Legacy Audio Focus SE vs B&W 803 D3?

[Storm Angel]

Hi everyone!

Long time no post.

I am currently in a dilemma with what speakers I should get between the $18k - 25k Australian Dollar mark.
I am saving up my pennies for this and it's taken quite some time. Hopefully I will be able to make a good purchase within a few months.

I have a large lounge room and I'd like to have true full range speakers that do not require a subwoofer.
I like playing a wide variety of music from R&B, prog-trance, dance, through to rock, country and even some jazz and classical.

There are so many options out there but 2 speakers have really caught my eye lately and both have very positive reviews..
I am tossing up between getting a pair of Lagacy Audio Focus SE towers (and possibly a Bryston 14B SST2 Power amplifier to run them with the extra money saved) which are far less expensive, or would I be better off going for something like the 803 D3's for $24.5k and running them on my already owned XPA-2 Gen 1 Power Amp?

I know this is very subjective and many people have different tastes / favorite speakers but for anyone who has listened to either or both it would be great to hear your input.

Focus SE / Bryston 14B SST2 Combo or the B&W 803 D3 / XPA-2 combo?

Thanks in advance.

Jacci.

[bluemeanies]

Hello jacci.
A monumental decision indeed.
As you mentioned it is subjective choices in this hobby with everything not just speakers.
No matter what anyone tells you remember this...."it does not matter what anyone else thinks of your audio system" ...only you! That the underlying truth.

I myself am a BIG b&w fan and have been since 1998. I have had a list of speakers over the years, KEF, JBL, KLIPSCH, AVANCE, and DYNAUDIO. I have also heard many more than I care to mention or remember since I was frequent at many audio shows between the east and west coast.
My choice in narrowing down speakers came from eliminating most speakers and choosing between what I thought were THREE well made high performance speakers.
They were at the time DYNAUDIO, FOCAL, and B&W.
My dream speaker was the B&W803 diamond. When it came to finances I could only afford the B&W804S series.
I keep those speakers for nine beautiful years, power by the 200 watt per channel OUTLAW 7700 amplifier. I pick up the Outlaw 990/7700 combo at an audio show in Los Angeles at a very good price and I had FREE shipping since I worked for an airline. The B&W's song but in my heart I was still drawn to the 803 diamonds. It was not until a couple of years ago that I sold them. They were in PRISTINE CONDITION, rosewood, with orginal boxes and manuals. Resale value was more than I thought. I paid $4000.00 orginally and resold them for $2400.00 after nine years.
I have heard the Focal SE and for my taste I thought they were a little bright for my listening tastes. After about an hour I grew tired of the sound. The amplifier was not the Bryston. I had purchased the XPA 1's for my 804's and without any doubt there was plenty of head room.
That is not what I was after...headroom is a synonym for LOUD IMO.
After being invited to now a good friends house and listening to his system I revamped almost my entire system.
I was able to purchase my803 diamonds, purchase a new pre-amp dac, and I went with tubes.
The realistic, life like sound I am hearing blows me away.
I am not here trying to persuade you to buy tubes or B& W.
I am just telling you a bit about my journey.

If you are a HEAD BANGER (no disrespect) and listen to high volumes 99% of the time then SS is the way to go, however if you are yearning for likelike performance and nuances you never heard before then tubes is the road to follow IMO.
Either of the above that you have mentioned will serve you well but I am predjudice towards the B&W's.
Remember this fact also most B&M stores have a high markup. 40% of the price tag is added from the companies marketing.
Sad but true. None the less we still buy their products.

Good luck and have fun.
BTW I did hear the B&W 803D3 with McIntosh and they were amazing but again IMO a tad over priced.

[vneal]

Both are great speakers. I am partial to the B&Ws but go with your heart and not others recomendations

[pawsman]

If you want to save some money, take a look at the Tekton Double Impact or Tekton Ulfberht. A review of the UlfBerht
by Terry London is due out any day now-

pawsman

[Casey Leedom]

I own the Legacy Audio Focus SEs (and the Marquis HD Center Channel) and couldn't be happier. They definitely are full range and have wonderful low-end extension which will respond wonderfully to a good amplifier. They're also extremely efficient and an easy load, so you won't need tons of power (but it never hurts).

My own advice is to gather up some music with which you're very familiar and go and audition both speakers ... and perhaps a couple more which people recommend. This is too important a decision — both financially and "spiritually" — to go by just on reviews. Besides, you have your own ears and preferences, so go for it!

One caveat to the above advice: I was searching for new full-range floor-standing speakers for something like 10 years and when I saw the reviews of the Legacy Audio Focus SEs, they immediately snagged my attention. But when I went to a local audio show and listened to their next step up speakers (all they had at the show), the Aeris, I was very disappointed when I played Jorma Kaukonen's Too Hot to Handle recording. It sounded flat and muffled. This recording had been one of my "go to's" when I'd previously looked for speakers and had sold me on my old Vandersteen 2Ce's. The short story is that it's actually a very bad recording from a mastering standpoint and the Focus SEs are very revealing, while the Vandersteens were very forgiving. (Since buying the Focus SEs a year and a half ago I've re-bought quite a few recordings remastered to combat that issue. Too Hot to Handle is unfortunately not available in any remastering.) So:

1. Be prepared for your favorite recordings to sound different.
2. Ask the dealer for recommendations on what recordings they think sound good with the speakers.
3. Buy those same recordings and listen to them on your current system and all the other speakers you audition.

Oh, and finally, listen to the Focus SEs with the grills off. It makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE. Despite the fact that the grill cloth is very thin, it has a big effect on the output of the Air Motion Tweeters.

Casey

[jcz06]

Oct 3, 2017 10:42:53 GMT -5 Casey Leedom said:

I own the Legacy Audio Focus SEs (and the Marquis HD Center Channel) and couldn't be happier. They definitely are full range and have wonderful low-end extension which will respond wonderfully to a good amplifier. They're also extremely efficient and an easy load, so you won't need tons of power (but it never hurts).

My own advice is to gather up some music with which you're very familiar and go and audition both speakers ... and perhaps a couple more which people recommend. This is too important a decision — both financially and "spiritually" — to go by just on reviews. Besides, you have your own ears and preferences, so go for it!

One caveat to the above advice: I was searching for new full-range floor-standing speakers for something like 10 years and when I saw the reviews of the Legacy Audio Focus SEs, they immediately snagged my attention. But when I went to a local audio show and listened to their next step up speakers (all they had at the show), the Aeris, I was very disappointed when I played Jorma Kaukonen's Too Hot to Handle recording. It sounded flat and muffled. This recording had been one of my "go to's" when I'd previously looked for speakers and had sold me on my old Vandersteen 2Ce's. The short story is that it's actually a very bad recording from a mastering standpoint and the Focus SEs are very revealing, while the Vandersteens were very forgiving. (Since buying the Focus SEs a year and a half ago I've re-bought quite a few recordings remastered to combat that issue. Too Hot to Handle is unfortunately not available in any remastering.) So:

1. Be prepared for your favorite recordings to sound different.
2. Ask the dealer for recommendations on what recordings they think sound good with the speakers.
3. Buy those same recordings and listen to them on your current system and all the other speakers you audition.

Oh, and finally, listen to the Focus SEs with the grills off. It makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE. Despite the fact that the grill cloth is very thin, it has a big effect on the output of the Air Motion Tweeters.

Casey

I have the same front stage(Focus SE, Marquis center) with an XPR-1 on each one.....it's devine