Hey! New comer!!~

[Juke-box]

Hello all!!

well, introduction of myself....nothing really special, except the fact that i love music, to create and listen to it. i play the piano, something i really enjoy! also play the tuba for my school band, well...don't enjoy it as much, but what the heck, easy marks. I like all sorts of music.

I first entered the hi-fi world with my first hand-me-down Akai system. very old, i use it for recording and stuff now, so its not such a big deal. then i moved up to FocusAudio, and HELL YEA! i loved my first pair of mid-end speakers, they were the Reference bookshelf speakers. i absolutely adore them. but currently, they serve as the 2back speakers for my dad's HT.

Yesterday--- about 3 years ago, i upgraded to a new Marantz PM7000 and a Marantz CD-player, as well as a NEW set of FocusAudio Signature Series speakers!!! got them for my birthday! they are AWESOME! i love them, and probably my FAVOURITE pair of speakers today! exceptionally clear, especially with the "hitting" instruments, as well as Piano music.

TOday--- Last year, i upgraded to a different setup, i kept my Marantz CD-player, something i will change soon, and bought a new Unison Research S6 Tube Amplifier!! and boy, those female vocals as well as piano really takes the cake. Unfortunately, i also bought a new pair of speakers, the Avalon Symbols. well, i had the choice between the Red Rose Music R3's and the Symbols, my dad chose the RRM, so i took the Symbols.... i think i would have been happier with the R3's...i think they are great cuz of the Dynaudio woofer..that thing just rocks! but HEY! i still have the FocusAudio's!! and i absolutely love them...

well, that's my audio life thus far...here are some pics! oh yea..i really love Gundam stuff, so dun laugh lol.

 

[Juke-box]

another pic, this was how the stuff was set up before.

 

[Juke-box]

and my favourite setup

oh yea, forgot...listing of my systems.

Speakers- Avalon Symbols
Amp- Unison Research S6
Speaker cables- TaraLabs RSC 500? not sure, also have some Red Rose music cables lying around, but Taralabs seems to deliver more punch(but wtf with a tube amp? lol )
Interconnects- XLO
CD-Player- Marantz CD 6000se i think..or something like that

Speakers- FocusAudio FS-68
Amp- Marantz PM7000
Speaker cables- Taralabs RSC 500?
Interconnects- Kimber Kable Hero..i THINK that's what they're called
CD-Player- Marantz CD 6000se i think..or something like that

 

[WildWest]

Hey real nice there Juke-box! As a person deep into live music, I bet you appreciate how tubes help to bring that into focus better. Pianos, female voices, many things sound more like they might if you were bangin it on the ivory's yourself.

Wanna have some real fun! Try hooking up a quality analog front end on that tube gear. It will quickly make you wonder how we ever settled for that redbook CD sound.

Welcome to AK. Da best lil audio forum this side o the mississippi!

:wave:

 

[Juke-box]

THx WildWest! and definitely the Tube helps bring the music to life. the Vocals sound better, but to me, the Piano is what really shines! with the FocusAudio and the Unison Research Amp, you can tell the difference between Yamaha, Steinway, or August Foster pianos! i love it!

i still haven't ventured into the "Analog" thing yet..mainly cuz i don't have much time, and i'm still enjoying what i have right now. will do soon enough though! i'm thinking of Vinyl? but probably will let my dad experiment with his own gear first hehehe, especially with his Red Rose amp.

oh, and a question for you audio folks. i'm still young, so i still listen to some of the "pop" stuff, but my Tube amp is absolutly HORRIBLE in that type of music......the bass sucks, and those fast rythms seem to be lagging..lol. any chance i can fix this cheaply?

 

[gonefishin]

Nice system Juke-Box...Piano can sound real nice with some tubes can't it! So your audio addiction has started...fun ain't it


Welcome to AK

 

[Juke-box]

Thx!

lol, my addiction to audio equipment started a couple years back, but there seems to be no remedy....but i don't mind

 

[Thatch_Ear]

Welcome and nice set up. Please take some more pics of your amp and tell us about it in the tube forum. I am not familier with Union Research and would like to know more.

 

[ProAc_Fan]

Juke Box thats a very nice setup. I assume you enjoy the FocusAudio speakers. If you don't mind my asking, what did you pay for the FocusAudio FS-68's? Those are the black bookshelfs on the stands right? I know they are Canadian made and use ScanSpeak drivers. How would you rate the quality of the cabinets? Are they bi-wireable? How many watts does your tube amp deliver and do you find the amp ever straining to drive those speakers?


Sorry for all the questions. I'm in the market for an upscale set of bookshelfs and am just collecting info right now.


Mike

 

[hotgas]

JukeBox, to improve the bass you may consider a subwoofer. I'm into classical and jazz but when I want to listen to some rock and pop I just turn my sub (not cheap- a Velodyne HSG12, though) on. Matching the sub with your main speakers may be tricky and you need to be patient. Very nice setup and I love the looks of your speakers.

 

[ronflugelguy]

Originally posted by Juke-box
THx WildWest! and definitely the Tube helps bring the music to life. the Vocals sound better, but to me, the Piano is what really shines! with the FocusAudio and the Unison Research Amp, you can tell the difference between Yamaha, Steinway, or August Foster pianos! i love it!

i still haven't ventured into the "Analog" thing yet..mainly cuz i don't have much time, and i'm still enjoying what i have right now. will do soon enough though! i'm thinking of Vinyl? but probably will let my dad experiment with his own gear first hehehe, especially with his Red Rose amp.

oh, and a question for you audio folks. i'm still young, so i still listen to some of the "pop" stuff, but my Tube amp is absolutly HORRIBLE in that type of music......the bass sucks, and those fast rythms seem to be lagging..lol. any chance i can fix this cheaply?

I am on a quest where I am going to get a MAC 240, and biamp my system with a parasound 1500a SS on the bottom and the 240 on the mids and treble..............I'll let you know....nice system!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Juke-box]

ProAc_Fan, thanks for the comment! and hell no, i don't mind! hardly anyone uses FocusAudio since they are "made in canada" lol. but imo, they are the best bookshelves in that particular price range. they are very very clear in its sound, and the highs are amazing. best with "hitting" music, you know, fast beats, but not bass drum kinda thing? i would suggest them to ANYONE! but unfortunately, they are not in production anymore. replaced by the FS688, a new speaker that looks equally impressive, and sound even better! i really like FocusAudio products, its a pity they are so "unknown". in fact, when i bought the FS68's, i chose from Pro-Ac, Dynaudio, B&W and FocusAudio itself. i chose the FS68's because they were the clearest of the bunch. So if you are interested in a bookshelf speaker.....

1. FocusAudio
2. B&W (805) -- simply amazing speakers, but a little thick compared to FS68
3. Dynaudio -- you know, their woofer is amazing....
4. Pro_Ac -- not sure about this one, not my "type"

The FS68's ARE bi-wire'able, so not to worry. get some jumpers if you'd like, they sound even BETTER! My tube amp delivers 35watts per channel, and no the Fs-68's never feel underpowered. it is just very easy listening speaker that you can just sit down and go "oooohhh" if you know what i mean. when attatched to my marantz, they give a punchier bass, but its not really a big plus imo. 35watt is great for the speaker.

The cabinets of ALL focusaudio products are GREAT!! even better than the Nautilus as well as RedRoseMusic products. very very nice finish, and it feels very sturdy. "like a rock" i got mine for $2,000CAN after a lot of hagling with the dealer by my dad, MSRP was $3,000CAN. but i'm sure the newer FS-688 would not go for $2,000CAN. so you would have to dish out atleast $2,200USD a pair for the new ones.

I really like FocusAudio products, my dad also uses the FocusAudio MC1 and MT1's they are awesome. Infact, i love them so much, probably i would buy another pair FS-688 when i get a chance. hope you have luck with them if you decide this route!

Hotgas, i've thought about a subwoofer, but somehow i just don't like it matched with music. my dad has a Velodyne too, but imo a subwoofer should be left for a Home theater. maybe i should just go solid state and buy a Classe amplifier lol.

ronflugelguy ! congrats! let me know when you get it done! and take some pics!!! sounds good.


oh yea, i'll add the thread about the amp in the tube section now.