In this review, we will be comparing Vestia No3 and Borea BR07, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Focal and Triangle.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Vestia No3 and Triangle Borea BR07 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Vestia No3 | Triangle Borea BR07 |
|---|
| Brand | Focal
France · founded 1979 | Triangle
France · founded 1980 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" inverted dome | 1" Break_in |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | 6" |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 6.5" Slatefiber | 6" fiberglass |
|---|
| Frequency response | 42-30k Hz | 44 - 22k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 91 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-300 watts | up to 120 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 26.50kg / 58.3lbs | 16.92kg / 37.2lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44-1/8" x 10-1/8" x 14-3/4"
1121.0 x 258.0 x 375.0mm | 38.5" x 8.1" x 12.3"
980.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Focal Vestia No3 and Triangle Borea BR07 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 No3 |
Triangle Borea BR07 |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
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
Both Vestia No3 and Borea BR07 are 3-way speakers.
Focal Vestia No3Triangle Borea BR07
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 No3 |
Triangle Borea BR07 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
1 x 6-inch |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
1 x 6-inch
|
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. On the other hand, the Borea BR07 features a 1" silk Break_in Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 1 x 6" fiberglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350Hz and 3500Hz.
Frequency Response
Vestia No3 has a frequency range of 42-30k Hz whereas Borea BR07 has a frequency range of 44 - 22k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 42Hz, the Vestia No3 can go slightly deeper then the Borea BR07's min frequency of 44Hz.
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
Vestia No3 and Borea BR07 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Vestia No3 sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Borea BR07's is at 91 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Focal Vestia No3 a more sensitive speaker compared to Triangle Borea BR07, 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.
Vestia No3 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Borea BR07 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 180 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
Both Vestia No3 and Borea BR07 have front firing ports. front ported speakers offers more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls&surfaces compared to rear ported speakers.
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 No3's and Triangle Borea BR07's external dimensions. 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) whereas Triangle Borea BR07 has external dimensions of 980.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm (38.5 x 8.1 x 12.3inch).
Focal Vestia No3 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 52mm wider, 141mm taller and 61mm deeper than Triangle Borea BR07.
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 No3 is approximately 967.5cm2 / 150.0inch2 and base area of the Triangle Borea BR07 is approximately 646.8cm2 / 100.3inch2. The Vestia No3 requires 50% more surface area than the Borea BR07 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Focal Vestia No3 weighs 26.50kg / 58.3lbs and the Triangle Borea BR07 weighs 16.92kg / 37.2lbs. This makes the Vestia No3 57% heavier than the Borea BR07.
Here is a comparison of how Vestia No3 and Borea BR07's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Triangle Borea BR07?
Here are the items that come with the Borea BR07:
- 2 x Borea speakers
- 2 x protections grids
- 2 x pedestals
- 8 x screws
- 8 x adhesive rubber plots
- 8 x decoupling spikes
- 1 x user manual
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
120 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
91 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
42 Hz
vs
44 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
30k Hz
vs
22k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Minimum Impedance |
5 ohms
vs
2.9 ohms
|
Very low impedance levels puts more pressure on amplifier |
 Height |
980mm
vs
1121mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
646cm2
vs
967cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1200USD
vs
3598USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Focal Vestia No3 |
Triangle Borea BR07 |
| Brand |
Focal |
Triangle |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
40-300 watts |
up to 120 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
91 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
2.9 ohms |
5 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
42-30k Hz |
44 - 22k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Slatefiber |
fiberglass |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
n/a |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
inverted dome |
Break_in |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
6" |
| Crossover Frequency |
280Hz and 3100Hz |
350Hz and 3500Hz |
| Firing Direction |
front |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1121.0mm (44.1") |
980.0mm (38.6") |
| Width |
258.0mm (10.2") |
206.0mm (8.1") |
| Depth |
375.0mm (14.8") |
314.0mm (12.4") |
| Weight |
26.50kg (58.3lbs) |
16.92kg (37.2lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF |
n/a |
| Available Colors |
Black High Gloss, Dark Wood, Light Wood |
Light Oak, Walnut, Black, White |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Focal Vestia No3 costs roughly 3x what Triangle Borea BR07 does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (42Hz vs 44Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (92dB vs 91dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | A | Focal Vestia No3 takes more power (300W vs 120W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Triangle Borea BR07 is easier to place; Focal Vestia No3 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | Neither adds bi-amping, a sub output or height drivers. Triangle Borea BR07 sits in a wider range (11 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | Triangle Borea BR07 is cheaper - $1,200 against $3,598, about 67% less; arguably a different class. |
A Focal Vestia No3 B Triangle Borea BR07
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Focal Vestia No3 is ahead, but only on 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 3x the price. That is a lot of money for a narrow margin on paper - Triangle Borea BR07 looks like the sensible buy unless something else about the Focal Vestia No3 appeals to you. Match it to your room: we rate Focal Vestia No3 the better fit for a very large room, and Triangle Borea BR07 for a mid-size room. In a large or open-plan room, Focal Vestia No3 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Triangle Borea BR07 is the easier speaker to get right.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.