In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by Focal. Focal Kanta No.3 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Kanta Center is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Kanta No.3 and Focal Kanta Center first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Kanta No.3 and Kanta Center are members of Focal's Kanta series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Focal Kanta Series History
What size room are the Focal Kanta No.3 and Focal Kanta 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:
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Focal Kanta No.3 and Focal Kanta 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 Kanta No.3 is a 3-way design whereas the Kanta 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 Kanta No.3 |
Focal Kanta Center |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
Kanta No.3 features a 1.1" IAL3 Beryllium Hard-Dome Tweeter , a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8" Flax Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 250 Hz - 2500 Hz. On the other hand, the Kanta Center features a 1.1" IAL3 Beryllium Hard-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" flax cone with TMD (Tuned Mass Damping) suspension Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2400 Hz.
Frequency Response
Kanta No.3 has a frequency range of 33-40k Hz whereas Kanta Center has a frequency range of 55-44k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 33Hz, the Kanta No.3 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Kanta Center's min frequency of 55Hz.
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.3 and Kanta Center have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Kanta No.3 sensitivity is rated at 91 dB and the Kanta Center's is at 92 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Focal Kanta Center a more sensitive speaker compared to Focal Kanta No.3, 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.3 can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Kanta Center has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 200 watts less than the Kanta No.3.
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
Kanta No.3 features Binding post type posts and Kanta Center has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Focal Kanta Center's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Kanta No.3 has a Front firing port whereas Kanta Center 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.3's and Focal Kanta Center's external dimensions. Focal Kanta No.3 has external dimensions of 1280.0 x 386.0 x 521.0mm ( 50-3/8inch x 15-3/16inch x 20-1/2inch ) whereas Focal Kanta Center has external dimensions of 247.0 x 562.0 x 394.0mm ( 9-11/16inch x 22-1/8inch x 15-1/2inch ) .
Focal Kanta Center is 1033mm shorter and 127mm less deeper than Focal Kanta No.3 but it is also 176mm 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 Kanta No.3 is approximately 2011.1cm2 / 311.7inch2 and base area of the Focal Kanta Center is approximately 2214.3cm2 / 343.2inch2. The Kanta No.3 requires 9% less surface area than the Kanta Center which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Focal Kanta No.3?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Kanta No.3:
Floorstanding loudspeakerLarge grilleSmall grilleOutrigger feet4 Spikes4 Protective discsUser Manual
What's in the Box of Focal Kanta Center?
Here are the items that come with the Kanta Center:
Center-channel loudspeaker2 Grilles4 Slicone padsUser Manual