The Road to Utopia

FOCAL CHORA 826-D SPEAKER SYSTEM

- Al Griffin

SOME MAY see France’s Focal as a maker of $100,000-plus speakers and $4,000 headphones. But while the company does maintain a high profile in the high-end through products like its Utopia towers, the reality is that Focal makes speakers— and headphones—that cover a wide range of price points. It’s been nearly ten years since Sound & Vision reviewed a full-scale Focal home theater speaker system—a $25,000 rig with beryllium tweeters. This time out we’re looking at the company’s affordable new Chora series, a lineup that notably includes speakers with upfiring drivers to handle Atmos and other immersive formats.