The Focal Chorus 726 HCM home theater speakers pack includes a pair of Focal Chorus 726 floorstanding speakers, a Focal Chorus CC700 center speaker and a pair of Focal Chorus 706 compact speakers used as surround speakers. These speakers, which are designed and manufactured in France, feature tried and tested technologies developed by Focal’s engineers. In particular, they use Polyglass cone midrange drivers and woofers as well as an aluminum-magnesium inverted dome tweeter.
Described by the manufacturer as being traditional speakers that are both powerful and affordable, these speakers from the Focal Chorus 7000 range are designed to offer a full and generous sound combining dynamism and precision.
Does this €1090 Focal Chorus 726 HCM home theater speaker pack live up to these promises?
Focal Chorus 726 HCM: the brand
The Focal-JMLab company was founded in 1979 in Saint-Étienne by the engineer and hi-fi journalist Jacques Mahul. Right from the very beginning, Focal stood out as an innovative company and, as a result, quickly became an icon of the French hi-fi industry with a global reputation. In particular, Focal proudly designs its own drivers thanks to modern and efficient production machinery.
Since its inception, Focal has always invested a great deal in research and development. As a result, Focal engineers designed the first inverted dome and fiberglass cone tweeter in 1981. The manufacturer has tested and introduced many new materials for its high-frequency drivers, including the Beryllium used for the tweeters of Focal Utopia speakers.
The French manufacturer’s midbass drivers have also been the subject of multiple innovations. In the mid-80s, the brand created a Polykevlar sandwich cone called Poly-K. It was made up of two layers of aramid fibres placed on either side of a hollow micro-ball structure. This design optimizes the cone’s weight/rigidity/damping ratio, and provides excellent driver responsiveness.
In 1988, these sandwich cones benefitted from a major innovation: Focal Polyglass. This technology consists in applying delicate glass microbeads to a cellulose pulp cone, combining the excellent damping properties of paper with the strength of glass.
In addition to the speakers from the Focal Chorus 726 HCM pack, Polyglass cones can be found on the Focal Alpha monitoring and studio speakers, certain Focal in-wall/in-ceiling speakers (100 Series) and many models of Focal car loudspeakers.
In 2015, Focal made its mark once more with the Focal Aria speaker range. The drivers in this series were the first to use the Flax cone, a sandwich cone featuring a thin layer of linen in between two layers of fiberglass. With a naturally hollow structure, linen fibers combine neutrality and lightness; their low elasticity and high rigidity are similar to that of carbon and Kevlar.
In 2019, the Focal Chora speakers were released. These models are meant to replace the Focal Chorus speakers and are equipped with a new cone called Slatefiber.
Focal Chorus 726 HCM: packaging & accessories
Inside their cardboard box, the speakers in the Focal Chorus 726 HCM pack are protected by polystyrene blocks. Each speaker comes with a grille that is attached using tabs. With the Focal Chorus 726 speakers, the manufacturer includes a set of decoupling spikes with locking nuts for height adjustment, as well as spike covers.
Focal Chorus 726 HCM: presentation
Made in France
Like all the speakers from the Focal Chorus 700 range, the speakers in the Focal Chorus 726 HCM speaker pack are designed and manufactured in France inside the company’s workshops, from the drivers to the cabinet. Focal is devoted to keeping as much of its production as possible on its own premises, which ensures total independence in developing and designing its speakers and headphones.
Equipped with unique industrial tools, Focal is able to create specific drivers for each of its speaker ranges. In doing so, it retains total control over the manufacturing process, right up to the final quality control checks.
A design that benefits the sound
Designed by the Pineau & Le Porcher design agency, the speakers in the Focal Chorus 726 HCM pack have exchanged the sharp angles and hard lines of the previous Chorus ranges for a softer, more refined silhouette. The fundamental elements remain the same however, with an ultra-rigid MDF enclosure that reduces vibration and resonance. All the Focal speakers in this pack have panels that are up to 25mm-thick in places and benefit from internal supports through which the cables run.
The non-parallel sides also help to limit the circulation of internal waves.
Lastly, to optimize the speaker’s decoupling and improve the sound in the lows, decoupling spikes can be added to the base of the Focal Chorus 726 floorstanding speakers.
Polyglass cone
The speakers in the Focal Chorus 726 HCM pack all feature woofers and/or midbass drivers with Polyglass cones. This exclusive Focal technology provides the cone with an optimal weight/rigidity/damping ratio, which in turn offers a remarkably linear response curve. Moreover, the Focal Polyglass cone provides excellent definition in the midrange and contributes to the responsiveness and dynamism of the lows.
TNV2 tweeter
The speakers in the Focal Chorus 726 HCM pack are equipped with the TNV2 tweeter. The tweeter consists of an inverted aluminum and magnesium alloy dome mounted on a Poron surround, directly derived from the very high-end speakers of the Focal Utopia line. Poron is an extremely light type of memory foam. This not only prevents the surround from collapsing and wearing out over time, but also helps reduce distortion and improve the linearity of the frequency curve.
The TNV2 tweeter’s sound is characterized by its precision. It offers exceptional harmonic richness and makes the soundstage more stable and precise.
OPC (Optimum Phase Crossover) filter
The function of the crossover is to distribute the electrical signal sent by the amplifier to the speaker’s different drivers (woofer, midrange, tweeter). The most critical area in filtering this signal is between the mids and highs. A low-pass filter cuts off the response in the upper midrange. A high-pass filter cuts off the response in the tweeter’s lower frequencies.
With OPC technology, Focal has managed to achieve an effective attenuation of 36dB/oct. for the midrange low-pass filter and the tweeter’s high-pass filter, while maintaining a perfectly aligned phase. This results in a sound that is extremely coherent with natural timbres due to the narrow overlap area of the two drivers. In addition, the soundstage is very precise and benefits from exceptional amplitude, providing consistent spatialization across a large listening area.
Focal Chorus 726
Design
- 3-way floorstanding speaker, bass-reflex enclosure
- Aerodynamic port
- Ultra-rigid MDF structure
- Non-parallel left and right panels
Drivers
- 2 x 6½” Polyglass woofers
- 1 x 6½” Polyglass midrange driver
- 1 x 1” TNV2 Al/Mg inverted dome tweeter
- OPC (Optimum Phase Crossover) filter
- Crossover frequency: 300Hz/3000Hz
Measurements
- Frequency response (+/- 3dB): 49Hz – 28kHz
- Frequency at -6dB: 39Hz
- Sensitivity (2.83V/1m): 91.5dB
- Nominal impedance: 8 ohms
- Minimum impedance: 2.9 ohms
- Recommended amplifier power: 40 – 250W
General
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 222 x 990 x 343mm
- Unit weight: 23.5kg
Focal Chorus CC700
Design
- 2-way center speaker, closed enclosure
- Shielded cabinet in ultra-rigid MDF
Drivers
- 2 x 6½” Polyglass midbass drivers
- 1 x 1” TNV2 Al/Mg inverted dome tweeter
- OPC (Optimum Phase Crossover) filter
- Crossover frequency: 3000Hz
Measurements
- Frequency response (+/- 3dB): 61Hz – 28kHz
- Frequency at -6dB: 52Hz
- Sensitivity (2.83V/1m): 91dB
- Nominal impedance: 8 ohms
- Minimum impedance: 5.2 ohms
- Recommended amplifier power: 25 – 200W
General
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 491 x 185 x 195mm
- Weight: 7.5kg
Focal Chorus 706
Design
- 2-way compact speaker, bass-reflex enclosure
- Aerodynamic port
- Ultra-rigid MDF structure
- Non-parallel left and right panels
Drivers
- 1 x 6½” Polyglass midbass driver
- 1 x 1” TNV2 Al/Mg inverted dome tweeter
- OPC (Optimum Phase Crossover) filter
- Crossover frequency: 3000Hz
Measurements
- Frequency response (+/- 3dB): 55Hz – 28kHz
- Frequency at -6dB: 47Hz
- Sensitivity (2.83V/1m): 90dB
- Nominal impedance: 8 ohms
- Minimum impedance: 53.6 ohms
- Recommended amplifier power: 25 – 120W
General
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 220 x 390 x 263mm
- Weight: 8.2kg
Focal Chorus 726 HCM: listening conditions
For our review of the Focal Chorus 726 HCM home theater speaker pack, we used the Onkyo TX-RZ840 A/V receiver and the Pioneer UDP-LX500 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player. We connected the receiver to the speakers using NorStone W250 Classic (floorstanding and center speaker) and NorStone B250 cables (compact models used as “surround” speakers).
The Focal Chorus 706 speakers were placed on NorStone Stylum 2 stands so that they were at the ideal height.
We connected the Pioneer UDP-LX500 4K UHD Blu-ray player to the receiver’s HDMI-1 input, and the receiver’s HDMI Main/ARC output was connected to a 65” (164cm) LG OLED TV using NorStone Jura HDMI cables. The WiFi connection to our local network was handled by the satellite of our Netgear Orbi RBK50 pack.
We tested the Focal Chorus 726 HCM home theater speaker pack by itself before adding the REL Acoustics T9i subwoofer.
Once all the connections were set up, we chose not to run the automatic speaker calibration and carried out the basic distance and level adjustments available in the receiver’s settings menu.
Focal Chorus 726 HCM: listening impressions
Mad Max: Fury Road (4K Blu-ray)
The Onkyo TX-RZ840 receiver’s control over the often energetic soundtrack of George Miller’s movie quickly revealed the qualities of the speakers in the Focal Chorus 726 HCM home theater pack.
The responsiveness of the Polyglass cones was expertly harnessed: explosions were flawlessly controlled and credible, the engine noises of the vehicles racing across the screen were perfectly localized and very realistic.
During the chase scene through the labyrinth of corridors in the Citadel, we felt all the intensity and dramatic tension as Max tried to escape his captors. The haunting voices unfolded extensively and resonated throughout the room, accentuating the danger of the situation and the anguish felt by the hero. We were just as out of breath and stressed as he was!
Precise and detailed, the TNV tweeter was equally as impressive and proved to be very effective at reproducing the metallic sound of crashing vehicles during the chase scenes. The almost imperceptible sound of the sand was also very accurately reproduced. After the sandstorm in the desert, the sounds effects of Max awakening with his face buried in the sand and then suddenly sitting up were particularly realistic.
The dialogues were faithfully reproduced by the Focal Chorus CC700 speaker, which wasn’t eclipsed by all the sound effects and engine noises. The dialogues were well-articulated and the actors’ voices clearly perceptible.
It was a near perfect performance, other than a slight lack of depth and density in the lows. As the Focal Chorus 726 speakers were very reactive and provided a generally satisfactory response in this frequency range, it wasn’t frustrating to listen to the soundtrack without a subwoofer. That said, we welcomed the magnitude, depth and density provided by the Rel Acoustics T9i subwoofer, especially since this movie uses a lot of infrabass.
The Revenant (Netflix 4K)
The opening scene of this movie by Iñárritu isn’t quite as frenetic as that of Mad Max, but we were still able to appreciate the precision and smoothness of the TNV2 tweeter/Polyglass midrange driver pairing. During the hunting scene, the sounds of the river were particularly realistic and helped immerse the viewers. It was almost as if we were standing next to the actors.
Later on in the movie when the Native Americans attacked the camp, the Focal speakers were able to reproduce the sound of the arrows flying past and the crack of the gunshots with incredible accuracy. The spatialization was particularly precise when the camera shifted from one character to another and the sound effects swirled around the room in a very realistic way. We were captivated and overwhelmed by the tension and violence of the attack taking place on the screen.
Hans Zimmer: Live in Prague (HD Blu-ray)
With the Blu-ray of the composer’s concert in Prague, the Focal Chorus 726 HCM speaker pack demonstrated its musical qualities. Fast and precise, the drivers responded instantly to the receiver’s every input. Whether it was with the notes of the keyboards, the guitar and string chords, or the choir, the sound didn’t lack energy or weight. When the composer spoke, his voice stood out clearly thanks to the Focal Chorus CC700 center speaker.
Focal Chorus 726 HCM: compared to…
Elipson Prestige Facet HCM 14F System 5.0: consisting of the Elipson Prestige Facet 14F floorstanding speaker, the Elipson Prestige Facet 6B compact speaker and the Elipson Prestige Facet 11C center speaker, this home theater speaker pack provides slightly rounder and deeper lows than the Focal pack, with more density and substance in this frequency range, but isn’t as responsive. The Focal speaker pack does better in the highs with more energy and precision thanks to the Al-Mg tweeter. Combined with the highly responsive Polyglass drivers, this pack provides a clearer sound in the mids and highs, which are beautifully textured and detailed. A little drier than those of the Elipson speakers, the lows have great impact and, above all, excellent reactivity. Adding a subwoofer, even a moderately powerful model, to this Focal speaker pack will increase its strength for an even more energetic and intense experience.
Focal Chorus 726 HCM: conclusion
Sold for little over €1000, the Focal Chorus 726 HCM home theater speaker pack is an excellent option for a mid-range installation. Designed and manufactured in France, these speakers use tried and tested technologies developed by Focal. The combination of the Polyglass cones of the midrange drivers and woofers and the aluminum-magnesium inverted dome tweeter provides a dynamic and precise sound, with a lot of “substance” and flawlessly consistent frequencies. These speakers are ideal if you wish to enjoy a realistic home theater experience in optimal conditions while staying on budget.
Pretty easy to drive thanks to their relatively high sensitivity, the speakers in the Focal Chorus 726 HCM pack will provide even more enjoyment when used with an amplifier delivering 50 watts or more per channel. The addition of a subwoofer, even a somewhat modest model like the Focal Cub Evo for example, will offer even more impact and excitement with action movies.
What we liked
- The responsiveness in the lows and mids
- The smoothness and precision of the highs
- The rich and detailed sound
- The perfectly coherent soundstage
What we would have liked
- More powerful bass
