Focal - JM Lab Owner's Thread - Page 9

Thanks Mike.

Since you seem to have quite a bit of knowledge on just about all of Focal's speakers, how would you compare the Profile line to the Electra? If I went with the Profile line, it would be the 928's up front, cc908 center, and sr908 for the rears. I know the equivalent in the Electra line will be quite a bit more cost wise, but do you think the cost justifies the improvement? Any help would be great.

Noah B

To be 100% honest I have never heard the profile line. But there may be a chance that they are not doing as well as they would have liked. There is now a sale on them. That being said, I have the 1027Be's. All I can say is, if you can afford them, get them. The cost would most definitely justify the improvement. I went from the 25th anniversary 927Be's to the 1027's and there was NO contest. The 1027's just are so much better. I don't think the profiles would stand a chance. The 1027's are comparable to speakers costing 2X what they cost. If you do it, I can guarantee two things. One is that you will love them. And two, you will not find the need to replace them anytime soon.

Is Audio Plus Services the US importer of Focal speakers? I'm curious because they mention the local shop I've been to as a dealer and I want to confirm that makes the shop an authorized retailer, therefor ensuring the warranty of my more than likely inevitable purchase.

edit: fixing some horrible late night grammar and spelling, probably still missing some

Yes.
They are the US distributor for Focal/JM as well as other products.

I have the JM Lab DIVA Utopia, a "detailed" speakers. I am planning to get the pre- Krell HTS 7.1 with Krell Tas amplifier. I want this sytem 50% HT and 50% Music. Obviously 5.1 channel for HT but I will prefer to listen to music in a two channel.
What are your recommendations? Is the above good choices for THESE speakers? for my purpose or I should I try different processors and/or amplifiers.Please let me know in a simple way. I am NOT an audiophile at all.
I know that I should trust my ears first but I have the opportunity to buy them, the Krells ,
from a friend with a price that is VERY LOW.
Again my concern is if these Krells will mate with the DIVA Utopia speakers and render a
good sound quality. Music for me and HT for my kids. I am building my music and HT system.
What will be your recommendations?
Thanks
Oswald

You're not an audiophile and you have Diva Utopias?

My oh my!

edit: Does anyone know the difference between the 706 V and the 806 V? They appear to be identical in all specs, except the 806 V has the "organic glass" finish. Is that really all there is to it? Are there any internal differences like cabling, or the crossover? All specs including weight seem identical. So for those considering the 806 V perhaps the 706 V would be a better choice at $200 less... unless there's more to it internally.

Oswald,
I personally would not mate Krell with these speakers. To me, Krell gear leans toward the cool side of neutral. The Utopia can be a very rich and detailed speaker, and I just don't feel like Krell would be the best match to extract all of the richness these speakers can present. The detail would be there in spades, but for my tastes it would be a little sterile.

I hope that makes some sense.

"You're not an audiophile and you have Diva Utopias?"
Emorphien : I listen these speakers and like their sound. It was music to my ears. Not an audiophile at all. I am going to depend on all you,obviously with you generosity, expertise and knoeledge in order to reach to my goal.

Bubbawilly : I do not challenge your opinion at all due to my above statement: not an audiophile but is this only your personal opinion or others' too.
It is important for me to have the right gears for these speakers. As I said before there is the opportunity for me to get the Krells for a low price but I do not want to sacrifice the quality of these speakers and that is why I am here now: to "listen " your opinions

Audioarchitect : Thanks for the information.

I would like to "hear" more opinions and recommendations, please

Thanks
Oswald

Just finished auditioning the 826V in two channel mode powered by a Cambridge Audio Integrated ....Sounded excellent!! I had to do this at tweeter because they are the only dealer in the Chicago area, atleast that I can find. I really enjoyed, but would likle to hear the 836V...hoping for a bit better bass....Music only ofcourse. I am a believer that a good music speaker will do well with HT. Anyone know where I can find another dealer in Chicago area that may have the 836V?

I do have a couple questions since I am not anywhere near an expert..lol

How big of an amp should I get to power the system if I go with a whole HT set up.....826 or 836 front...CC800 and 806 surrounds???? 125 or 200w per channel?

Has anyone heard these with Outlaw or Emotiva?

I am still not sure whether I should do the enite HT thing or keep it as a two channel rig??

This system will be going in a newly finished basement. I already have a mirage setup and Yamaha 2500 for HT, but it is terrible for music.

The basement is 161/2 by 42.....the HT area will be 161/2 x 16 with the balance of the 42 to the side of me.

I was originally thinking of a totally new HT setup and then adding two more towers as a second zone to fill the basement with music.....Havent decided, maybe keep the old HT stuff and just do a 2 channel with the Focals and Cambridge Audio set up......So Confused!!!

Any ideas or responses would help me greatly!!!! Thanks!!!!


Vince

Oswald,
I agree with AA. I have JM labs 1027be's with Bryston amps and it is a great sound. Very powerful and detailed. I have heard the Diva's many times. They are a great speaker. I can also tell you that Jeff Rowland and BAT should also work well with them. for HT I use a Halo C2. That is a great match. I had a Krell showcase that died on me. So I got the Halo C2. It is light years better then the Krell on HT and 2ch music. Also Hi-Rez music is so good now. You may want to check them out. Although I have never heard their amps, I think they are highly rated. You should know that I use my system for music and movies and it is really great doing both.

Vince,
If you scroll up you will see a post of mine describing how to find a dealer. You can click on that link in post #243. Just put in your zip and what you want to look for. There is a reason why Cambridge Audio and JM sound so good together. They are under the same parent company. I am not 100% sure but you may be able to use that integrated amp with a receiver. I would definitely contact Cambridge and find out. If you want the best solution, it is really to have 2 separate systems. Meaning, get the Cambridge, a nice cd player and the JM's. Use that in one system for music. Then get a separate system for HT. I know that is not what you may want to hear, but it is one of the best things you can do.
If you can't do that, then for sure contact Cambridge and see if it can be connected to a receiver.

CETA, wow.
The 1037's look sweet. Do you know what langauge that is so we can try and translate?

Mike, do you know what differences exist between the 700 V and 800 V series? Specifically like the 706 vs the 806 which appear identical.

It looks like the 806 has a slightly different tweeter, but other wise they look pretty close. The one in the 806 may be a bit better.

Mike,
Thanks for your response. I am actaullay thinking about just doing the two channel set up with the Cambridge. I have a Yamaha 2500 and Mirage speakers that do well for HT...SO the two channel rig is a good possibility.
I also found another dealer not too far from me...

Thanks

That would be a nice setup. What cd player would you use.

I was thinking of just buying complete Cambrdge audio for everything, including CD player.....What do you know about the CD player/music server?? Thought that might be a good idea, but I know nothing about music servers....

Truth be told, I don't know much about them. I just know that they get reviewed very very well. I think that a complete Cambridge setup with those speakers would be a great setup.
I can remember talking to some one at JM and they said that the combo of JM with Cambridge was great.

They both appear to be the TNV tweeter, as Focal calls it. 28KHz extension.

Looks the same to me... so I guess I'm left wondering what makes the 806 $200 more than the 706 (I'm still probably getting the 807 though).

They are not %100 the same.

TNV Al/Mg inverted dome tweeter for the 806
TNV inverted dome tweeter for the 706
That little bit I think is the difference. It looks like the tweeter for the 806 is either the same or virtually the same one from the profile lines. They have info about them on their website.
http://www.focal-fr.com/home/en/

Ahh you are right. I wonder what the 700 V tweeter is made with. Same frequency range, but perhaps the tweeter in the 800 is lighter and more rigid. Interesting, they're so close to the same but not quite I guess

What ever the difference, they are sure to both sound good. Obviously, the thing to do would be to go and listen to both. That way you can see if YOU can tell the difference. But what ever you end up with, let us know. And let us know what your thoughts are,

Well nobody here has the 700 series, just the 806 V to demo. And I'm leaning towards the larger woofer (807 V) for better bass extension. I can take the 806 home to try, but I'll have to buy the 807 to get it in because the local shop said its harder to sell (too big of a bookshelf speaker for most people). Of course I can still return the 807 if I don't like it, but they don't want to just get one in for display since the 806 is an easier sell.

From talking to a couple other people, the 807 has more bass extension and remains smoother in to the lower frequencies without really giving up anything in the midrange as you might expect. I won't know unless I buy it but I am leaning that way at this time. I'll get a brief chance to directly compare it to the 806 but it sounds like the 807 is a real winner for me. The bigger woofers mean I can rest a little easier without a subwoofer which is ideal for my listening situation.

You know, better to buy it now and not think about it later. Did you say what you are going to power them with?

NAD C320BEE. They're going in to a small room so one concern is of dynamic presence at lower power levels and the 806 impressed me in this regard. 50 watts is more than enough to make my listening room uncomfortable to be in, so it's a matter of getting a good synergy between the speakers, amp and room. I think I'll like em, I heard them (806 V) on the same amp at the store, but I'll have to get them (806 V for a trial and 807 V because I'll probably buy those) home to know the complete story of course.

Mike this topic came up on another forum and it seems we're unsure of the differences between the 706 and the 806 (as an example). The tweeters may not be different after all. I wonder if we can get an official response from the company.

My opinion is the only difference is build quality and finish. Same goes for my 826V vs 726V as far as the tweeter is concerned, crossover I am not sure, well worth the extra money though.

If you look at some of the other speakers (particularly the floorstanders) the 800 series has better bass extension and sometimes weighs a bit more (probably due to the aluminum base).

Otherwise, perhaps the 806 and 706 are quite similar.

I auditioned the 816's at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest a few months ago. The Focal rep discussed the 700V series with me, and he stated that the only difference was the cabinet.