I would tend to agree, but I think the OP said he was 100% out of funds.
Only a few choice then, sell the speakers and take the money and purchase a used pair of the previous speakers he liked, or sell all the HiFi gear and find another less expensive hobby.
My preamp is the BHK preamp with pairs with the BHK 300 amps. The preamp has a tube input stage
Because of situations, my dealer can financially swap the Focals for a new discontinued pair of B&W 802 D4 speakers (the D5 begin shipping in August). That is an option for me where I wouldn’t lose any money.
That’s why I’m asking between these two speakers.
I had that exact same setup with my Sopra 2. The LS28 SE I put in place of the BHK Pre was a major step in the right direction. That is not your weakest point, but its part of it.
I did DAC upgrades for a few years in a row. MKI, modified MMI, MKII, modified MKII and now PMG.
All made big steps in improvements. I also have had a treated room for quite some time. Before I got the focals in fact. so I cannot comment on the “increment” you get by doing it, but it was significant with my previous speakers so yeah it helps.
Believe it or now speaker cables with those things matter much too. Stay away from silver anything. Just try new Cardas. Trials are free. I use Clear Cygnus. not cheap, but certainly not what people here think is expensive.
If funds do come your way, I would try a modern DAC and speaker cables. Maybe some simple absorption in first reflection. Some things you can do for less than a few thousand. (obviously not an expensive dac, but a new one from Maxtrix or Eversolo) Used market you can find deals like crazy. Dont underestimate Facebook marketplace. Found many good things there cheap.
This is getting pretty close to being politically divisive.
— Chris
Even after reading your comment, it took me a second time to realize the mis-spelling…good catch
Yeah - let’s all agree to go with “absorption”. Autocorrect…
oops..noted and fixed.
Likely a sideways move at best but since you have convinced yourself that B&W is not as forward as the Focals it is at least something. Still will not resolve the other gear and cable issues though. As Brian said moving to an actual tube sounding preamp would be as big or bigger move in my opinion having owned the BHK preamp with a BHK amp.
Just so happens Brian has his LS28SE for sale too since moving to Gryphon Diablo…lol.. he would be willing to deal. just saying..selfish plug.
When i owned my 802 D1 series, I upgraded from a Bryston BP26 preamp to the BHK preamp, and thought it was a huge step in a warmer sound. I thought it was mostly because of the BHK input tubes. I was unaware that the BHK preamp isn’t considered a warm sounding preamp
I’m unfamiliar with a LS28SE preamp…who makes it?
Audio Research - current model still.
When I traded my speakers in, my dealer sat my existing pair next to the upgrade, with all the same electronics. Although I knew within a few minutes that the upgrade was worth the money, I listened for hours to vinyl, streaming, cds. Then I got a reliable sense of the differences. Will your dealer do that for you?
well, the Focals are at my house (2-hours away), and the dealer doesn’t have any in his showroom. Also, he doesn’t have any 802D4’s on his showroom. Because of the discontinuation of the D4 line, he can order one of the last remaining pairs.
I went to listen to the 802D4 at Best Buy, and it’s really a shame that a high end brand is displayed in such an environment. They weren’t setup properly, not a good place to audition audio equipment.
While the BHK may certainly be more “tube” sounding than the dead neutral Bryston it was definitely not a warm sounding preamp to me in my system in front of multiple different amps including the BHK 250. To get a truly “tube” sounding preamp I would look for one that uses the popular octal tubes like the 6SN7 or 6SL7. There are models available even new but they will not have all the remote controlled bells and whistles of the BHK. They will however be less picky about perfectly matched tubes and generate less “self noise.” Whether or not a 6H30 based preamp like Brian’s AR is more tubey I wouldn’t personally know but traditionally newer AR models based on that tube are considered more neutral. Again my two cents from personal experience.
I’d definately need to find something with a remote control. That is why i originally replaced my Auragon Aurum preamp with the Bryston BP26, which I thought was on the bright side of neutral.
I know your Focals are VERY heavy but have you tried every possibility in speaker set up methods?
I used to have a BHK preamp and also BHK 300s. Those were very timbrally pleasing with great dynamics and inner detail. You do not have the wrong components.
The difference between perfectly positioned and slightly off can be huge.
I have been moving them around and also changing the treble and bass jumpers in the back of the speakers. I’m finding that they sound better further apart than my 802’s. Also, right now I have the treble set at -1db and the bass at +1db