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Amp for focal 1038be?

Hello,

First time poster and I have really enjoyed all the great advice on this forum. I recently purchased two new Focal 1038B main speakers. I know I need to look at the entire signal chain but I want to focus on getting a better amp that is more 3-D holographic, detailed, warmth, airy..


Signal Chain:
Node 2i streamer
Schmitt Vahalla 2 with gold loin drivers
Onkyo avr with xt32 Audyssey room correction (stereo mode 2.1)
Emotiva A300 to Focal speakers
Room is well treated

I don’t want to break the bank but here are a few of my top considerations: used or new

primaluna evo 400 amp in stereo (later add another for monoblock)
primaluna dialogue 6 or 7 monoblock (70wpc)
Mcintosh MC275 (70wpc or 150wpc monoblock). Only by one for now.
Pass Labs x250.5 - team a pass labs recommended this for focal 1038be to add warmth to the top end.

The speakers are highly sensitive 93db at 8 ohms. I do plan to audition as many of these as I can but welcome any recommendations. Appreciate anyone’s advice or opinion on which amps to focus on.

thanks
david





dlr944
ei001h
283 posts
 
Agree with Verdantaudio

If you're looking for 3d holographic sound you must go with a tube amp. 
It doesn't have to be an 845 tube. For ultimate realism a SET would be best, but prices increase exponentially with increased power. Of all the amps listed you'll probably get the best sound from MC275. Mac will also hold its value better than primaluna.  
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
dlr944
Amp for focal 1038be?
These speakers have a difficult load for an amp, they don’t need a lot of watts as they are 90db, 80w will do, but they do need an amp with decent b***s (current) into low impedances.

The combination of nearly 50 degrees -phase angle, and being down to 3ohms in the bass area, really means you should look for amps that are totally stable and won’t break a sweat to see 2ohm loads.

Look at Stereophile’s bench tests on hundreds of amps to see which ones in the measurement bench tests are able to take the two ohms loads with having a hissy fit.
https://www.stereophile.com/images/archivesart/707FOCFIG1.jpg

I’ve had 1038 BE2’s for approx. three years.  I began by powering them with Odyssey Audio 160w per channel Cyclops, moved on to Pass Labs x250.5 paired with Pass XP-10.  Within three months both were traded in for x250.8 amp and XP-20 Pre.  Marked improvement with each upgrade (especially from the Odyssey to the Pass brand) I highly recommended the x250.  If you can’t afford the .8 go with the 5.

👍 This is the way the OP should be looking.


Cheers George
auxinput
2,920 posts
 
For the Focal, I would recommend avoiding fast high resolution type amps.  This includes your emotiva and other amps such as the suggested Luxman and the suggested Rotel.  While the Luxman and Rotel are excellent for their price, they are not going to be a good match for Focal.  Avoid Bryston and Classe amplifiers as well.

Parasound might be a good match.  Pass Labs might be very good as well, but I would probably try pairing with their XA series amps instead.  The Class A of the XA series gives you more body (which is really needed for these Focal).

I have heard Prima Luna tube amps and they are very nice for tubes, but I don't know enough about them to try to predict how they will pair with the ultra-fast sounding Focal (which can easily sound thin).

On a budget, maybe the Vincent Audio amps with tube input stage?
gochurchgo
920 posts
 
@georgehifi is right. My experience is that no Focal speaker is as sensitive as they claim. Also they are typically more of a 4ohm load than 8ohm. They need heavy current to bring out their best.

I’d go tubed preamp with beeeeefy solid state amp. 
dlr944 OP
6 posts
 
I thought I would update the thread and let you all know I selected the Luxman 590axii integrated amp.  It’s class A 30w per channel:

https://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2018/11/25/hi-fi-review-luxman-590-axii-integrated-amplifier-review-b...

Wasn’t a cheap purchase but pairs very well with 1038be focal speakers.  Still going throw the break in stage but happy to report back if anyone is interested.

thanks

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