In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Focal. Focal Chora 816 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Chora 806 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Chora 816 and Focal Chora 806 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Chora 816 | Focal Chora 806 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" inverted dome | 1" inverted dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 6.5" Slatefiber | 6.5" Slatefiber |
|---|
| Frequency response | 50-28k Hz | 55-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89.5 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-200 watts | 25 - 120 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 18.50kg / 40.7lbs | 7.35kg / 16.2lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 39-5/8" x 12" x 15-7/8"
1007.0 x 305.0 x 404.0mm | 17" x 8.25" x 10.7"
431.0 x 210.0 x 270.0mm |
|---|
Chora 816 and Chora 806 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 806 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 806 |
| 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.)
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 Chora 816 is a 3-way design whereas the Chora 806 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 Chora 816Focal Chora 806
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 816 |
Focal Chora 806 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
1 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 806 features a 1" TNV2 AI/Mg inverted dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Slatefiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 3000Hz.
Frequency Response
Chora 816 has a frequency range of 50-28k Hz whereas Chora 806 has a frequency range of 55-28k 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 806's min frequency of 58Hz.
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
Chora 816 and Chora 806 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 806's is at 89 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Focal Chora 816 a more sensitive speaker compared to Focal Chora 806, 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.
Chora 816 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas Chora 806 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 80 watts less than the Chora 816.
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
Chora 816 features Binding post type posts and Chora 806 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Focal Chora 806's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Chora 816 has a front firing port whereas Chora 806 has a rear firing ports. Focal Chora 816's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Focal Chora 806 with its rear-firing port.
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 816's and Focal Chora 806'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 806 has external dimensions of 431.0 x 210.0 x 270.0mm (17 x 8.25 x 10.7inch).
Focal Chora 816 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 95mm wider, 576mm taller and 134mm deeper than Focal Chora 806.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Focal Chora 816 and Focal Chora 806 in scale.
Comparison image of Focal Chora 816 and Focal Chora 806 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 Chora 816 is approximately 1232.2cm2 / 191.0inch2 and base area of the Focal Chora 806 is approximately 567.0cm2 / 87.9inch2. The Chora 816 requires 117% more surface area than the Chora 806 which gives it a small disadvantage 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 loudspeaker
- Base
- 4 Rubber feet
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Nuts
- 4 Screws
- 4 Washers
- Hex-key
- Grille
- User manual
What's in the Box of Focal Chora 806?
Here are the items that come with the Chora 806:
- 2 Bookshelf loudspeakers
- 2 Grilles
- 8 Self-adhesive rubber pads
- User manual