In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Focal. Focal Theva No3 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Theva No1 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Theva No3 and Focal Theva No1 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Theva No3 | Focal Theva No1 |
|---|
| 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 | 6.5" Slatefiber |
|---|
| Frequency response | 48-28kHz | 58-28kHz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 91 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-250 watts | 25-120 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 20.00kg / 44lbs | 6.82kg / 15lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 39" x 8-3/8" x 15-1/4"
991.0 x 213.0 x 388.0mm | 15-3/8" x 8-3/8" x 10-1/4"
391.0 x 213.0 x 261.0mm |
|---|
Theva No3 and Theva No1 are members of Focal's Theva series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Focal Theva Series
History
What size room are the Focal Theva No3 and Focal Theva No1 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 Theva No3 |
Focal Theva No1 |
| 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.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Theva No3 is a 3-way design whereas the Theva No1 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 Theva No3Focal Theva No1
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 Theva No3 |
Focal Theva No1 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
Theva No3 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 270 Hz - 2700 Hz. On the other hand, the Theva No1 features a 1" TNF Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Slatefiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 3000 Hz.
Frequency Response
Theva No3 has a frequency range of 48-28kHz whereas Theva No1 has a frequency range of 58-28kHz. With a minimum frequency of 48Hz, the Theva No3 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Theva No1'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
Theva No3 and Theva No1 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Theva No3 sensitivity is rated at 91 dB and the Theva No1's is at 89 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Focal Theva No3 a more sensitive speaker compared to Focal Theva No1, 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.
Theva No3 can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Theva No1 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 130 watts less than the Theva No3.
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
Theva No1 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Theva No3 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Focal Theva No1's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Theva No3 and Theva No1 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
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 Theva No3's and Focal Theva No1's external dimensions. Focal Theva No3 has external dimensions of 991.0 x 213.0 x 388.0mm (39 x 83/8 x 151/4) whereas Focal Theva No1 has external dimensions of 391.0 x 213.0 x 261.0mm (153/8 x 83/8 x 101/4).
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 Theva No3 is approximately 826.4cm2 / 128.1inch2 and base area of the Focal Theva No1 is approximately 555.9cm2 / 86.2inch2. The Theva No3 requires 49% more surface area than the Theva No1 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.