I've been working on this system since highschool. I started with a NAD and B&W 805S system. From there I went to a system using the NAD as a pre-amp and a krell KAV-2250 as a power amp for a pair of N803. That was a big step up.
While the B&W - Krell combination was very good there was somethig about it that just bothered me when I listen for long periods of time. It would just "get to me"
So, I set out to build a system that was a little "warmer." This is a much more musical. Not as "sterile" if that makes any sense. One things for sure I now enjoy my long listening sessions
Hey guys, haven't checked the site in a while. I have carpet so the wood flooring not an issue. However, I did tilt them up a bit and pulled them further away from the wall and that did make a huge improvement. I like the C2's alot but for right now they are just way out of my budget. Chris, I have not directly compared the C1 and C2. What were your thoughts on the differences between the two. Thanks, Vito
I have a Sim I-7 myself and am using Dynaudio C1's in combination. I think they are a fantastic pairing. When purchasing the C1's I had tried out the C2's and thought they, too, were a beautiful sounding speaker. I would love to have bought them but, unfortunately, were out of my budget.
Hello Bwspeak This is a very nice system for college. I have the 1037's. You may want to try raising the front of the speakers 5 - 7 degrees so that are slightly up ward and listen and see how you like it.
I could not tell what kind floor you have. My home has raised wood floor so the down firing port causes an atficial bass response that was some what boomy. So by raising the front of the spakers a little, the firing of the port is not directly on the floor but it fires at an angle. When i did that the boomyness went away. Happy experementing and enjoy.
Thanks guys for the advice. I do consider my self, blessed to have such a system and I do like these speakers very much (I may have come off as though I don't..) I have been very busy lately, but will be expermenting with your advice, I will let you know what the results are! By the way Kmkhcso I'd imagine these speakers would sound great with that Cary Tube gear, very nice. Thanks Again, Vito
Nice set up BWspeak, I wish I've a set like you when I was in college. It took me almost 5 years to do some research and save money and up to now I owned a pair of 1027 Be. To me they are very nice sound. I drive them with Cary V12(tube 50w triode) and Cary Tube pre (Slp 98) and Rega Apolo. They sound very attractive to my ear, they are very sweet, smooth and seduce. I love them very much can't complain on Focal. I've learned from Gon members who owned Focal Be they advised me that "make sure don't angle them to much to your sweet spot the beryllium tweeter will cancel its hi????" do not ask me why that what I was told, if you know how to get them get their best position please let me know. Still learning Bwspeak, thanks you.
Thanks for the reply. I used to think that bass was an issue with my 927's but with these, in my room, I am very satisfied with the bass. It could be my amp as well. And you are right. They are very sensitive to placement. Just a few inches can have a big impact. Again in my room with my equipment dynamics are not a problem. You may want to play with position a bit more if you can. Experiment with toeing in and maybe move the up a bit so the rack is not between them.
My system is in my bedroom and it doesn't have the best acoustics, so I know that is a source of some of the issues I'm experiencing. (probably the biggest source) However I have listened to them in my dad's acoustically treated theater room. (my I-7 was breaking in at the time, but I also listened to them on a Krell 400cx.)
While I like the Focal, I find that they have a narrow sound stage. The B&W's sounded a little more open or airy, they could project further to the left, right and to the front. They also had a wider "sweet spot". But I couldn't get over that midrange (gets a little harsh with extended listening). I was talking to someone yesterday who thinks it's the Kevlar, phase plug combination...
The b&w's (N803) did have more bass too, more but not necessarily better. I preferred this aspect of there sound.
What I really like about these speakers (Focals) is that they have a much more natural sound to them, especially in the midrange. While they are a little lean for my taste the base, whats there is very accurate. I have been trying to improve the sound staging by changing the toe in and speaker separation, but once again my options are hindered by my room. Overall I'm not sure if I could pick one speaker as being clearly better than the other.
I would sum it up like this, If I was going to sit down and listen to a couple of songs and wanted to here some impressive dynamics I would choose the N803s. However if you sit down and listen through a couple of CD's or more a day then I would choose the Focals, Which IMHO are a more "musical" speaker. I listen to my system a lot (lol, Im have to since I study so much ), so I chose the focals.
Nice setup. I have the 1027's myself. I am using a Bryston 4b-ST right now but I am in the very early stages of amp research. What short falls are you experiencing? In my room, I really can't pin any down with this speaker. Again, that is a very nice setup.
