Focal Dome 5.0 and other sub or stick with 5.1

[Janomin]

Hi all,

Had a little demo of the focal domes and barring any major issues when I actually get to hear them on my amp, I am almost certainly upgrading to these.

However, I keep hearing that the sub is the weak link on the set, and considering the price difference £1149 to £1449 of the set with and without the sub, im seriously wondering if I am better off getting the speakers without the sub, and investing £3-500 on a better quality sub.

My issue is room, I don't have much of it and would ideally like the sub to be as small as possible, hopefully around the size of what I have at the moment, which is a Yamaha YST-SW45 Sub, so not very big, probably not very good, but it does its job.

I do keep hearing about the SVS and BK Sub lines, but I am slightly concerned as I can't seem to find anywhere to actually go and see/demo these. What alternatives do I have in this price range?

 

[Janomin]

Bit more info in the hope of a reply, the Yammy sub's dimensions are:

9.3 in x 12.5 in x 14.4 in / 19.8 lbs

Not sure how that compares to other subs, other than that its not square, but I can certainly accomodate something around this sort of size. There also doesn't seem to be a huge difference between the Yammy and the Focal Dome sub, other than a larger crossover range, 50-150 on the yammy, 50-200 on the focal. Though I actually have no idea what that means Both feature 8 inch drivers though.

I just feel like I can get more bang for my buck if you like, and while I like the styling of the domes and the size suits me, the sub just looks like those silly hairy hats the guards outside buckingham palace wear.

 

[lordlemon]

The sub suits the speakers and has a lovely build in aluminium do you always need a powerful sub, i have listened to many systems and its sometimes the quality of sound that is important.

The sub is also a good size although it does look a bit like a pedal bin and after all nearly all subs look a bit bland.

The svs tall sub would look asthetically pleasing if you go away from the dome sub

I have heard the dome sub in basingstoke with monitor audio Rx6 it sounded excellent.

Do some more demos and take your time deciding.

 

[Member 96948]

Buy the Domes - superb little speakers that are easily the equal of home grown offerings and partner with a BK XLS-200. It is a much, much better sub than the Dome sub which (which in turn would embarrass the Yamaha - specs don't tell the whole truth)isn't bad as far as high street offerings go, but the BK is in another class - Much tighter and harder hitting, if not as pretty.

Russell

 

[Janomin]

Had a feeling someone might say that

Is there any stores you can buy the BK subs from, or is it purely online from them directly?

 

[Member 96948]

Purely online. The nearest direct in-store equivalent to an XLS-200 is an MJ Acoustics Ref 200 (I had one years ago). It adds some features of dubious value, subtracts 75W of power which is not good and costs £750. This comparison isn't as specious as it might seem as BK used to be the OEM for MJ, so you work out who's benefiting the most.

Russell