Has anyone heard the Focal 1028BE ?

Zenieth:

oh my... 2! 13" subwoofers with a pair of 1037BE's? The 1038BE/1037BE's already put out plenty of bass..

And I agree different room sizes AND different equipment will make a huge difference in the sound.

In my case I need to go with the smaller 1027BE or 1028BE due to room size. Maybe someone who has demo'ed both will chime in. But nice to see other fans of focal..

I just took delivery of my 1028 BE today. Even before they're burned in I can tell that this generation hasn't the same harshness of the previous Focals. To my ears there is a very large difference in the extreme high and low end. The speed/response of these speakers is also shocking me.

From my perspective if you're in the market for a speaker one notch below "highest end" the 1028 BE won't disappoint and you'd have to spend a lot more money to get better - Focal really did a significant evolution on this generation. If you're willing to make some sonic sacrifices to save the money to get the last generation that is close but not quite there, the 1027 BE is probably a better choice for you.

I purchased a pair of 1028BE2's in June. They're an incredible speaker with unbelievable detail and transparency without hardness. The bass is tight, fast and well balanced with the midrange and highs. They image great and draw me into the music. I find myself hearing subtle details in familiar recordings that were never apparent with my B&W CM7's and trounced the 804D's I was considering to replace my CM's. Also auditioned the CM10 but the Focal dusted it handily as it should for nearly twice the price.

Any opinion on 1028 Be vs. 1038 Be? Let's say in a medium sized room.

The 1038 has deeper bass than the 1028 but the tweeter is higher so you'll need to sit higher or further back to keep your ears within the 10degree angle recommended by Focal.

They are both awesome speakers and I'd go the extra $$ f or the 1038 if I had the room to place them properly. I've got the 1028be2 model and I really love them. They aren't for everyone and they will reveal any deficiencies in your electronics so don't try to drive them with a HT Receiver.