I sure do! Hello Jim, we are very impressed with the upgrade. The sound quality is absolutely night and day different from what we had.
The subwoofer was going to be a problem, I thought…I almost traded up to the bigger PB-3000 but decided to audition a single pb2k instead. It turned out to be more than enough, for us anyway. So much so that when watching anything other than a movie, we have to go “in app” and dial it back to -30dB. Very surprising as there was an overwhelming consensus dual PB2k’s would be necessary..especially considering room size (over 900 cubic, 18-ft ceilings, connecting galley kitchen, open thru-ways). All things considered, I feel like we got plain lucky here—or just don't know good sound from bad when we hear it.
For the front L/R I went with Focal Aria 906. Blown away by these. I do have a comparison here as I initially purchased Dali Oberon 1. Good looking Speaker excellent YouTube reviews but I couldn’t hear them. I don’t know if it was because they have different frequency responses, but very underwhelming—at least with my equipment. When I swapped them out with Focal Aria 906 it was a humongous difference..and honestly, I’ve never heard speakers even close to this good. Handsome units too. They sound awesome—at all volumes—just crazy great and crystal clear, especially in comparison to the Dali’s.
Regarding the center Focal in-wall center channel, it’s fantastic too, but with a caveat. When it’s cranked up, all good, just like a movie theater. The problem is; it’s too high, and I can’t do anything about it unless I modify the angle. But it’s in the wall, over the mantel and I’m afraid I’ll have to live with. If I thought modifying the angle would completely solve the issue I’d make a go of it. So if you could imagine the focal in-wall oriented sideways (long way left to right). I could manufacture a spacer and situate it behind the top flange. Between the flange and drywall. Then pull it out for aesthetic reasons when not watching a movie. The mantel is shallow, just 7”. I can somewhat see that if angled it (sound) would still clear the mantel front edge. Even a quarter inch spacer, see the thickness of two paint sticks, would make a significant difference considering we’re seated 16 feet away. Feels like a lot of trouble for a dying body (tell), poor excuse for vanishing w/o updating. I digress. Isn’t it funny tho how situations like mine never allow focus on the finer things. For long anyway. Other than that, I am doing great and the movie room/living room was a super huge upgrade! back to a super delicious 2nd cup of coffee hope your weekend is fantastic Jim.
Incredible advice from this thread all
Pogre
“if you're sticking with a Focal center channel I'd try to stay with Focal”
“Speaker placement and room acoustics have the most influence on performance by a very large margin. This is not to say it won't sound good if it isn't perfect, but the further you stray from ideal the more potential for acoustic problems like negative reflections or cancellation you introduce. Generally every compromise will cost you something in sound quality. The best speakers in the world can sound like crap with poor enough placement and seating.”
Eppie
“If the L+R are going to be a good 10 or 12 feet apart, then I would consider a centre”
Jim
“Besides the sound impact, don't you think it'll look weird having these 3 speakers at different levels? Will the Misses go for that long term? I'd level the bookshelves up on the centerline of the IW6, put them on wall brackets, and tilt them down towards the listener. Then let the receiver do it's magic as best it can during set-up.”
Sorry if I left anyone out.
