In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Focal. Focal Vestia Center is a Center Channel speaker whereas the Vestia No3 is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Vestia Center and Focal Vestia No3 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Vestia Center | Focal Vestia No3 |
|---|
| Brand | Focal
France · founded 1979 | Focal
France · founded 1979 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" inverted dome | 1" inverted dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Slatefiber | 3 x 6.5" Slatefiber |
|---|
| Frequency response | 58-30k Hz | 42-30k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 91.5 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-200 watts | 40-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 10.00kg / 22lbs | 26.50kg / 58.3lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 8-1/2" x 21-1/8" x 10-1/4"
216.0 x 537.0 x 261.0mm | 44-1/8" x 10-1/8" x 14-3/4"
1121.0 x 258.0 x 375.0mm |
|---|
Vestia Center and Vestia No3 are members of Focal's Vestia series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Focal Vestia Series
History
What size room are the Focal Vestia Center and Focal Vestia No3 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 Vestia Center |
Focal Vestia No3 |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
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.)
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 Vestia Center is a 2-way design whereas the Vestia No3 is a 3-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 Vestia CenterFocal Vestia No3
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 Vestia Center |
Focal Vestia No3 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
Vestia Center features a 1" Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Slatefiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2700Hz. On the other hand, the Vestia No3 features a 1" Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 3 x 6.5" Slatefiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 280Hz and 3100Hz.
Frequency Response
Vestia Center has a frequency range of 58-30k Hz whereas Vestia No3 has a frequency range of 42-30k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 42Hz, the Vestia No3 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Vestia Center'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 Center Channel class in our database.
Low Frequency
Center Channel 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
Vestia Center and Vestia No3 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Vestia Center sensitivity is rated at 91.5 dB and the Vestia No3's is at 92 dB.
Sensitivity
Center Channel 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.
Vestia No3 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Vestia Center has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Vestia 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.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Vestia Center has a rear firing port whereas Vestia No3 has a front firing ports. Focal Vestia No3's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Focal Vestia Center 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 Vestia Center's and Focal Vestia No3's external dimensions. Focal Vestia Center has external dimensions of 216.0 x 537.0 x 261.0mm (8-1/2-inch x 21-1/8-inch x 10-1/4-inch) whereas Focal Vestia No3 has external dimensions of 1121.0 x 258.0 x 375.0mm (44-1/8-inch x 10-1/8-inch x 14-3/4-inch).
Focal Vestia Center is 905mm shorter and 114mm less deeper than Focal Vestia No3 but it is also 279mm 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 Vestia Center is approximately 1401.6cm2 / 217.2inch2 and base area of the Focal Vestia No3 is approximately 967.5cm2 / 150.0inch2. The Vestia Center requires 45% more surface area than the Vestia No3 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.