We tested the Focal Chora 826 floorstanding speakers!

We Tested the Focal Chora 826 Floorstanding Speakers!

The French company Focal, formerly known as JMlab, was founded in 1979 by Jacques Mahul—an engineer and hi-fi audio journalist. Since its inception, Focal has consistently aimed to deliver the purest, most accurate sound possible, paired with modern, youthful, and visually appealing designs.

Chora 826 Design

The predecessor of the Focal Chora line was the Focal Chorus series, which was further refined and evolved into the Chora range. Among the three models in the Chora lineup, the 826 floorstanding speakers are the largest.

As a 3-way speaker, the Chora 826 is designed to work with amplifier power ranging from 140 to 250 watts, and it delivers a frequency response of 48 Hz to 28 kHz. Weighing 24 kg and standing approximately 1 meter tall, it may seem bulky on paper—but the designers ensured a sleek and elegant silhouette, combining robust proportions with graceful curves.

The Chora 826 is available in three finish options:

Black with a high-gloss black lacquer front

Light wood with a beige front panel

Walnut with a deep blue front

The Chora 826 is equipped with a built-in 13 cm Atmos speaker, a 165 mm midrange driver, and two 165 mm woofers. The 25 mm TNF inverted dome tweeter is made from an aluminum-magnesium alloy and is protected by a fixed metal grille. The midrange area is covered by a tightly woven fabric grille, magnetically attached for easy removal and a clean look.

A circular bass reflex port is located in the lower half of the front panel, while the cabinet is angled backward by approximately 5 degrees, enhancing acoustic alignment. The integrated bottom plinth not only provides stability on the floor but also helps minimize resonance.

On the rear panel, you’ll find connection terminals designed primarily for banana plugs—although removing the banana plug caps may require a bit of effort due to their tight fit. The rigid MDF cabinet contributes further to resonance control. With a sensitivity of 91 dB, the speaker performs efficiently even with lower-powered amplifiers.

The tilted design ensures that the tweeters are precisely aligned with the listener’s ear level, which is crucial for optimal high-frequency dispersion. Additionally, since the bass reflex ports are front-facing, the speakers can be placed closer to a wall without negatively affecting bass performance.

Speakers

A key innovation in the Chora 826 is the introduction of Focal’s brand-new Slatefiber membrane, a significant advancement over previous generations. This material is made from non-woven carbon fibers blended with a thermoplastic polymer, and features a distinctive slate-like texture. The result is enhanced rigidity and damping, which contributes to a more natural and transparent sound.

The speaker has a nominal impedance of 8 Ohms. The tweeter’s concave design makes high frequencies slightly less directional, but it benefits from a specially engineered dome suspension, which significantly reduces distortion while preserving detail and clarity in the treble range.

The middle and two bass drives are covered by a grid, the tweeter is protected with a shiny steel mesh, but otherwise visible, which is not a problem at all as it looks really aesthetic. The mid-range drive is equipped with a conical dust cover against interference and distortion, the subwoofer received a more flat protection, which provides rigidity and well controlled basses.

Testing the Chora

We tried the beautiful speakers for both watching movies and listening to music. Testing took place in a 25-square-foot living room. The room was newly renovated and furnished in a stripped-down style, which in turn is not really conducive to improve acoustics. Due to the lack of furniture and a lot of bare glass and wall surfaces, there was a lot of reflections damaging sound quality, so we advised the owner to perform an acoustic treatment of the room as soon as possible. Diffusers and sound-absorbing panels have been recommended for the walls and ceiling, and thick, densely woven curtains in front of the rather large windows and patio door.

A pair of light wood finish speakers with the beige front panel were connected to the Arcam SA30 integrated home theatre amplifier unit for our tests. Assembling and setting up was fairly simple, we were able to attach the docks to the speaker very quickly and easily. Thanks to the fact that bass reflex openings are located on the front panel, we could place the speakers relatively close to the wall. We found that the distance between the two speakers should be matter of precise calculations as the sound can be distorted if we put them too close to each other, as well as if they are too close to the listening position.

These speakers need space to perform at their best, so we recommend placing them in larger rooms, ideally 20–25 square meters or more. If you’re setting up in a smaller space, we suggest looking into the smaller models in the Chora lineup. After experimenting with different placements, we found the optimal setup to be approximately 320 cm apart.

While amplifiers with EQ adjustment options can be helpful, it’s important to note that room correction software alone cannot fully resolve acoustic issues in poorly treated spaces. However, these tools are still incredibly useful for fine-tuning and enhancing the sound experience.

We began our listening tests with the visually rich sci-fi film After Earth (2013), starring Will Smith. The Chora 826 delivered beautiful, realistic, and finely detailed audio, with full-bodied bass that easily filled the room. Similar results followed during our viewing of the action-packed Miami Vice (2006), where the speakers offered clear, distortion-free mids and deep, percussive low-end performance.

To test their musical capabilities, we played Hot Stuff by Kygo and Donna Summer. Despite our efforts to find even the smallest flaw, the speakers delivered flawless playback—though after closer scrutiny, we did notice that vocals occasionally sounded a bit too sharp. We then moved on to Until It Sleeps by Metallica, and were amazed to discover details and tonal layers we hadn’t heard before. Guitar riffs and instrumentals were distinct, transparent, and effortlessly reproduced.

While listening to music, we were also impressed by the exceptionally well-defined stereo imaging. It felt as though dedicated subwoofers were supporting the speakers, especially in the low-end range. The sound was tight, dynamic, and engaging, with a smooth yet richly nuanced midrange that impressed across all genres.

Verdict

As the most prolific member of the Focal Chora series, the Chora 826 clearly stands out with its premium build quality, sophisticated exterior design, and exceptional sound performance. It offered a realistic soundstage, clear and accurate audio, dynamic detail, and a surprisingly powerful and muscular bass response. Whether you’re building a home theater system or simply seeking a high-fidelity setup for music listening, the Chora 826 is unlikely to disappoint.

That said, its higher price point, substantial size, and hefty weight may put it out of reach for some users. Additionally, speaker placement is crucial—they should not be positioned too closely together, and finding the correct distance from the listener is essential for optimal results. The only minor issue we encountered was the difficulty in removing the tightly sealed banana plug caps, but aside from that, we experienced no significant flaws during our time with the Chora 826.