~$10K speaker budget - Focal Kanta 2/3s or choose something else?

[David A]

The responses are phenomenal! keep them coming.

So I went to a couple of hifi shops today:
The Kanta 2 was out of stock, but auditioned the Kanta 3s. Loved the image - very nice mid-range and the tweeter sings! The bass was a bit muddy and thin which seems weird, but based on what I've heard from other reviewers, am pretty sure that the speakers can generate good bass. It must have been something in the room set up. Am getting a 25% off - coming to approx ~$11K.
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I haven't heard the Kantas with a Devialet so I can't give you specific comments on them. I do have Sopra 2s with my 140 Pro and I have heard the Kanta 2s in a showroom but with Naim amplification. I don't think that the bass on the Kanta 2s was thin but I didn't think it was as well defined as the bass on my Sopras. Having said that, it also wasn't as extended but it was voiced slightly differently, I think to deliver a particular balance with the mids and highs and I thought that was a reasonable choice given that it lacked the extension of the Sopra. I didn't find it muddy.

In my experience muddy bass is often due to poor setup in the room and/or modal problems in the room, especially if there are peaks in bass response which don't decay quickly enough and result in the bass sounding sluggish and thick. That's not the only possible cause of muddy bass but when I heard the Kanta 2s I didn't hear anything that I thought was muddy bass. The Kanta 3s have more extension than the bass and could be more prone to causing modal problems in some rooms as a result. I definitely wouldn't assume that what you heard with the 3s is also to be expected with the 2's, especially with a different amp and in a different room to your own. You didn't say what amp was driving the Kanta 3s but if it wasn't your 220 and if the dealer is out of stock of the 2's I would suggest seeing if you can arrange another audition of t he 3s with your own amp to see if a different amp makes a difference. In my experience Devialets have better bass control of speakers than most other amps so your perception of the Kanta 3s may well change if you hear them with your 220.

And definitely audition other speakers as well. Speakers are the component with the greatest range of variation in how they sound.