Focal Sopra N°1 Bookshelf & Center Speaker Review

[DavidParis]

Hi David, I suspect I think about music the same way that you do. i just want to set and forget but, unlike you, I don’t like the tweaking process because it detracts from the music...

Hello Rich,
Thanks for taking the time to pen a detailed and thoughtful post, especially since you've felt the pain of the Sopra 1s in your experience. Your story is indeed interesting and encouraging. I have been offered to try the NAD M33 and the Lyngdorf 3400 in the recent past. I was stopped by fear of relaibility and stability issues with the NAD and didn't want an all-in-one. The Lyngdorf isn't Class D, which I was ready to try, but rather a form of Equibit/ PWM digital amplification that made me overly cautious. Never heard one though. I'm sure I would do better to atleast demo one to be certain.

I am also familiar with using and implementing Dirac curves and generally measuring my room with REW. That helped me to understand how many GIK panels to purchase and wear to place them (8 in all 4 of which for bass management). These panels obviously do nothing to tame the berylium tweeter but the do help with imaging and general sound-staging.

Anyway, I may have to bite the bullet and play with the 5 band EQ of the McIntosh MA352 and see if I can accept signal manipulation without guilt. I suppose the engineers who designed the EQ capability in this amplfier were hoping that users might actually use them...Thanks again for your response. I'll have to go and listen to the 3400. Brgds.

 

[Hubbard32]

Had to chime back in to clarify my point a while back about how I now avoid certain types of music with my Sopra's. I also implemented DIRAC and a DSP to manage my 3 JL Audio subs. It really helped shape the sound for my room. However, that didn't "fix" the crappy recordings much. Its amazing to me that I can go from one recording where it sounds shrill and thin to a more resent recording and have it sound absolutely amazing.
Its important to note that turning tracks off because they sound horrible doesn't happen on a regular basis.
One area I have wondered about is the digital cabling / speaker cabling used and how that can impact the sound as well.. not sure how many people with a really bad experience have looked into that as a contributing factor?

 

[Matthew J Poes]

Okay, as someone who owns these same speakers, I will admit there are certain types of music that these speakers do not work well. I have noticed that they are brutal in their treatment of poorly recorded music, anything that's resembles 80's pop music is a pretty bad experience and some well recorded rock, like Tool will not be reproduced to showcase what's in the music. In most cases I'm very impressed with these speakers, but every once in a while I have found myself shocked by the brightness exposed in a song, to the point of advancing to a new track.
I do admit that there are now certain types of music I avoid when I sit down to enjoy some listening time.

Have you tried adjusting the treble shelf a bit to reduce treble. With very flat wide dispersion speakers in relatively average rooms, a speaker can sometimes sound harsh, especially when certain recordings accentuate that. Lots of recordings are not mastered correctly, often because their not mastered in a neutral monitoring system.

I find that introducing 3-6 dB of loss in the treble using a simple treble tone control or a shelf filter centered at 10khz works wonders to fix that.

I would also say that if you use room correction, make sure you use the right target curve. This speaker will sound very bright with an overly flat target curve. There is just a lot more high frequency energy in the room than is typical.

my first really good system was a JM Labs Utopia (Focal) system. I always had a love hate relationship with that system. It did tend to sound a bit harsh at times. The speaker measured very well. But it had very wide dispersion up to 5khz. A very dry room helped (but killed the sense of space and ambiance in the recordings) as did the shelf filter.

I’ve done this in reviews as well and usually state it. I prefer a warmer side of neutral. I don’t want to call a good speaker bright if it’s just my taste (James usually disagrees with me). So what I do is listen as it comes, the. Introduce the shelf filter and state as such. This only shifts the balance of the speaker, it doesn’t eliminate distortions, so I don’t feel guilty about it.

 

[Matthew J Poes]

Had to chime back in to clarify my point a while back about how I now avoid certain types of music with my Sopra's. I also implemented DIRAC and a DSP to manage my 3 JL Audio subs. It really helped shape the sound for my room. However, that didn't "fix" the crappy recordings much. Its amazing to me that I can go from one recording where it sounds shrill and thin to a more resent recording and have it sound absolutely amazing.
Its important to note that turning tracks off because they sound horrible doesn't happen on a regular basis.
One area I have wondered about is the digital cabling / speaker cabling used and how that can impact the sound as well.. not sure how many people with a really bad experience have looked into that as a contributing factor?

Unless your cables are really bad, they should be introducing any such Tim real distortions as you suggest. I would just try a more aggressive tilt on the HF portion of the curve.

nothing can save a bad recording though.

 

[Hubbard32]

Have you tried adjusting the treble shelf a bit to reduce treble. With very flat wide dispersion speakers in relatively average rooms, a speaker can sometimes sound harsh, especially when certain recordings accentuate that. Lots of recordings are not mastered correctly, often because their not mastered in a neutral monitoring system.

I find that introducing 3-6 dB of loss in the treble using a simple treble tone control or a shelf filter centered at 10khz works wonders to fix that.

I would also say that if you use room correction, make sure you use the right target curve. This speaker will sound very bright with an overly flat target curve. There is just a lot more high frequency energy in the room than is typical.

my first really good system was a JM Labs Utopia (Focal) system. I always had a love hate relationship with that system. It did tend to sound a bit harsh at times. The speaker measured very well. But it had very wide dispersion up to 5khz. A very dry room helped (but killed the sense of space and ambiance in the recordings) as did the shelf filter.

I’ve done this in reviews as well and usually state it. I prefer a warmer side of neutral. I don’t want to call a good speaker bright if it’s just my taste (James usually disagrees with me). So what I do is listen as it comes, the. Introduce the shelf filter and state as such. This only shifts the balance of the speaker, it doesn’t eliminate distortions, so I don’t feel guilty about it.

Hey Matt,

Thanks for the reply. For the first time ever, I employed the services of a acoustics' pro to help me "tune" the electronics and the room (just speaker placement, very little room treatment here.) He was the one who suggested I keep using DIRAC, but off load the sub tuning to a DSP instead of having DIRAC tune all three subs independently.
Since he did all the tweaking of the target curve, I'm shared your thoughts with him to see if what you suggest will help make the experience even better.
This is the first time that I haven't had a first hand understanding of how my gear has been tuned, so I'm feeling a bit at the mercy of the guy who set me up.. I guess we'll see where this goes soon.

I'll provide feedback if we make any changes.

Thanks again!

Mike

 

[lovinthehd]

One area I have wondered about is the digital cabling / speaker cabling used and how that can impact the sound as well.. not sure how many people with a really bad experience have looked into that as a contributing factor?

Digital cabling would make a difference to the digits how particularly? Speaker cables of inadequate gauge or ? Anyone who put reasonable cabling to use in setup shouldn't have to worry about this. If you're suggesting the audiophool type cabling as a solution, it's just a solution to empty your wallet.

 

[Rich47]

I agree with Matthew about taking 3-6 db off in the treble. My Lyngdorf has several default voicings which can be further tweaked by adding or subtracting appropriate dbs. What was an unlistenable speaker in terms of brightness is really enjoyable. I started by taking the treble down around 3-6 db at 2 khz (the crossover point) and boosting the bass by 2 db on the Bass 1 default voicing. The sound is so enjoyable. Now I have warmth with clarity. I’m even finding I can reduce the treble by as little as 1 db or even flat on certain recordings. Any amp with a decent equaliser will allow the Sopras to excel and sound like they are supposed to. Not every recording is going to sound great at neutral but by not being afraid to equalise, almost every recording can be made to sound enjoyable if not great. I could not say this with my Naim which sounded dynamic but bright on every recording. Someone introduced me to an album titled “Dream with Dean”. This is a collection of songs from the 60s probably but because the recordings are so clean they sound fantastic even today. I wouldn’t give up on the Sopras just yet but I admit it has taken a very long time to understand their character and to make them sing with warmth. They are hard to sell because they are expensive but with some perseverance they can be made to sound like you want them to. I know from experience and now I’m happy to hang on to them . Their clarity sans brightness is quite addictive.

 

[the machine]

Hey everyone, I am a big Focal fan boy. I've had their Elear headphones, and currently have the Clear and Utopia. My long term goal is to replace my SVS with Sopra No1's as my room is 16x22x8.5, and I feel either of the larger Sopra's are overkill. I also have Dual SVS PB 16's so Bass is not a concern. Most of my use in the room is HT.

I'm curious as to what people think about the electronics to power these are needed. My thought was one of the newer Hypex or Purifi amps. Has anyone tried some of the newer class D's with these speakers? The speakers themselves are already more than I had ever considered spending on a speaker, even in the second hand market, so springing for an MC452 or the likes is absolutely out of the question. It's a tough call because I have nowhere to audition these near me.

Preface, I'm about to make people's eyes roll. I have listened to numerous videos comparing these to other speakers, and I prefer the sound of the Sopra's to anything else they had, so I'm not overly concerned with me liking the sound of the speakers. I know, I'm not listening to the speakers, I'm listing to my headphones. I haven't disliked a single Focal headphone I have listened to, and the Sopra's will be a large step up in what I currently have. It's really more of a concern if I'm going to end up dropping another 7k on proper electronics.

FWIW, my thoughts to build out will be No1x4, Center, Kanta No1 for rear surrounds, and my heights will remain SVS elevations, in case that moves around anyone's recommendations.

Thanks for your input

 

[Eppie]

Hey everyone, I am a big Focal fan boy. I've had their Elear headphones, and currently have the Clear and Utopia. My long term goal is to replace my SVS with Sopra No1's as my room is 16x22x8.5, and I feel either of the larger Sopra's are overkill. I also have Dual SVS PB 16's so Bass is not a concern. Most of my use in the room is HT.

I'm curious as to what people think about the electronics to power these are needed. My thought was one of the newer Hypex or Purifi amps. Has anyone tried some of the newer class D's with these speakers? The speakers themselves are already more than I had ever considered spending on a speaker, even in the second hand market, so springing for an MC452 or the likes is absolutely out of the question. It's a tough call because I have nowhere to audition these near me.

Preface, I'm about to make people's eyes roll. I have listened to numerous videos comparing these to other speakers, and I prefer the sound of the Sopra's to anything else they had, so I'm not overly concerned with me liking the sound of the speakers. I know, I'm not listening to the speakers, I'm listing to my headphones. I haven't disliked a single Focal headphone I have listened to, and the Sopra's will be a large step up in what I currently have. It's really more of a concern if I'm going to end up dropping another 7k on proper electronics.

FWIW, my thoughts to build out will be No1x4, Center, Kanta No1 for rear surrounds, and my heights will remain SVS elevations, in case that moves around anyone's recommendations.

Thanks for your input

Did you read James' review of the Sopra N°1? A sensitivity of 88dB is ok and I would expect your Outlaw monoblocks to perform just fine with these. Those speakers are a big investment but I think your current electronics are up to the task. If you find you are lacking some headroom, then the Hypex and Purify amps are where I would start as they offer great value for the money, spec well and are compact and efficient.

Some discussion on Class D amps here.

 

[the machine]

Yes I did, my thought was jumping up to a 5 channel amp so all the Sopra's were powered by the same amps, since you can't find the 2200's any longer.

 

[Hubbard32]

Yes I did, my thought was jumping up to a 5 channel amp so all the Sopra's were powered by the same amps, since you can't find the 2200's any longer.

For what its worth, I currently drive my Sopra 2's with PS Audio M1200 mono blocks and my Sopra 1 rear surrounds with PS Audio M700 mono blocks. I also power my Sopra Center Channel with another M700 mono block. The results are awesome.

 

[Pogre]

Yes I did, my thought was jumping up to a 5 channel amp so all the Sopra's were powered by the same amps, since you can't find the 2200's any longer.

Unless you're running into distortion or lacking headroom you don't need to power all of your speakers with the same amp(s). It's almost certain that you won't notice any differences in sound quality or performance.

 

[ryanosaur]

Yes I did, my thought was jumping up to a 5 channel amp so all the Sopra's were powered by the same amps, since you can't find the 2200's any longer.

The 2220s measure very well, too... they are a little larger.
I would recommend looking at Hypex or Purifi. With Hypex modules, I know for certain you can get monoblocks very easily, and even multiple monoblock alignments in a single chassis.

 

[the machine]

For what its worth, I currently drive my Sopra 2's with PS Audio M1200 mono blocks and my Sopra 1 rear surrounds with PS Audio M700 mono blocks. I also power my Sopra Center Channel with another M700 mono block. The results are awesome.

Yeah, I have read all of your posts on here. And that is exactly the road I don't want, or will not, go down. I've read through threads on other websites regarding the Sopra's, like this one on pinkfish, and they're talking about Devialet, Vitus, and Hegel tier. Def spending nowhere near 10k+ on an amp, ever.

As a side note, I'm also a big dummy who for some reason thought the WPC recommended was 20-250W, not 20-150, so my outlaws should be fine for the front 3. I still wouldn't mind getting a different amp, and will likely do a Purifi option when the time comes. Was hoping someone else had tried it out first.

 

[shadyJ]

Yeah, I have read all of your posts on here. And that is exactly the road I don't want, or will not, go down. I've read through threads on other websites regarding the Sopra's, like this one on pinkfish, and they're talking about Devialet, Vitus, and Hegel tier. Def spending nowhere near 10k+ on an amp, ever.

As a side note, I'm also a big dummy who for some reason thought the WPC recommended was 20-250W, not 20-150, so my outlaws should be fine for the front 3. I still wouldn't mind getting a different amp, and will likely do a Purifi option when the time comes. Was hoping someone else had tried it out first.

My guess is that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the Outlaws and the Purifis. Yes, the Purifis are much better from a technical performance perspective, but I think the differences are very likely below the threshold of human hearing acuity. Maybe- MAYBE- if you had ultra-sensitive speakers, the incredibly low noise-floor of the Purifis would have an audible difference, but I doubt very much that would come into play with Sopras. If you could get your hands on one of these super-amps to do an AB comparison between them and the Outlaws, that might be revealing, but only if you could get someone to switch between amps without you knowing which one was playing.

 

[kaseaman]

I have really enjoyed reading through this thread and have to admit James review of the Sopra 1s and Center was one of the main reasons I ended up purchasing a Sopra 3 bases set of spekaers (that and the auditions I did with other brands of course). I was coming from a setup that consisted of Energy Veritas V6.3s in the front and just got tired (literally ear fatigued) of how harsh they sounded with certain material so decided to take the plunge and upgrade. Listened to a number of different options from the likes of Revel, Paradigm, RBH, Martin Logan, etc and just found that I enjoyed the looks and sound of the Focals over all others (yes looks mattered to me - as I think they should when you are shopping in this process range). I have had these for about 3 months now and am still tryinf to dial them into the room, but I can say that they are very true to any source material you feed them which just allows me to listen to a much wider range of music than I could in the past with the Energys! And BTW - I do have an ATI At543NC on order (for 8 weeks and counting - silly supply chain shortages).. I don't expect any difference in sound quality from what I currently have, I just wanted something with a longer warranty and was having noise floor issues with my current amp.

 

[the machine]

Hello Rich,
Thanks for taking the time to pen a detailed and thoughtful post, especially since you've felt the pain of the Sopra 1s in your experience....

Did you ever sell your Sopra's?