Focal Electra 1038 Be speakers

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by motorcitydave, Jun 14, 2012.

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  1. motorcitydave

    motorcitydave Enlightened Rogue In Memoriam Thread Starter

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA
  2. farmingdad

    farmingdad Forum Resident

    Location:
    albany, oregon
    They sure look good!
     
  3. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
    Don't know that particular model, but have heard some of the Utopia models and their active Pro monitors. Certainly worth checking out.
     
  4. bung99

    bung99 New Member

    Location:
    Brisbane Australia
    I have a set & love them. I have them hanging off a Pass XA30.5 with a Mc C220 pre.
    I use a sub but have it set at 48 on the x over. It does help with the bottom but not required so my mate says but I like the sub.
     
  5. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    They are pretty darned awesome. I had a pair for a year or so at the house. It's a pretty big speaker with very transparent sound. A little more forward than the Utopia sound but very good indeed. They were excellent value and I really dug the glass tops. Very practical as someone could set a drink on one or whatever and it'd be a breeze to wipe off.

    Bass is very accurate and goes deep but with great control. You can hear resolution there that most speakers blur. As bung99 also notes, they can easily stand on their own as full-range speakers. They are also quite efficient so are dynamic and can fill a large space. If you have a really large or difficult room that challenges reinforcement of bass, adding a sub works to extend them to a flat 30hz or wherever the sub can go down to. It'll be a true sub as the crossover can be set very low and so you might even get down to 20hz with some subs. It will require a very high quality sub for best performance due to the great quality of the bass drivers in the units already.

    I sold my set to a good customer who has a really top range sound but not ridiculously expensive system. He has the following, all from my shop:

    Rega P9 turntable
    Grado Reference phono cartridge
    Rogue Audio Stealth phono preamp
    Rega Saturn CD player
    Rogue Audio 99 Magnum linestage
    Bryston 3B-ST power amp
    Focal-JM Lab Electra 938 Be loudspeakers

    He's thrilled with the system.
    -Bill
     
  6. motorcitydave

    motorcitydave Enlightened Rogue In Memoriam Thread Starter

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA
    Thanks, Bill. :cool:
     
  7. motorcitydave

    motorcitydave Enlightened Rogue In Memoriam Thread Starter

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA
    Cool. Thanks for your comments. How would you say the treble is, very extended due to the beryllium tweeter?
     
  8. motorcitydave

    motorcitydave Enlightened Rogue In Memoriam Thread Starter

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA
    Ok, cool. Sounds good. :cool:
     
  9. JCRW

    JCRW Forum Resident

    I had a chance to listen to these speakers a few times at the local audio shop here. I was able to do a side by side comparison between the Focals and the B&W 802 Diamonds. The B&W's were very nice, but the Focal Electra's gave me goosebumps. If I had the finances I would pick the Focals in a heartbeat. The bass is outstanding on these and the top end clarity is also very nice, not overbearing at all IMHO.
     
  10. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    Few people have that opportunity. B&W dealers are careful not to allow other makes to overshadow them. Especially a make like Focal who does it better for less.
    -Bill
     
  11. HiFiGuy528

    HiFiGuy528 Formerly Dj_AmTraX

    Location:
    Bay Area
    Those are very very good. IMO, it's accurate and fast sounding. GREAT buys.
     
  12. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

    Location:
    PARRISH FL USA
    I have the Diablo Utopia stand mounted speakers and I've absolutely loved them. I did briefly audition the 1008 Be. They are better looking in person than in photos (by far). Gorgeous!

    In my case, I was willing sacrific an octave or so in order to get closer to world class sound from 50hz and up. I can add a sub down the line. A full range becomes compromised (crossovers, vibration, etc) until the budget reaches the stratosphere. I'd recommend considering the stand mounted route plus a top notch sub. There are likely good arguments for and against this suggestion, but you probably won't go wrong with Focal.
     
  13. mwheelerk

    mwheelerk Sorry, I can't talk now, I'm listening to music...

    Location:
    Gilbert Arizona
    I have owned lesser Focal speakers and liked them very well and heard these several times on the demo floor locally and they do look and sound awesome. I have only briefly compared then to equivalent range Dynaudio and would describe then as more powerful sounding than the Dynaudio but with not quite as much detail. I think this might be characteristic of the two lines as it is how I would describe the difference between my current Dynaudio and previous Focal. But, I love both those speaker lines.

    Hey, it's not that far from Vegas to Scottsdale! Come on over and audition them at my buddy Dan's place.

    http://www.dedicatedaudio.com/inc/sdetail/4705/24481
     
  14. HiFiGuy528

    HiFiGuy528 Formerly Dj_AmTraX

    Location:
    Bay Area
    MusicDirect had some Focal speakers at 50% off.
     
  15. rbbert

    rbbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    Reno, NV, USA
    A couple of years ago Music Direct was selling a few pairs at $6000/pr; I think the current model is Electra 1038 BE II?
     
  16. triple

    triple Senior Member

    Location:
    Zagreb, Croatia
    Saving private Ryan was a small-scale operation compared to buying loudspeakers for motorcitydave. ;)
     
  17. motorcitydave

    motorcitydave Enlightened Rogue In Memoriam Thread Starter

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA
    :D:thumbsup: Hey, these speakers I'm looking at are a good chunk of change...I just wanna make sure I get the right one!

    I would hate to be stuck with a pair of duds and have to take a big loss on the used market. Speakers generally have poor resale value....
     
  18. motorcitydave

    motorcitydave Enlightened Rogue In Memoriam Thread Starter

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA
    Thanks for your kind words. Ok, I just might do that...there's this dealer in Cali that has 2 different Utopia models powered with stuff like Accuphase, Pass Labs, MBL, C-J, and other high end brands. I was thinking about going there too.
     
  19. motorcitydave

    motorcitydave Enlightened Rogue In Memoriam Thread Starter

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA
    Cool, sounds good. Thanks! :cool:
     
  20. motorcitydave

    motorcitydave Enlightened Rogue In Memoriam Thread Starter

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA
    :cool::thumbsup:
     
  21. motorcitydave

    motorcitydave Enlightened Rogue In Memoriam Thread Starter

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA
  22. rbbert

    rbbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    Reno, NV, USA
  23. motorcitydave

    motorcitydave Enlightened Rogue In Memoriam Thread Starter

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA
    Oh ok, well that's cool. Too bad I wasn't in the market back then! :sigh: :D
     
  24. kzhtoo

    kzhtoo Member

    Location:
    California
    I currently have 1008 Be paired with Paradigm Studio Sub12. Also planning to upgrade to Diablo within a year or two. Can you please describe the difference between 1008 Be and Diablo? I get goosebumps thinking about Diablo. Totally agree with you that going stand-mount + sub is the way to get to world class sound for those of us who don't have unlimited money.

    By the way, do you use Focal matching stand for Diablo? I use Paradigm J-23 stand for my 1008 Be that is only one third of $1200 Electra stand.
     
  25. laughalot

    laughalot Forum Resident

    Joey_Corleone likes this.
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