Happiness achieved


I am pretty much a newb, having decided to put a 2 channel listening system together last year.  In the last 15 months, I went through 4 amps, 4 pair of speakers, 2 cd players, multiple cables and 2 different cartridges.  Finally settled in with the following:

Marantz PM-11S3 integrated amp
Marantz SA-8004 SACD player
Music Hall MMF 9.1 Turntable
Dynavector 10x5 cartridge
Focal 836V speakers
Acoustic Zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic Zen Wow interconnects
VPI Turntable Interconnect
AZ Tsunami Power Cables

Everything was purchased gently used on Audiogon - met some good people along the way as well.

I really enjoyed the system until a musician friend ( and vintage gear nut) came over to listen and said I was missing too much bottom end.  I knew he was right, but the 836V's did produce an excellent overall soundstage and I had dropped nearly $6K to this point (started with a $1K budget).

As luck would have it, a local shop listed the companion subwoofer to my speakers for sale as a demo (Focal SW800V).  There was virtually no reviews online and the few that existed were commenting on its use for home theater.  The consensus was it was expensive for the money and there were better HT options.

Well the price was right ($400) and it was in perfect condition and- bonus - exact finish match to my towers ( WAF).  This has an 11 inch driver and is rated at 350w RMS / 500w peak.  It also has several switch options to boost base or adjust crossover depending on listening conditions. Specwise, a similar REL sub is the T9i ( both are rated at 28hz@6db - Focal is also rated at 32hz @3db).

Bought a pair of BJC subwoofer cables  that run from the Marantz pre outs and now cannot believe the  transformation.  I have always loved the Focal sound and trusted that they would work to make this sub match well with other speakers in this series.  They blend seamlessly.  

I have been tempted to upgrade to the next level in the Focal line - either the 1028be or 1038be, but I no longer feel the need ( at least for now).  The Marantz / Focal combination are a great  match to my ears, and I am about at the point where the law of diminishing returns kicks in.  While this setup may not meet the lofty standards of some audiophiles, it makes a joyful noise.

sjtm
Congrats on putting together a very nice system.
Now just unplug from AudiogoN, so upgrade fever won't rear it's ugly head, and enjoy the music.

Cheers,
John
I heard this on a TV show -- happiness is that moment just before you want more happiness.  Be afraid, be very afraid.
Nice system. Now collect tons of music and listen to the music and not the system. See ya at the garage sales and thrift stores. *lol*
Very nice system except the Marantz SA8004. You need a SA-11. I'll give you a good price for the 8004.  ;^)

2channel8 - I assume you jest, but I have been a little curious what the benefit of an SACD upgrade would contribute.  The 8004 is pretty fantastic - I have some SACD's, XRCD's and HDCD's and the detail is awesome.  
EXCELLENT!....  now just enjoy what the music world can deliver.  Don't read the audio mags, don't go on the "audiophile" websites.  Be happy and proud of what you accomplished...now enjoy.   Go take a music appreciation course at a local college,....take up an instrument, and be happy.
sjtm - I'm in the same boat you are; but starting in shallower water. But at least my ancient Oppo plays DVD-As.
For all the back and forth on subs it seems to me that the most likely lacking quality of full range speakers lies in the inability to get the bass right. The cabinet and it's resonances, the crossover and it's intermodulation distortion, not to mention changes in frequency response that occur when the bottom end crossovers heat up, part of that IM distortion, are limiting factors in all but a very few speakers.
Congratulations on your choices, you probably have gotten max performance for the dollar. And there is a good deal of satisfaction in that.
One day perhaps I will add some subs but my initial setup,like yours  purchased all at once, has my wife rolling her eyes when I begin to show signs of upgrade fever. 
Audio systems are like cars to me (another of my passions) - while I am indifferent to many, some can capture my imagination and never let go.  Unfortunately it is far easier to test drive a wide variety of interesting cars than it is audio systems.  The best I can hope for is to look for consensus opinions as to what works well together and then hope you do not end up with a three wheeled Frankenbeast.

SWMBO has been very tolerant - partly because all the black boxes look the same to her and partly because she accepts my mildly OCD behavior is just part of the package.  I am waiting for her to call me out on the ever expanding vinyl collection - I have already cleared out three shelves full of the kids' books to make room...