aMP FOR FOCAL 826V W

[BOB540]

Hi All

I need advice for a amp that will get the best out of Focal 826V W.

Roksan Kandy K2 ,Audiolab 8200, Arcam A19.

These have been suggested but i'm not sure, i like warm none fussy sound but that can fill a large room. budget is £600. Any thoughts would be greatly appreceiated.

Cheers, Bob

 

[The Mad One]

Bob

Eiether the Arcam or the Roksan will be fine ive owned both in the past and liked both but if you want a warm unfussy sound i would go for the arcam just because that has everything youd require and has that 3d sound which i found quite amazing considering the price it sure does put a few more costly amps to shame.

i think the focals will thrive on either Amp though.

 

[CnoEvil]

Bob

Eiether the Arcam or the Roksan will be fine ive owned both in the past and liked both but if you want a warm unfussy sound i would go for the arcam just because that has everything youd require and has that 3d sound which i found quite amazing considering the price it sure does put a few more costly amps to shame.

i think the focals will thrive on either Amp though.

Ditto.

 

[Vladimir]

Yup.

 

[Tzutzu]

A19 + Focals = love.

 

[BOB540]

Thanks for the feedback. I can’t wait to get this all plugged in.

Would any of you suggest going for the 836v for more bass/bigger sound or stick to the 826v W? I listen to a lot of reggae /funk and 70’s rock? I have a 7x8m room! Hard floor and walls!

Thanks again. Bob

 

[ISAC69]

Stay with 826 the 836 needs more powerful amplification . I heard the 826 with the Musical Fidelity M3i the sound was ecxellent , warm none fussy sound as you like .

 

[BOB540]

Hi Guys,

i have just found a musical fidelity M3i for £599, sounds like a deal? does anyone know if it has bass and treble options as the only thing thats making me question the much loved Acram fmj 19 is the fact you cant adjust the bass and treble. Or do you think i should not need to adjust?

Thanks, Bob

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi Guys,

i have just found a musical fidelity M3i for £599, sounds like a deal? does anyone know if it has bass and treble options as the only thing thats making me question the much loved Acram fmj 19 is the fact you cant adjust the bass and treble. Or do you think i should not need to adjust?

Thanks, Bob

The M3i is a very decent amp, especially at that price......it doesn't have tone controls, though I personally don't think it needs them.

The one question nobody on here can answer, is whether you will prefer it to Arcam.

 

[unsleepable]

I've got the A19 and the M3i was one of the amplifiers I auditioned before choosing the Arcam. Obviously I preferred the latter.

They have a different sound presentation, the M3i having a warmer and not so detailed sound for my taste. But seeing how you describe the sound you are looking for, I think it might fit the bill.

 

[Vladimir]

Focal Chorus 826 V W

Frequency response (+/- 3dB): 45Hz - 28kHz

Low frequency point (- 6dB): 37Hz

Sensitivity (2.83V/1m): 91.5dB

Nom. impedance: 8Ω

Minimum impedance (@25°C): 2.9Ω @ 118Hz

Recommended amplifier power: 40 - 250W

IMO neither of these amps is competent to fully drive these speakers. Best to look for one capable to sustain the low impedance drop down to 2.9Ω.

As for sound presentation I think its best for Bob to listen for himself and pick what he likes. Simple as that.

 

[Tzutzu]

The tone controls - it's good to know they're there but with A19 I never felt the need to use them.

 

[unsleepable]

I wouldn't get too hang up on the power requirements specs. While these speakers (like many) may benefit from great amplification, with a sensitivity of 90 dB, it does not seem that it is many watts per channel what they'd require most.

As for the low impedance, it'd suggest they'd benefit most from a sizeable power supply. My own speakers have a minimum impedance of 3.2Ω, and I think the A19 serves them just fine. It's also promoted often together with the LS50, which have the exact minimum impedance.

I don't what power supplies the A19 or the M3i have, but their power consumptions are listed as 350W and 320W respectively.

 

[Vladimir]

The Roksan Kandy K2 BT doubles down 150W in 8 ohms and 300W in 4 ohms, the transformer is 550VA. It is twice the amp the A19 is and I still consider it insufficient to fully drive these speakers. A proper power amp is the ideal.

Why buy powerfull floorstanders if you plan on listening them at bookshelf levels, powered by a 50W amp?

 

[unsleepable]

Yes, that was pretty much what I meant when I was talking about not getting too hang up on watts… The way you talk about it, we could buy amps by their weight and nothing else—and I believe we are way past those times. But power is nothing without control and, at the end of the day, what matters is the music. Since it has been brought into the conversation, I'll say that that's the reason I picked up the A19 over other amplifiers, some of them better specified. They just didn't produce the sound I was looking for—without even entering on whether they were any good or not, regardless of their power.

You may have a point because the OP said that the speakers need to fill a large room. But how large and how powerful the amp needs to be, only the OP knows at the moment. In any case, it's often easier to get more volume from floorstanders than from standmounters—as I'm sure you know—, so your comment doesn't apply. These Focals, with a 90 dB, are a good example.

 

[ISAC69]

IMO the Musical Fidelity M3i and the Roksan Kandy are the best options for the Focal 826 .

 

[BOB540]

Thanks for the feedback Guys,

it gives me something to think about and maybe buy 2 of them and test them at home and send 1 back, i have 30 days to try them out.

Cheers, Bob

 

[drummerman]

Why buy powerfull floorstanders if you plan on listening them at bookshelf levels, powered by a 50W amp?

Thats not really an argument.

Whilst I personally prefer standmounts, mostly because I haven't found floorstanders at my price levels that are better suited, they (floorstanders) do certain things better all else being equal. Dynamics being one, efficiency another. They are often more 'full scale' at low volumes too. Some of their shortcomings, all else ... can also be masked by listening at lower volume, such as cabinet contribution due to the much larger panels, at least at the more affordable end.

regards

 

[Vladimir]

Why buy powerfull floorstanders if you plan on listening them at bookshelf levels, powered by a 50W amp?

Thats not really an argument.

Whilst I personally prefer standmounts, mostly because I haven't found floorstanders at my price levels that are better suited, they (floorstanders) do certain things better all else being equal. Dynamics being one, efficiency another. They are often more 'full scale' at low volumes too. Some of their shortcomings, all else ... can also be masked by listening at lower volume, such as cabinet contribution due to the much larger panels, at least at the more affordable end.

regards

Rule: We buy them because they are capable going louder with less distortion in bigger rooms.

Exception: Huge boxes for ultra efficient (100dB+) drivers to have somewhat of a bottom end, powered by flea watts.

Oddity: People buying space and amplification demanding floorstanders in small rooms, barely 1.5m apart, squished around the TV rack, against walls, and powered by 50W amps.

 

[drummerman]

Why buy powerfull floorstanders if you plan on listening them at bookshelf levels, powered by a 50W amp?

Thats not really an argument.

Whilst I personally prefer standmounts, mostly because I haven't found floorstanders at my price levels that are better suited, they (floorstanders) do certain things better all else being equal. Dynamics being one, efficiency another. They are often more 'full scale' at low volumes too. Some of their shortcomings, all else ... can also be masked by listening at lower volume, such as cabinet contribution due to the much larger panels, at least at the more affordable end.

regards

Rule: We buy them because they are capable going louder with less distortion in bigger rooms.

Exception: Huge boxes for ultra efficient (100dB+) drivers to have somewhat of a bottom end, powered by flea watts.

Oddity: People buying space and amplification demanding floorstanders in small rooms, barely 1.5m apart, squished around the TV rack, against walls, and powered by 50W amps.

Rule/Oddity?

A standmount (with stands) can easily take up as much room as a floorstander and many stand mounts are as if not more demanding re. amplification

regards

 

[Vladimir]

I wouldn't say a 5" mid/bass and a tweeter in shoebox cabinet need the same amount of space as a 50L floorstander with 2 or 3 bass drivers, one midrange and one tweeter. I'm thinking more in the terms of acoustic space, not furniture footprint.

As for standmounts that are more demanding than floorstanders, there are demanding designs in each camp. In absolute terms standmounts don't even come close to the amplification floorstanders require.

- Demanding standmounts



- Demanding floorstanders



There are rules and exceptions. People with small rooms, small amps and big speakers, I find them an oddity.

Just my opinion, no biggie.

 

[drummerman]

No worries

regards

 

[ISAC69]

Thanks for the feedback Guys,

it gives me something to think about and maybe buy 2 of them and test them at home and send 1 back, i have 30 days to try them out.

Cheers, Bob

Keep us update it will be an intersting test for both amps :beer:

 

[BOB540]

HI GUYS,

YES I PLAN ON KEEPING YOU ALL UPDATED AS ITS ALL NEW TO ME, AND ANY HELP I CAN PASS ON THE BETTER FOR ALL, THE MORE I LOOK INTO THINGS THE MORE CONFUSING IT GETS! I MUST ADMIT IT CONCERNS ME BUYING A AMP AND NOT BEING ABLE TO CONTROL THE BASS, I ALWAYS SEEM TO HAVE ADDED MORE BASS WITH ALL THE AMPS AND STEREOS IN THE PAST BUT I HAVE NEVER SPENT THIS SORT OF MONEY BEFORE. SO I HOPE I GET THE SMILE I READ SO MUCH ABOAT ON THE FORUMS. I HAVE JUST HAD MY PROFIGOLD CABLE INSTALLED WITH MY WALL PLATES SO IT WILL BE A COUPLE OF MONTHS BEFORE ITS ALL BOUGHT AND PAID FOR.

THANKS AGAIN TO ALL