These are used ones so they’re fully ran-in. First impression (relative to my previous pair – Klipsch RB75) is that the 816v produces more bass but not deep enough to get rid of a sub woofer. Highs are more focused than the Klipsch but positioning the speakers requires more precision. The mids are a bit “confused”. It seems that the Klipsch delivered more resolution and substance.
In movies however, the extra bass coming out of the Focal adds a lot of excitement to the listening experience. It matches fine with my NHT center speaker. It however doesn’t match with my subwoofer which seems to be half a second slower than the Focal.
[Updated in 2015-Jan] A couple months of listening, I still find the Klipsch sound better in music. I might have been accustomed to the airy high of the horns.
