Focal Chora Center vs Focal Chora 826-D Comparison

Speaker to replace

Change

Focal Chora Center

Passive Center Channel | 59-28k Hz

Check price atAmazon›

Change

Focal Chora 826-D

Passive Floor-standing | 48-28k Hz

Check price atAmazon›

Focal Chora Center

Check price atAmazon›

Focal Chora 826-D

Check price atAmazon›

Focal Chora Center

See at AMAZON

Focal Chora 826-D

See at AMAZON

Focal Chora Center vs Focal Chora 826-D Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Focal. Focal Chora Center is a Center Channel speaker whereas the Chora 826-D is a Floor-standing speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Focal Chora Center and Focal Chora 826-D first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	Focal Chora Center	Focal Chora 826-D
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" Slatefiber	2 x 6.5" Slatefiber
Frequency response	59-28k Hz	48-28k Hz
Sensitivity	91 dB	91 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	40-200 watts	40-250 watts
Weight	8.91kg / 19.6lbs	22.20kg / 48.8lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	8-5/16" x 20-7/8" x 10-11/16" 212.0 x 531.0 x 272.0mm	41-7/16" x 12" x 16-1/2" 1053.0 x 305.0 x 420.0mm

Chora Center and Chora 826-D are members of Focal's Chora series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

Focal Chora Series History

Model	Body	Frequency	Sensitivity	Impedance	Woofer
Focal Chora 826	Floor-standing	48-28k Hz	91 dB	8Ω	2 x 6.5"
Focal Chora 806	Bookshelf	55-28k Hz	89 dB	8Ω	1 x 6.5"
Focal Chora 816	Floor-standing	50-28k Hz	89.5 dB	8Ω	1 x 6.5"
Focal Chora Center	Center Channel	59-28k Hz	91 dB	8Ω	2 x 6.5"
Focal Chora 826-D	Floor-standing	48-28k Hz	91 dB	8Ω	2 x 6.5"

What size room are the Focal Chora Center and Focal Chora 826-D 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 Chora Center	Focal Chora 826-D
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 Chora Center is a 2-way design whereas the Chora 826-D 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 Chora Center

Focal Chora 826-D

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 Chora Center	Focal Chora 826-D
Driver Setup	2-way	3-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	-	1 x 6.5-inch
Woofer	2 x 6.5-inch	2 x 6.5-inch

Chora Center features a 1" TNF aluminum/magnesium inverted dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Slatefiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2100Hz. On the other hand, the Chora 826-D features a 1" TNF Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Slatefiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 270Hz and 2700Hz.

Frequency Response

Chora Center has a frequency range of 59-28k Hz whereas Chora 826-D has a frequency range of 48-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 48Hz, the Chora 826-D can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Chora Center's min frequency of 59Hz.

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

Chora Center

Chora 826-D

Min

Average

Median

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

Chora Center and Chora 826-D have the same Impedance of 8 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 91 dB.

Sensitivity

Center Channel Speakers

Chora Center

Chora 826-D

Min

Average

Median

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.

Chora 826-D can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Chora Center has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Chora 826-D.

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.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

Focal Chora Center

Focal Chora 826-D

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Chora Center features Binding post type posts and Chora 826-D has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

Focal Chora Center's Binding post terminals

Focal Chora 826-D'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 Chora Center's and Focal Chora 826-D's external dimensions. Focal Chora Center has external dimensions of 212.0 x 531.0 x 272.0mm (8-5/16 x 20-7/8 x 10-11/16inch) whereas Focal Chora 826-D has external dimensions of 1053.0 x 305.0 x 420.0mm (41-7/16 x 12 x 16-1/2inch).

Focal Chora Center is 841mm shorter and 148mm less deeper than Focal Chora 826-D but it is also 226mm 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 Chora Center is approximately 1444.3cm² / 223.9inch² and base area of the Focal Chora 826-D is approximately 1281.0cm² / 198.6inch². The Chora Center requires 13% more surface area than the Chora 826-D which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.

What's in the Box of Focal Chora Center?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Chora Center:

Center-channel loudspeaker
2 Grilles
Rubber foot
4 Self-adhesive rubber pads
User manual

What's in the Box of Focal Chora 826-D?

Here are the items that come with the Chora 826-D:

Dolby-Atmos enabled floorstanding loudspeaker
Base
4 Rubber feet
4 Spike feet
4 Nuts
4 Screws
4 Washers
Hex-key
2 Grilles
User manual

Reasons to choose Focal Chora Center over Focal Chora 826-D

Minimum Impedance	3.8 ohms vs 2.9 ohms	Very low impedance levels puts more pressure on amplifier
Height	212mm vs 1053mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair*	789USD vs 2998USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose Focal Chora 826-D over Focal Chora Center

Max Input Power	250 watts vs 200 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Driver Setup	3-way vs 2-way	Have a dedicated mid-range driver
Low Frequency Response	48 Hz vs 59 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Dolby Atmos Drivers	Built-in 1 x 5-1/8 vs No	Dolby Atmos Compatibility
Base Surface Area	1281cm² vs 1444cm²	Takes less floor space

Focal Chora Center vs Focal Chora 826-D Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Focal Chora Center	Focal Chora 826-D
Brand	Focal	Focal
Speaker Type	Center channel speaker	Floor-standing speaker
Power Range	40-200 watts	40-250 watts
Sensitivity	91 dB	91 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Impedance	3.8 ohms	2.9 ohms
Frequency Response	59-28k Hz	48-28k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	2	2
Woofer Size	6.5"	6.5"
Woofer Composition	Slatefiber	Slatefiber
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1"
Tweeter Type	inverted dome	inverted dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	6.5"
Crossover Frequency	2100Hz	270Hz and 2700Hz
Firing Direction	n/a	front
Physical Specs
Height	212.0mm (8.3")	1053.0mm (41.5")
Width	531.0mm (20.9")	305.0mm (12")
Depth	272.0mm (10.7")	420.0mm (16.5")
Weight	8.91kg (19.6lbs)	22.20kg (48.8lbs)
Enclosure	Acoustic Suspension	Bass Reflex
Finish	n/a	MDF/Vinyl-wrap
Available Colors	Oak	Black, Dark wood, Light wood
Grille	Yes	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	n/a	No
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

Siblings in Focal's Chora series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	B	Focal Chora 826-D digs deeper - 48Hz against 59Hz.
Amplifier needs	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (91dB vs 91dB) - both want much the same power.
Headroom	B	Focal Chora 826-D takes more power (250W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	Focal Chora Center is easier to place; Focal Chora 826-D is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Type	depends	A Passive Center Channel against a Passive Floor-standing - a different job rather than a better one.
Cabinet	depends	Sealed vs Ported. Sealed is tighter and happier near a wall; ported digs lower but wants space behind it.
Expandability	B	Focal Chora 826-D: Atmos drivers.
Price	A	Focal Chora Center is cheaper - $789 against $2,998, about 74% less; arguably a different class.

A Focal Chora Center B Focal Chora 826-D
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

The usual trade-off: Focal Chora 826-D measures better, Focal Chora Center costs about about 3.8x the price% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 59Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Focal Chora Center much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate Focal Chora Center the better fit for a small room and a mid-size room, and Focal Chora 826-D for a large room and a very large room.

And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.