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B&W.....Focal.....or Focal

I am currently in the market to replace the speakers in my 2 channel setup. I currently have a pair of N803’s that I have had for about 7 yrs. front end consists of a Classe CA 2300, Classe CP 800, and a Cary DMS 500. My three finalists are B&W 802D2, Focal 1038BE, it Focal Sopra No2. Problem I have is that the closest Focal dealer is about 3 1/2 hrs from me. Musical taste is all over the place Metallica, Foo-Fighters, Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Norah Jones, Rush, Pink Floyd and on and on and on. Any thoughs would be greatly appreciated.
h2gastech
james_w514's avatar
james_w514
286 posts
 
I owned 802 D2’s for a while and would have gladly traded them for Sopra 2 or 3’s. With that said people tend to prefer the sound of one or the other (I prefer Focal.) The synergy of B&W and Classe gear should also be considered. It’s worth the drive to go and listen for yourself considering the amount of money involved. If you want to stick with the big companies I urge you to audition Dynaudio as well. I heard NOLA KO 2’s on similar gear and it was very good.
erik_squires
16,235 posts
 
I like the top end Monitor Audio better than either of those brands myself.
contuzzi
413 posts
 
How big is your room? For the average room size, I’d always recommend Sopra no2 over 1038’s if your budget allows.

I also think you’d be crazy not to listen to the Paradigm Persona 3F for “only” $10k.

I heard the top of the line Monitor Platinum at Axpona and was unbelievably underwhelmed, but I’m sure they were set up poorly.

Not sure if you can get lucky, but a pair of used AZ Crescendo mkII would be pretty incredible for your musical tastes too.


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