Focal Owners Thread

Dr Tone

Active Member
Not many threads on Focal speakers here so I thought I'd start an Owners thread with my first post.

I recently moved from NHT Classic 4 speakers to Focal 836Ws and couldn't be happier. They are real detail monsters, not the best for rocking out but man o man does the Jazz sound sweet.


Any other owners out there?


My complete system:
Squeezebox Touch -> Rega DAC -> Krell s300i -> Focal 836Ws
 
I have a pair of Cobalt 816s - old enough that they're badged as JMLab rather than Focal - as front speakers in my home theater setup. I use a Chorus CC70S center channel. I absolutely love them. Clear, detailed, not bright at all - even with my Integra receiver. Best HT speakers I've ever owned.
 
I have a pair of JM Labs Tantal 509s which I think the whole Tantal line was replaced with Cobalt.

They are part of a secondary setup for my Family Room using a Rotel 1052 Integrated and an OPPO 93 to spin CDs.

JMs / Focal have always been known for being quick, detailed and accurate but in many models lack deep bass as mine do. But I have them sitting in built in shelves flanking a fireplace which seems to make them sound much bigger than they really are.

IMG_1005.jpg
 
Mine are floor standers, that have no trouble reproducing accurate amounts of bass down to a little less than 40hz. But again they aren't room shaking rocking out speakers.

I'll take a picture when I get home tonight.
 
The only Focal speakers I have are DIYers that I bought off CL. Excellent speakers... ultra detailed (almost to a fault), dynamic, fast, punchy, and very musical. They are also suprisingly efficient (about 95db or so). The woofer is not a Focal driver, but all the others are. As they are now... butt ugly, but I plan to rectify that someday, probably with cherry veneer.

IMG_4344.jpg
 
The only Focal speakers I have are DIYers that I bought off CL. Excellent speakers... ultra detailed (almost to a fault), dynamic, fast, punchy, and very musical. They are also suprisingly efficient (about 95db or so). The woofer is not a Focal driver, but all the others are. As they are now... butt ugly, but I plan to rectify that someday, probably with cherry veneer.

IMG_4344.jpg

Those are pretty cool looking:yes:

My Focals are also DIY, and only half Focal. The tweeter is Vifa. They are quite fine sounding though!

IMG_2879.jpg
 
Here's a one of 836ws. You can see the million finger prints from me constantly tweaking their position. LOL

FocalSingle.jpg
 
Focal OD706V

I'm looking at purchasing a pair of Focal OD 706V speakers for my Lanai out here in Fl. Has anyone been able to listen to a pair of these speakers. Unfortunately the dealers in my area do not have them on hand so I can take a listen.

Thanks,

Brian
 
While not Focal-branded, I own a pair of Pierre-Étienne Léon ML2, which uses Focal 7C4252 7" woofers, two per cabinet, isobaric arrangement, as a short tower-style bass reflex. f3 is stated to be 40Hz, which can only be explained by an EBS alignement. The tweeter is a 1" silk dome, likely Audax. This is a very fine sounding loudspeaker system.

az
 
Using a pair of Focal Chorus 706 V's in my office that I picked up maybe about a month ago. They're on my desk and close to a wall until I move to a larger place in April, but they've been surprisingly forgiving and sound absolutely fantastic.

6807965291_bfd198873e_b.jpg

Contrary to the pic, which I took shortly after unboxing, I seem to get the best results with the grilles on and tweeter covers off.
 
Last edited:
My friend owns the Focal Twin6 BE (nearfield monitors) that he uses in his home studio for mixing. Their detail is amazing.
 
I have own a pair of Focal 806V, and pair of 826V and last one were a pair of Profile 928. Focal make some fine speaker and i wouldn't hesitate to get another pair. Unfortunately i think the retail price is way to high for what you get. But that's my opinion...
 
Took home a Moon 340i to try with my 836w speakers, the Krell s300i I'm running is a little too agressive for them.

340i is a great amp, but has one bad useability issue. The volume control isn't fine enough, the focals are a pretty efficient 92db and the amp goes to from just a little low of regular listening volume to tear my head off with one click of the remote.

If power is lost at any time the HT bypass resets and you have configure it again. Not a big issue just an annoyance.

Soundstage is a little recessed (like standing a foot or two further back from the performers) in comparison to the Krell. It's smoother, a little warmer and a little more layed back, doesn't have the aggressive mids that in certain situations was too much on the Krell. A good fit with the forward aggressive Focals. I can't pinpoint how the Moon has more detail/refinement because of the warmth playing mind tricks on me, but it's there, I can now easily tell the difference between Filter 1 and 5 on my rega dac. I really struggled with it on the Krell.

I like how the Moon fits with the focals, but I have to pass on the 340i mostly because of volume issue. I now know where the SimAudio stands for sound, so I jumped on a used 600i for just a little more than the 340i new, it has a finer volume control and being dual mono can only be that much better in every way.
 
Try a Naim amp with your Focal 836W
Believe me i had a Naim Nait 5i and CD5i with my 826V and i were amazed !!
 
Back
Top Bottom