Stopped by Phil's last night...

JoshK · « **on:** 23 Oct 2003, 03:37 pm »

I stopped by Phil's (PhilNYC) pad last night to borrow a pair of Audience ICs. His system was sounding glorious! Now it is hard to say what all were the contributing factors as more than one thing changed, but it was a clear step up from our first session at his place. To date, I have never hear realistic soundstaging and imaging like that. It was no doubt his speakers.

Which brings me to the fun part. He had his new Focus Audio speakers set up and broken in. Man oh man are these a thing of beauty.

Phil's are in piano black and the fit and finess is like nothing I have seen before. Attention to detail is something that they excel at!

As I commented to Phil, these are among (if not) the best cone dynamic speakers I have ever heard. A lot of it likely has to do with the tweeter no doubt, but the mids and bass were spot on, uncolored and tonally balanced. Not often do I say that about many two ways I have heard. The bass was great yielding plenty of weight and all the harmonics in tact.

I highly recommend giving these speakers a listen. Of course the 8th Nerve products Phil had in place likely added a lot to a better room response as well!

Hantra · « **Reply #1 on:** 23 Oct 2003, 03:46 pm »

Those are gorgeous!!!!!!

JoshK · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Oct 2003, 03:50 pm »

You should see them in person, I was floored.

mcrespo71 · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Oct 2003, 07:46 pm »

Josh,

Thanks for the description!!! Now that I know Phil from our last meeting, I may need to set up a time to hear these speakers.
They look absolutely gorgeous from that picture and your description makes them sound like speakers I would like A LOT!

Michael

Enrico · « **Reply #4 on:** 25 Oct 2003, 07:28 pm »

Thanks for posting. The Focus Audios are not a big-name brand but they seem to get really good user reviews.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #5 on:** 25 Oct 2003, 08:08 pm »

Josh,

Just noticed this thread...thanks! And glad you enjoyed the demo...

I just posted a couple of closeup pictures of the piano black FS-788 speakers in the Gallery for those of you unable to come over to see them in person...the album is titled "Phil's Demo System"...

Best regards,

Phil

Daniel · « **Reply #6 on:** 26 Oct 2003, 12:45 am »

I just got back from Phil's listening room. I went by to pick up my 8th Nerve Roompack and got treated to a stunning listening experience. The soundscape is extraordinary. His system doesn't put the musicians in the room. It puts you in the hall with the musicians. Its a total gas. How he managed to do it in an L-shaped space with massive windows on 2 sides I'll never know.

WilliamL · « **Reply #7 on:** 26 Oct 2003, 01:27 am »

Wow!

Sounds Great! I can't wait to get over to Sonic Spirits and hear for myself when I can muster up the time.

Cheers,
Bill

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #8 on:** 26 Oct 2003, 08:07 am »

Phil , Great loookin speakers , "Thanks" for the Gallery shots, look good in black!!

PhilNYC · « **Reply #9 on:** 27 Oct 2003, 01:36 pm »

Quote from: Daniel

Its a total gas. How he managed to do it in an L-shaped space with massive windows on 2 sides I'll never know.

Heh...I don't know if I'd call it L-shaped, but the glass did have me worried a bit when I first moved into this place. Spent a *lot* of time on speaker placement with these (and you saw how much effect that had when we demoed the FS-688 monitors). The 8th Nerve stuff also helps a lot. Too bad it's getting cold out, because otherwise I could just leave the glass doors open...

Phil

Horsehead · « **Reply #10 on:** 16 Nov 2003, 04:16 pm »

I had the pleasure of meeting Phil on Friday and had the opportunity to listen to his system. I called him "last minute" and he didn't hesitate to say "come on over and have a listen". I was very impressed- image depth was outstanding and at no time did I "localize" any sound coming from the speakers- they simply disappeared. We listened to a couple of CDs I brought over and that I was very familiar with- and they sounded very good on Phil's system. Phil played a wonderful classical selection that really defied the listening space- it placed the whole orchestra in front of me with wonderful realism. The craftmanship and finish on the Focus Audio speakers was outstanding- made the high gloss finish on my RM40s look like a first time DIY application. I would love to hear the top of the line Focus Audio speakers Phil just got in, as they may provide the last bit of midbass/bass impact and clarity that seemed to be missing on the smaller two way. Anyway, it was really fun to visit Phil and chat about audio, music, and listen to a great system.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #11 on:** 17 Nov 2003, 12:52 pm »

Thanks for the kudos, Horsehead! That Roger Waters CD was pretty cool, too...I was surprised at how different that Q sound effect was between the sofa and the dining table...

I'll have the FS888 set up middle of this week, so if you (or anyone else) wants to check them out, give me a shout! And certainly as we discussed, you should ping the NYC circle to see about having some folks come out the NJ to check your system out...

Phil

WerTicus · « **Reply #12 on:** 19 Nov 2003, 10:40 am »

looks like the scan speak 9900 revelator tweeter to me... nice

is the bottom driver the wood fiber one? cant quiet see it from the photo properly

PhilNYC · « **Reply #13 on:** 19 Nov 2003, 01:04 pm »

Quote from: WerTicus

looks like the scan speak 9900 revelator tweeter to me... nice

is the bottom driver the wood fiber one? cant quiet see it from the photo properly

Yep, that's the scan speak 9900 revelator tweeter. They use it on all three of their signature models...apparently, the FS688 monitor is the smallest loudspeaker available to use it.

The bottom driver is a kevlar hexacone driver made by Eton which is custom spec'd by Focus. The woofer on the 688 monitor is a 5 1/2", and the one on the FS788 is a 7"...the 888 uses two 7" drivers...

audiojerry · « **Reply #14 on:** 19 Nov 2003, 04:07 pm »

Hi Phil,
I had a chance to visit your website - very nice! It conveys the feeling of being at a warm and friendly place. If I can ever afford to visit Manhattan again, I will mark Sonic Spirits down as a must-visit place. Is your shop anywhere near Red Rose Music or the AvantGarde store? I was there in July of '02. How on earth can you afford the rent?

Anyone who has not been to Manhatten must do so at least once before they die. The energy and vitality define much of what America is about. Contrary to my prejudices, the people of New York were outgoing, friendly, and helpful.

I noticed your Virgo II, which changed to the fabric tweeter from metal. I really liked mine. They were warm and dynamic, and sounded much bigger than their size. I also read about your experience with Vince Cristian's tube speakers - really ugly or really cool, depending on your perspective. Were they really as amazing sounding as you describe? How do they compare to your new Focus line? That will probably be a tough question to field

I recently briefly heard an entry-level Blue Circle integrated, and I was very, very impressed with how sweet and musical it was. Blue Circle is your only amplification product, right? Are your customers real receptive to BC? I hope to audition BC someday.

Are the Focus FS-688 small enough to ship out for a trial audition for internet customers? How close are they sonically to their floor standing bothers?

Sorry for so many questions.

JoshK · « **Reply #15 on:** 19 Nov 2003, 04:30 pm »

Jerry,

Nothing is too far off from eachother in Manhattan! But, Phil's place is in the upper east side, much close to Lyric Hi-Fi (jerks) than Avantegarde. AG is further downtown closer to Roop's place. RedRose I think, but not sure is in Midtown. Of course a $5-15 cab ride can pretty much take you between any of these in little time.

Phil is a great guy with a passion for audio. He has great ears and a great setup. I think we differ in our tastes but both respect and aknowledge eachother's position. I believe most of Phil's customers have quite a bit of discretionary income to throw around for whatever suits them best, unlike most of us down to earthers. The BC gear is amazingly good looking and well built. Their preamps' volume controls for instance are unlike anything I have seen before, much more than an off the shelf attenuator. Unfortunately, beyond the price point then my wife will allow even if we could afford it.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #16 on:** 19 Nov 2003, 05:07 pm »

Hi Jerry,

Thanks! I'm a home-based dealer, so yeah, I think it's kinda..well...homey...

Definitely get in touch if/when you make it to the city...

The Vince Christian E9 speaker/c12p subwoofer was, as I described in the writeup, amazing. That day when Vince brought them over still ranks as one of the best sonic presentations I've ever heard in a home setting (and yes, it was being powered by Blue Circle gear!

). It has a different sound than the Focus Audio stuff...the Focus stuff might be just a tad to the dark side, whereas the Vince Christian setup (with it's baffle-less/cabinet-less design) was much further to the light. The E9/c12p combo reminded me of the Audio Physic Avanti III (another favorite of mine), whereas the Focus speakers are more similar to the Wilson sound. Which do I prefer? Hard to tell...I'd definitely say the E9/c12p combo had a level of performance that was certainly a notch higher than the top-line Focus (FS888). But at twice the price, it should be. Without the c12p subwoofer, I'd have to go with the FS888 for presenting a much more complete sound. As compared to the Virgo II, the FS888 (or even the FS788), does the same "disappearing act", but it does it with a much more full-bodied presentation (as others have described in this thread).

As far as Blue Circle...well, my *customers* are receptive...!

But I will say that people tend to be hot/cold with them. Some of my customers (the ones that JoshK alluded to) who are into prestige as much as sound quality, just simply can't get over the cosmetic or lack of wow-factor the equipment has among their friends. But others who have gotten even some of the lower-end BC stuff really swear by it...

As far as shipping out some 688s for you to demo, there's a chance that I'll have a customer outfitted with the 688s in Beloit, WI in the next month or so (they are building a recording studio, so it will depend on when the room is ready). Send me a PM...

JoshK - Thanks for the compliments!

audiojerry · « **Reply #17 on:** 19 Nov 2003, 05:10 pm »

If I were renting in Manhattan, I probably couldn't even afford a Bose clock radio for my high-end system!

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #18 on:** 19 Nov 2003, 07:16 pm »

Phil, Question , being that your demo system is in an apartment - any problems with the neighbors when you "pump up the volume" for a test run ? Just wondering ? Thanks.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #19 on:** 19 Nov 2003, 08:07 pm »

Quote from: lonewolfny42

Phil, Question , being that your demo system is in an apartment - any problems with the neighbors when you "pump up the volume" for a test run ? Just wondering ? Thanks.

It's not a problem, because my living room/demo area doesn't have any walls that are adjacent to my neighbors. And my neighbors upstairs/downstairs haven't complained yet...