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Am I the only one to opt-out on the Sopra 2's?

I home auditioned a pair of broken-in Sopra 2's for over a week (Clayton M 100's and Naim 272 pre).  I began by loving them but then gradually found them fatiguing.  Then I noticed that I'd been making excuses for them when high notes became painful and the sound stage seemed blurred.   So I tried Dynaudio C1's, also broken in,  and everything was suddenly better.  I ended up with C2's  and could tell a difference even when they were not broken in. All of these speakers were auditioned with a REL subwoofer.  In the end, I not only disliked the Sopra's, I disliked them a lot.  All the Sopra reviews seem to be generally favorable.  I know I'm probably in a minority, but in my system, the Sopra's were a failure.  Its been suggested that my reaction was because I was  used to the Dynaudio tweeters in my Merlin VSM's, but I think it was more than that.  Anyone else have a similar experience?
hinde
erik_squires
16,050 posts
 
Focal likes to de-tune their speakers with < 4 Ohm impedances in the critical bass slam region, around 70-150 Hz.

The only real fix is a really beefy amp.

If you ever take a look inside, I'd love a pic of their crossover.
mmeysarosh
126 posts
 
Erik seems to be spot on in regards to the Sopra 2 being demanding for power right around 80-100hz. It goes below 4 Ohm and and includes pretty demanding phase angle as well. The NRC measurements published by Soundstage has both plots.

It wouldn't surprise if the bookshelf design had taken into account a less beefy amp and adjusted accordingly. Sounds like your situation was a system mismatch.
kclone's avatar
kclone
679 posts
 
Well, the Mac 452 is very powerful, so how could that be the issue?
stevizzy's avatar
stevizzy
114 posts
 
Before I purchased my Sopra no2's, I auditioned them at Overture in DE using a Hegal then a Macintosh Integrated amplifier.  They were in 2 different rooms, each well damped and setup properly.  I wasn't impressed with them in the smaller room using the Hegal.  Later I decided to give them another listen in a larger room with a big Macintosh Integrated.  There was no comparison.   I purchased a pair on the spot.  These speakers need room to breathe.  
I often see pictures of owners listening rooms with Sopra2's pushed up against the wall, next to a large TV.  UGH!  I guess the WAF won and the speakers lost.  
My setup also has a Plasma between my Sopra's but the speakers are around 5' from the wall behind the TV.  My room is 28' wide so sidewall reflections are pretty much not a factor.  That gives them room to bloom and couple to the room.  
They are also sensitive to crappy electronics.  I'm using a Simaudio 700i which is very smooth and powerful and  it's a great match.
Also, my speakers took forever to break-in.  I lost track of the hours but they are currently 1 year old and have finally settled in.
Nice speakers......I plan to hold on to mine for quite some time which I've never done with speakers before.  

toneranger58
132 posts
 

Dwhite, I assume your speakers are new and the dealers speakers had many hours on them?

I have had mine 8 months and they continue to improve. I have about 250 hours on them. After the 1st month they started to sound like the pair I auditioned at the dealer (well over 400 hours on the demo pair). They need time to break in and they do like to breath. I also have the Simaudio 700I now, a perfect match.

I expect my Sopra's to improve with more hours, up to 400 hours I have read.

Don't be concerned, give them some time to settle in.

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