Authorized dealers for Focal Kanta N°1

The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
110Hz — online and in-store — Kielce, Województwo świętokrzyskie, Poland (website)
A Tube High Fidelity — online and in-store — Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands (website)
A/V Solutions — in-store — Pleasanton, California, United States (website)
Abt Electronics — online and in-store — Glenview, Illinois, United States (website)
Accent On Music — in-store — Mount Kisco, New York, United States (website)
Accessories 4 less — online and in-store — Apopka, Florida, United States (website)
Acoustic Designs Inc. — in-store — Scottsdale, Arizona, United States (website)
Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
Acoustic Streams — in-store — Lower Drift, England, United Kingdom (website)

and 383 more verified dealers

Focal Kanta N°1

Name: Focal Kanta N°1
Brand: Focal
SKU: kanta-n1
Rating: 92 (12 reviews)

View at Focal

Specifications 11 reviews & sources

92/100

Deliciously Crispy

Sound Quality

92/100

Build Quality

93/100

Value for Money

89/100

The Kanta N°1 turns a compact standmount into a holographic soundstage, pairing lucid vocals and finely etched detail with fast, refined beryllium treble. SoundStage Solo admired its cabinet-disappearing spatiality, while HiFi News found its smooth, rhythmically agile balance deeply involving. Elegant finishes and a revealing, natural midrange seal its premium appeal.

Pros

Exceptionally expansive, deep imaging with sharply focused and detached instrumental placement.

Open, transparent and refined presentation, with natural vocals, clear low-level detail and agile treble.

High-quality, stylish cabinet and a broad choice of eye-catching finishes.

Cons

Deep-bass extension is limited, with little output below roughly 40Hz compared with larger speakers.

Heavy bass material at very high volumes can sound dynamically compressed or flattened.

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What Reviewers Are Saying

"Musically speaking, the Kanta No1s had vanished."

— SoundStage Solo

"Its mixture of smoothness, insight and rhythmic dexterity makes it an essential audition for any audiophile looking for an able all-rounder for duty in a bijou listening space."

— HiFi News

"These are the most neutral-sounding Focal speakers I’ve heard."

— Audiophilepure

"The result is a bouncy, musical and engaging sound that’s nevertheless couth and refined."

— HiFi Choice

"This track can really sound like a dog’s dinner through some speakers, yet here it sounded completely at ease."

— Audiophilepure

SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100

Reviewers consistently describe an unusually transparent, smooth and revealing standmount, combining lively rhythmic drive with a more neutral balance than many previous Focal designs. Its principal limitation is ultimate low-bass reach and high-level headroom, but it excels at spacious imaging, tonal clarity and musical engagement in a suitably sized room.

Bass

87/100

The 6.5-inch driver delivers fulsome, dry and supple bass with clearly articulated attack and an appealing touch of upper-bass warmth. Reviewers agree that the deepest octave is absent, however, and the speaker can lose composure or sound dynamically constrained when asked for very high volume and heavy bass output.

Mid

94/100

The midrange is repeatedly praised for its natural instrumental tone, clean and accurate vocal timbre, and plentiful low-level detail. Reviewers found complex arrangements easy to follow, with percussion, voices and acoustic instruments rendered smoothly and convincingly.

Treble

92/100

The beryllium tweeter is admired for its speed, detail and sense of propulsion, giving beat-driven music a notably agile presentation. Although the speaker retains some of Focal's familiar liveliness, reviewers found its highs more refined and less overtly tipped-up than earlier designs, with cymbals sounding metallic rather than grating.

Soundstage Imaging

96/100

Imaging is a major strength: reviewers describe precise placement, tightly focused vocals and a convincing ability to disappear from the room. The stage is reported as broad and exceptionally deep, with holographic, detached images that can seem to extend well behind the speakers.

Dynamics

89/100

The Kanta N°1 has strong rhythmic snap, crisp note starts and convincing tracking of small dynamic shifts. Several listeners noted some compression or flattening at very high levels, though another found it remained clear and composed at high volume, so its limits appear dependent on programme material and demands.

Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.

Build Quality

93/100

Reviewers praise the Kanta N°1 as attractive, substantial and very well finished, with elegant modern styling that feels appropriate to a luxury standmount. Commentary also highlights the well-engineered cabinet, high-quality drive units and carefully specified crossover components.

Value for Money

89/100

At roughly $4,299-$5,499 per pair, the Kanta N°1 is undeniably a premium-priced standmount and one reviewer calls its positioning awkwardly close to more rarefied high-end competition. Yet SoundStage considered $5,999 per pair not outrageous for what it delivers and named it a first-choice top-flight two-way minimonitor, supporting its case against similarly ambitious peers.

Reviews & Sources

Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.

Forum Mentions

No forum mentions found yet

Specifications

Design: Height : 422 mm / 16.61 in Width : 234 mm / 9.29 in Depth : 391 mm / 15.39 in
Sound - Acoustics: Product type : Bass reflex 2-way library speaker Membrane : Flax Medium : 6.5" (16.5cm) Flax midbass drivers with TMD suspension and magnet Tweeter : 11/16" (27mm) ‘IAL3’ pure Beryllium inverted dome tweeter Response at - 6dB (Low frequency point) : 42 Hz Frequency response (+/- 3dB) : 46 Hz - 40 kHz Minimum impedance : 3.9 Ω Nominal Impedance : 8 Ω Recommended amplifier power : 25 - 150 W Sensitivity : 88 dB
Included Accessories: Counter points : Counter spikes x4 already mounted Grilles : Magnetic grille Points : Spikes x4

Manufacturer's Description — Focal

2-way bookshelf speaker

With its modern, compact look, Kanta N°1 fits easily into all types of spaces, whether it's presented on a piece of furniture or on a stand. It uses a combination of exclusive Focal technologies to deliver excellent sound performance, with warmth, musicality and depth.

FLAX AND BERYLLIUM COMBINATION

For the first time with Kanta, a Flax (French linen) cone driver has been combined with a Beryllium tweeter in a Focal loudspeaker! Flax brings clarity and precision to the sound; Beryllium offers incredible treble finesse.

MODERN FINISHES

Mat fronts (Black, Ivory, White) are combined with Black High Gloss, White High Gloss or Walnut High Gloss bodies, offering a wide choice of contemporary combinations. Sophisticated, the Matte effect "absorbs" light rather than reflecting it, creating a refined contrast with varnishes.

FOR SOUND AND DESIGN

Thanks to Focus Time, all the loudspeakers are at the same distance from the ear. The modern, disruptive character of the loudspeaker is underlined by a one-piece molded wood rear shell, a Zamak base, a glass plate, discreet magnetic fabric holders...

ENHANCE YOUR LOUDSPEAKERS

STAND FOR KANTA N°1

Optional feet (height adjustable from 61.5 to 64.1 cm) in matt black aluminum are available for Kanta N°1 bookshelf speakers. These are attached to the base to prevent vibration and ensure optimum stability (decoupling spikes and glides supplied).

Verified Dealers

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Authorized dealers for Focal Kanta N°1

The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
110Hz — online and in-store — Kielce, Województwo świętokrzyskie, Poland (website)
A Tube High Fidelity — online and in-store — Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands (website)
A/V Solutions — in-store — Pleasanton, California, United States (website)
Abt Electronics — online and in-store — Glenview, Illinois, United States (website)
Accent On Music — in-store — Mount Kisco, New York, United States (website)
Accessories 4 less — online and in-store — Apopka, Florida, United States (website)
Acoustic Designs Inc. — in-store — Scottsdale, Arizona, United States (website)
Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
Acoustic Streams — in-store — Lower Drift, England, United Kingdom (website)

and 383 more verified dealers

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Authorized dealers for Focal Kanta N°1

Focal Kanta N°1

Reviews & Sources

Forum Mentions

Specifications

Manufacturer's Description — Focal

2-way bookshelf speaker

FLAX AND BERYLLIUM COMBINATION

MODERN FINISHES

FOR SOUND AND DESIGN

ENHANCE YOUR LOUDSPEAKERS

STAND FOR KANTA N°1

Authorized dealers for Focal Kanta N°1

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