Focal KANTA N°2

The Kanta N°2 is a high-end floorstanding speaker from Focal, born of three years of research and development. It launches the Kanta range, conceived to combine acoustic performance with a design resolutely different from traditional speakers, featuring a one-piece moulded front baffle in high-density polymer (HDP).

This speaker combines, for the first time, a Flax sandwich cone driver with a pure Beryllium tweeter. Flax provides a good compromise between low mass, rigidity and damping, which translates into clarity and precision when listening. The IAL 3 tweeter combines the principles of IAL and IHL technologies, two approaches that optimise the acoustic loading behind the dome to reduce distortion in the treble register. The midrange driver benefits from a TMD (Tuned Mass Damping) suspension, and all the drivers feature an NIC (Neutral Inductance Circuit) motor that stabilises the magnetic field for better-controlled bass.

The one-piece moulded HDP front baffle eliminates sound diffraction; this material is claimed to be 70% denser than MDF, 15% more rigid and offers 25% additional damping. Power Flow technology, with one port on the front and another on the rear, limits bass compression. The driver alignment, called Focus Time, places each driver at the same distance from the listener's ear. The rear enclosure is made as a single moulded wood piece, and the Zamac plinth, fitted with spikes and cups, ensures good stability on the floor.

This floorstanding speaker is aimed at hi-fi enthusiasts seeking precise and warm listening, in a living room where aesthetics matter as much as sound performance. Its power handling of 300 W and nominal impedance of 8 ohms mean it should be paired with an amplifier capable of handling a load dropping to as low as 3.1 ohms.