The latest addition to Focal’s Classic Home Audio collection, the Kanta N°2 is a totally new design from the French company. By utilising many of the company’s proprietary acoustic innovations with newly-researched techniques, Focal has created a compact 3-way floor-standing speaker that combines performance with a new industrial design.

For the first time, the company has developed a loudspeaker combining its Flax sandwich cone speaker driver system with its Beryllium tweeter housed within a totally new cabinet that offers a softer approach to design

High-frequencies are reproduced by a new pure Beryllium tweeter designed and developed especially for Kanta. The IAL 3 tweeter combines the principles of the IAL (Infinite Acoustic Loading) and the IHL (Infinite Horn Loading) tweeters developed for Focal’s flagship Utopia range. Hand made in France and patented, Focal’s Flax cone has already been used in several of the company’s leading designs. By sandwiching flax fibre between two thin layers of glass fibre, Flax driver cones deliver high internal damping, high velocity of sound and high flexural rigidity.

The 1 x 6.5” (16.5cm) midrange driver is equipped with a technology which has become a must for Focal: TMD suspension (Tuned Mass Damping). All Kanta’s speaker drivers are also equipped with NIC motors (Neutral Inductance Circuit), which stabilise the magnetic field to provide definition, whilst delivering better-controlled bass via the 2 x 6.5” (16.5cm) bass drivers.

To meet the criteria of a compact design, Focal’s engineers had to reduce the volume of the bass cabinet, yet retain high-quality performance levels. This called for a new material to be utilised for the baffle, which would retain the high-levels of rigidity required, yet remain favourable to the acoustic conditions. Through research, Focal engineers discovered and developed a mono-bloc high-density polymer (HDP): a material which is capable of a significantly higher performance compared to MDF, being 70% denser, 15% more rigid, and 25% increased damping. To avoid any diffraction of the sound, the mono-bloc baffle has been worked with the resultant shape offering only smooth edges, this has been attached to the rear housing of the cabinet, which is internally braced and constructed from moulded multi-ply wood to provide greater rigidity.

Synonymous with all of Focal’s high-end designs, Kanta employs the company’s ‘Focus Time’ driver alignment technology, which positions the drivers so that all sound-waves arrive at the listener’s ears at the same time. In addition, Focal’s ‘Power Port’ technology is used, with a port on the front and one on the rear of each speaker.

To provide coupling to the floor, the Zamac base, which includes adjustable spikes, offers greater overall stability whilst still maintaining the slim cabinet profile. The last finishing touches include a glass plate on the top of the loudspeaker, and the magnetic, beret-type grilles. Once removed, they reveal the speaker drivers’ Flax cones.

Kanta meets the criteria for Focal’s core values in every aspect, with the new loudspeaker designed and crafted in France. The Flax cone sandwich, the speaker drivers and final hand-assembly are all hand-built at Focal’s manufacturing plant in Saint-Etienne, along with all other Focal Home Audio products, including the Utopia, Sopra, Electra, Aria and Chorus lines.

The finishes for Kanta N°2 allow for numerous combinations. The housing is available in a lacquered black High Gloss finish or with a Walnut veneer. The front panel is available in four different colours for each of the two finishes

With the black High Gloss housing: 4 High Gloss finishes for the front panel: Carrara White, Gauloise Blue, Solar Yellow, Black Lacquer.

With the wood veneer housing: 4 matt finishes for the front panel: Ivory, Warm Taupe, Gauloise Blue, Dark Grey.

Price: £6999 per pair

Available: October 2017