Focal CMS 65 vs Solo6 Be

[jdegg79]

Hello,
I'm really just looking for speakers to play/enjoy music. I don't mix or anything, I'm just looking for any upgrade to my current Bose setup. Any suggestions on the differences between the 2 would be great.
Thank you!

 

[GranteedEV]

The Solo6 Bes will have superior highs with the beryllium tweeter.

Around that price range though, you could be looking at a pair of JBL 6328Ps, which I think are a better engineered speaker.

 

[FirstReflection]

I'm a big, big Focal Pro fan myself. Their top line SM11 monitors have the greatest resolution of any speakers I have personally heard. Prior to hearing them, the Solo6Be/Twin6Be were a high water mark for me.

That said, I heard both the SM11 and 6Be speakers in a professional mixing studio and not in a typical home environment. The CMS65 actually have more available adjustments and more connection options, which make them easier to place and integrate into non-professional rooms. The CMS are also more "forgiving" speakers, which make them better suited for "enjoyment" listening vs analytical listening IMO.

One main concern with the CMS speakers though is that they do not have the same output capabilities as the larger, more powerful Solo6Be. They are meant for nearfield listening and actually perform best when your ears are only about 2-6 feet away from the speakers. They'll perform just fine up to about 9 feet away, but any further than that and there's a decent chance that they'll start to strain and sound distorted or compressed or lose their imaging. The Solo6Be will perform very well up to about 12 feet away, but no further.

The CMS also require a subwoofer IMO. For most music, I would say that you can "get away" with no sub with the Solo6Be. I prefer to use a subwoofer (or 2 or 4 ) anyway, but the CMS definitely need a sub IMO.

So your room and setup will likely dictate which is the better choice. Both are remarkably good speakers and far more detailed than a great many other speakers out there. Compared to Bose, either would be like going from a tricycle to a super-sonic jet! The Solo6Be can play louder, lower and with higher resolution than the CMS, but that doesn't instantly make them the better choice. The CMS are better able to compensate for being placed close to walls, so definitely consider that and also consider whether you really want brutally revealing resolution, or whether you'd rather have a slightly more "relaxing" sound.

Hope that helps!

 

[jdegg79]

Thank you FirstReflection, that was precisely the information I was looking for.

 

[jdegg79]

Since my source right now is lossless music files from my computer, should I purchase an external DAC, if so which one?

 

[FirstReflection]

When you start talking separate DACs, you start getting into some very nit-picky stuff: stuff that some people swear they can hear even though it can't be measured, or stuff that can ONLY be measured, but isn't actually audible.

If you go the route of using a home theater receiver in your setup so that you can easily connect and switch between all of your sources (PC, Cable Box, game consoles, etc.), then personally, I would simply use the receiver and not worry about separating out the components to the level of separate DACs and such.

If you go with the Onkyo TX-NR709 that I suggested in your other thread, you'd be getting very capable Burr-Brown DACs in that receiver. I'm not saying they're the be-all, end-all. But personally, unless you are mixing and editing music at a professional level, I honestly don't think you'd find any additional value in an external DAC. For the purposes of simply listening to playback of music, TV and movies, the DACs in the Onkyo receiver will do a more than adequate job.

Again, I'm not certain what output options you have available from your PC. If you have HDMI output and the proper software, you should be able to output up to 7.1 192kHz/24-bit uncompressed PCM. If you are using a S/PDIF or optical digital audio output, you can use up to 2-channel stereo 192/24 PCM. And if you are using 5.1 or 7.1 analogue audio output, then you are relying on your PC's soundcard to act as the DAC.

Now that last option might be why you are considering an external DAC. If that is the case, I would actually recommend that instead of an external DAC, you consider upgrading your sound card or video card so that you can have digital audio output from your PC. If you upgrade your video card to one that offers HDMI output, then you can get your digital audio to the Onkyo receiver that way. If you upgrade your soundcard, you could use digital S/PDIF or optical.

Bottom line is that I would allow the home theater receiver to handle the digital-to-analogue conversion. If all you have right now are analogue audio outputs from your PC, then you'd wind up having to use a USB external DAC or upgrade your soundcard to one that offers digital output anyway. So my advice is to simply make sure that you are using a digital audio output from your PC and then let your new home theater receiver handle the DAC duties.

Hope that helps!

 

[Warpdrv]

When you start talking separate DACs, you start getting into some very nit-picky stuff: stuff that some people swear they can hear even though it can't be measured

I agree, I have heard a few different DACs and they are all different in what they deliver - some with noticeable changes in the sound stage, some changing the sound of the music itself much like a malaise poured over it... softening the sound....

Many people will buy and sell DAC's and experiment / chasing a sonic improvement.... if you document it, years go buy with the buying and selling. And then you get into those goof balls that start experimenting with so speaker cables... its a slippery slope...

 

[jdegg79]

Thanks for the information. My computer has both the HDMI output and S/PDIF output. The reason I was asking about adding a DAC was in part because I'll also be adding a headphone amp to the setup. (Sennheiser HD800 & Woo Audio WA6SE amp) And in the conversations about these I kept hearing about different DAC's and of course many different opinions. So I appreciate the great advice here.

 

[FirstReflection]

Nice, nice choice on the headphones! I LOVE the Sennheiser HD800.

Powering headphones is a far trickier business than it ought to be. IMO, the most important thing is to create an absolutely silent noise floor. That is far, far easier said than done, unfortunately.

Headphones, even ones with very high impedance ratings, honestly require very little power. With the transducers placed so close to your ears, only a few milliwatts are really needed, with a headphone amp that is able to deliver a full Watt of power being rather rare.

Personally, I've yet to find a headphone amp that I think is truly exceptional and also reasonably priced. When I say "reasonably priced", I do not mean inexpensive. I merely mean priced within reason for the parts and labor costs that actually go into the product. Headphone amps - being somewhat of a niche market - are ridiculously overpriced much of the time IMO.

Just for my own tastes, I prefer to just use professional headphone mixing amps, such as those offered by Behringer. They are basic and industrial, but you can typically plug in multiple sets of headphones and you get completely adequate amplification for a very reasonable price. The home market seems to be focused almost entirely on "audiophiles" with more money than sense. So in this case, I just prefer to look to the professional market where headphones are used frequently and the typical pro client isn't willing to pay inflated prices for basic work-a-day gear.

So, I'd recommend that you take a gander at Behringer's lineup. Shure Professional is also another good company to look at. You might find that they offer exactly what you need. So many professionals are now mixing directly off of their computers using headphones, so finding a nice DAC and headphone amp package shouldn't be too difficult