SO did a little fun testing .

mantis

It's been awhile since I picked up the Focal's and I've been trying different amps , receivers and all kinds of things I threw at them.
I have had a Integra DRX - 4 power them by itself with ease, sounded awesome. Added a 2 channel Niles 2125 amp 125 x 2 and it sounded awesome.
Then swapped that out for my Rotel RMB1075 which again sounded awesome.
Used a Sony STRAZ5000es which is my new AVR straight and again results awesome.
Added my Musical Fidelity in HT mode which is 200 x 2 dual mono and man it's really awesome.

Now today I tried using the Musical fidelity internal preamp using it's internal USB DAC and that is something special. Kinda miss using a USB with Computer music which like a Turntable takes more work but rewarding as most hard work is.

What I am finding is the star setup with these speakers in using the Sony set in small 80hz with a external sub. I have 2 Velodyne DD10 Plus subwoofers and there is no comparison to the Focal's in Large or just running off the Musical Fidelity in full range compared to small with subs.

So why would I say that? First off the Focal's don't dig deep enough to even compete, it's totally unfair but some will walk around saying large and in charge and all the dumb stuff as running your speakers in large is always the way to go, if they can recreate bass , why take it away? My answer it a few things.
1- A subwoofer especially a high quality model or models will always out perform speaker bass from most tower designed speakers.
2- Placement , you can get your bass in your room tuned where as you can't separate your speakers from it's bass drivers to place them correctly in the room for the best bass coverage and performance.

Sometimes you could get lucky and where you place your main channel or 2 channel speakers you can create a hell of a good experience but if you add high quality subwoofers to your setup, would or could it be even better? I would have to say yes it will.

Now another thing that I noticed with all my fun testing is the mid range gets clearer. I can hear the speakers breathe better like there is more space more air more weight. Funny taking away bass from them seem to allow them to carry bass better.

I took a video which is cheesy and dumb but I wonder how it would carry over for you to hear what I hear. Nothing like being in the room but maybe the balance between the subs and speakers shows. If I covered up the Subs , you would not know they where in the room and you would think all the bass was coming from the speakers.

I'll post the video if it allows if not I'll post in on my YouTube channel and link it here.

Here is a few pics for fun.

Clipdat

What happened to the tiny year-round Christmas tree?

mantis

Clipdat wrote: »

What happened to the tiny year-round Christmas tree?

I gave that thing the boot as well as the colorful mirror. I told my wife I needed to use that space for testing as I was moving around my subs and one of them performed well in that position. I don't know how long I'll be able to use that space but I won this battle for now. LOL

mantis

https://youtu.be/jPOqYH7Sj9Y
This video was quickly shot with my iPhone 11 Pro max which is what 4 years old now? Still came out ok

jbreezy5

It definitely can help to reduce bass resonances on floorstander cabinets using a little higher crossover point.

There’s trade-offs to either approach. People that choose a lower crossover setting seem to tend to like a warmer, richer sound; arguably, they may get more slam from their subs too.

It’s fun to experiment with.

mantis

jbreezy5 wrote: »

It definitely can help to reduce bass resonances on floorstander cabinets using a little higher crossover point.

There’s trade-offs to either approach. People that choose a lower crossover setting seem to tend to like a warmer, richer sound; arguably, they may get more slam from their subs too.

It’s fun to experiment with.

it's really fun. When you set it and forget it for many years , for me I have developed many solid habits I find works for most systems most rooms etc and just playing around with crossover points , and comparing to full range vs with a sub and small is really a cool fun time. It's amazing when you let go oof spec's and just listen to how it sounds. THX really nailed it on the head with the 80hz point. It's around 120-150hz is where bass starts to become more omnidirectional and when you have the ability to place dedicated subwoofers in the room and recreate those frequencies that work with the room instead of fighting it, things really sound much better.

I think you can get more out of your system.

Jetmaker737

Nice room. I'm digging that blue wall. Looks good.

IteachSTEM

I agree with what you said about the subs. I always runs subs... in my home theater and in my 2.2 stereo only system. I don't listen to music loud anymore (I'm 47!) but when I listen, I love how the sub fills in the perceived lack of low end at low volumes.

I actually have 4 small Velodyne subs for my home theater. (Bought all 4 used for less than $350) You can move them around and figure out where to place them so that you get decent bass throughout the listening area. It's not ideal for most rooms to have that many, but it does work well if you have a dedicated home theater or an area that allows for random placement of speakers.

mantis

Jetmaker737 wrote: »

Nice room. I'm digging that blue wall. Looks good.

Thanks man

mantis

IteachSTEM wrote: »

I agree with what you said about the subs. I always runs subs... in my home theater and in my 2.2 stereo only system. I don't listen to music loud anymore (I'm 47!) but when I listen, I love how the sub fills in the perceived lack of low end at low volumes.

I actually have 4 small Velodyne subs for my home theater. (Bought all 4 used for less than $350) You can move them around and figure out where to place them so that you get decent bass throughout the listening area. It's not ideal for most rooms to have that many, but it does work well if you have a dedicated home theater or an area that allows for random placement of speakers.

I'm 53 and also don't listen at or near reference levels. I'm trying to hold on to whatever hearing I have left.

plastic_avatar

BSG, LotR Extended, a Star Wars stein?

The One (underrated, imo).

Plus loads of other great stuff!

[tip of the hat, sir]