Focal - JM Lab Owner's Thread - Page 174

At the moment I have a Dennon 3311CI, I need more power, I would like to have 2 mono blocks for the front mains. thinking of OUTLAW 200w, but have not decided yet.

Does any one have any suggestions?
I HAVE:
FOCAL 826W 30TH, 4 total front and rear
FOCAL cc908w Profile
REL R328 sub

How would owners of the Chorus series describe their sound characteristics?

Do you find 250W / channel is required to get the most out of the 1038s? Do you think a Marantz PM15S2 90W / channel would be enough to drive them?

"Nice."

"Lovely."

?

Seriously though, they wear in very well but the sound is very much a matter of personal taste, age and hearing quality. I have a 5.1 system made up os 816W, CC800V and SR800V (?) and a 2.0 made of 826Ws - while the latter are lovely sounding their bass doesn't quite extend down where I want to be but I have been putting off adding a sub for a while on the basis that the house is actually small enough already

I have the Chorus 836v's and I'm very happy. Smooth and balanced come to mind when I try to think of adjectives. I use them in a 2.1 setup for music and tv/movie watching. The bass is sufficient for two channel and I don't listen to organ music, so I'm good.

i use two rotel amps...an rb 1092 for fronts (500x2) and an rb1095 (200x5) for center and surrounds....sounds fantastic, very dynamic.

my 836w's are rated to 250w...just wonder if anyone else is using an amp that exceeds the rating of their FOCAL speakers without any consequences...

Hello, Can someone please tell me what the msrp of the Focal Profile CC908 was when it was still offered in USA?

I think the last price I saw was close just over $1900. When it came out it was just over $1600 but I think it settled, at most, close to $2000.

Bought mine about a year ago, $1,500.00

The original MSRP was $1695.

Im looking to do a massive upgrade from my 8 year old Jamo setup...since I just installed Focal Utopia Be in my car. I thought I would do the same for my home. I looking at doing a 5.1 set up using the 1028be, cc1008be, 1008be, sw1000be but this is 18k setup...the 1027s, cc1000s,1007s, sw1000s I can't get for 10k. I know both would be a major step up from my current setup. But is the Be speakers worth the upgrade? I could use the 8k to get great separates... Thoughts from the focal users...many thanks in advance.

Anyone know what the going rate is for a pair of used 1007bes in good shape? I have a pair I may try to move but I do not know what to ask for them. I also have a cc1000be that is in great shape that I may want to move.

Any help with pricing would be greatly appreciated. This is not a attempt to sell these speakers so please do not bombard me with lowball offers. Just really trying to find out what they are worth used.

Not that this is anything official, but when I sell any item that's of very good quality, that doesn't really go on sale anywhere, such as Focal speakers, I usually take 30-40% off the MSRP. When I sold my Focal speakers, I looked around on ebay, audiogon.com and a few other places to see what similar used speakers were going for and it seemed that most people would be asking anywhere from 30-50% off MSRP. I priced mine at about 40% off.

You could always only knock 20-30% off, but I found that if someone is going to spend that much on some nice used speakers and you're only offering 20-30% off, they'd probably rather just spend the extra money and buy new. That's why I dropped mine to 40%.

Looks like there are some 1007be up on audiogon right now.

http://app.audiogon.com/listings/foc...kers-pair-used

one Bryston 4b-ST and one Bryston 5b-ST. They work pretty good for me.

I have the the 1027be, CC1000be, and Chorus 705v's for surrounds. The Be's are just so sweet and although I have never heard them, I am sure the '28 series is even better then what I have. I have not heard the S series though. I would have to think that the Be's would be worth the price. I know that the SW1000be is over $4,000 if I am not mistaken. I am sure though that the S series is also very good. But it probably won't match the Be's. Will either be better then your Jamo's I would probably say yes. So, as I was starting to say above, the SW1000be is $4999. If you are running a receiver right now, what I would do is get a good sub that is about $2000 or less, they are out there, and spend $3000 on an amp. That is, if you already have a good receiver. If you don't have a good, current receiver then that changes things. Then I would get the s series, but again with a different sub, and use the extra money for separates.

Thanks MIkeDuke....Im running mid level Pioneer Elite and Blu ray player. That will be replaced as well....I demoed the Be 5.1 setup above with the anthem dv2, MCA 50 The sound was absolutely stunning to say the least. I have been looking at good home audio over the past four years but have yet to pull the trigger. this is the year i want to start to build a new system that will last. So looking into a good 5.1 system, either with a good receiver or seperates

When you say mid level, does that mean that it can decode things like TRUHD and
DTS-Master. You know, the high def audio formats? If it can then what I would do is get the Be setup(again, I have never heard the Electra sub) but I had the previous one and it should be better then that so I am sure it is a fine sub. I would just run the pio as a preamp, assuming it has pre-outs for the main channels, and get the Be speakers and the Athem amp. Then all you need is a quality preamp and you WILL have a fantastic system. As far as a BR player, I would look at the OPPO line. It is what I bought with my Integra preamp and I was floored with how good it sounded. You will have the makings of a fantastic setup. Plus, if you get the Electra sub I will be interested in your thoughts. I was not saying that it was a bad sub before. I have never heard it. I only meant that many people will poo poo it as an over priced sub that can be beat by something less expensive. But if the entire system sounded great to you then there really should be no question. Keep the pio(as long as it has the new audio formats. Maybe get a new BR player and get the Be speakers. Your regret meter should be pretty low after that . If your Pio is older and does not have all the formats, there are pleanty of really affordable receivers that have what you need that you can connect an amp to. Then as I said, just get a dedicated preamp down the line.

That is how I started way back when in the regular Dolby Digital and DTS days. I had a receiver. Then I bought my amps. Then I got a HT preamp. I think if you follow that path, with the Be speakers, you will be very happy in the end. I hope this long post is more helpful then confusing.

Perfect.... I will go that route it makes much more sense...I will go with the Be's, the Elite receiver I have is a 2010 model I refers to it being mid level because it was 2 model above it and two below it as well as the Elite Blu ray player was the top model in 2010. Thanks again Mike its much clearer now...I was looking at the OPPO line as well as the Cambridge 751 which i demoed as a SACD player with a set of elac speakers, RBH sub, with a cambridge 640r. Now would you do the speakers first or the amplifier first? I will have to build this system in pieces.

Wow ejusted, very nice system you have there! Similar to what I hope to have within the next 6 mo's or so. How do you find the Parasound amps with your 1038Be's? Specifically with music in 2ch? I was actually eyeing a Halo A51 on the used market as a possible amp to use with my AVR600 as processor. I've read some great editorial reviews on the A51 among the other Halo amps.

P.S. - ejusted, if you can remember... when you first opened your 1038's did they have the little rubber feet on the base from the factory? I cracked one of my boxes open to have a look at the speaker last night and noticed that it had small black rubber feet/nubs on the base, covering the threaded insert holes. I just thought it was strange to see them on from the factory as I've never seen that before; usually they come without any installed and you install them yourself based on whether you want to use the spikes or nubs -- kind of made me freak out thinking they were refurbs or b-stock or something


Mike, I could not be happier with the synergy between my AVR600 and the Electra Be line. It is truly a match made in HEAVEN. Of all the brands I've heard paired with the Electra line (NAD Masters, Naim, Anthem, among others) it is by far the best pairing. The detailed-yet-laid-back house sound of the Arcam FMJ gear suits the crystal clear/revealing nature of the Focals absolutely perfectly. I've always found the AVR600 sounds like a hybrid Tube/SS setup, and with the Electra line it sounds as good as it ever has. Finally my speakers match (or exceed) the capability of my electronics!

The AVR600 actually drove my 1028's extremely well... which is why I said I don't really NEED amplification -- the 1038's will be an even easier load than the 1028's were. Now... that's not to say that I don't have every intention of adding a big multichannel amp or multiple mono's or 2ch's down the road!!! I may not need it, but I sure as heck WANT it.

Hope to have them placed in my room/hooked up by Thursday at the latest, just finishing some last-minute repairs to the theater/listening room before I install them. I will post some pics when they're ready. Oh, and they are in the Black Lacquer/Slate Grey finish... a-la Utopia III's.

I have read that Arcam and Focal go great together so I am not surprised that they match up. Yea. I know the want demon very well. I am sure that finish will look fantastic as well. I still love the look of my 1027's in Classic finish. I can't wait to see some pics of them all setup.

Elite stuff is not bad at all. But, no matter what, the 1028's are not the easiest to drive. From my contact with one of the Focal distributors, he said once you get to the Electra series you should really use a seperate amp. But, let me ask this. How poweful is your Elite. I might say, if the speaker deal is a limited time offer, then go with the speakers. Just know that you may be putting a strain on your elite and you will just have to watch how loud you play your system. But, if you are just set on getting that Focal Be setup no matter what, then I might do the amp first and then the speakers.
BTW, I built my system in pieces as well.

Great mike,
I have the VSX-33 rated at 110 a channel...The the clock was ticking on the speakers so I pulled the trigger, I got them for a really good price and less than I anticipated. To start the build I got the 1038be instead of the 28's, they were more but since Im building in stages it won't have a major effect on my budget. I also bought the CC1008be. So this frees funds to get a solid amp and use the pioneer as a processor until I can get a solid processor which seems to be another challenge, Truly will be the last thing I buy. For amplification i was looking at the Bryston 9B SST. So I can have everything in one chassis and if I move to 7.1 I can get a 2 ch for the 1038's and the 9B could handle the rest. This audio setup has become an obsession...Feels good....

Hello AuralXTC, I have also heard great things about the Parasound A51. I personally have not demo'ed one so I cannot give you specific details. The amp that I have is a Pass amplifier and I highly recommend it. It adds a great bit of detail and punch to the sound of "any" speaker. The 1038's require a good deal of power to drive them and this amp definitely does the job.
As far as the rubber feet......I honestly cannot recall how they looked when I got them. It might have been the excitement, or the exhaustion of carrying them up one flight of stairs....not sure. Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance.

I am satisfied with the amount of amplification that I currently have. I do think with this type of speaker.....it is very necessary to have external amplification to make sure you are getting the full potential out of the speakers. As far as the amount of watts.....its very tough to say. My initial thoughts would be towards more power. Focal recommends an amplifier with at least 40 watts on tap, though the 1038Be can handle up to 400 watts plus. I felt that with my listening environment, 250w/per channel was a good ball park to be in. My recommendation is to try and compare it with another (more powerful) amp at home and see which one sounds better. That's the only way to make sure you are satisfied.

Haha oh wow, sorry about that Little bit of a brain-fart on my part there lol. I was looking at a gallery of a system with 1038's and it was using a Halo A21 and Halo A51 and for some reason got yours and his system confused, my bad.

Your pass is a beastly looking amp and I've heard Pass/Focal make a great combo, Pass is one of the brands on my short list for amplifiers to mate with my new 1038's.

I'm absolutely loving the 1038's by the way! Finally got them set-up late Friday night (after a few too many drinks ), spent the rest of the weekend cleaning my drool off the floor! One word: Amazing! I wasn't expecting there to be such an immediate, noticeable improvement coming from my 1028's... wow!

I'll post some pics later tonight if time permits. Cheers.

Fantastic. Moving up to the 1038's with the CC1008 will be a really good system. I think I mentioned I am using Bryston amps. I have the older ST models so I am sure that the 9b SST will be a great fit for those speakers. As far as processors go, I can really recommend Integra. I have the 80.2 and I am sure the 80.3 is really good as well. Plus they are not priced too high. I also like your plan of maybe getting a 2ch for the 1038's and use the 9B for everything else if you go 7.1. I would probably stay with Bryston and get the 4B SST. Whatever way you go, you will have a really nice sounding setup. Did you choose a sub and surrounds? Or will they come later. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and seeing some pics.

Where is this 1038's and Halo A21/Halo A51 set up!! I wanna see

Hehe, it got buried somewhere. I'll see if I can dig it out for ya... it'll cost you $5 via PayPal though.

In other news here's a real-quick shot of my new 1038's in their new home:





I'm waiting on a custom center channel stand to be completed so I can buy a 30" articulating wall-mount for the Kuro and really clean up the look of the front stage. As it is in this picture, it's temporary.

Hi, Right now we are in a rental, getting our house built and it will be ready in june....Had a home theater room in previous house and have a mixup of focal speakers....Here is what I have.

Onkyo 806 receiver
focal cc700 center
(4) Focal 714v towers (was using as fronts and rears)
(2) Focal 807v bookshelves
(2) Focal 705v bookshelves
klipsch 12wd sub
polk psw505 sub
epson 8100 projector

So right now I have a 9.2, I am not sure if I wanna just do a 7.2 or 9.2 yet.

Anything I should change about my speaker setup...sell something and get another?

Maybe sell all 4 714v towers and get 1 pair of 816v instead?

Or does my setup sound just fine and I should just stick to what I have?

new room will be approx 13'x18'x8'tall

Thank you

Answered you in your original thread:

thanks wasnt sure how many people would click in here cause its been about 20 days since last post.