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
Whoops, I meant to write: "I’m NOT trying to convince you otherwise."

(Your anecdote about the a system "springing to life" after changing the Ethernet cable only adds to my skepticism about your other anecdotal experience with other cables. Having seen many debates over ethernet/digital cables, with input from electrical engineers, it seems to me the technical case made for audible differences is weaker than the one for audible differences to be extremely unlikely. But many audiophiles think *everything* makes a difference, which is precisely what can happen when one relies purely on uncontrolled, subjectivity-based anecdote. Our perception can change for various reasons, and when you always ascribe this to an outside cause,  it allows people to come up with all sorts of dubious and contradictory ideas.   It’s why the world is filled with crack-pot medical nostrums - and countless other wild claims - that have fervent believers).


This thread took an interesting turn ;-)

As I mentioned above, I ordered 2 sets of AudioQuest Water XLR interconnects. That said, my system is currently around 40k, and there is no way I would spend more than around 10% on cables, let alone 30%. I mean, with 12k, I'd be way better off improving other areas of my system. I do believe cables matter... a little... on a system that has had all the other areas optimized. In my mind the ROI is in this order:
1) Speakers
2) Acoustic treatements
3) Source/DAC
4) Amp/Preamp
5) literally anything else
6) cables

With an extra 10k not spent on cables, I could have gone to the 800D3 speakers, or done a really sophisticated room treatment, or upgraded to something like a Chord DAVE, probably even a Pass Labs X350.8 (when including my existing amp budget) or Pass Labs preamp.
You will discover for yourself mayor...or not.  If you are happy, fantastico!  If something sounds underwhelming, then you may need to try some cables.  The Cable Co. in Pa let’s you try cables in your system FYI
Well, I will say, day one with a "fancy" cable, the AudioQuest Water, didn't go well. The left one (white) is about 8dB quieter than the right. Swapped back to the Mogami and all is well again. Very weird. I will say Magnolia was super nice about ordering me a replacement.