In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Focal. Focal Aria K2 936K2 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Aria 906 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Aria K2 936K2 and Focal Aria 906 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Aria K2 936K2 | Focal Aria 906 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" inverted dome | 1" Inverted Hard Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 6.5" K2 aramid fiber/fiberglass | 6.5" Flax |
|---|
| Frequency response | 39-28k Hz | 55-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 89.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-300 watts | 25-120 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 29.09kg / 64lbs | 8.64kg / 19lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 45-3/16" x 11-9/16" x 14-11/16"
1148.0 x 294.0 x 374.0mm | 15-3/8" x 8-15/16" x 11-5/16"
391.0 x 228.0 x 288.0mm |
|---|
Aria K2 936K2 and Aria 906 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 K2 936K2 and Focal Aria 906 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 K2 936K2 |
Focal Aria 906 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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 K2 936K2 is a 3-way design whereas the Aria 906 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 K2 936K2Focal Aria 906
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 K2 936K2 |
Focal Aria 906 |
|
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 K2 936K2 features a 1" aluminum/magnesium with waveguide inverted dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 3 x 6.5" K2 aramid fiber/fiberglass Woofer. On the other hand, the Aria 906 features a 1" TNF aluminum/magnesium Inverted Hard Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Flax Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2800Hz.
Frequency Response
Aria K2 936K2 has a frequency range of 39-28k Hz whereas Aria 906 has a frequency range of 55-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 39Hz, the Aria K2 936K2 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Aria 906'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 K2 936K2 and Aria 906 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Aria K2 936K2 sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Aria 906's is at 89.5 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Focal Aria K2 936K2 a more sensitive speaker compared to Focal Aria 906, 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 K2 936K2 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Aria 906 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 180 watts less than the Aria K2 936K2.
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 K2 936K2 features Binding post type posts and Aria 906 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Focal Aria K2 936K2's Binding post terminals
Focal Aria 906's Binding post terminals
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 K2 936K2's and Focal Aria 906's external dimensions. Focal Aria K2 936K2 has external dimensions of 1148.0 x 294.0 x 374.0mm (45-3/16 x 11-9/16 x 14-11/16inch) whereas Focal Aria 906 has external dimensions of 391.0 x 228.0 x 288.0mm (15-3/8 x 8-15/16 x 11-5/16inch).
Focal Aria K2 936K2 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 66mm wider, 757mm taller and 86mm deeper than Focal Aria 906.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Focal Aria K2 936K2 and Focal Aria 906 in scale.
Comparison image of Focal Aria K2 936K2 and Focal Aria 906 Size and External Dimensions
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 K2 936K2 is approximately 1099.6cm2 / 170.4inch2 and base area of the Focal Aria 906 is approximately 656.6cm2 / 101.8inch2. The Aria K2 936K2 requires 67% more surface area than the Aria 906 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Focal Aria K2 936K2?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Aria K2 936K2:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- Base
- 4 Spike feet (pre-installed in base)
- 4 Plastic feet
- 4 Screws
- Allen-key
- Hex-tool
- User Manual
What's in the Box of Focal Aria 906?
Here are the items that come with the Aria 906:
- 2 Bookshelf loudspeakers
- 2 Cloth grilles
- User manual