Focal CHORA 826 Review
No cocktails or club music here—Focal takes a different approach by using exotic membrane materials like carbon sandwich and beryllium. In particular, the new Chora 826 stands out with its musical ambiance and an impressive price point.
Focal is no stranger to high-tech materials. This French company famously broke into the high-end arena with beryllium tweeters. However, founder Jacques Mahul also aimed to bring the benefits of their in-house material research to listeners on a more modest budget.
The most noteworthy example of this approach is the Kanta series. The Kanta No. 1 recently expanded the lineup with a compact speaker. Because beryllium membranes are so complex to make, even a two-way speaker with a flax sandwich cone still ends up costing quite a bit.
From Chorus to Chora — Focal’s new entry-level series, Chora, replaces the bestselling Chorus lineup. It incorporates fundamental technical updates.
The top-of-the-line Chora 826 features three drivers with what Focal calls “Slatefiber” membranes—so named for their slate-like appearance (“ardoise” in French). There’s no stone involved, of course. Instead, a special layered construction and color resemble slate. A strong yet highly damped fiber—made from recycled carbon in a fleece-like form—sits in the middle of the sandwich, fused with two polymer layers for added stiffness and vibration resistance.
Beryllium, flax, and special foams—Focal has ample experience mixing unusual materials.
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This unique combination delivers performance that’s typically seen only in more elaborate (and costly) speakers.
A Lot of Speaker for the Money
In the three-way Chora 826, you’ll see these new cones used across three drivers. The two 16.5 cm woofers concentrate on low frequencies below 270 Hz, supported by a stronger motor assembly and reinforced membranes.
The similarly sized midrange driver uses a lighter diaphragm and a smaller, 2.5 cm voice coil. This setup drives the sandwich membrane at the center for quick, precise motion while leaving the outer edges less active at higher frequencies. That design helps reduce beaming and pushes the upper range to about 2,700 Hz. Beyond that point, the inverted dome tweeter—a 19 mm voice coil—takes over, designed to be both light and fast. Its shape and centrally placed motor make it very rigid. A large waveguide helps the tweeter handle higher sound pressure without distortion and focuses the sound toward the listener.
Pure Enjoyment, No Regrets
Initial listening tests involved some trial and error with toe-in and vertical angle. At first, Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique” (RPO, Nezet-Seguin) sounded spacious, velvety, and nicely layered, but a bit mild and distant. Replacing the angled base with directly screwed spikes improved both near- and far-field performance, adding finer dynamics and a more direct sound.
On “Heartbeat” from the Vinyl Reference, the Chora 826 delivered a solid (but not overpowering) bass foundation, along with a forward, punchy rhythm section and truly audiophile vocal detail, yet never straying into overanalysis.
Exquisite
What if you look at the pricier Kanta No. 1—a more purist design that costs roughly three times more? Focal fans might find it appealing, especially for its beryllium tweeter, which is otherwise unheard of in the $ range. Like the beryllium tweeter, the woofer with flax layers is built in-house at Focal. Its surround is reinforced (like in the larger Sopra series) to tame resonance. Meanwhile, great care went into crafting the curved front panel.
Measurement Diagrams
Frequency Response & Impedance Curve
Strong upper bass that slopes downward; on-axis interference but otherwise balanced higher up.
Low overall distortion, with only a mild rise in the upper bass.
Lower cutoff frequencies at -3 dB / -6 dB: 48 Hz / 39 Hz
Maximum output: 102 dB
Gallery
Focal CHORA 826 TECH SPECS
| ORIGIN | France |
| TYPE | 3-way floorstanding loudspeaker with built-in Dolby Atmos |
| WEIGHT | 21kg |
| DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) | 303 x 1,053 x 388mm |
| FEATURES | • 1x 25mm TNF Al/Mg inverted dome tweeter • 1x 165mm slate fiber midrange driver • 2x 165mm slate fiber bass drivers • Quoted sensitivity: 91dB/1W/1m |
| DISTRIBUTOR | Focal-JMlab UK Ltd. |
| TELEPHONE | 0845 6602680 |
| WEBSITE | focal.com/uk |
Practice and Compatibility
Amplifier Compatibility: The Chora 826 requires relatively modest power, but the amp should handle impedance swings.
- Voltage: 11.4 V
- Impedance Delta: 2.9 – 11 Ω
- Current Need: 3.8 A
Room Acoustics and Placement
Aim the speakers toward the listener and experiment with vertical orientation—even without a dedicated stand:
- Listening distance: roughly 1 m to 5 m
- Distance from wall: around 0 m to 1.5 m
- Reverberation time: about 0.2 s to 0.8 s
Rating
- Naturalness: 9/10
- Detail Resolution: 10/10
- Dynamic Range: 8/10
- Bass Quality: 7/10
- Imaging: 10/10
Comment: These speakers have a gently relaxed character, yet they offer remarkable transparency and a silky resolution that outperforms their price class. They sound smooth, balanced, and work well with all types of music. However, some effort is needed to achieve ideal placement and toe-in.
Additional Scores
- Measurements: 7/10
- Practicality: 5/10
- Build Quality: 7/10
Test Verdict
- Sound: 8/10 (originally 58 on a ~70 scale, described as “Absolute top class”)
- Overall Score: 8/10 (originally 77 on a ~100 scale)
- Price/Performance: Outstanding
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Review: Focal Chora 826-D Floorstanding Speakers
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hello! i have the opportunity to buy the CHORA 826 or the BW 603 what would be your choice or they are really close?
thank you!
I listened the Aria 906 with Naim uniti Atom and i really loved the sound, I am looking to buy a new system and I am wondering if the chora 826 are better than Aria 906?
I also wonder if Naim uniti Atom really worth the price in comparison with Marantz PM7000N, I dont have the opportynity to listen Marantz PM7000N.
Just got my Chora 826 …Chora center,
hooked up to the Denon 8500… awesome speakers for music and movies,no regrets! ????
Great to hear that ! 😀