Bluemike, you've got email...
Btw - I posted the list earlier in this thread (see my post on 08-30-04)... |
Whitty...my customers who had theirs shipped last Monday/Tuesday all received theirs today. I'm guessing you are listening to them right now... ;-) |
Nick,
As Maxxc said, I responded to your post about the Classic series on Audioasylum. Basically the Classic series was designed and voiced by the same designer as the Signature series, so within the limitations of parts, materials, etc, you will get a speaker that has the same sensibilities as the Signature series speakers but without the obvious benefits of the best parts/materials.
Here are a couple of professional reviews of speakers from the Classic series:
http://www.hometheatersound.com/equipment/focusaudio_fc70_fccenter_fc10.htm
http://202.186.86.35/audio/printerfriendly.asp?file=/2002/10/31/audiofile/31focus&sec=audiofile |
Maxxc,
I have a .pdf copy of the original article (where the Focus FS688 is listed as #3), but it is in Chinese and I don't have the rights to post it on the web.
I also have an english translation of YK Chan's followup review of the FS688 where he says that after spending more time with it, the FS688 should have been #1 on the list. You can find that one here:
http://www.sonicspirits.com/fs688_yk_eng.pdf
Here's the actual list (without discussion of why each was picked):
1 - Focus Audio FS688
2 - B&W Signature 805
3 - TAD TSM-300
4 - JMLabs Micro Utopia
5 - Goldmund Epilogue One
6 - ProAc Reference 8 Signature
7 - KEF LS3/5A
8 - Krell Lat-2
9 - Sonus Faber Guarneri
10 - Wilson WATT |
Maxxc,
There is discussion in the article as to why they were picked, but the article is written in Chinese, and I haven't gotten a formal English translation. Am still working on finding a translator (my wife, who is Chinese, tried, but there were too many audiophile terms that she didn't know how to translate to English). :-(
Phil |
Whitty,
FYI - Focus has been swamped with orders from their distributors in the Far East, so they have been in short supply, particularly in the wood finishes. But the good news is that they have just completed a new production run, so if you have a pair on order, they should be available this week. |
Glai, you've got email... |
Whitty,
I'm a Focus Audio dealer, and the orders I had placed a few weeks ago all just shipped from Focus earlier this week, so if you had yours on order for a few weeks, I'm sure you will see them soon...
Phil |
If anyone is interested, glai has sent me an english translation of the original article from Hong Kong describing why each of the top 10 monitors was added to the list. Send me an email if you'd like a copy... |
Nick,
I'll try to be objective...
I absolutely love the Blue Circle CS Integrated! :-) As you say, it's "a little guy", but I like to think of it like you'd see a cute little kid with some serious talent. Certainly it is not on par with decent separates, but for $1150 I do think you get great value for the performance it does deliver.
Best way for me to describe the sound is to quote two of my customers. The first bought one to replace a Manley Stingray that he had to sell; he said "it's close, really close. At half the price, there's no question I prefer the CS integrated." The other customer's first reaction to it was "there's no tube? Really?" So basically I'd describe the sound as warm, engaging, with a tube-like quality (I personally won't go as far as to say it sounds like a tube amp, but it is night/day from most analytical sounding solid state stuff).
As far as the power goes (and whether it can run the Focus FS688), I use this integrated with a pair of FS688's in my office. My office is relatively small (12ft x 14ft). Honestly, if I was using it in a bigger room that was more for listening (and less for work), I'd feel that I'd want just a bit more power than the CS Integrated delivers. If you try to push the speakers with it, you notice that the bass loses a little bit of control. In a smaller room at up to moderate listening levels, I think the BC integrated does a very nice job with the FS688 (the FS688 has a relatively flat impedence curve, so even though it has a relatively low sensitivity of 85db, they aren't tremendously hard to drive). It may be a tougher sell to drive the FC-70 (which is 4ohm and needs a good high current amp).
I'll say unequivacally that the FS688 deserves *far* better electronics than the CS Integrated. This is not a knock on the CS Integrated, but the CS Integrated is an entry-level product, and the FS688 is in a performance class far above.
I've never heard your Linn Pretek or Bryston 3B, but I have heard a later-model Bryston 4SST (?). Sonically, I think Blue Circle overall is much more engaging when comparing comparably-priced amps. Bryston, paired with the right preamp, can sound very good, tho (maybe a Blue Circle preamp? Hmmm.. ;-)).
Hope this helps!
Phil
Sonic Spirits Inc.
www.sonicspirits.com |
Nick,
I haven't tried pairing the CS Integrated with a lot of speakers, but the few that I've heard with good success matching (ie. customer systems) are the Aurum Cantus Leisure 2SE, and Triangle Celius. I also think the Von Schweikert VR2 might fill your needs, although I'm less of a fan of the VRs.
For the North American distributor of Aurum Cantus, see:
http://www.kellsieavdesign.com/products/Leisure2SE.htm
And for something a little more esoteric, the Vince Christian E5 (see www.vincechristian.com).
Just curious, what source are you using? |
Oh, and Spendor seems to be pretty popular with Blue Circle owners, although I've never heard the pairing nor do I know anything about their sensitivity/impedence/etc.... |
Maxxc,
I actually really like the VR4jr, but the VR2 (and VR1) to my ears just seem kind of bland to me. I've tried them both in my Blue Circle setup (BC3 preamp, BC28 amp), and I lose the richness and texture that I've gotten with a good number of other speakers.
Regarding a subwoofer, IMHO in a small room, it would be overkill. The FS688 has great bass extension (forget that it's a monitor, it reaches down to 40hz just fine with a good amp). To me, one of the greatest characteristics of the Focus Signature Series is how seamless it is through the frequency range. For rock and jazz, I would opt for an amp with more power before looking at a subwoofer. But as always, that's just my opinion... :-)
I've not yet had a customer using a sub with the 688 (that I know of), but I do have a potential customer who has been researching using a sub with the 788. Not sure if he's actually going to do it (he hasn't even placed his order for the 788 yet), but if he does and I hear the results, I'll be happy to share them with you.
Phil |
"I've noticed alot of FA owners and even FA themselves when doing shows, tend to opt for quality SS rather then tubes"
FWIW, my favorite setup with the Focus speakers is using a hybrid Blue Circle amp (either BC28 or BC206), so technically there's a tube in there. And the folks at Focus tell me that a very popular combination for the 688's in Asia is with the Antique Sound Labs Hurricanes... |
Focus usually uses PS Audio for the amp/preamp; the Ayre unit you usually see in the show coverage they get is what they use as a transport to feed a Weiss-Medea DAC. At HE2004, we used a Blue Circle BC206 hybrid amp with the Focus FS888.
I know about what Tony knows...that the majority of Focus' business is in the Far East. They are picking up some steam here in North America, with strong reviews from Soundstage, Wes Philips, and a few more. There is one "formal review" on Audio Asylum for the FS788:
http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=speakers&n=138849
And yeah, it would be great if more Focus owners were more active on AA. But I can tell you that the number of inquiries/sales for Focus at my dealership has been steadily increasing, so I do think word is getting out there...! |
Bluemike,
Yes, I am a Blue Circle dealer.
If you want to use the Blue Circle CS integrated as a preamp, you need to make sure you order one with the pre-out option (it's a US$75 option). Depending on the size of your room and the volume you like to listen, the BC24 should be fine for driving the Trentes. If you had a large 360+sqft room and liked to really liked to crank it, you might want more power. But I'm guessing that your room is smaller (or you wouldn't have gotten monitors).
FYI, I've never tried using the CS Integrated just as a preamp; have two customers who have bought the CS with pre-outs, but I haven't heard it used this way myself. That said, the CS Preamp is an excellent entry-level high-end preamp...
(I demoed the Trentes for a month using the BC28 (120wpc) as well a ML 383 integrated (100wpc), and both were more than enough for the Trentes). |
