In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Focal. Focal Aria Evo X No3 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Aria Evo X No1 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Aria Evo X No3 and Focal Aria Evo X No1 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Aria Evo X No3 | Focal Aria Evo X No1 |
|---|
| Brand | Focal
France · founded 1979 | Focal
France · founded 1979 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" inverted dome | 1" inverted dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 6.5" Flax | 6.5" Flax |
|---|
| Frequency response | 39-30kHz | 55-30kHz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 89.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-300 watts | 25-120 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 29.00kg / 63.8lbs | 8.50kg / 18.7lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 45-1/4" x 11-5/8" x 14-5/8"
1150.0 x 295.0 x 371.0mm | 15-3/8" x 8-7/8" x 11"
391.0 x 225.0 x 280.0mm |
|---|
Aria Evo X No3 and Aria Evo X No1 are members of Focal's Aria Evo X series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Focal Aria Evo X Series
History
What size room are the Focal Aria Evo X No3 and Focal Aria Evo X No1 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 Evo X No3 |
Focal Aria Evo X No1 |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
Poor |
(* 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.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Aria Evo X No3 is a 3-way design whereas the Aria Evo X No1 is a 2-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 Evo X No3Focal Aria Evo X No1
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 Evo X No3 |
Focal Aria Evo X No1 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
Aria Evo X No3 features a 1" Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 3 x 6.5" Flax Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 260 Hz - 3100 Hz. On the other hand, the Aria Evo X No1 features a 1" Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Flax Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2800 Hz.
Frequency Response
Aria Evo X No3 has a frequency range of 39-30kHz whereas Aria Evo X No1 has a frequency range of 55-30kHz. With a minimum frequency of 39Hz, the Aria Evo X No3 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Aria Evo X No1's min frequency of 55Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing 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 Evo X No3 and Aria Evo X No1 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Aria Evo X No3 sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Aria Evo X No1's is at 89.5 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Focal Aria Evo X No3 a more sensitive speaker compared to Focal Aria Evo X No1, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing 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 Evo X No3 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Aria Evo X No1 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 180 watts less than the Aria Evo X No3.
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 Evo X No1 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Aria Evo X No3 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Focal Aria Evo X No3's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Aria Evo X No3 and Aria Evo X No1 have front firing ports. front ported speakers offers more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls&surfaces compared to rear ported speakers.
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 Evo X No3's and Focal Aria Evo X No1's external dimensions. Focal Aria Evo X No3 has external dimensions of 1150.0 x 295.0 x 371.0mm (45-¼ x 11-5/8 x 14-⅝) whereas Focal Aria Evo X No1 has external dimensions of 391.0 x 225.0 x 280.0mm (15-3/8 x 8-⅞ x 11).
Focal Aria Evo X No3 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 70mm wider, 759mm taller and 91mm deeper than Focal Aria Evo X No1.
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 Evo X No3 is approximately 1094.5cm2 / 169.6inch2 and base area of the Focal Aria Evo X No1 is approximately 630.0cm2 / 97.7inch2. The Aria Evo X No3 requires 74% more surface area than the Aria Evo X No1 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.