Focal - JM Lab Owner's Thread - Page 179

Thank you for your urgent reply to my message. The only problem I can see is the price given by the store and its location. I was told that I have to pick them up if I really want to buy them. It's 22 hours travel time from where I live to where my store is.... From Florida to IL. That's the reason why I am looking for othe speakers that can perfectly match 836w. By the way when did this 836w come to market in USA?

wow...i don't think i would buy speakers without listening to them. that's a long drive and lotta cash for a blind buy.

as much as i like 836w's, that doesn't mean that YOU will...

if you have listened to and like the sound of the paradigm and b&w's, i would recommend you go with one of those...

at least you know what you're taking home.

Hi there focal owners. Hopefully by next week ill be a focal owner as well. I'm currently eyeing a 1037 be. I guess my concern is that the tower will not have a matching center and I will be forced to buy a new center that matches the 1038 be. My question is...will there be a really big difference between the 1037 and the cc1008?

My other questions are....what amps will match these speakers. I'm not looking for an amp that is very clinical but would like the details but would like a buttery smooth sound. (If that makes any sense)

Is rotel ok? The 1575 I think

This will be my first time to go for high end. I'm currently using Polk lsim at the moment.

Hope you guys can help me out.

Carlo

CARLO...

A good link for you about your possible purchase http://hometheaterreview.com/focal-electra-1038be-floorstanding-loudspeaker-reviewed/?page=2

Carlo, this is from someone who I know that works for Audioplus services(US distributor for Focal speakers)
I asked if the 1037's and CC1008 would be an OK match.
"100%. The crossover slopes match, so steering and timing elements will match. Timber will also match. This is an easy marriage."
So there you go. You really can't get a better answer than that. The Rotel would probably be fine with these speakers. I have the 1027's and love them. I am sure the 1037's are really powerful.

Thank you so much for the reply and for the link. It definitely made things a lot easier and also harder. It's now making me wonder how much of a difference the 1038be will be compared to the 1037be.

Ya that definitely was the best answer I could ask for. Thank you for taking the time for replying. I've been reading this thread for a couple of days now and found it extremely helpful. I'm now "trying" to enjoy the last days with my Polk lsim's. bitter sweet I guess for me because I just bought these speakers 2 months ago. But after hearing the Electra line, all of a sudden I wanted a divorce and be with my new ones. Haha

But regarding the amp part. What would you recommend. It's not very easy for me to audition amps here (Philippines) because almost all stores here will just tell me that they'll just order the amp and that's when I can listen to them. So in other words, I'll have to buy them first.

I'm not very knowledgable when it comes to our hobby because I just started about 2 years ago. This will be my first time to go for separates. I'll be looking at a new processor too. Any ideas?

Thank you so much for the link. Very very educational but also made me think....how different is the 1038 compared to the 1037.

Carlo,
It depends on a few things(regarding the amp). First, I don't know what your top limit is when it comes to U.S pricing(that makes it easier for me to give advice). I have an older Bryston pair of amps that do a very good job with Focal speakers. At least IMHO. The newer amps are supposed to sound even better. I know that BAT audio sounds good with them but that will probably be more money. If I had to guess, I would also say that Parasound would probably be a good combo. Cary audio also may be something you want to look into. Just one more, McIntosh is also a good match. I can give you a ton of names but if they are out of your budget, or you can not get them where you are, it's kind of silly for me to do that. So is there a limit on price? Do you think you can get any of the brands I listed? Given all that, it does not mean that the speakers will sound horrible with a Rotel amp. These are just other options you may want to explore.

As far as processors go, I would put the Integra 80.3 at the top of my list. I have the 80.2 and it is a great HT preamp. It will do everything you need it to do. You would have to spend ALOT more to maybe try and beat it in SQ.
Edited by MIkeDuke - 9/25/12 at 7:10am

I guess my limit is around 5k usd. Ya all those amps that you mentioned are available here but the store will not allow anyone to listen to them because most stores here in the Philippines does not stock nor allow demo of new items in stock. Kinda sucks. But I am going there in the United States pretty soon for a vacation but I have a feeling it'll turn into a shopping trip for equipment. Lol I do have an emotiva arriving next week. I honestly thought I was good with my Polk lsim until I heard focal and I totally forgot about my speakers. Will the emotiva amp do it some justice, at least for the time being until I buy a real amp and processor.

I'm not into amps that sound bright. I like the smooth sounding ones that has all the details, control and sense of urgency but without making the tweeter sounding harsh

My other question is how much power do I need for the Electra line because I plan to buy the matching surrounds as well. I figured that ill be heading towards that way anyways.

From the names I listed, and your budget, Parasound is probably your best bet. Most of the other ones will probably be above your limit, unless you can negotiate a deal below retail. The Emotive Brand is supposed to be a very nice amp as well. Since you already have that coming, I would give that a solid shot. The other brand that would fit your budget I think is a company called Wyred for sound. I have read a lot of good things about them. They are an internet direct company. You can buy it and try it for 30 days, but there will be a restocking fee if you don't like the amp.
http://www.wyred4sound.com/
Just one more. Again, I have not heard Focal with the following company but I do know someone who has these amps. It's called Earthquake audio
http://www.earthquakesound.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=15

As far as how much power, I think you want at least 150 watts per channel. More would be fine though. I have 300 watts going to my 1027's and there is no issue at all.
Hope all this helps .

Absolutely. Very helpful. I'll check them all out. Thank you once again. Hope to see your setup sometime so I can see what an Electra setup looks like. I don't know how to go through this site yet

No problem. If you want to see my setup. just click on the link under where it says "My guardian Angel, wears a hard hat". That will take you to my system.

Here is my system with 1038be's. Click here

I didn't bother getting matching surrounds. I listen to music primarily. Hope that helps.

Does anyone on the forum have those monstrous Utopia speakers??

Hi everybody, I found a BRAND NEW SPEAKERS (PAIR). It's electra 1027s worth 3295.00 from the authorized dealer. Is it a good deal? What about its performance compared to chorus 836w. Which one is better? Please reply...

Run, don't walk and buy the 1027's right now. They listed for $8,000 at the end of their run. There will be no comparison between them and the 836w. At that price, they are a fantastic buy. I have the 1027's and I can tell you they are great speakers for HT and music. Those Electra speakers are mighty fine. I am sure the 836 are fine speakers. But they are no 1027's.

I think Music Direct must have bought up the entire remaining inventory of the 1000S series at some point, and have been closing them out for some time. Yes, that is a very good speaker for the money.

I'd personally like to get some kind of idea just how much better the beryllium tweeter in the the 1038BE actually is than the tweeter in the S line. I keep wishing that MD would get the 1000BE line.

OH. My mistake. I thought you meant the 1027be's, not the 1027's. The little "s" through me. I have never heard them. I would still say that they are probably worth that price and most likely a step up from the 836w.
P.S, I heard the 1028's in a store mtrot. I can tell you that the highs in that speaker are "better" then what I have in my 1027 be's. So I would guess that a 1038 Be would be much better then anything in the S line. The Be tweeter is just so damn good.

It is just a reminder that electra 1027s is a discontinued speaker. But I believe that the factory warranty is still good for five years. But my questions is this, Is electra 1027s really better than chorus 836w since they both have the same tweeter, mid range and woofers? As a matter of fact, 836w has three woofers as opposed to 1027s. What do you think my friends?
Edited by @@@@@ - 9/25/12 at 6:02pm

Gosh such a beautiful setup. I have to thank you for being extremely helpful Aling with everyone else in the forum. I've tried asking for advice before from other sites and did not get the same helpful reaction like here. Thank you

It helped a lot. Thank you. Your setup is inspiring but also made me feel my current setup is so messy. I seriously need to clean up my setup.

Ya. In the previous posts in the forum. I saw a guy (streetsmart88) with upotias, I think they are maestros.

Ya. In the previous posts in the forum. I saw a guy (streetsmart88) with upotias, I think they are maestros.

I've actually heard these speakers playing side by side and I'd still go for the 1027s but then again I am relatively new to this hobby and may not have the trained ears that others have already

I was going to post this a while back, but I noticed they can only ship the product to a US address and it seemed like the interested party was outside the US. Also keep in mind this is two models revisions back, 1037S -> 1037 Be -> 1038 Be (current).

CarloBoy,
Try Pass Labs XA.5 or X.5 series amp for your Electra. Either XA30.5 or X150.5 new retail for $5k. You could get them used for under $4k.

I've tried Bryston 4bsst2 and Anthem amp, but Pass is at whole new other level for music.

For XA30.5, you would find it's stated spec is 30wpc pure class A, but it goes up to 130wpc into 8 ohms, 200wpc into 4 ohms in class AB. For medium to small room, these should be able to drive Electra without breaking sweat.

Electra and Pass have very very good synergy IMO.

I'll start reading up on pass labs. That's all that I can do and buy them blind. Pass labs is not here in the Philippines. But thank you for the input

Thanks. No problem with trying to help as well. I think I mentioned this also, but I agree that Pass Lab would probably be a great combo with Focal speakers. Also, I think I said that BAT is also a good match. I have one more but it may turn out to be more than you are willing to spend. Pathos amps sound outstanding with Focal gear. I would see what tube amps whom ever you are working with can get. I have always had a very good experience with Focal and tube amps.