Sopra No 2's or other alternatives?


Have listened several times to Sopra 2's and while I do like them at times they come across a bit bright. Also bass was not as controlled as expected.  Don't know what was causing this but can this community give me other alternatives? They will be mated with SS gear for the time.

rsf507

Another +1 for room treatment. I had to move my Sopra 2s and system to a smaller room a few years ago and I first noticed the lack of bass but I struggled with soundstage and overall balance as well. It was very frustrating but once I introduced some homemade room treatment everything started to fall in place. I originally used a PremaLuna Dialogue integrated with very good results but it did lack some oomf when turning up the volume. I'm now using a Roger's KWM-88 (yes, another tube amp) and it's really amazing to my ears and audio friend (of course your MMV).

I have had times when the treble is too hot but I've found that for me there is something else going on up stream. Cartridge isn't adjusted properly, breaking in a new set of tubes, etc. I also just installed a set of Gaia's to the Sopra 2s and that further improved everything top to bottom to my ears (but I don't think they would do anything for hot treble).

There are a lot of great speakers out there, many mentioned about. Regardless of what you choose, definitely consider room treatment and experiment with speaker placement. It does take some time and effort but you'll get the most out of your investment. 

Good luck!! 

 

 

@demich Experimenting with speaker positioning is also key, at least with my Kanta 3s (also demoed Sopra 3s side by side before picking Kantas). I'm continually amazed how such small movements in positioning can yield such big results.

I really enjoy Focals mids and top end with above average recordings, but IDK if there's a less forgiving brand of bright recordings than anything made by focal, Triangle, Cabasse? Man those French really like detail. When you're shopping for speakers that cost as much as a sportbike or nice car get home demos with the components you plan on using. I could rattle off several other similar priced speakers with comparable quality, but putting a system together is personal.

Regarding the brightness of the tweeters;  how do they compare to the B&W 804 D3?  Considering going from the B&W to the Focal but if they are a lot brighter then I’ll keep the B&W.

How does the bass compare as well?

As much as I like Focal speakers they have priced themselves out of my budget. I still own a large floor standing pair of JM Lab 946 Electra though. But I have heard the Sopra 2 and the 3 and I would say they were some of the best speakers I have ever heard when set up properly. I have not found them to be overly bright but then that could have had a lot to do with room tuning and setup. A lot of HiFi dealers do not set up their equipment as good as it could be and when you hear the same speakers at a different dealer they will  usually sound better or worse.