Question Focal Aria 900, or Dali Opticon 6, or Tannoy Revolution XT 5.0?

juniper

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Greetings,

I am about to pull the plug on a new AV Amp, and have settled on the Yamaha 3060 as it seems to give me the right balance of attack/muscle, connectivity, and future proofing. I am upgrading from an Onkyo 1008.

I have a dedicated HC room, approx 20' x 14' in size. I currently have XTX 99 series speakers across the front, and SVS rears, along with an SVS PC-Ultra sub, which isn't going anywhere.

So looking at a few deals out there, I can get the Focal Aria 900 combination along with the amp for about the same money as I can the Dali Opticon 6 5.0 setup. The Tannoys will come in the cheapest option of the 3, but it's about what should give the best HC sound for me. I play very very little music, so that isn't really a consideration.

I do like thrillers, and action/war movies and appreciate a fairly 'in your face' sound. Crisp dialogue works too, as does a really big soundstage for when music videos and the like are played. Dull and too neutral doesn't really blow my socks off, and if I'm spending this sort of money then that's what I'd like.

Any suggestions, recommendations, thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.......:)
 
When you say the Focal Aria 900, this is a range of speakers so ones.

Have sad that both Dali and Focal are great and it will be down to taste. Dali have ribbons and can sound bright the wrong room/location. While the focal aria's need locating nearer the wall and the correct seating distance for best results.

It bit chalk and cheese and the speakers are totally different tonally and as you might guess I favour the Focals. Mid range is stunning integrated well, ideal for movies and music alike.

The only way to decide is have a listen. Subwoofer wise i'd look to get something like the BK XXLS-400
 
Thanks Ashenfie - the answer to your question on Focals is 926 as L and R, 906s at the rear, and CC900 centre.

And yes - I'm arranging a demo in the meantime....
 
Yes, nice setup. I will interest to see how you get on. The Focal are easy speaker to drive so don't stress AV amp.
 
As others have said the comparison between these will come down to taste. Focal are the most laid back without question, and for me the Dali would be more forward and detailed, with the Tannoy being more forward still, but not anymore detailed than the Dali. I personally prefer Dali speakers based on how they sound out of these 3, but thats not to say you would agree. We do sell all 3 brands so I have heard all 3 :smashin:
 
So I went and demoed the speakers today, and big thanks to the guys at Creative Audio in Shrewsbury for accommodating me. In the end I didn't try the Tannoys at all - they are just to me not aesthetically pleasing, and so I ruled them out before I even got there!

I heard the Opticons first, set up with the Dali E14 sub, and with the Yamaha 3060 amp. I listened to various scenes from the Golden Compass, Eagles Live in Melbourne, Phantom of the Opera and some music from La La Land. I thought they were great, the presentation was open, dialogue clear, and a really good soundstage. The instruments on The Eagles 'Lyin Eyes were all clearly defined, and I thought this was a setup I could definitely enjoy.

We then switched to the Focals. Same sub, same amp, and the dB levels were the same for each of the tracks listened to. Night and day difference for me! The soundatge was bigger, there was so much more definition, dialogue was clearer. In scene 2 from Phantom before the chandelier gets revealed, the bird flapping its wings across the room could have been in the room I was in! When I played Audition from LaLa Land it just brought a massive smile to my face - Emma Stone again could have been in the room itself, everything was more natural, but also more forward in terms of presentation.

I left both happy, and with a car full of Focal Aria speakers and the Yamaha 3060. Will see how they all sound in my own environment, but based upon as close as an A/B comparison as I could get, there was only one winner.
 
Nicely goes to show how important a demo can be :smashin: I prefer Dali but youre not the first person Ive seen choose the Focal over them. Enjoy!

FWIW, Ive always felt Focal are more laid back, and that Yamaha generally is as well, so the combination does makes sense.
 
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Great stuff enjoy your new speakers and the Yamaha is a great choice too.

From the music choice you used the focal speaker are ideally suited, they bring an excitement to music.
 

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