About the Focal Kanta™ No.1

Product highlights:
- two-way design:
- 6-1/2" flax cone woofer with TMD (Tuned Mass Damping) suspension and NIC (Neutral Inductance Circuit) motor for precise, detailed midrange and bass
- 1-1/16" IAL3 Beryllium tweeter for extremely accurate high frequencies
- sonically neutral multi-ply molded wood cabinet
- molded high-density polymer front baffle for enhanced sound definition
- rear Powerflow port for extended bass response
- frequency response: 46-40,000 Hz (±3dB)
- sensitivity: 88 dB
- nominal impedance: 8 ohms
- power handling: 25-150 watts
- removable magnetic cloth grille
- high-quality binding post speaker terminals accept bare wire, spade connectors, and banana connectors
- designed and built in France
- matching speaker stands (sold separately) places the speaker at ideal listening height, dampens vibration, and optimizes performance
Dimensions and warranty:
- 9-1/4"W x 16-5/8"H x 15-7/16"D
- weight: 28.7 lbs.
- warranty: 5 years
- MFR # FOAEFBKN1N2B900
- Item # 091KN1NHGB
Our take
Detail/Clarity score | |
Bass score | |
Vocals score |
What's in the box:
- Bookshelf loudspeaker
- Grille
- Port plug
- 4 Slicone pads
- User Manual
More details on the Focal Kanta™ No.1

Features & specs
Cabinet & design | ||
---|---|---|
Enclosure | Ported | |
Finish | Multi-ply/Polymer/Veneer | |
Color | Walnut | |
Recommended stand height (inches) | 24-28 | |
Wall-mountable | No | |
Bracket included | No | |
Connector type | Binding post | |
Bi-amp inputs | No | |
Driver details | ||
Tweeter type | Hard-Dome | |
Tweeter size (inches) | 1.1 | |
Midrange size (inches) | N/A | |
Woofer size (inches) | 6.5 | |
Woofer composition | Flax | |
Woofer surround | Rubber | |
Audio specs | ||
Power range (watts) | 25-150 | |
Sensitivity | 88 dB | |
Impedance (ohms) | 8 | |
Frequency response | 46-40k Hz | |
Dimensions & other info | ||
Height (inches) | 16-5/8 | |
Width (inches) | 9-1/4 | |
Depth (inches) | 15-7/16 | |
Weight (pounds) | 28.7 | |
Parts warranty | 5 Years | |
Labor warranty | 5 Years |
Product Research
Features
2-Way Driver Design: The Focal Kanta N1 bookshelf loudspeaker features a 2-way driver design that combines a Beryllium dome tweeter with Flax sandwich cone woofer that gives your music and movie soundtracks warmth, depth, and clarity.
IAL3 Beryllium Tweeter: The Kanta N1 houses a new 1.1" pure Beryllium dome tweeter for the high-frequency register, up to 40kHz. The 1.1" Beryllium tweeter features an incredibly light and extremely rigid dome that offers a linear frequency response curve, acoustic transparency, and fast transient response. This new IAL3 Beryllium tweeter combines IAL (Infinite Acoustic Loading) and IHL (Infinite Horn Loading) tweeter technologies, both of which help with the absorption of waves, thus lowering the tweeter frequency and eliminating distortion.
- The rear of the Beryllium tweeter is loaded via a small cavity which is connected to the exterior of the enclosure by a horn. The inside of the horn is filled with a damping material. Thus, sound waves from the rear of the tweeter are delicately and gradually absorbed. Its acoustic impedance approaches zero so that no resistance alters the movement of the dome - pushing high frequency definition to its maximum.
- The advantage of this setup is that it only slightly affects the cabinet's internal volume. Thus, Focal can get the most out of the woofer to enhance bass performance while having an ideally-positioned tweeter - all in a reasonably-sized cabinet. Moreover, it helps to isolate the tweeter from any interference from vibrations that could lead to distortion.
6.5" Flax Cone Woofer: The Focal Kanta N1 benefits from Focal's Flax sandwich driver cone technology, making voices more intelligible with more depth. Flax is an eco-textile with astounding structural properties - it is light, stiff, and well damped for greater neutrality of timbres and better definition. The Kanta N1 is composed of one 6.5" woofer with a Flax sandwich cone that provides natural midrange, rich bass, and high definition sound. This sandwich cone is made of high quality flax fiber enclosed by two thin layers of glass fiber. The lightness of the fiber satisfies the criteria of high internal damping, high velocity, and high flexural rigidity. Flax is twice as light as fiberglass, because the fiber is hollow. It also has very low elasticity which makes it ideal to increase the flexural rigidity of a sandwich structure.
- TMD (Tuned Mass Damping) Suspension: Focal's Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) suspension system stabilize the dynamic behavior of the woofer's surround according to resonance, thus avoiding deformation of the cone without negatively affecting the dynamics.
- NIC (Neutral Inductance Circuit) Motor: Focal's NIC (Neutral Inductance Circuit) motor system stabilizes the magnetic field for perfectly defined sound and better controlled bass.
High Density Cabinet: Even the Focal Kanta N1's speaker cabinet is designed to create acoustic softness and warmth for a sound that is very pleasing to the human ear. The sides, top, and bottom of the cabinet are constructed of multi-ply wood layers, while the front-baffle of the speaker cabinet is molded in one piece from HDP (high density polymer). This configuration of material creates a speaker enclosure that is dense, stiff, and well damped. The speaker cabinet's soft angles eliminate standing waves inside the enclosure that can lead to distortion, while the one-piece HDP front-panel eliminates any sound diffraction so you don't lose any of your sound.
- Power Flow Port Technology: The Kanta N1 bookshelf loudspeaker employs Focal's Power Flow technology with a rear-firing port for greater efficiency and bigger, deeper bass performance with low distortion. A foam port plug is included if you have to position the speaker close to the wall and the bass becomes too "boomy" or exaggerated.
- Magnetic Grille: A cloth, magnetic grille easily attaches and detaches from the speaker cabinet's front-baffle. The grille covers the woofer only. The tweeter has an integrated, non-removable metal grille.
Binding Post Terminals: The Focal Kanta N1 bookshelf speaker is equipped with a set of heavy-duty binding post terminals that will accept bare wire (up to 10AWG), pin-connectors, spade-lugs, and banana plugs (single only). Two plastic inserts will need to be removed to use banana plugs.
Mounting & Placement Options: The Focal Kanta N1 bookshelf speaker can be simply placed on a speaker stand (sold separately - see Accessories Tab), shelf, or table-top. The N1 bookshelf loudspeaker is perfect for rooms measuring less than 270 sq/ft. Follow these simple placement guidelines to optimize the N1's performance and to guarantee good tonal balance and a realistic sound stage.
- The loudspeakers should be positioned symmetrically, facing the listening area, ideally forming an equilateral triangle with it. However, these distances may be adjusted to find the ideal compromise according to the design of your rooms
- The loudspeakers should be positioned at the same height, in the same horizontal plane. Ideally, the tweeter should be positioned at the same height as the listener's ears in the usual listening position.
- Do not position the loudspeakers too close to a corner of the room and do not place them too close to a wall. This will induce some unwanted room resonance and artificially increase bass response. On the other hand, if the bass level is considered to be insufficient, you could try moving the loudspeakers nearer a wall to re-balance the bass level.
Note: The Kanta N1 does not offer any brackets, keyhole slots, or threaded inserts to wall-mount the speaker.
Focal Kanta Series: Focal's Kanta Series offers an uncompromising design that is totally focused on acoustic performance, thanks to its newly designed IAL3 Beryllium dome tweeter, legendary Flax sandwich cone technology, and high density cabinet construction. The Kanta Series consists of two floorstanding loudspeakers (N3 / N2), one bookshelf loudspeaker (N1), and a center-channel speaker (Center).
- Break-In Period: The speaker drivers used in the Kanta Series loudspeakers are complex mechanical components which require a certain time to adapt to operate at their best and to become acclimated to the temperature and humidity of the listening environment. This break-in period varies depending on the climate and may last a few weeks. To reduce the break-in period, Focal recommends operating the loudspeakers for approximately twenty consecutive hours. Once the loudspeakers' characteristics have totally stabilized, you will be able to enjoy the Kanta Series loudspeakers' performance fully.
- Made In France: The Kanta series of loudspeakers are developed and manufactured in France by Focal.
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