Building a small system on a budget - PSB Alpha B1 or Focal 706V
default -- Wed, 01/07/2009 - 22:54
I'm starting on my first system and I'm just out of college so I'm hoping to spend in the $1000 range. Looking for a basic amp speaker combo to use with my Rega P1 turntable. I listen mostly to rock and electronic (some bass heavy) but i also have a lot of 20th century classical and jazz in my collection which i enjoy. Also I was hoping these speakers could do double duty as a basic home theater setup to go along with my HD projector. I've read great things about the Focal 706V (namely the TAS yearly round-up) but I'm wondering whether they will have adequate bass response without a subwoofer. The other best option I found in the budget category was the PSB Alpha B1 Monitors which coming in at $250 would also me to add a matched PSB subwoofer ($399) and still stay within my budget. So I guess I'm curious whether the performance increase of the Focal's ($650) over the PSB's is dramatic enough to warrant not buying a subwoofer, at least in the near term.
Also if anyone has any opinions on basic stereo amp pairings I'd welcome them as well. I had considered going with a vintage tube amp (Eico HF-81) but wasn't sure if it could drive these speakers, or if was really that much better sounding than a modern NAD or cambridge audio amp under $500.
Thanks again,
Andrew
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You should probably decide how important deep bass is to you, and then explore options from there. There are some really good bookshelf speakers in the sub-$1k range, but they obviously don't have the deep bass of a subwoofer.
The Focal has unusually deep and extended bass for a speaker of its size and price. A satellite/subwoofer system will deliver greater extension, but can often sound discontinuous. That is, the subwoofer and the main speakers rarely sound like a single system. I recommend the Focal.
I also recommend the Cambridge 540A integrated amplifier at $439 as a good match for the Focal.
thank you very much for you response! I was leaning toward the focal myself. Any idea whether the Eico hf-81 tube amp would have enough juice to power the focals?
thanks!
andrew
You're better off sacrificing a bit of extension and getting all of your sound from a stereo pair than trying to integrate a sub. The bass extension of some bookshelf's is pretty satisfying and may not leave you wanting. The Focals are 90dB efficient at 8 ohms so the Eico should probably be able to drive them no problem, at least to decent loudness.
I also think the Eico will drive the Focals adequately. The Focals are more sensitive than most speakers of their size. Remember that a 3dB increase in speaker sensitivity is equivalent to doubling the amplifier power.