In this review, we will be comparing Kanta No.2 and XR100, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Focal and McIntosh.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Kanta No.2 and McIntosh XR100 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Focal Kanta No.2 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1.1" Hard-Dome Tweeter
- 6.5" Midrange
- 2 x 6.5" Flax Woofer
- 35-40k Hz Frequency Response
- 91 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:40-300watts
- Weight:35.09kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1118.0" x 12-5/8" x 18-3/4"( 1118.0 x 321.0 x 477.0mm )
McIntosh XR100 Key Specs
- 4-way Design
- 2" dome (x2) Tweeter
- 0.75" Super Tweeter
- 2.0" Midrange
- 4 x 6.0" Polypropylene Woofer
- 2.0" Midrange
- 30-45k Hz Frequency Response
- 87 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:75-600watts
- Weight:31.14kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1266.0" x 11-5/8" x 17"( 1266.0 x 296.0 x 432.0mm )
What size room are the Focal Kanta No.2 and McIntosh XR100 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 Kanta No.2 |
McIntosh XR100 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Good |
(* 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 Kanta No.2 and McIntosh XR100 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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through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Kanta No.2 is a 3-way design whereas the XR100 is a 4-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 Kanta No.2 |
McIntosh XR100 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
4-way
|
|
Super Tweeter
|
- |
0.75-inch |
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
2-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
8 x 2.0-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
4 x 6.0-inch
|
Kanta No.2 features a 1.1" IAL3 Beryllium Hard-Dome Tweeter , a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Flax Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 260 Hz - 2700 Hz. On the other hand, the XR100 features a 2" titanium tweeter with neodymium-iron-boron alloy magnet dome (x2) Tweeter , a 0.75" Supertweeter , a 2.0" Midrange and 4 x 6.0" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz, 2000kHZ and 8000kHZ.
Frequency Response
Kanta No.2 has a frequency range of 35-40k Hz whereas XR100 has a frequency range of 30-45k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the XR100 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Kanta No.2's min frequency of 35Hz.
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
Kanta No.2 and XR100 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Kanta No.2 sensitivity is rated at 91 dB and the XR100's is at 87 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Focal Kanta No.2 a more sensitive speaker compared to McIntosh XR100, 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.
Kanta No.2 can handle a max power of 600 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Kanta No.2 has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS , 300 watts less than the XR100.
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
XR100 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Kanta No.2 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Focal Kanta No.2's Binding post terminals
McIntosh XR100's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Kanta No.2 has a Front firing port whereas XR100 has a rear firing ports.
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 Kanta No.2's and McIntosh XR100's external dimensions. Focal Kanta No.2 has external dimensions of 1118.0 x 321.0 x 477.0mm ( 44inch x 12-5/8inch x 18-3/4inch ) whereas McIntosh XR100 has external dimensions of 1266.0 x 296.0 x 432.0mm ( 49-13/16 x 11-5/8 x 17inch) .
McIntosh XR100 is 25mm narrower and 45mm less deeper than Focal Kanta No.2 but it is also 148mm taller.
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 Kanta No.2 is approximately 1531.2cm2 / 237.3inch2 and base area of the McIntosh XR100 is approximately 1278.7cm2 / 198.2inch2. The Kanta No.2 requires 20% more surface area than the XR100 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.