[cop1s]

Can we compare those two ? Are they in the same league ?

[Frans]

No idea, but do realize that the Focal Electra 1038Be costs $12,495...

[cop1s]

O.K. Except for the price , can we compare those two ???

[DMurphy]

O.K. Except for the price , can we compare those two ???

I'm sure we could if someone out there happens to have heard both.   But that doesn't seem very likely. 

[charmerci]

O.K. Except for the price , can we compare those two ???

Why?

A more fair comparison would be with the Soundscape 8.

If you can buy them for the same price as a new HT2-TL. I say buy them. If you don't care for them, sell them and then buy the Salks and pocket the difference on what you can sell them for.

[Austin08]

^^^ +1, I am having a same question.

[Phil A]

You have to remember that Focals are sold through a dealer network model.  I heard the $35k Focals and really liked them (and it was one of the handful of speakers that I've heard over the last 10 years that really impressed me - along with Salk and others).

[Nuance]

The Focal's are sweet, albeit a little bright at the top end.  I find this odd, because I've heard the Beryllium tweeter in other speakers and it was darn near ribbon quality.  The midrange also loses focus/clarity at times, but it's not a bad speaker at all.  But for that price...well, I think you know what I'd rather have (Psssst: It's a pair of SS8's ).

Edit, I may have heard the 1028's by the way; I honestly can't remember if it was the 28's or 38's. 

[R Swerdlow]

Although I don't own them, I am very familiar with the Salk HT2-TLs.  It's one of my favorite speakers, at any price.

Last January, I listened to a pair of Focal Solo6 Be speakers.
http://www.focal.com/en/sm6/136-solo6-be-3544050801202.html

They are self-powered 2-way monitors that appear to have the same (or similar) drivers as in the Focal Electra 1008 Be http://www.focal.com/en/electra-1000-be-2/210-electra-1008-be-3544052695090.html.  And these same drivers constitute the midrange and tweeter in the Focal Electra 1038 Be http://www.focal.com/en/electra-1000-be-2/211-electra-1038-be-3544054695098.html.  So perhaps, I can indirectly address your question.

I liked the Focal monitor.  I thought the Focal 6½" W woofer had good sounding detail and fast transients, perhaps on par with the excellent sounding Seas W18 magnesium alloy woofer in the Salks.  Similar to Nuance, I thought it's overall balance was a bit bright, but not so much that I objected to it.  If it's sound is similar to the midrange and tweeter in the 1038 Be, I think you should listen to it.  It's possible that it might be competitive in overall sound quality with the HT2-TL.

When you compare prices, it's no contest, the Salk wins.  A Salk product available ID at $4500 is as good as or better than a dealer-sold Focal that retails for over $12,000.

There also is a Stereophile review, with measurements, of a Focal Electra 1037 Be http://www.stereophile.com/content/focal-electra-1037-be-loudspeaker-measurements.  Perhaps the 1037 is the model that preceded the 1038.

[R Swerdlow]

While I'm thinking about it, another speaker in the same sound quality league with the Salk HT2-TL is the Joseph Audio Perspective.  http://www.josephaudio.com/JosephAudio/Perspective.html.  It's price puts it in the same price league as the Focal 1038 Be.

In fact, the Seas woofers in the Perspective are the same Seas W16 drivers as in the Salk Veracity ST.  Which would I buy , ?!

[Austin08]

Focal speakers - you either love them or hate them. One of those brand that I would strongly recommend you to audition before buying. IMO, they sound real nice but they are not my cup of  tea.

[cop1s]

Thank you for your comments ...

[cop1s]

So it would be better to compare the Focal to the SS8 ????

[Austin08]

So it would be better to compare the Focal to the SS8 ????

It is a subjective topic. I used to own Totem Wind, Thiel CS6. I had been demoed Wilson Sophia, Maxx in my house for several days. My cousin owned Maggie 3.5, the other cousin has a pair of ML Summit. My friend owned a pair of B&W 803D. All of them sound very nice and they all have their strong and weakness. But now I end up with a pair of Salk SS8 and would not want to trade it for any of those speakers that I just memtioned above unless it is a pair of Genesis 1.1 system  My point is Salk's speakers compete very well with much more expensive speakers from other brand.

[Pete Schumacher]

The Focal has some funky specs.  3.3 Ohm minimum impedance yet they claim it to be an 8 Ohm nominal speaker. 

Sensitivity is better on the Focal than the SS8, but you're also getting much more low end depth with the SS8.  If you had a 100W (@8 Ohm) amp on the Focal, you'd need at least 400W to drive the SS8 to achieve the same output level for a given volume setting.

SS8 has a better tweeter too.

I heard the Focal Stella Utopia and was left extremely unimpressed with the sound.  Gorgeous build though.

[R Swerdlow]

So it would be better to compare the Focal to the SS8 ????

I guess it comes down to how you choose your speaker comparison leagues.

If your leagues go by price, compare the Focal 1038 to the SS10, not the less expensive SS8.

If your leagues go by "estimated" sound quality, I'd compare the Focal 1038 to the Salk HT2-TL.

[cop1s]

Effectively , my  league goes by "estimated" sound quality .

[DRSmith]

It is a subjective topic. I used to own Totem Wind, Thiel CS6. I had been demoed Wilson Sophia, Maxx in my house for several days. My cousin owned Maggie 3.5, the other cousin has a pair of ML Summit. My friend owned a pair of B&W 803D. All of them sound very nice and they all have their strong and weakness. But now I end up with a pair of Salk SS8 and would not want to trade it for any of those speakers that I just memtioned above unless it is a pair of Genesis 1.1 system  My point is Salk's speakers compete very well with much more expensive speakers from other brand.

Austin08, I own a pair of Thiel CS1.5.  Not sure if you ever listened to them.  But, when I bought them, I thought they sounded a lot like the higher Thiel models at that time… except less bass.  I should get to listen to a pair of SCSTs soon.  I listened to a a pair of HT2-TLs.  My impression was that the highs were a little better and they would play louder and lower than my speakers.  But, for the most part, a similar, you are there experience.  I am expecting a similar experience with the SCSTs.  Any thoughts?

[Austin08]

Austin08, I own a pair of Thiel CS1.5.  Not sure if you ever listened to them.  But, when I bought them, I thought they sounded a lot like the higher Thiel models at that time… except less bass.  I should get to listen to a pair of SCSTs soon.  I listened to a a pair of HT2-TLs.  My impression was that the highs were a little better and they would play louder and lower than my speakers.  But, for the most part, a similar, you are there experience.  I am expecting a similar experience with the SCSTs.  Any thoughts?

The SS8 is the only Salk speaker that I have owned and heard. So I could not make any comment on the other Salk speakers. On the other hand, Being a owner of several Thiel speakers 2.3, 3.6, CS6. I was very familiar with how Thiel speakers sound. They were all very corehence, wide soundstage, bass is decent on smaller model, bigger model like CS6 or CS7.2 has good bass but nowhere near my SS8 perfomance. They are very revealing and picky on IC and speaker cable. If you match them with good electronics especially powerful amp and sources, they will sound great otherwise they tend to sound thin and bright.

Enough to said, the SCST is easy to drive, has the same RAAL as my SS8 which to me is the best tweeter out there. And if the bass is as good as everybody said then I believe the SCST will compete very well with higher end Thiel model 2.4 or 3.6. ( remember you will save a whole bunch of money and more choice on amplifiers if you go for the SCST)

Just my 2cts