Happiness achieved

I am pretty much a newb, having decided to put a 2 channel listening system together last year.  In the last 15 months, I went through 4 amps, 4 pair of speakers, 2 cd players, multiple cables and 2 different cartridges.  Finally settled in with the following:

Marantz PM-11S3 integrated amp
Marantz SA-8004 SACD player
Music Hall MMF 9.1 Turntable
Dynavector 10x5 cartridge
Focal 836V speakers
Acoustic Zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic Zen Wow interconnects
VPI Turntable Interconnect
AZ Tsunami Power Cables

Everything was purchased gently used on Audiogon - met some good people along the way as well.

I really enjoyed the system until a musician friend ( and vintage gear nut) came over to listen and said I was missing too much bottom end.  I knew he was right, but the 836V's did produce an excellent overall soundstage and I had dropped nearly $6K to this point (started with a $1K budget).

As luck would have it, a local shop listed the companion subwoofer to my speakers for sale as a demo (Focal SW800V).  There was virtually no reviews online and the few that existed were commenting on its use for home theater.  The consensus was it was expensive for the money and there were better HT options.

Well the price was right ($400) and it was in perfect condition and- bonus - exact finish match to my towers ( WAF).  This has an 11 inch driver and is rated at 350w RMS / 500w peak.  It also has several switch options to boost base or adjust crossover depending on listening conditions. Specwise, a similar REL sub is the T9i ( both are rated at 28hz@6db - Focal is also rated at 32hz @3db).

Bought a pair of BJC subwoofer cables  that run from the Marantz pre outs and now cannot believe the  transformation.  I have always loved the Focal sound and trusted that they would work to make this sub match well with other speakers in this series.  They blend seamlessly.  

I have been tempted to upgrade to the next level in the Focal line - either the 1028be or 1038be, but I no longer feel the need ( at least for now).  The Marantz / Focal combination are a great  match to my ears, and I am about at the point where the law of diminishing returns kicks in.  While this setup may not meet the lofty standards of some audiophiles, it makes a joyful noise.