Floorstanding loudspeakers — Focal ARIA EVO X N°2

The Focal Aria Evo X N°2 is a three-way floorstanding speaker and the smallest tower in the Aria Evo X range, the mid-range series that the French manufacturer designs and builds in France with drive units it develops and produces in-house. It pairs Focal's Flax sandwich cones with an aluminium/magnesium inverted-dome tweeter in a slim cabinet sized for living rooms rather than dedicated listening spaces.

Key specs that matter

The N°2 uses a bass-reflex cabinet loaded with two 6.5-inch Flax bass drivers, a 6.5-inch Flax midrange fitted with Focal's patented TMD (Tuned Mass Damper) surround, and an M-shaped aluminium/magnesium inverted-dome TAM tweeter set in a wide-dispersion waveguide. The crossover hands over at 290Hz and 2,400Hz. Frequency response runs from 45Hz to 30kHz (+/-3dB) and reaches 37Hz at -6dB. Sensitivity is 91.5dB, nominal impedance is 8 ohms with a minimum of 2.9 ohms, and the recommended amplifier power is 40 to 250W. Each speaker is 103.5 x 29.4 x 37.1cm and weighs 25kg.

Engineering and use context

Each Flax cone sandwiches French flax fibres between two thin glass-fibre skins. The material is light, stiff and naturally damped, so the cone resists break-up without heavy damping compounds. On the midrange, the TMD surround carries small tuned masses that absorb the suspension's own resonance, a common source of midrange distortion in conventional surrounds. The tweeter alloy is formed into an M profile that moves dome break-up beyond the range of hearing, and the waveguide widens horizontal dispersion so the response holds up away from the central seat. The tall, narrow enclosure stands on a decoupling aluminium-alloy base for stability. Focal specifies the N°2 for rooms of about 20 m2 and a listening distance of around 3 metres. Finishes are Black High Gloss, Prime Walnut and Moss Green High Gloss, all with a leather-effect front panel and magnetic grilles.

Pairing

Amplifiers of moderate power drive the N°2 to good levels, but because of the low impedance dip the amplifier must stay stable when the load gets tough, which makes solid-state designs a safer match than small valve amplifiers. The speaker can also act as the front pair of a Focal Aria Evo X home cinema system.

Alternatives

For bigger rooms, the Focal Aria Evo X N°3 is a larger three-way floorstander fitted with the same Flax and TAM drivers.