Forced out of this hobby that I've enjoyed for 50 years

Loudspeakers
1

Been listening to many speakers at various dealerships and decided that the Focal Scala Evo speakers sounded the best overall.

Delivered last Friday, sound NO WHERE near as good as my B&W 802D1 speakers.

Traded in my B&W 802D1 speakers. I was told that the 1st generation diamond tweeters start to fail around 20 years by becoming harsh sounding. Something about the liquid inside them turning to gel.

Was hoping to repurchase my 802D1’s and deal with this problem, but I’ve found the ONE DEALER that does not take returns.

Even out of specifications, my B&W 802D1’s sounded so much better than the Scala Evo speakers.

I’m going to have to try to sell the Focals on my own, and my PS Audio BHK preamp, and BHK 300’s just to make up for the loss I’m to take on these speakers.

As much as I love listening to music, I can’t justify spending any more money into such a hobby.

I’ve learned the hard way that nothing is perfect , but B&W 802’s are as close to perfect that I’ve found.

2

You’re moving too fast. Many a speaker takes time to bed-in as they are mechanical devices. Examples, some are pretty good right away (Dyn Audio C4’s, Martin Logan CLX), some are half there (Vanderseen Quatro Woods) some are simply awful when new (T+A CWT1000-40). The CWT’s seemed to be a big step in the wrong direction in a big way. But turn them on and walk away for a WEEK and then go back. Now we’re talking. Don’t get too hasty, what you heard at the dealership is what they will settle into.

Why does this happen? Take a new rubber band and stretch it until it reaches the elastic limit and stops. Now do that ten times and pay attention to the amount of force needed to stretch it to the elastic limit. The force will drop until it reaches a pretty consistent level to stretch it. The material has settled in and will remain that way a good while. Your speakers mechanical drivers are exactly like that. Yes, it is a bummer with drivers that aren’t broken in, especially if you haven’t bought a speaker in awhile and get a set that need to bed in.

You will have the speaker you most enjoy in time. Don’t worry and DO NOT sell them until you run them in. Second, they WILL NOT voice the same with toe-in or no toe-in. My CWT 1000-40 need maximum toe-in and to point DIRECTLY at you. Most speakers don’t. Setting up with a new speaker is not even close, so don’t try to make them the BMW’s on toe in. Once bedded in (please, give them a week at 82 dB continuous and ignore them) point them straight ahead, now toe them in directly at you to hear the full monty of change. Make sure you in the 1.84 ratio from the speaker to start. Measure the distance between tweeters. Now measure the distance from the tweeter to your head where you sit. That distance divided by the distance between the tweeters should be ~ .82-.84’ish. Most dynamic driver speakers follow this general set-up.

I hear (ha!) your anguish but be patient. The modern speaker tech will excel over your older B&W’s. I owned the circa 1979 801’s and in no way are they more accurate, the key word is accurate and not what you want to hear, in any way to a modern speaker. Yes, you get used to an old reference sound too. Play a lot of different music and listen for improved sound staging, transient responses, clarity and sound stage size and not just the super warm enveloping bass that the 801’s definitiely do. Modern speakers went away from that warm foreward sound, even new B&W’s that you’d hate too, initially. Modern speakers throw a lot more nuance out there to listen too, and this can be overwhelming.

Only you force yourself out. The speakers are just doing their thing and they aren’t against you. Let them bed in alone and revisit them later on and reconsider the set-up…read the manual for starting suggestions.

Best, Galen Gareis

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3

Agreed with Galen completely. Speakers take the longest time to break in. They typically sound so close-in at the beginning. You have the Focal for less than a week so it’s too early to judge.

Try more adjustments and use aftermarket footers also. But keep them for a month and the SQ will improve for sure.

4

I agree with Galen 100%.
When we feel like we’ve made a mistake, especially a big expensive one, we tend slightly panic and think in extremes like the title of this thread.
Drivers need mechanical break-in. Crossover caps.etc need burn-in.
I don’t know what Focal do, but many speaker manufacturers burn drivers in before assembling into the finished product.
If you liked the Focals enough to buy them, then you like them. Give them time.

5

Completely agree and also from experience… my, then new, Sonus Fabers Guarneri Memento’s sounded like a ships engine the first week and came slowly in tune during a months period. Also placement and foundation played a big role. Good luck!

6

Agree, modern speaker are more scalpel sound then old speaker that were more in the forgiveness and live sound.

modern speaker are for surgeon sound, if there a chair that crack in the ninth row, you are gonna ear it, if a violin is out of chord, you are gonna ear it. With digital, we are now in era of earing everything. The rhetoric is we never have so much loudness sound that sound so bad and it is worst on digital transparency speaker, like the Focal.

if you are on the warm side of old speaker, that have a lot of marshmallow don’t go recent.

the after market is plenty of spare and equivalent new speaker to replace old speaker when they break.

And on my part, if you use everyday your system, it could last forever. the one that break are the one, that are not used.

Also aftermarket is full of vintage stuff from ppl who sold there house for condo or retirement place…

So keep the good stuff, and try to trade them, you will find something.

Ps break in on Focal, with 8 hour music a day, about six month…! JM lab a lot more, Zu break in is very long, I have sold mind after 6 month, they are so transparent and efficient that every bad detail in music it was annoying! but now that my Decware is about to be build, I miss them (lost 6000$ on them).

so put internet radio or local radio and just play music on the 24/7 and if you have the chance to still have a CD player, find the Ayre CD and play it in loop at reasonable level.

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Break in will be faster and also find if your speaker have a problem.

7

That is a terrible feeling! So sorry to hear how this has impacted your ability to continue to enjoy the hobby. Like others have stated, give some time for break in - especially speakers which are essentially mechanical devices. When I purchased my FR10’s I experienced some “oh no, what have I done” panic. The difference was I could return them if I needed to. So I spent the next 30 days breaking them in and positioning them. After 2 weeks I they snapped into place and I’ve had no regrets since then.

I hope you are able to experience the same.

8

The worst of it is that I really wanted the FR20 speakers, but there wasn’t any place to listen to them.

The thought of having to ship them back across country if I didn’t like them didn’t seem to make sense to me at the time.

9

When in the USA and considering dropping $20k+ on audio gear it might be worth flying out to PS Audio in Boulder, Colorado for a few hundred $. I did it. Great factory tour and great listening rooms.

10

Don’t think twice about auditing PS Audio speakers in your house, with the possibly of having to return. Paul has stated many times, that returns are part of their business model operation. When I bought very expensive components from PSA, I actually called them first to discuss my intentions, practically apologizing in advance of a possible return. That approach always put me at ease.

Kevin was my sales contact 6 to 8 years ago, he was always so polite and nice.
If anyone is worried about returns for what ever reason, just call PSA people ahead of your purchase order and dicuss.

11

Too late now… I’m stuck with a pair of Focal Scala Evo speakers that the dealer will not take back 3-4 days after delivery in a standard finish.

They are worth 1/2 of what I paid for them.

Even Focal is annoyed that the dealer won’t return them.

12

Keep the Focal. They are excellent speakers. Much better than the B&W’s IMO. I’ve listented to both and the Focal’s has a more full bodied musical sound. You just have to set up, tweaked, and be patient to break them fully in your system. Trust me, you’ll be very happy in the end.

13

Can’t really call that establishment a dealer if they cannot stand behind their customers. When I can, I like doing business directly with the manufacturer - I know that is not always possible.

I encourage you to keep breaking in the speakers and let us know in a week if they have turned out to be pleasing to your ear or not.

14

I don’t have the Scalas but Sopra 2. Synergy is key. Do you happen to have silver based interconnects or speaker cables. If so loose them.

15

I don’t have any silver interconnects or speaker cables.

Currently I am using the Apodizing Fast PCM filter to try and dull the sound down some.

Audioquest Water XLR interconnects between CD player and preamp, and preamp and monoblocks.

Right now bi-wiring with upper frequencies using Cardas Quadlink 5-c cables.

Lower frequencies with Audioquest Indigo cables.

16

You can’t force the issue with external tweaks, the speakers will take some time to break in. Let them do their thing and be patient. Trust me, if you go back to the B&W’s after the Focals break in, you’ll want to trade back again.

Best, Galen

17

This is not a plug and play hobby All components and speakers need time to break in. And once your speakers are fully broken in, it takes time to set them up properly in your room. And it might also be necessary to change out cables and even components to get the right synergy with your new speakers.

18

I wish, it is simple as that in Canada…:frowning:

19

Many many used focal for sale, it speaker from them self

Used market is often the real street value for a product and if even the store don’t want them back, it mean manufacturer to, don’t want them back!

If the one that build them and sell them, it mean a lot on there street value and services!

Once again, we should sherif/cherish the fact, that Paul take good care of us!

my 2 cents

20

@onehorsepony have you talked to the dealer to see what they used? do you know what they used? something made you enjoy them there. Was their room treated or just setup nice? What electronics etc.. As everyone said you need more time to let them sit for a bit first, but Im an engineer and always looking for next thing.