal SR 900 as Back surround Left and Right

PB 2000 pro and PB 3000 as subs

Samsung 75 inch Q95TS TV

Roon on PC as media server connected to AVR

PS5 connected to TV via HDMI 2.1 Audio via eARC

Room size is 14 x 12 x 9 feet!

Carpeted room with heavy drapes, Big 2 seater plush sofa and a thick mattress... My idea of room treatment.



For home theatre and Multi-channel stereo Music it's Audio heaven. Very good clarity and good sound output. Good highs. Gut shaking bass!! You can feel the music enveloping.



But for 2 channel audio the setup is left wanting for more power and refinement from my amplifiers which the X4700h is unable to give. I have to play at 60 to 65% output in 2 channel mode for a listening when hosting ppl. Otherwise I play at 55 to 60%.

The music quality in 2 channel is very satisfying. The plucking of guitar strings, the breath in vocals such as in Sopia Hunter's songs are very well appreciated and very musical. The decay on the highs are really soothing. The weight of the piano strings, and top end nuance of Mozart or Erik Satie are emotionally involving and have good decay. But the Grand symphonies of Mahler and Tchaikovsky are felt only at higher volumes with less dynamics. It feels as if some headroom is lacking. A stereo amplifier will do justice to the 2 channel system but I don't have place for it in this room. One thing is remarkable that you hear "Everything"... Tiniest of details.. these 926 are very revealing and resolving.


Most of the time i play in Multi-channel stereo when playing electronic music or rock and metal due to more volume and impact. However while playing I still feel that it's unfair to them to play with X4700h. They are capable of so much more..

The Source also plays a big difference on the final sound reproduction. Roon and YouTube on PC in general have better sound quality, volume and more dynamics than YouTube played on TV and played viela eARC for the same track. Netflix on TV has least Volume levels on Dolby content. Playing movies on PC or PS5 really blows my mind. I usually play movies Dolby content at around 55 to 60% volume from PS5 and PC whereas with TV Netflix i have to Play at around 70% output to get same impact. Even for home theatre I feel seperate pre pro system will be best to do justice to this kind of speaker setup.

One thing I can't complain about is Basss.. there's loads of it with the SVSs. I usually play at lowest level and 0db gain with 180 reverse phase for tight bass. No booming.

My 2 cents..

Loving my system sound everyday. Inspite of the shortcomings i mentioned it still trumps most other systems i have heard (including some at AV shops). For critical music listening and satisfying audiophile bug I have just ordered another system..).. patiently waiting for deliveries..

 

[headcase]

Excellent! I am in love with Focal sound. The whole setup is like this..



AVR Denon X4700h

Focal Aria 926 Front Left and Right

Focal CC 900 as Center channel

Focal Aria 906 as Side Left and Right

Focal SR 900 as Back surround Left and Right

PB 2000 pro and PB 3000 as subs

Samsung 75 inch Q95TS TV

Roon on PC as media server connected to AVR

PS5 connected to TV via HDMI 2.1 Audio via eARC

Room size is 14 x 12 x 9 feet!

Carpeted room with heavy drapes, Big 2 seater plush sofa and a thick mattress... My idea of room treatment.



For home theatre and Multi-channel stereo Music it's Audio heaven. Very good clarity and good sound output. Good highs. Gut shaking bass!! You can feel the music enveloping.



But for 2 channel audio the setup is left wanting for more power and refinement from my amplifiers which the X4700h is unable to give. I have to play at 60 to 65% output in 2 channel mode for a listening when hosting ppl. Otherwise I play at 55 to 60%.

The music quality in 2 channel is very satisfying. The plucking of guitar strings, the breath in vocals such as in Sopia Hunter's songs are very well appreciated and very musical. The decay on the highs are really soothing. The weight of the piano strings, and top end nuance of Mozart or Erik Satie are emotionally involving and have good decay. But the Grand symphonies of Mahler and Tchaikovsky are felt only at higher volumes with less dynamics. It feels as if some headroom is lacking. A stereo amplifier will do justice to the 2 channel system but I don't have place for it in this room. One thing is remarkable that you hear "Everything"... Tiniest of details.. these 926 are very revealing and resolving.


Most of the time i play in Multi-channel stereo when playing electronic music or rock and metal due to more volume and impact. However while playing I still feel that it's unfair to them to play with X4700h. They are capable of so much more..

The Source also plays a big difference on the final sound reproduction. Roon and YouTube on PC in general have better sound quality, volume and more dynamics than YouTube played on TV and played viela eARC for the same track. Netflix on TV has least Volume levels on Dolby content. Playing movies on PC or PS5 really blows my mind. I usually play movies Dolby content at around 55 to 60% volume from PS5 and PC whereas with TV Netflix i have to Play at around 70% output to get same impact. Even for home theatre I feel seperate pre pro system will be best to do justice to this kind of speaker setup.

One thing I can't complain about is Basss.. there's loads of it with the SVSs. I usually play at lowest level and 0db gain with 180 reverse phase for tight bass. No booming.

My 2 cents..

Loving my system sound everyday. Inspite of the shortcomings i mentioned it still trumps most other systems i have heard (including some at AV shops). For critical music listening and satisfying audiophile bug I have just ordered another system..).. patiently waiting for deliveries..

Congrats on the CC900

Please use DLNA or Airplay for 2ch music playback. Apple music or Tidal if u can get.

 

[DB1989]

The Source also plays a big difference on the final sound reproduction. Roon and YouTube on PC in general have better sound quality, volume and more dynamics than YouTube played on TV and played viela eARC for the same track. Netflix on TV has least Volume levels on Dolby content. Playing movies on PC or PS5 really blows my mind. I usually play movies Dolby content at around 55 to 60% volume from PS5 and PC whereas with TV Netflix i have to Play at around 70% output to get same impact. Even for home theatre I feel seperate pre pro system will be best to do justice to this kind of speaker setup.

It's great that you have identified "source" as a necessary component of the entire chain. While streaming services and host software make a difference, the most I've experienced from a "source" is a dedicated streamer - in my case, an Allo Digione Signature.

Earlier, i used to stream from my PC as well and while it sounded okay with certain services better than others such as MQA playback from Tidal vs spotify, adding the Allo Digione Signature unlocked a whole new level of performance and allowed the rest of the chain to demonstrate what they're really capable of. In fact, Spotify on the streamer sounds better than Tidal through an MQA DAC from the PC. Most of these streamers can also act as a Roon end point.

Since you've got an excellent pair of speakers already, you could consider adding a streamer to allow them to really flex.

 

[sunilsanketh]

Excellent! I am in love with Focal sound. The whole setup is like this..



AVR Denon X4700h

Focal Aria 926 Front Left and Right

Focal CC 900 as Center channel

Focal Aria 906 as Side Left and Right

Focal SR 900 as Back surround Left and Right

PB 2000 pro and PB 3000 as subs

Samsung 75 inch Q95TS TV

Roon on PC as media server connected to AVR

PS5 connected to TV via HDMI 2.1 Audio via eARC

Room size is 14 x 12 x 9 feet!

Carpeted room with heavy drapes, Big 2 seater plush sofa and a thick mattress... My idea of room treatment.



For home theatre and Multi-channel stereo Music it's Audio heaven. Very good clarity and good sound output. Good highs. Gut shaking bass!! You can feel the music enveloping.



But for 2 channel audio the setup is left wanting for more power and refinement from my amplifiers which the X4700h is unable to give. I have to play at 60 to 65% output in 2 channel mode for a listening when hosting ppl. Otherwise I play at 55 to 60%.

The music quality in 2 channel is very satisfying. The plucking of guitar strings, the breath in vocals such as in Sopia Hunter's songs are very well appreciated and very musical. The decay on the highs are really soothing. The weight of the piano strings, and top end nuance of Mozart or Erik Satie are emotionally involving and have good decay. But the Grand symphonies of Mahler and Tchaikovsky are felt only at higher volumes with less dynamics. It feels as if some headroom is lacking. A stereo amplifier will do justice to the 2 channel system but I don't have place for it in this room. One thing is remarkable that you hear "Everything"... Tiniest of details.. these 926 are very revealing and resolving.


Most of the time i play in Multi-channel stereo when playing electronic music or rock and metal due to more volume and impact. However while playing I still feel that it's unfair to them to play with X4700h. They are capable of so much more..

The Source also plays a big difference on the final sound reproduction. Roon and YouTube on PC in general have better sound quality, volume and more dynamics than YouTube played on TV and played viela eARC for the same track. Netflix on TV has least Volume levels on Dolby content. Playing movies on PC or PS5 really blows my mind. I usually play movies Dolby content at around 55 to 60% volume from PS5 and PC whereas with TV Netflix i have to Play at around 70% output to get same impact. Even for home theatre I feel seperate pre pro system will be best to do justice to this kind of speaker setup.

One thing I can't complain about is Basss.. there's loads of it with the SVSs. I usually play at lowest level and 0db gain with 180 reverse phase for tight bass. No booming.

My 2 cents..

Loving my system sound everyday. Inspite of the shortcomings i mentioned it still trumps most other systems i have heard (including some at AV shops). For critical music listening and satisfying audiophile bug I have just ordered another system..).. patiently waiting for deliveries..

Thanks for sharing ur experience...I think for 2 channel stereo u need to go with a class AB amp which has atleast 100 watts output @ 8 Ohms.

 

[DB1989]

Thanks for sharing ur experience...I think for 2 channel stereo u need to go with a class AB amp which has atleast 100 watts output @ 8 Ohms.

What about 80w @8ohm and 120w@4ohm?

Since my speakers are 6ohm, can i get away with an amplifier with the abovesaid figure?

 

[Lifespill]

It's great that you have identified "source" as a necessary component of the entire chain. While streaming services and host software make a difference, the most I've experienced from a "source" is a dedicated streamer - in my case, an Allo Digione Signature.

Earlier, i used to stream from my PC as well and while it sounded okay with certain services better than others such as MQA playback from Tidal vs spotify, adding the Allo Digione Signature unlocked a whole new level of performance and allowed the rest of the chain to demonstrate what they're really capable of. In fact, Spotify on the streamer sounds better than Tidal through an MQA DAC from the PC. Most of these streamers can also act as a Roon end point.

Since you've got an excellent pair of speakers already, you could consider adding a streamer to allow them to really flex.

Thanks for the suggestions. I looked at Allo Digione Signature with Allo Shanti PSU. Looks tempting. But it can only output in BNC which is limited to 24/192. How about Allo USBridge signature player? It can do same thing and be a network streamer and roon endpoint but with USB Hi Res output. I am planning to use Intel NUC as roon core.

 

[headcase]

Meanwhile ur avr has Heos & Airplay built in. Connectivity & library wise it will do same thing. Try audio playback as is.
If u have an iPhone or iPad ur set.
U can also use bubble upnp player and connect ur hard drives to ur router usb and enable upnp.

Select media server as input from remote app of ur avr.
For Airplay: Connect via iPhone/ipad
For dlna: Connect via bubble upnp player app

 

[DB1989]

Thanks for the suggestions. I looked at Allo Digione Signature with Allo Shanti PSU. Looks tempting. But it can only output in BNC which is limited to 24/192. How about Allo USBridge signature player? It can do same thing and be a network streamer and roon endpoint but with USB Hi Res output. I am planning to use Intel NUC as roon core.

I'd faced a conundrum similar to yours as i had a couple of USB only DACs. Thankfully, Allo has a nifty solution in the Allo USBridge Signature+Digione Signature combo that has both USB out as well as BNC and coaxial (basically, it is an Allo USBridge Signature and Allo Digione Signature built into one chassis)

Insofar as using it as using it as a roon endpoint is concerned, i have used RopieeXL as an operating system and it's connectivity is rock solid, not only with Roon but other streaming services as well such as Spotify.

I've powered my Allo USBridge Signature+Digione Signature with a Shanti LPS as well though i'm not entirely sure if it makes a palpable difference to regular 5V power supplies. My two cents would be to put off the LPS to a couple of months after having used it with a regular power supply.

What did make a palpable difference to my ears was playing music, even 320 kbps mp3 streams through Spotify, through the Allo which was unmistakablely nicer than playing even 24 bit 192khz FLAC from my PC. And playing FLAC through the Allo was an even bigger eye opener.

Besides Allo, there are other options as well which offer the full fat functionality of all three outputs including USB, coax and optical but the Allo does represent the best value if you aren't too concerned about ease of setup out of the box.

 

[ssf]

Excellent! I am in love with Focal sound. The whole setup is like this..



AVR Denon X4700h

Focal Aria 926 Front Left and Right

Focal CC 900 as Center channel

Focal Aria 906 as Side Left and Right

Focal SR 900 as Back surround Left and Right

PB 2000 pro and PB 3000 as subs

Samsung 75 inch Q95TS TV

Roon on PC as media server connected to AVR

PS5 connected to TV via HDMI 2.1 Audio via eARC

Room size is 14 x 12 x 9 feet!

Carpeted room with heavy drapes, Big 2 seater plush sofa and a thick mattress... My idea of room treatment.



For home theatre and Multi-channel stereo Music it's Audio heaven. Very good clarity and good sound output. Good highs. Gut shaking bass!! You can feel the music enveloping.



But for 2 channel audio the setup is left wanting for more power and refinement from my amplifiers which the X4700h is unable to give. I have to play at 60 to 65% output in 2 channel mode for a listening when hosting ppl. Otherwise I play at 55 to 60%.

The music quality in 2 channel is very satisfying. The plucking of guitar strings, the breath in vocals such as in Sopia Hunter's songs are very well appreciated and very musical. The decay on the highs are really soothing. The weight of the piano strings, and top end nuance of Mozart or Erik Satie are emotionally involving and have good decay. But the Grand symphonies of Mahler and Tchaikovsky are felt only at higher volumes with less dynamics. It feels as if some headroom is lacking. A stereo amplifier will do justice to the 2 channel system but I don't have place for it in this room. One thing is remarkable that you hear "Everything"... Tiniest of details.. these 926 are very revealing and resolving.


Most of the time i play in Multi-channel stereo when playing electronic music or rock and metal due to more volume and impact. However while playing I still feel that it's unfair to them to play with X4700h. They are capable of so much more..

The Source also plays a big difference on the final sound reproduction. Roon and YouTube on PC in general have better sound quality, volume and more dynamics than YouTube played on TV and played viela eARC for the same track. Netflix on TV has least Volume levels on Dolby content. Playing movies on PC or PS5 really blows my mind. I usually play movies Dolby content at around 55 to 60% volume from PS5 and PC whereas with TV Netflix i have to Play at around 70% output to get same impact. Even for home theatre I feel seperate pre pro system will be best to do justice to this kind of speaker setup.

One thing I can't complain about is Basss.. there's loads of it with the SVSs. I usually play at lowest level and 0db gain with 180 reverse phase for tight bass. No booming.

My 2 cents..

Loving my system sound everyday. Inspite of the shortcomings i mentioned it still trumps most other systems i have heard (including some at AV shops). For critical music listening and satisfying audiophile bug I have just ordered another system..).. patiently waiting for deliveries..

Nice setup. Not planning 7.2.1 ? I feel that the height speakers make more of a difference than the surround back speakers.

 

[ssf]

Nice setup. Not planning 7.2.1 ? I feel that the height speakers make more of a difference than the surround back speakers.

Please read that as 7.1.2. 7 floor speakers, one sub and 2 height speakers.