In this review, we will be comparing Q750 and Aria 936, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from KEF and Focal.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of KEF Q750 and Focal Aria 936 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
KEF Q750 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 11th Generation Uni-Q Driver
- 1" Dome Tweeter
- 2 x 6.5" Aluminum Woofer
- 48-28k Hz Frequency Response
- 88 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:15-150watts
- Weight:16.59kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 945.0" x 12-7/8" x 12-3/8"( 945.0 x 328.0 x 315.0mm )
Focal Aria 936 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" inverted dome Tweeter
- 6.5" Midrange
- 3 x 6.5" Flax Woofer
- 6.5" Midrange
- 39-28k Hz Frequency Response
- 92 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:50-300watts
- Weight:29.09kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1148.0" x 11-9/16" x 14-11/16"( 1148.0 x 294.0 x 374.0mm )
What size room are the KEF Q750 and Focal Aria 936 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* |
KEF Q750 |
Focal Aria 936 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
(* 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 KEF Q750 and Focal Aria 936 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 Q750 is a 2-way design whereas the Aria 936 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.
| Driver |
KEF Q750 |
Focal Aria 936 |
|
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
|
Q750 features a 1" vented aluminum Dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz. On the other hand, the Aria 936 features a 1" TNF Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter , a 6.5" Midrange and 3 x 6.5" Flax Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 260Hz and 3,100Hz.
Frequency Response
Q750 has a frequency range of 48-28k Hz whereas Aria 936 has a frequency range of 39-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 39Hz, the Aria 936 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Q750's min frequency of 48Hz.
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
Q750 and Aria 936 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Q750 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the Aria 936's is at 92 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Focal Aria 936 a more sensitive speaker compared to KEF Q750, 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.
Q750 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Q750 has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS , 150 watts less than the Aria 936.
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
Q750 features Binding post type posts and Aria 936 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
KEF Q750's Binding post terminals
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 KEF Q750's and Focal Aria 936's external dimensions. KEF Q750 has external dimensions of 945.0 x 328.0 x 315.0mm ( 37-3/16 x 12-7/8 x 12-3/8inch) whereas Focal Aria 936 has external dimensions of 1148.0 x 294.0 x 374.0mm ( 45-3/16 x 11-9/16 x 14-11/16inch) .
KEF Q750 is 203mm shorter and 59mm less deeper than Focal Aria 936 but it is also 34mm 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 KEF Q750 is approximately 1033.2cm2 / 160.1inch2 and base area of the Focal Aria 936 is approximately 1099.6cm2 / 170.4inch2. The Q750 requires 6% less surface area than the Aria 936 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.