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Narrowed to 3: 802D3, Sopra 3, Reference 3

Hi all,
Here's the situation:
Room is 14x17 with vaulted ceilings from 9" to 14", and the room is mostly open to a foyer with high ceiling and is about 10x10.

I'm currently running a setup scavenged from my home theater:
Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ > Rotel RC-1590 Preamp > Rotel RB-1582 mk2 amp > B&W 805 D3

The sound overall is excellent, but it's a little bright and lacks bass presence (as you'd expect for a 2 way bookshelf). Here are my top speakers I've auditioned:

B&W 802D3 ( Auditioned with: Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ > McIntosh C52 > McIntosh 601) at Magnolia

KEF Reference 5 (Auditioned with Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ > McIntosh C47 > McIntosh MC452) at Magnolia at the same time as the 802.

Focal Sopra 3 (Auditioned with NAIM DAC > NAIM NAP 500 DR Amp - 140W per channel) at difference location

I also heard the KEF Reference 3 and Blade but ruled them out, the Ref 3 for sound, and the Blade for price and it being kind of ugly.

Here's the thing, I feel like I'm not sure what to get. I love the general sound of the 802, but I'm afraid even with the MC452 it'd be a bit bright. It also really lacked the presence in the bass like the Reference 5.

The Reference 5 sounds wonderful, and the bass is prolific, but I'm a little concerned about it being too warm. I heard the Ref 5 and 802s in the same room with virtually the same equipment, back to back, and they were so very different. The Ref 5 was warm, with rich full mids, that maybe were even too lush, with bass so good I honestly thought the subwoofer was on.

The 802 had good bass, but nothing to write home about (and it even had the more powerful 601 monoblocks), but the clarity was astounding, I just fear it'll be a little too bright for my room, which seems to lean bright already. That said, there is just something so exciting about the sound of this speaker playing orchestral. The problem was I much preferred the KEF for rock/r&b.

Then, to add to the mix, I liked the Focal Sopra 3 a lot, but I also felt it lacked bass presence, though it was on the weakest amp by a wide margin. The Focal seemed to be the middle ground between the B&W and KEF, but the bass concerned me. I'm not a bass nut, but I do want my bass to be powerful and don't want to have to add a sub. (Even for orchestral, I felt the Focal lacked a bit in the low cello and bass parts)

My plan was to keep the Mytek, and probably get a McIntosh C47 and MC452 or MC462, as I think the Rotels are probably too bright and underpowered for any of these setups. I was definitely hitting 300+W on the 802s during my audition while listening to orchestral music.

Thoughts? Is the KEF really that pudgy in the middle, is the B&W really that bright, and does the Sopra 3 really lack bass presence?

p.s. I thought the Blade was better balanced, but also still pretty warm.


Ag insider logo xs@2xmayoradamwest
audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,762 posts
 
Mayoradamwest, We are major KEF dealers and we display the entire Kef Range, the KEF's are wonderful speakers, we don't feel that they are too warm, most people find them quite detailed with a huge panormamic soundstage.

As per the KEF vs the B&W the B&W are way forward with the Diamond tweeter being a bit on the hot side for many people, your comments on their clarity with the top end being a bit too hot is quite common.

You need to hear the Kef's at a better dealer than Magnolia, we have visited the Magnolia design centers and most of the store's setups are not good.  Magnolia doens't play with different combination of cables or source components,  they don't know anything about upsampling and how to maximize streaming setups, and they really don't know how to derive the maximium sound quality out of these higher end products. 

If you are on the East Coast come over to our shop and hear what a well setup pair of Kef Ref 5 sound like.

The Sopra's are also very musical, they don't punch as hard as the Kef's but the new Sopras are very very good. If you crave detail, speed, punch and a huge well focused soundstage the KEF's are hard to beat.

If you like a silky smooth tweeter, good detail, a rich midrange, but less dynamic presentation you should hear the Sopras again.


Dave and Troy
Audio Docdtor NJ
contuzzi
413 posts
 
Completely agree with Audiotroy about sopras vs kef vs B&w.

As far as bass lacking with Sopra 3, it had to be the room, or the placement of the speakers in said room. I will admit some of the Focal speakers with bigger 8+ inch woofers can be hard to place in a room. They don’t just sound perfect with little work, but once you get them properly placed in the room, the bass will be tremendous.

In all reality, most speakers have pretty good bass now — its just making sure you get them in the right spot, and in some rooms, it’s impsosible to get the best soundstage and three dimensionality PLUS perfect bass response.  
Ag insider logo xs@2x
mayoradamwest OP
429 posts
 
Thanks both of you. My inclination at this point is the 802s. Overall I love the sound of the 805D3 and they’re not overly bright in my home theater which has room treatments. My main concern about them is whether I’d be underwhelmed by the bass. 
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