Goldenear Reference Vs. Focal Sopra #2.....pocket the $5k difference and don't look back?

...Real music digs that deep so rarely I don't much care what a speaker does below 30...

You'd care if you listened to live Grateful Dead recordings.

I've heard the GE reference.  I think it's a lot of speaker for the money.
Though I personally find them tonally boring.

Spend the $5k more and don't look back.  You know they sound "incredible".  Why settle for less wishing every day you got the Sopras?

By the way, if you like the Sopras you should listen to the Personas.  I brought both home for a side by side audition.  They are very similar in timbre, but I liked the detail of the Personas.

I agree with the previous poster, at 8500$ there are certainly as good or  at least slightly better speakers that the GE Reference.  OTOH, the Reference model is considerably better than any of the Tritons.  I found the Tritons more beamy than many electrostatics.  I do like the Focals more; but if you like rock, why not look at a comparable (or used!) Vandersteen?  I forget the model in that range. there are the CTs orTrios that might be had used in your range, or new less than 5K over the list of the GE Ref.  They do a great job of bass response w/o the Ref's slight overemphasis.