Would you Upgrade?


Hi everyone, i'd like to get everyone's opinion on upgrading my set of loudspeakers.

I would be going from a pair of B&W 802D (the first of the diamond models, around 2010) to a pair of Focal Sopra 3's.

Is there much of an upgrade making this change?

I heard the Sopra's at an upscale dealer with a close to perfect setup: speakers about 15 feet from the front wall and about 10 feet from the side walls. Electronics were all Esoteric, including their $44,000 Grandiosa M1 monoblocks, preamp, cd player, power regenerator and $3,800 Cardas clear stereo speaker cables.

I'm not sure if these speakers would sound much different from my current 802D and my humble Classe CAM 100 monoblocks.

Also, how many years do speakers last before they degrade (speaker, crossovers, etc...)

thanks to everyone in advance.
onehorsepony
I appreciate everyone's input, but if we could just focus on my original post.

In my selection, I also need a speaker that will make poor recordings and older recordings sound musical.

I had found that my Thiel 3.7's made anything but good records sound intolerable. I personally, don't think this is a sign of a good speaker. Yes, it is a very revealing speaker, but my 802d's make older and poor recordings sound, well poor, but yet they are listenable.

I go to audition speakers, Focal, B&W, and the first thing the salesperson does is remove my cd and proceed to play some perfectly recorded upright bass jazz piece which sounds amazing.

I'm running into this issue of listening to the speaker vs listening to the music.

Your thought
In my selection, I also need a speaker that will make poor recordings and older recordings sound musical.
Well gee whiz, that would’ve been useful info to have shared earlier don’t ya think?  Were we supposed to just somehow know this was one of your major goals through ESP or something?  Jeez.  Just go buy some Harbeths and be done with it. 

Onehorsepony,

understanding your issues with the 3.7 I think you will end up with the same issue with focals. I have not heard the Sopra but 1037/1038be a number of times. They are just as revealing if not more so than Thiel and tend to be on the lean side more than the warm side. Both the 3.7 and the focals have bass but only when called for. 
Again I would try to give the Wilson’s current line a try. It is a good mix of detail and “warmth”. The paper drivers and soft dome tweeter take the edge off. The slight bass lift keeps poor recording pumping along too. 
If you can swing the price I think the Yvette would make you happy. The Sabrina might not be big enough (bass power) coming from the 802D. 

Not sure you will like warm speakers (harbeth etc). You are way up on the bright side of things now so a neutral speaker with strong bass will probably do the trick. 

My first response is if you think it is an upgrade and you enjoy listening more due to the change it is.

My personal opinion is I would also consider other speakers - B&Ws make quality speakers yet they cause my ears to hurt after a little while.  I would listen to speakers with different types of tweeter materials and see if the different sound characteristics are appealing.

I was evaluating B&W against PSB and Sonus faber when I had to replace my Mirage speakers.  Wilson's and Devore's are speakers I have found very enjoyable.  Happy hunting.
You already have a terrific pair of speakers, and if you elect to move on someone will be lucky to get them on the second hand market here, USAudiomart, or eBay, et cetera.  Focals are great and also look wonderful, in case that influences things.  For a softer edge, Harbeth, Spendor (including the A and D series floor standers) and Graham might be worth investigating, along with DeVore and some others (measurements be damned, I suppose).  Used Wilsons and similar exotic grade speakers mnight also give you a kick.