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  #11  
Old 08-13-2012, 02:57 PM
EightZeroZeroDelta EightZeroZeroDelta is offline
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JRSBat, thank you for sharing your experience with the 816V. The trickle down upgrades from the Utopia line seem to be a positive adjustment to the Chorus line. I am really eager to get an audition of the 8XX W line. How long have you had your 816's and what have you had prior to those and how would you say the Focal's compared?

Thank you.
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  #12  
Old 08-13-2012, 03:51 PM
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JRSBat JRSBat is offline
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Originally Posted by EightZeroZeroDelta View Post
JRSBat, thank you for sharing your experience with the 816V. The trickle down upgrades from the Utopia line seem to be a positive adjustment to the Chorus line. I am really eager to get an audition of the 8XX W line. How long have you had your 816's and what have you had prior to those and how would you say the Focal's compared?

Thank you.
Hi,

I've had the 816s for almost a year. They are the first new speakers I have purchased since returning to audio. Before, I had some vintage speakers that I refoamed/recapped - Advents and Epicure monitors. They were not even in the same league as the Focals. When I auditioned speakers locally, I listened to some B&Ws, PSBs, NHTs and a few Chinese variants in roughly the same price range. When I heard the Focals, it was like the proverbial veil was lifted. They had much cleaner sound without being harsh. I think Focal has done a much better job than most at trickling down the good bits to its intro lines.

If you get to audition the 836Ws please let me know what you think.

Joe
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  #13  
Old 08-13-2012, 03:59 PM
EightZeroZeroDelta EightZeroZeroDelta is offline
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Originally Posted by JRSBat View Post
Hi,

I've had the 816s for almost a year. They are the first new speakers I have purchased since returning to audio. Before, I had some vintage speakers that I refoamed/recapped - Advents and Epicure monitors. They were not even in the same league as the Focals. When I auditioned speakers locally, I listened to some B&Ws, PSBs, NHTs and a few Chinese variants in roughly the same price range. When I heard the Focals, it was like the proverbial veil was lifted. They had much cleaner sound without being harsh. I think Focal has done a much better job than most at trickling down the good bits to its intro lines.

If you get to audition the 836Ws please let me know what you think.

Joe
Joe, I will certainly let you know what I think once I get the opportunity to demo. Looks like out of that bunch, B&W is the only sound I am familiar with. Which models did you compare the Focals to?

Unfortunately, there is no local Focal (ha!) dealer. But there is one a couple hours north of here. Might have to check them out eventually. Will keep you posted!
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  #14  
Old 08-13-2012, 04:21 PM
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Originally Posted by EightZeroZeroDelta View Post
Joe, I will certainly let you know what I think once I get the opportunity to demo. Looks like out of that bunch, B&W is the only sound I am familiar with. Which models did you compare the Focals to?

Unfortunately, there is no local Focal (ha!) dealer. But there is one a couple hours north of here. Might have to check them out eventually. Will keep you posted!
Hi Sean,

Too many brain cells ago to remember the B&W model. There is a local BB with a Magnolia audio section. They had some intro B&W models I listened to - roughly $1,000-$2,500/pair range. Of course, it took the rep about 20 minutes to figure out which buttons connected the speakers to the amps. The listening area also was not the greatest - so I am sure both had something to do with the experience. The other speakers I auditioned at stores with decent listening rooms.
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  #15  
Old 08-13-2012, 05:42 PM
EightZeroZeroDelta EightZeroZeroDelta is offline
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Hahaha, I hear ya, Joe. I appreciate your edforts to recollect. I certainly know hard it is to remember diistinguish the sound of gear when thinking back.

I am really looking forward to hearing Focal (especially with Bryston amplification). Looking to put that up against Dynaudio. Will keep everyone posted.
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  #16  
Old 07-18-2013, 11:44 PM
Lou-- Lou-- is offline
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I have Focal 826W and really like the sound. They are very similar to the 836W with just a little less bass extension... not a problem as I supplement the bottom end with a REL R528 sub.

I was driving my Focals with McIntosh C48 and MC352 amp, which is a fairly good match. I have since switched to a Prima Luna Dialogue Two using Tung-Sol KT120 tubes, and I much prefer tube amplification with the Focals. The treble from tubes is just so sweet, and there is no degradation in bass with tubes (Focals are quite efficient to drive).

I also own Totem Sttafs which I haul out from time to time, but I always go back to the Focals. The Focals are cleaner, with more realistic timbre and a more holographic image. The Totems are more relaxed, and initially sound warmer, but after listening for a while I always start to miss the realistic presentation of Focals.

Focals are definitely revealing enough to benefit from good Power Conditioning. I wasn't much of a believer in expensive power conditioners and cords 'til a friend of mine brought over a Shunyata Talos with Cobra cords. After listening for... oh, about 20 seconds, I knew I had to get some Shunyata gear.

I listened to a bunch of different speakers including Linn, B&W, Martin Logan & PMC before deciding on Focals. Of these speakers, I liked PMC but only the higher models which were quite a bit more money than Focal 826W.

I have since listened to the 1028be compared to the 826W, and I am not sure which I prefer. The 1028be is a bit smoother, but there is something about the beryllim tweeter that just doesn't seem right... at least to my ears. My friends much prefer the beryllium tweeter so I guess it is personal preference.

If there is one flaw with the 826W, it is that sibilant vocal recordings can be "pronounced". I can hear the same sibilance in recordings on my Totems, just not as sssharp. The good thing about the "pronounced" tweeter is that classical and instrumental recordings sound great, with exceptional air around the instruments. So I guess it is a balance. All in all, I would say that the 8_6W are great value for the money, and compare well to much more expensive speakers.

Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Lou
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  #17  
Old 07-21-2013, 03:01 AM
Jonmartin Jonmartin is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lou-- View Post
I have Focal 826W and really like the sound. They are very similar to the 836W with just a little less bass extension... not a problem as I supplement the bottom end with a REL R528 sub.

I was driving my Focals with McIntosh C48 and MC352 amp, which is a fairly good match. I have since switched to a Prima Luna Dialogue Two using Tung-Sol KT120 tubes, and I much prefer tube amplification with the Focals. The treble from tubes is just so sweet, and there is no degradation in bass with tubes (Focals are quite efficient to drive).

I also own Totem Sttafs which I haul out from time to time, but I always go back to the Focals. The Focals are cleaner, with more realistic timbre and a more holographic image. The Totems are more relaxed, and initially sound warmer, but after listening for a while I always start to miss the realistic presentation of Focals.

Focals are definitely revealing enough to benefit from good Power Conditioning. I wasn't much of a believer in expensive power conditioners and cords 'til a friend of mine brought over a Shunyata Talos with Cobra cords. After listening for... oh, about 20 seconds, I knew I had to get some Shunyata gear.

I listened to a bunch of different speakers including Linn, B&W, Martin Logan & PMC before deciding on Focals. Of these speakers, I liked PMC but only the higher models which were quite a bit more money than Focal 826W.

I have since listened to the 1028be compared to the 826W, and I am not sure which I prefer. The 1028be is a bit smoother, but there is something about the beryllim tweeter that just doesn't seem right... at least to my ears. My friends much prefer the beryllium tweeter so I guess it is personal preference.

If there is one flaw with the 826W, it is that sibilant vocal recordings can be "pronounced". I can hear the same sibilance in recordings on my Totems, just not as sssharp. The good thing about the "pronounced" tweeter is that classical and instrumental recordings sound great, with exceptional air around the instruments. So I guess it is a balance. All in all, I would say that the 8_6W are great value for the money, and compare well to much more expensive speakers.

Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Lou
I agree with this I have the 836W's that I replaced my old Electra 936's with. They're amazing speakers for the money.
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