Focal speakers, opinions on amps

[TankTop5]

So I recently bought some Focal Chorus S bookshelf’s and really love them and now I’ve caught the home theater bug. Found a matching center channel and now I’m on the hunt for a high quality surround receiver with emphasis on the amp quality over fancy processing ability.

My gut tells me to go for a top end couple year old Marantz but I’m open to suggestions.

BTW Focals are great but reproduce vocals almost too good.


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[lovinthehd]

I think you should buy the avr based on features you need, amp section just being one of them. Marantz/Denon have been married for a while and personally have a couple of Denons and would just shop by price/feature set between the two, often Denon is the better deal. Nothing wrong with looking at Yamaha Onkyo/Pioneer either but those are the main players with some boutique choices on the side. Top end of each avr's line is a fairly safe way to go for the better amp sections and feature sets. If really concerned about amplification be sure to get an avr with pre-outs so you can supply external amplification of your dreams as needed.

I'd be concerned with the impedance needs primarily so as to pick an appropriate amp, and power for the levels I need to drive the speakers to at the distance I sit from the speakers (which is?)...which model did you get (I see various Chorus series speakers but nothing just "S")?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Previous year models from Yamaha, Sony, Marantz, or Denon would be good.

 

[Joe B]

So I recently bought some Focal Chorus S bookshelf’s and really love them and now I’ve caught the home theater bug. Found a matching center channel and now I’m on the hunt for a high quality surround receiver with emphasis on the amp quality over fancy processing ability.

My gut tells me to go for a top end couple year old Marantz but I’m open to suggestions.

BTW Focals are great but reproduce vocals almost too good.


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I was in a similar spot in the summer of 2016. Wanting only a 5.1 system, I went with an Anthem AVR (MRX 520). I've been very happy with its performance, ease of set up, sound quality, and ARC room correction software.

 

[TankTop5]

I think you should buy the avr based on features you need, amp section just being one of them. Marantz/Denon have been married for a while and personally have a couple of Denons and would just shop by price/feature set between the two, often Denon is the better deal. Nothing wrong with looking at Yamaha Onkyo/Pioneer either but those are the main players with some boutique choices on the side. Top end of each avr's line is a fairly safe way to go for the better amp sections and feature sets. If really concerned about amplification be sure to get an avr with pre-outs so you can supply external amplification of your dreams as needed.

I'd be concerned with the impedance needs primarily so as to pick an appropriate amp, and power for the levels I need to drive the speakers to at the distance I sit from the speakers (which is?)...which model did you get (I see various Chorus series speakers but nothing just "S")?

I have the 706 S bookshelf’s, they are the previous model to the current Chorus line and I think they share the same tweeter as the current Aria line. With that said I’m looking for a high quality amplifier not necessarily high power as these speakers are very efficient at 91.5db. Vocals can sometimes sound hyper realistic but I think that may be my source. Going from Xbox optical to RCA converter. I’m guessing a modern receiver with HDMI will cure some of that.


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[GrimSurfer]

Tell us about how you plan to use your system, and where...

 

[TankTop5]

If I find a deal on a older receiver that has THX (or similar) and I watch a movie encoded in Atmos what happens? Is the older encoding obsolete or will it encode in 5.1?

Side note, if anyone finds one of the older Focal S speakers, Focal has a ton of spare parts still in their warehouse.


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[TankTop5]

Living room with dining area to the left and staircase behind the couch. For reference that’s a 60” TV


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[GrimSurfer]

OK, so. Music or movies? If both, what proportions of each? Style of music? Preferred listening levels?

 

[TankTop5]

OK, so. Music or movies? If both, what proportions of each? Style of music? Preferred listening levels?

Mostly movies and all styles of music, no rap or electronic. Generally listen at lower moderate levels but I want loud scenes to get loud and not sound like noise. I hate very crowded places, everything just sounds like noise, I don’t want my system to sound like that either.


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[everettT]

Add a sub and get a mid level avr..

 

[GrimSurfer]

Sounds about right.

 

[lovinthehd]

I have the 706 S bookshelf’s, they are the previous model to the current Chorus line and I think they share the same tweeter as the current Aria line. With that said I’m looking for a high quality amplifier not necessarily high power as these speakers are very efficient at 91.5db. Vocals can sometimes sound hyper realistic but I think that may be my source. Going from Xbox optical to RCA converter. I’m guessing a modern receiver with HDMI will cure some of that.


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How do you define "high quality" in an amplifier?

Found these two sets of measurements for Chorus 706 (not sure what the S changes, tho):
http://www.soundstagenetwork.com/measurements/jmlab_chorus706/
https://www.stereophile.com/content/jmlab-chorus-706-loudspeaker-measurements

 

[GrimSurfer]

How do you define "high quality" in an amplifier?

Found these two sets of measurements for Chorus 706 (not sure what the S changes, tho):
http://www.soundstagenetwork.com/measurements/jmlab_chorus706/
https://www.stereophile.com/content/jmlab-chorus-706-loudspeaker-measurements

Hopefully, it will be defined as something other than the cheapest AVR at Best Buy.

That would be a start, any way.

 

[lovinthehd]

Hopefully, it will be defined as something other than the cheapest AVR at Best Buy.

That would be a start, any way.

Even the cheaper avrs have relatively high quality amplifiers, maybe not the best for low impedance loads and perhaps without the most robust power supplies, but within their operating parameters are fine. These speakers if similar to the ones in the measurements don't appear to be particularly hard to drive amp-wise...

 

[GrimSurfer]

That's the prevailing view here... just as the prevailing view elsewhere is that you have to spend over $10k to get something that performs decently.

The specs on the Best Buy stuff are frequently selective or suggestive. The specs on the hyper expensive stuff are either superfluous or subjective.

I'm hoping to see something more nuanced than these two extremes on audio forums some day, because the doctrine that exists on either fringe of the audio movement bore me to death.

Now, it would be absurd to recommend a high mid-range amp to drive a pair of $500 stand mounted speakers. Just as it would be absurd to dispel the chance that these speakers will be exchanged for higher performing models at some point.

Amps, if chosen wisely, can provide long service. If chosen hastily, they become a part of a frustrating audio chain that gets replaced over and over again.

I understand the fickle nature of the audio visual end of the hobby that makes things tough, but it's not absurd to expect 5-7 entirely pleasurable years of use from a well chosen amp.

 

[lovinthehd]

That's the prevailing view here... just as the prevailing view elsewhere is that you have to spend over $10k to get something that performs decently.

The specs on the Best Buy stuff are frequently selective or suggestive. The specs on the hyper expensive stuff are either superfluous or subjective.

I'm hoping to see something more nuanced than these two extremes on audio forums some day, because the doctrine that exists on either fringe of the audio movement bore me to death.

PS. Focal Chorus 700s have a minimum impedance of 3.6 ohms, 716s 4.2 ohms, and 726s 2.9 ohms.

Why would anyone rely on a retailer's listing of spec? Better to look at the manufacturer's site or even better a bench test. The 706 per the Stereophile test barely dipped below 5 ohm....

 

[GrimSurfer]

Why would anyone rely on a retailer's listing of spec? Better to look at the manufacturer's site or even better a bench test. The 706 per the Stereophile test barely dipped below 5 ohm....

Amen!

 

[TankTop5]

The 706 per the Stereophile test barely dipped below 5 ohm....

Obviously I was mistaken that my speakers are 91.5db efficient, that said what does this statement mean? I’m also not dilutions that my speakers are better than they are, I’d guess they are at the at the higher end of a mid level bookshelf.


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[TankTop5]

How do you define "high quality" in an amplifier?

Found these two sets of measurements for Chorus 706 (not sure what the S changes, tho):
http://www.soundstagenetwork.com/measurements/jmlab_chorus706/
https://www.stereophile.com/content/jmlab-chorus-706-loudspeaker-measurements

A high quality amplifier will perform close to its rated specs, large capacitors, transformer and heat sinks. I’d throw in the term high current but I can’t honestly say what that means. The benchmark testing all went over my head, would you kindly give me a dumbed down Cliffs notes version, thanks.


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