for me, these speakers are my audio nirvana

This is my review of the incredible Focal Sopra No 2 floor standing loudspeakers in gloss Carrera white and henceforth known as the stormtroopers in this household.  A review, in critical terms, seems to me to be hardly necessary, for me, these speakers, paired with the Naim NAP 250 DR, are my audio nirvana.

In June last year I was invited to the launch of the Focal Sopra No 3 floor standing loudspeakers at KJ West One in Marylebone.  They are huge and imposing, totally impractical for everyday homes, but nonetheless astounding in their presentation.  Driven by the flagship Naim Statement pre and power amplifier this launch was an insight into a near £300,000 system.  But how can anyone get to this extraordinary performance?  Well, with the Focal Sopra No 2, a Naim NAP 250 DR and the Naim NAC-N 272 and a bunch of Atlas Mavros cables and interconnects, we are getting to a system that is a fraction of that cost of the Sopra No 3/Statement set-up.  This set-up is no less impressive and it is in my front room.

When I had the opportunity to review the Naim NAP 250 DR, ahead of my own 250, it was quite clear that my KEF R700s, as lovely as they are, were struggling with the power and precision of the DR upgrade.  I was offered the opportunity of trying the Focal Sopra No 2 by Naim (Naim and Focal have the same owners now) and it was just too hard to say no!

One of the ‘problems’ I have had these last few weeks is actually sitting down to review these Focal Sopra No 2 stormtroopers.  The actual problem is by the time I have sat down and played around with them, I have burned another two hours of time simply playing any and all forgotten or new music.  This probably says it all when it comes to listening to these speakers because it is so pleasurable and effortless.  It also puts a lie to claims by some of ‘ears bleeding’ after prolonged Naim listening.  In the end, I decided that the only way of completing this review was to listen as critically as possible, whilst going on and on about the music I was listening to as well.  Tough job.

Design and build

Set-up

The speakers turned up a week or so before Christmas.  The packaging was substantial and huge, outdone only by the Avalon Transcendent’s packaging, which resembled the Arc of the Covenant being delivered, in a wooden framed box!  The Focal Sopra No 2 weigh in at 55kg each, they are an imposing 1.2 meters tall and over 50 cm deep.  On set-up, my Naim dude put them in their optimum position, which ended up being a quarter the way across my 4.5-meter deep room (though the room width is larger and wider) and, slightly worryingly, in front of the fireplace to the sides, not good in winter.   I could have done with another meter or so of depth I suspect but this was fine.  Practically, in the end, I have ended up sliding the speakers back on their fitted plinth back behind the fireplace hearth for everyday use and shifting them forward to their ‘mark’, screwing down the fitted spikes to contact the wooden floor on critical assessment.

Design

Focal’s learning from its flagship Utopia product range is trickling down and the Sopra No 2 benefits from this innovation

As with much technology, innovation tends to trickle down to the man on the high street from the highest level, the Sopra No 2 is no exception.  Like Formula 1, Focal’s learning from its flagship Utopia product range is trickling down and the Sopra No 2 benefits from this.  For example, the tweeter is made of Beryllium, it is light and is low density, stiff and has excellent damping qualities, this presents a very clear and precise sound.  The housing for the tweeter is a horn shape, emanating from behind the driver which ensures air pressure is removed from the tweeter area more efficiently, allowing the tweeter cone to recover better; this horn shape gives the signature look for the Sopra range.

The midrange driver/cone setup also benefits from trickled down technology from the Utopia range (the Diabolo).  It uses computer simulation technology that has enhanced the mid range output.  With reduced resonance due to a lighter surround the and a reduction in mass the ‘TMD’ midrange unit delivers enhanced frequency response, improving the clarity of the soundstage.

Overall the look of the Sopra range produces an angled top on the speakers which means, much to my liking, there can be no candles on top of the speakers!  A very positive point indeed.

Quality & detail

The speakers ooze quality and have lots of very nice detailing, engravings on the front and back and an understated logo on the front, the squiggle.

My review speakers are in Carrera gloss white so they are not exactly subtle in our classic ‘Farrow and Ball’, very ‘English’ front room, hence the Star Wars ‘stormtrooper’ label.  The range comes in an even less subtle Electric Orange as well as black and the like.  I have not got the grills, which I gather are magnetic and they may have eased the aesthetic impact.   I’m really appreciating the small details, especially the engravings front and back of the tweeter horn.

Review System

As I have already intimated, my review system is a fairly mid/high-end presentation (it is all relative), comprising a Naim NAP 250 DR power amplifier and the Naim NAC-N 272 preamplifier, streaming client (networked).  I have Atlas Mavros cables and interconnects and two Atlas Eos power cables to the NAP and the NAC.  My sources are mainly from the Naim Uniti Server (the old one as it is now) with a hard wired interconnect and from a Michell TecnocDec with a GyroDec platter upgrade and the power supply upgrade.  I’m using a Rega Phono stage and a Rega Exact cartridge on the Technodec.  I’m also a big fan of Tidal’s service and this is the main source of my musical distraction (and I now have a 48 song Ryan Adams Top 10 playlist!).  I also use a USB stick of 24-bit selections for my own reference.

Focal Sopra No 2 Performance

I hardly know where to start, I think I will just need to focus on what I can hear rather than going about how everything sounds amazing.  The first thing to say is that they sound great from 5-50 on the digital volume scale on the NAC (out of 100).  Beyond 50 is too much for me but the sound output is so tight up to very high volume, from Justin Timberlake (Pop) to Skrillex (EDM) to Beethoven this is an incredible, unmessy set-up.  At low volume, which I use frequently for background, reading purposes, etc. there is a bass line control that is clear, peaceful and noticeable, which obviously defeats the object of low-level volume.

Listening to the soundstage, specifically, this is the strongest image I have experienced in my time since my Avalon Transcendent experience (twice the price, driven by the T+A HV series).  Just to draw some comparison, the opening of the audio demo classic ‘Strong’ by London Grammar is simply epic and sternum grabbing.  The depth is clear and the soundstage wide.  It is wonderful.  When my Naim dude left on the setup day, I just played Radiohead’s ‘Pyramid Song’ at least five times back to back, such was my love for the song and this soundstage. Overall, there is a clarity and width to all of the music that I have not heard for a while, it is incremental but definitely there.

In respect of dynamic range and channelling, listening to Pink Floyd’s Money reveals perfect channel separation.  I have discovered Aphex Twin these last few weeks owing to the forgiveness of the Sopra No 2s and if you want to stress your system I can think of no better music to listen to.  Dynamically varied these speakers, of course in concert with the amplifier, are very happy delivering their most complex music, with their fast delivery and recovery characteristics.

Rhythm and timing wise, I always struggle to describe rhythm and timing between systems.  However, if this is about delivering a clear and precise note, beat on beat, these speakers are always ready for the next beat or phrase due surely to their precision.  So, as it seems to me, Cee Lo Green’s ‘Bright Lights, Bigger City’ bounds on effortlessly with no lag in pace, or interference from the previous note.  It is unfussy and clear, this is very impressive and is likely a function of the precise performance from the Beryllium tweeter, the horn-shaped housing, and the delightful midrange enhancement from Focal.  Knife Party’s ‘Bonfire’ is another example of the perfect rhythm and timing demonstrated by these speakers, particularly ‘at volume’.  Awesome; indeed, I would suggest that these speakers are excellent for EDM and thumping Pop music (not necessarily an endorsement Focal would like but compared to some others this is no mean feat).

Listening to the tone of these speakers, in combination with the 250 DR, there is stunning precision to most instruments.  The bass control in Damian Rice’ ‘Blowers Daughter’ is the best I’ve heard, this such a complex piece of music and it is sometimes hard for the bass to be controlled well, here it is ‘studio’ perfect.  So too with Massive Attack’s ‘Unfinished Symphony’.  The piano on Coldplay’s ‘Everything’s not Lost’ too is perfect, and I have countless notes of other tracks where the snare drum and violins and the like are pitch perfect (to my ears).

And finally, of course, there is the resolution.   It is time for the men against boys phrase.  There is such precision here it hard to describe, but it is near perfect.  Many more regular readers will know how much I listen to Ryan Adams’ ‘Carnegie Hall’ recordings and they have honestly never sounded better or clearer, or crisper than this, the detail of the foot on the pedal in ‘Sylvia Plath’, the cough in the audience at the back left of the soundstage presentation is simply the best there can be.  With the vinyl copy and the lights off,  there is a feeling of being in the moment with the audience.  Other notable recordings I have played to hear the detail in the music include Tracey Chapman’s ‘Behind the Wall’ (stunning vocal only), and James Bay’s ‘Scars’ with his precision strings, wonderful.

I am bound to say the Naim power amplifier is surely the perfect partner for these speakers.  I had a brief insight into higher end performance with a Denson power amplifier (I can’t recall the model, maybe the B-310) in a similar set-up a few years back.  This was the point when I realised that pre and power amplifiers were the way for me to radically improve my system, particularly at the lower end of the range.

Conclusion

Obviously, I have Naim goggles on and I just want these speakers forever, in white, orange or just about any colour going spare.  It is hard for me to think how much better this setup could be, I guess a Naim XPS managing the power to the NAC will add further but this really is heaven for me.  I’ve had the T+A Criterion TCD 110s and 210s speakers and they were stunning driven by the T+A HV series.  The HV electronics are simply top drawer.  I have also experienced the Avalon Transcendent speakers with the same HV electronics and they too were stunning, probably the best I have experienced domestically.  But the Sopra No 2s seem to be so accessible in size (relative to the Sopra No 3s, TCDs) and price (relatively) and I just feel the combination with the 250 DR is seamless and comfortable.  I am bound to mention my recent experience with the Moon electronics which were softer and easier to the ear and a tie up with these speakers would be interesting indeed on the same playing field.  This experience has left me wondering if I have reached the end of a journey to find my audio nirvana, with Ryan Adams ‘Live at Carnegie Hall’, I think I probably have.

My main takeaway from this experience will be the effortless delivery and clarity from this system.  It is going to be quite interesting to see how I get on with the KEFs after the Sopra No 2s go, tomorrow.

The Focal Sopra #2 Speaker Review

By Steve Huff

As I sit here in my sweet spot listening to yet another new pair of speakers, I am floored at what I am hearing from them. Yes, these are the new Sopra #2 speakers from FOCAL. These retail, new, for around $13,999 USA which is a ton of cash, but not up there with previous speakers I have reviewed. Speakers like the Sonus Faber Guarneri Evolution ($22k) or Amati Futura ($36k) are much more expensive but these Focal Sopra 2’s are impressing me even more than those speakers did in the same room and environment. Really, and not in a subtle way. NEVER in life have I heard speakers anywhere near this price range with such life, holographic sound and a transparency that is downright eery and spooky while reataining “weight” to the music.

WHY were these not available 2 years ago? Could have saved me some big money (as I would not have bought and sold so much)!

How could a $13k speaker sound bigger, clearer, and have the most amazing treble performance I have ever heard from ANY speaker let alone when compared to a $22k and $36k speaker? Easy. Focal must have decided to really show what they can do, and do it for much less than competitors. After a while with these Sopra #2’s I can say that Focal underpriced these by about $17k. Yep, I would put these in a class of $30,000-$36,000 loudspeakers. They are beautiful, well made at over 100lbs each speaker and semi compact, meaning, they are not so huge that they do not fit in my very small listening space. The sound? MAGIC and AMAZING no matter what I play through them. I mean, NO MATTER what. These handle all kinds of music with ease, and they are an easy load at 91db and 8 ohm. Even low volume listening is rich, full and so nice. Never heard low volume listening so so pleasing and magical. Ever. 

These are STRIKING in Orange but I went with black for my room

When I had the Sonus Faber Amati Futura in here it took a while before I was convinced of them, and then ultimately realized that they were just too much for my small room. With some songs, the bass could be bloated and the overall sound signature, in my small room, with the Amati Futrura was WARM, THICK and ROMANTIC, almost too much and I noticed it more and more after I lived with them for a while. With the Guarneri, it was Magic and I have regretted letting those speakers go as I never had such a beautiful sound in my room.

Well, until now that is. The Sopra 2 is special in many ways. 

It’s as if this was all a learning experience to get to these Sopra #2’s. They beat out the Sonus Faber’s I have had, the Wilson Benesche Vectors I owned are not even close and the other speakers I messed with in this room, while good, are not even near the level of the Sopra 2. These obliterate my Dynaudio C1 Platinum that I had here before these. In comparison, the C1’s sounded dull, lifeless and “good” but not “magical”. The Sopras make the C1’s sound average, and that is not easy to do as the C1’s are truly magnificent speakers! Without a comparison to the Sopra, the Dynaudios are one of the best..but when side by side..its a pretty huge difference and the Sopras win handily no matter what we are talking about..treble, midrange or bass.

My electronics consist of a McIntosh MA8000 (BEAUTIFUL), McIntosh D150 DAC, MCT 450 Transport and the MT-5 Turntable. I have to say that this combo of gear with these speakers is PERFECT. The sound is indescribable as it is on another level from anything I have had here. All new heights in my room, and what a height it is.

YES! The new Sopra line from French speaker maker Focal is here and when I saw them online it was love at 1st sight. I loved the design and even the “Electric Orange” color but knew for me, my room and my tastes that black would be the ticket.

I had some Dynaudio C1 Platinum here for 2 months or so and just could not get to love them (as I explained above). They sounded “good” but not “magical” and for the $8000 price tag, they should have some magic. I guess I could say they are “sterile” but never “bright”. I would say more rolled off than anything. Since I bought these Dynaudio’s from my dealer, he allowed me to trade them up while giving me what I paid for them in full, towards the new Sopra #2 in black. Just so happened he had a new demo pair he was burning in with only 75 hours on them, so I told him “Ill take them”, especially after I was told of the 3-6 month wait for a new pair.

Without even hearing them, I drove an hour to do the swap and when I arrived they were all packaged up and ready to roll. The boxes are HUGE for each speaker but we managed to just fit them fit in my small SUV (Kia Soul) so away I went. I was starting to get nervous as I thought “what if they sound bad, or I do not like the sound signature”?? I knew Focal had a rep for being on the bright side of neutral..so I was sweating it a little. I hate bright analytical sounding speakers! So I was hoping and praying I made the right move.

In any case, when I arrived home I had a friend help me unload and set them up.

1st things 1st… they LOOKED AMAZING in my room. Best looking set yet as they just “fit” in my space size and looks wise. Perfecto!

After hooking them up to my McIntosh MA8000 300WPC beast integrated, away I went to start playing familiar songs that I thought sounded fantastic on my previous speakers.

I was not prepared for the sound..but it was just “THERE”… So intimate, so delicate, so real..in fact, I never heard anything like it, ever.

The vocals were flat out magical and so “in my room” it was a little goosebump inducing and in the dark, a tad creepy as it sounds like the artist is RIGHT THERE..you hear every nuance in the voice, but at the same time, the speakers are NEVER EVER BRIGHT, HARSH or FLAT.

The midrange that I thought was so amazing on my Sonus Fabers? Forget it, these beat out the Sonus in the treble and mids AND even Bass.

The bass was there but was tight and NEVER EVER booming. Something most ported speakers have problems with in my small room. The bass is there in full force but never ever gets in the way of the treble or midrange. It’s like each driver works  together so well, it makes the speakers sound as if they are one. Never have I had any speaker with better bass performance in this room either, so these were starting off blowing my mind right out of the box.

The dealer guessed that they put around 75 hours on them, and they explained to me it could be 300 hours to run these in fully (and yes, burn in is real, I experience it with components all the time and even tested the theory with success) but  I LOVE the way they sound now I hope they do not change further. At this time, there is around 150 hours on them as I put on 75 since purchase.

I remember hearing some $50,000 Magicos a while ago and I thought “much too analytical” and “too bright and mids are not so good..sterile”. Did not sound like music, it sounded like someone was dissecting the music, which in turn made it cool to listen to for a minute but not engaging at all. I found that I am not a magico sound type of guy.

I was nervous about buying a pair of Focal’s as I remembered that their signature has always been more about clarity, treble and more “hifi”. I heard a pair of them maybe 12 years ago and hated them (not sure what model) as they sounded thin, bright and all about detail.  The Sopras change this for Focal as the signature now sounds rich, clean, transparent as you can get but still with massive (but not overdone at all) body to the music. NO matter what music I put through these speakers it sounded so so good, with full body and clarity and a nice soundstage width and imaging was also up there with some of the best if not these best.

These easily beat the Sonus Faber Amati that I owned, in this room, and they also edge out my all time fave, the Guarneri Evolution. The Guarneri, for me and my room, was about as good as it ever got as it had a fullness and magical midrange to die for. It filled my room as if it were a large floorstander and they disappeared with ease but at times, with some music they went dull and had too much warmth, and other times the bass lacked a bit for certain songs…but usually, 95% of the time, they were pure magic.

With the Sopra #2, I am hearing TONS more transparency, more dynamics, a harder hitting but cleaner/tighter bass and no hint of mushiness, slowness or muffled sounds. It’s punchy and dynamic but never ever offensive. Its clean and clear without any distortion, even when pushed hard to ear-splitting levels. There is a realism here that I have never heard in a speaker of this price point and with that realism comes MUSIC..yes, these play music that is so beautiful to the ear. Usually when you have realism you do not get much musicality…Focal achieved it here and its wonderful..and the soundstage is perfect – large and wide and deep but not over exaggerated in the slightest.

While close (and both have a gorgeous sound) the Sopra #2 edged out the Guarneri for me, and they come in at $9,000 LESS than the Guarneri while offering more/better bass, midrange and treble and offer more realism. They look just as nicely made as well.

The Sopra speakers are so so so transparent, probably the most see through sound I have ever witnessed in my home. They have a way with vocals that put the artist right in front of you with an eerily spooky realism that almost tricks your brain into thinking the artist is there with you. Piano on the Sopra is as good as I have heard it in my room and beats the Sonus Faber’s handily here. Acoustic music, Sopra wins every time. Music like techno or dubstep is SLIGHTLY better served on the Guarneri’s as they have more mid-bass weight to the mids but it also sounds fantastic on the Sopra, in fact, its amazing.

Ambient music on the Sopras will take you to another world at Times. Try listening to “The Dream of the Unicorns” by Narsilion from the “Arcadia” album. Never has my room been transformed into another world like this. As I close my eyes, dim the light and sink into my chair I feel as if I am ridding a unicorn through some mystical world as I listen to the vocals floating in the air around me. It’s one of the most amazing experiences I have had in my HiFi life, and right here in my own room and chair.

The more I dig in to these speakers the more I realize that these are so much better than any speaker I have ever owned, even the Guarneri Evolution. They do things the Guarneri could never ever do, and while the G’s are gorgeous and just as amazing as the Sopra #2 in their own way, the Sopra has way more going for it that betters the G’s that these are probably the best speaker buy of the year, or decade,  for audiophiles.

Let me explain..

Build quality and looks

The Sonus Faber line is the king of good looks but I love the industrial design of the Sopras even more as they are unique and look so authoritative in my space. Build quality is fantastic and while not at the Amati or Guarneri levels with materials used, they look just as well made and at over 100lbs each, they are made to last a lifetime. No issues, build is superb.

Treble

The treble with the Sopras is the best I have heard in my life. Clear and extended but NEVER EVER harsh, never. Not even slightly. Not sure how they pulled it off but its perfect and is responsible for the amazing clarity and transparent sound. Focal really made the tweeter for these special. I mean, with my McIntosh MA8000 and D150 DAC it is astounding.

Midrange

Whatever Focal did here with the Midrange driver is special. It works in tandem with the tweeter to offer the most cleanest midrange I have ever heard, yet again, never analytical or hard sounding at all. This is not an easy feat, and Focal did it with this midrange driver. I mean, the transparency is like nothing Ive heard yet there is weight to the music and voices. Like some kind of all new technology at play or something…things I never thought were possible (as I never experienced it).

Bass

Tight, controlled, massive yet NEVER EVER boomy, even in my small room. When bass is called upon, these will deliver and while it may shake your room a bit with some music and high volume, it is never boomy or loose. Again, never in my small room have I experienced this kind of bass control or performance. It has a fullness to the sound that never sounds warm or obscuring the music. A perfect balance.

Soundstage

When I 1st put these in my room, I was not impressed with the soundstage or imaging. I was not getting it and was really lacking compared to my Sonus Faber’s of the past. After spending about 2 hours measuring and positioning them correctly – BAM – they snapped right into place and there it was. A nice wide and deep soundstage that fills my room with amazing music.

Imaging

Top notch. Again, once these were in place the imaging locked in and was mighty impressive. Up there with the best I have heard. Every instrument, breath or nuance can be heard in its rightful place on the “stage”. With a clarity and openness like I have never ever heard.

In fact, after a few days I concluded that Focal should have priced these between $30-$35,000 instead of $13,000. They are THAT good. I have heard other Focal speakers..the Aria line, the Diablo Utopia, the older Utopia line..and while some were impressive (larger Arias and Diablo) I never was “wow, I must have that speaker”. It seems Focal made some changes to their signature sound with the Sopra series, for  the better. The sound is just so so right and coherent. I can not stress enough that ALL music you play through them sounds amazing. Even songs you thought were thin, harsh, badly recorded, etc…through the Sopra #2, nothing is ever thin and harsh, yet there is never any bloat or overly warm goo that plagued the Amati Futura in my room at times.

POWER

Not sure what it is, but these speakers in my space give me a feeling of “it can not ever get better than this in this room” and maybe part of this is the amazing synergy between my McIntosh MA8000 Integrated and D150 Dac with the speakers. This combo is superb together. Trust me.

Final Thoughts

These are simply amazing, and I would make these my “speaker of the year” in a nano second. I think Focal will be having a hard time filling these orders because all reviews so far on these are glowing..and for good reason.

If you can demo these, run to do so. Make sure they are set up right and have good electronics behind them (NO AV Receivers please, they will sound thin and bright if you do this) with some current. For those wondering, I use Nordost cabling from power cords to interconnects to speaker cable and right now have Heimdall II in place.