Focal - JM Lab Owner's Thread - Page 12

Hello,

I am new to the whole HT scene and I am currently in the process of aquiring a reasonable setup. As funds are more appropriately spent elsewhere (House reno's etc) i am going to build it up slowly over 6 months. I want to get a good balance between quality and cost and try to avoid spiraling out of control. Your advice as to equipment would be greatly appreciated......

Currently i have on order a Yamaha RX-V2700B & a pair of Chorus 726V......that is pretty much the budget for this month and it is by no means set in concrete......Is that Reciever/Speaker combo going to work well or should i look at other alternatives eg 800v's or another reciever.

Listening is split 40% movies, 60% music so sound quality is my main concern.....

btw.....the equipment you guys are running is still minimum 5 years off for me!

Cheers!!

smurff

this being your first system you may need to live with it and then find out yourself what taste you prefer. then you consider upgrade by listening to different systems in retail outlets and your friends. only when you are certain of your preferences that you can achieve your objectives. without a reference point you will be drifting along and spend unnecessary funds for trials and errors

I agree with cpu 100%. If you are new to HT you should try and listen to a few different systems. That way you can get a feel for what you like and what you don't. I can sit here all day and say how much I like JM and how great I think they are. But you are the one who will have to live with it. Now, based on word of mouth, Focal(JM) seems to have hit a home run with the Chours speakers. But you should try and listen to other systems as well. Just to get a base line like cpu suggests. And as far as the equipment goes, it has taken me years to get to this point. Let me tell you, slow and steady wins the race.

Thanks guys,

I tell you what i have listened to so far of which nothing really impressed me....apart from the focals which i nearly didn't even bother going to audition....

Speakers:
Klipsch RF82 & RF62 (These were very nice sound but wasn't impressed with the dealer. he would not let me listen to them for at least 1 complete track!)
DB Dynamics (Sounded like they were still in the shipping cartons)
Paradigm (Not much up high)
Yamaha NS555 & NS777 (Natural and clear at medium level, no bottom end and just plain noisy when pushed)
B&W 600 & 700 series (Sounded nice but there was still something missing)
Richter (No good)
Audio Accoustics (Same as DB Dynamics)

Amp:
Marantz SR7001 (didn't do anything for me)
Denon 3806, 2307 (Expensive for what you get....will be testing them soon however)
Onkyo 604 (Not bad...cheap $)
Yamaha 1700 & 2700 (Listen to the Focals with a Yamaha 6xx which is why i am steering towards 2700)

So as you can see i have listen to a number of different speakers & amps and the focals really stood out from the crowd (When run in. Listened to a pair of 716v straight out of the box and they were terrible)

Oh and my car has Focal Polyglass speakers in it......

Cheers.

Seeing that line up is reassuring. It means that you have done your homework. Well, if all that is true, then you could probably get the focals with little regret. So I would maybe go back again for an extended listening session just to be sure. If you still like them, the issue should be settled. Let us know how it progresses.

Well i went back for an extended listening session and busted the owners chops in the process but it was worth it. I compared the Chorus 716V, 726V, 816V, 826V & Profiles side by side with the owners switch at random between them and i happen to choose either the 726V or 816V everytime.
In the end the 726V one as it had a slightly fuller sound than the 816V. I have to say though i was dissappointed with the 826V.....it sound cold or thin or however you want to discribe a sound that just didn't have much warmth......The fact that they are AU$500 more than the 726V made the decision all the more easier!!

Sound like a good choice. I am guessing by your tone that you got the 726's. When you get them connected to your system, make sure you post your feelings on them.

Hi everyone-

I am new to this forum but have been lurking around checking out theater setups for a month or so. Right now I am in the process of having my basement finished. I have equipment set to be used in the "theater" (more of a media wall and entertainment area). I bought some Profile 918's and a 908 CC. I was bouncing between these and a Martin Logan setup, but got a great deal on the Focals. Besides that I've had Focal K2 Power's and Sub in my car and have been extremely happy with them.

I was planning on using my 3805 to power the speakers and up to this point have been listening to them on an old Pioneer Elite VSX35 receiver. They sound even better than what I heard at the Tweeter store since at the store they are all hooked up to the switchboard. We moved the Profiles to a room without a switchboard and hooked them up to a Krell amp. The sound was fantastic.

I ordered an Emotiva MPS-1 and want to use the 3805 as a pre/pro. I want to give this a shot before I buy a new pre/pro. I am not sure if a seperate pre/pro will make that big of a difference or not. I am hoping that using the seperate amp will open up the speakers more than just using the 3805. We'll see in a few months.

bool

welcome aboard

your 9xxs deserve good external power amp

next get a pre/pro instead of using 3805

Bool,
I second the welcome. An amp will make them sound great. It will help them open up. Going for a receiver and an amp is a good way to start. It is how I first started to upgrade. When you get time with them, I would be interested in what you think of them.

Does anyone know what the MSRP for the Chorus 806v is?

$795 although I heard the 800 V series is going up after New Years.

I just joined the ranks of JMLab with my Cobalt purchase. They sound great. I have a couple of questions though.

1st: I have enough wire to to bi-wire my left and right and center. Will I see any noticable difference doing so?

2nd: I am looking at the SVS 12pb-nsd and the vfw mk-III. Which sub would JMLab owners recommend for both music (30) and home theater (70)?

Thanks.

BTW: My setup is connected to an ARCAM receiver AVR-300. I love it.

I'm curious as to what Focal will do when Tweeter goes belly up?
Does anyone know if they've talked to any other national retailers about taking on the line?

Their popular in europe. Even if they did not have sales in america i dont think the company would fail. They also make alot in mobil audio.

Tweeter is going belly up? Since when?

Since they've been playing cute accounting games for the last couple of years, and they adjusted the commision structure, and they were the only national retailer to loose heavily this holiday season, and they laid off 20% of their HQ staff, and all the former Staples executives who came in to straighten them out fled like rats from a sinking ship, and they haven't been able to get their install percentage up high enough to keep them afloat, and since one of their biggest shareholders sold off his stake, etc......

I was supposed to be a happy Focal owner. I ordered my 836V, 807 V and CC back on December 13th. Tweeter told me they would have to special order them and I would have them before 2007. Well its 2007 and I still do not have them. They keep telling me the 836V is hard to come by. They are now telling me not until Jan 26th. I ordered Outlaw equipment, 990, 7700 and 2 LFM plus subs and have not been able to try them out because I dont have my speakers!!!!

I built a new house with a huge rec area in the basement...Have everything already, pool table..bar...poker table...outlaw...TV...HD DVD...NO SPEAKERS. Hell I even have the bill already for the damn speakers and dont have them.

Very aggravated and ready to cancel the order...

Sorry had to vent!!!!

That's absurd. A local shop that carries Focal said that aside from a few hiccups around the holidays, the speakers have been coming in very quickly.

You are getting the shaft from them. Unless you got a killer deal I'd look elsewhere.

I had the same issue, I ordered mine around September sometime and did not get them until November. Supposedly the 836V were hard to get. Plus I ordered them in the Moka finish. The rears and centers are readily available. As well as the 826s I would bet. In my situation and I am sure in yours, they (Tweeter) were the only dealer option. So what can you do but wait. I don't have any really negative opinions regarding Tweeter as I have a great salesman who I have known for years.

What I did to verify what Tweeter was talking about as far as the 836 availabilty is to email your region's AudioPluss sales rep. Within an hour or two I had a couple of responses from them on where the order sits. Their estimate on delivery was pretty accurate as they said I should have it in a week or so. And they did show up the following week. I have had them in place for a couple of months now and I can confirm they are worth the wait.

I am being told that because I also ordered them in Mocha finish that is causing the delay. They did call me yesterday and tell me I will have them on the 19th now instead of the 26th.

Anxiously waiting!!

I'll be very interested to see how they sound with the outlaw setup. Should be sweet! Please post a review if you get a chance!

I had the same thing happen at twtr with my denon 5910--they did finally get it though....

ALso, keep in mind that many Focal's take A LOT of time to break in--mine took a few hundred hours and sound a good deal different (better) having broken in with my siystem.

Hoping the wait transpires quickly...

I have 1027's and love them. I think you'll really enjoy your setup...

Hey AudioArchitect, did you happen to go to CES this week? I'm just very curious if Energy had any major product display's?

curious about energy in a focal jm lab owners thread is beyond me.

where is the logic?

As I do more auditioning, Focal is steadily moving to the top of my WTB list.

I have heard the 826v, sibs, and 726S. The 826v is well beyond my pricepoint, and I didn't care for the sibs. I heard the 826v on a cambridge amp, and the 726S on an 85 wpc Denon receiver. Needless to say, the 826v did sound better. I don't know how much can be attributed to the speaker, and how much to the amp though.

My questions:

1. Has anyone done a comparison between the 726S and the 806V?

2. For roughly the same price (726S a little cheaper), which would be the better buy?

3. How much longer will the 700S series be around?

4. What is MSRP on the 716V and 726V.

ah, come on, did I break the law? Just had a quick question that's all (not to take-over thread).

After reading so many bad articles about them in TWICE, I'm thinking it may not be long.