In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Focal. Focal Chora 826-D 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 826-D and Focal Chora Center first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Chora 826-D | Focal Chora Center |
|---|
| 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 | 2 x 6.5" Slatefiber | 2 x 6.5" Slatefiber |
|---|
| Frequency response | 48-28k Hz | 59-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 91 dB | 91 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-250 watts | 40-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 22.20kg / 48.8lbs | 8.91kg / 19.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 41-7/16" x 12" x 16-1/2"
1053.0 x 305.0 x 420.0mm | 8-5/16" x 20-7/8" x 10-11/16"
212.0 x 531.0 x 272.0mm |
|---|
Chora 826-D 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 826-D 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 826-D |
Focal Chora Center |
| 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.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Chora 826-D 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.
Focal Chora 826-DFocal Chora Center
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 826-D |
Focal Chora Center |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
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. 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 826-D has a frequency range of 48-28k Hz whereas Chora Center has a frequency range of 59-28k 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 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 826-D and Chora Center have the same Impedance of 8 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 91 dB.
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 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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Chora 826-D 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 826-D's Binding post terminals
Focal Chora Center'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 826-D's and Focal Chora Center's external dimensions. 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) 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 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 826-D is approximately 1281.0cm2 / 198.6inch2 and base area of the Focal Chora Center is approximately 1444.3cm2 / 223.9inch2. The Chora 826-D requires 11% 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 826-D?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of 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
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