In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by Focal. Focal Chora 816 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Chora Center is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Chora 816 and Focal Chora Center first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Focal Chora 816 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" inverted dome Tweeter
- 6.5" Midrange
- 6.5" Slatefiber Woofer
- 50-28k Hz Frequency Response
- 89.5 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:40-200watts
- Weight:18.50kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1007.0" x 12" x 15-7/8"( 1007.0 x 305.0 x 404.0mm )
Focal Chora Center Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" inverted dome Tweeter
- 2 x 6.5" Slatefiber Woofer
- 59-28k Hz Frequency Response
- 91 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:40-200watts
- Weight:8.91kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 212.0" x 20-7/8" x 10-11/16"( 212.0 x 531.0 x 272.0mm )
Chora 816 and Chora Center are members of Focal's Chora series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Focal Chora Series History
What size room are the Focal Chora 816 and Focal Chora Center 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 816 |
Focal Chora Center |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Focal Chora 816 and Focal Chora Center compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Chora 816 is a 3-way design whereas the Chora Center 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.
| Driver |
Focal Chora 816 |
Focal Chora Center |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
Chora 816 features a 1" TNF Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter , a 6.5" Midrange and 1 x 6.5" Slatefiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 270Hz and 2700Hz. On the other hand, the Chora Center features a 1" TNF aluminum/magnesium inverted dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Slatefiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2100Hz.
Frequency Response
Chora 816 has a frequency range of 50-28k Hz whereas Chora Center has a frequency range of 59-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 50Hz, the Chora 816 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Chora Center's min frequency of 59Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Chora 816 and Chora Center have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Chora 816 sensitivity is rated at 89.5 dB and the Chora Center's is at 91 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Focal Chora Center a more sensitive speaker compared to Focal Chora 816, 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. While using an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Chora 816 and Chora Center has the same power range of 40-200 watts.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Chora 816 features Binding post type posts and Chora Center has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Focal Chora Center's Binding post terminals
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become 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 816's and Focal Chora Center's external dimensions. Focal Chora 816 has external dimensions of 1007.0 x 305.0 x 404.0mm ( 39-5/8 x 12 x 15-7/8inch) whereas 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) .
Focal Chora Center is 795mm shorter and 132mm less deeper than Focal Chora 816 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 816 is approximately 1232.2cm2 / 191.0inch2 and base area of the Focal Chora Center is approximately 1444.3cm2 / 223.9inch2. The Chora 816 requires 15% less surface area than the Chora Center which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Focal Chora 816?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Chora 816:
Floorstanding loudspeakerBase4 Rubber feet4 Spike feet4 Nuts4 Screws4 WashersHex-keyGrilleUser manual
What's in the Box of Focal Chora Center?
Here are the items that come with the Chora Center:
Center-channel loudspeaker 2 Grilles Rubber foot 4 Self-adhesive rubber pads User manual
Driver Setup 
Minimum Impedance 
Low Frequency Response 
Base Surface Area 
Sensitivity 
Height 
Price per pair*