In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Focal. Focal Aria CC 900 is a Center Channel speaker whereas the Aria 936 is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Aria CC 900 and Focal Aria 936 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Aria CC 900 | Focal Aria 936 |
|---|
| Brand | Focal
France · founded 1979 | Focal
France · founded 1979 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" inverted dome | 1" inverted dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" flax/fiberglass | 3 x 6.5" Flax |
|---|
| Frequency response | 57-28k Hz | 39-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 91 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-200 watts | 50-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 10.45kg / 23lbs | 29.09kg / 64lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 7-15/16" x 20-15/16" x 11-3/16"
202.0 x 532.0 x 285.0mm | 45-3/16" x 11-9/16" x 14-11/16"
1148.0 x 294.0 x 374.0mm |
|---|
Aria CC 900 and Aria 936 are members of Focal's Aria series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Focal Aria Series
History
What size room are the Focal Aria CC 900 and Focal Aria 936 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Focal Aria CC 900 |
Focal Aria 936 |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Aria CC 900 is a 2-way design whereas the Aria 936 is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Focal Aria CC 900Focal Aria 936
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Focal Aria CC 900 |
Focal Aria 936 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
Aria CC 900 features a 1" TNF aluminum/magnesium inverted dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" flax/fiberglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2800Hz. On the other hand, the Aria 936 features a 1" TNF Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 3 x 6.5" Flax Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 260Hz and 3,100Hz.
Frequency Response
Aria CC 900 has a frequency range of 57-28k Hz whereas Aria 936 has a frequency range of 39-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 39Hz, the Aria 936 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Aria CC 900's min frequency of 57Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Center Channel class in our database.
Low Frequency
Center Channel Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Aria CC 900 and Aria 936 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Aria CC 900 sensitivity is rated at 91 dB and the Aria 936's is at 92 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Focal Aria 936 a more sensitive speaker compared to Focal Aria CC 900, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Center Channel Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Aria 936 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Aria CC 900 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Aria 936.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Aria CC 900 features Binding post type posts and Aria 936 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Focal Aria CC 900's and Focal Aria 936's external dimensions. Focal Aria CC 900 has external dimensions of 202.0 x 532.0 x 285.0mm (7-15/16 x 20-15/16 x 11-3/16inch) whereas Focal Aria 936 has external dimensions of 1148.0 x 294.0 x 374.0mm (45-3/16 x 11-9/16 x 14-11/16inch).
Focal Aria CC 900 is 946mm shorter and 89mm less deeper than Focal Aria 936 but it is also 238mm wider.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Focal Aria CC 900 is approximately 1516.2cm2 / 235.0inch2 and base area of the Focal Aria 936 is approximately 1099.6cm2 / 170.4inch2. The Aria CC 900 requires 38% more surface area than the Aria 936 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Focal Aria CC 900?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Aria CC 900:
- Center-channel loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Rubber feet
- User Manual
What's in the Box of Focal Aria 936?
Here are the items that come with the Aria 936:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- Base
- 4 Spike feet (pre-installed in base)
- 4 Plastic feet
- 4 Screws
- Allen-key
- Hex-tool
- User Manual