Hi there, I am moving into a house and will finally have a chance to enter the world of home AV. Previously staying at apartments, I limited myself to computer 5.1 speakers mainly because of space.
The receiver I just bought is a Denon 3808 that outputs 130w per channel. The living area is an open design of 5metres wide by 8metres long. The system will be therefore be setup at one end, giving it a dimension of 5m wide by 4m long. Timber floorboards all around and behind the designated living area is will be a combination of kitchen and dining area. Subwoofer choice currently sits with an american brand Velodyne SPL Ultra 800 (8"), will that be a good balance for both musicality and movies bass reproduction?
So now after some research and googling up reviews and prices, it has come down to the following:
Focal 700 Series Mains: 726V Centre: CC700V Rear: 706V
I have listened to only the mains on a music demo disc at different shops. B&W salesperson said it is warmer and because of the area, warmer speakers works better and will be less bouncing off the walls. At loud levels the Focal does seem to be a bit intrusive on the eardrums but then again it could just be me not understanding the beauty of a well balanced speaker.
Meanwhile at another shop that sells both B&W and Focals recommended the Focals because, quote "Speakers cannot really be called bright. The Focals are as you called "bright", but it is in fact lively and reproduces more sound detail than the B&Ws, but some might find the similarly priced 600 series to be more appealing to the ear because the speakers and slightly dulled down to be a much better crowd pleaser."
As I will be using the speakers for an almost equal balance of HiDef movies and music, the centre speaker plays a vital role in movies and from reviews it appears the HTM61 fares better than the CC700V, so "upgrade" popped into my mind, though for some reason the guy at the shop said not to upgrade the centre to the Focal CC800V because it is important to maintain the same brand and series line across the mains and centre speakers.
So some of the points playing on my mind are (please correct me if I am wrong): B&W - Warmer, less bounce, better centre speaker, built in China thus the cheaper pricing, nautilus tweeter. Focal - Brighter with more details, quality made in France, durable vinyl wrapped MDF, looks slightly better.
This is a decision I have not been able to reach for many weeks and was hoping that I can get more guidance and points that I might not have thought of from the experts here. Two systems, both similarly priced and reputable brands... the choice is still unclear.
I prefer Focal 8 series over B&W 6. I thought voices were a little honky on the B&W when I heard them and this was on Rotel's new 15 series. I've not heard the floorstanding 7 series from Focal.
JJ - yes I agree the 800v series would blow the B&W 600 but unfortunately that also means an ALMOST double price tag plus more when it probably deserves at least the Denon 4808 receiver.
Stu - they could only hook up both pair of mains side by side with exactly the same receiver I bought. Non-padded room with carpet flooring. Good decent bass on both. Volume -25db. B&w warmer, focals had more clarity. Volume -18db. B&w still decent. Focal's detail becomes slightly sharper on the ears. Honestly I can't say I know for sure what I should be looking out for when listening.
M.R. - You are right, that would usually be the way to go. Honestly I am probably now 40/60 leaning towards the Focals. Which is why the opinions that I am trying to find is an explanation on whether the clarity or sharpness (if they are at all the same thing?), is a good thing. And therefore may just be something I am yet to understand to appreciate.
The Focals look better, but I like the B&W sound. The Focal 705 & 6v sounded somewhat ordinarily good, they didn't offend, but didn't leave me wanting to come back for more, perhaps a bit veiled (or maybe it was a bad audition?).
I've always liked the the B&W sound, great dynamics, thick, well rounded. The 686 & 5 were great, better than the CM Series I auditioned them against.
Which is why the opinions that I am trying to find is an explanation on whether the clarity or sharpness (if they are at all the same thing?), is a good thing
Well, for those who like clarity or sharpness - yes it is. For those who don't - well, no it isn't.
Which one are you Eric?
What I'm trying to say is that listening pleasure is determined by an individual's preferences. It is a personal thing. Various people like various aspects of what speakers can present. If you don't like sharpness then your ears will most likely suffer fatigue from prolonged listening. If you make a decision based on what others prefer, then you are swimming in dangerous waters imho.
Eric, let me add that clarity and sharpness can be or mean different things. When you say sharp that tells me that the sound might be a little offensive to your ears. Clarity on the other hand, means a sound where instruments and tones are easily heard not muddled or 'muddy' - this includes your lows, mids and high frequencies. Sharp can be where the highs are a bit exaggerated or other frequencies are recessed leaving the sound a bit hard on the ears.
Chris - Yeah, the Focals look nicer don't they. I haven't had a chance to audition the rear speakers, definitely not surprise if the B&W 685 was better, cos it's won quite a bit of awards. Sorry I have no other basis of technical reference cos my experience at this stage only goes so far.
M.R. - Thanks for your responses so far. Yes, I want clarity and don't want muddy sounds. Am I fair in saying I guess almost any speakers at loud volumes can be offensive. Focal mains did provide that slight bit more in clarity and detail. I will need to try and bother the guy at the shop again for another round of auditioning. Should I be concerned about the centre speakers and the subwoofer combination? Seems like the HTM51 are heavier and likely to be technically better? With these many questions playing on my mind, I am thinking it might be a good idea to get the sub last, what do you guys think?
Hi guys, I am back. Well after a busy bout of moving and unpacking, I finally found time to go back to the store for two more rounds of audition. After some extensive listening to it more it was clear that the focals managed to pick up a little bit more details especially when playing strings. It made listening lively and so it was decided... I got the Focals!! 726v 706v cc700v Have just hooked them up to the Denon 3808 over the weekend. Still yet to decide on a subwoofer but so far I am satisfied with the sound. Will definitely need to learn to tune it better.
MJ Acoustics Reference 150 vs Velodyne SPL-U1000 ... a new dilemma. =)
Sorry I have no other basis of technical reference cos my experience at this stage only goes so far.