2020 Stereo Floor-Standing Speakers To Consider For $7,500 To $15,000

I have a speaker hunt update. I am very close to pulling the trigger on a pair of black gloss Focal Sopra No 2 Speakers. I am looking to demo them this week, to compare and contrast to a few other last minute options. I know I need to do more demos vs just reading - limited time and options, ETC.

On paper, the Focal Sopra No 2 ticks a lot of boxes for me. The Sopra No 2 have special beryllium tweeters and I love those sparkling, detailed, upper end frequencies. The beryllium tweeter is known for its high-end detail retrieval while remaining pleasant to listen to for longer periods. Focal has big company R&D budgets, they have big company warranties, and they have excellent reviews. They look nice, the build quality is very nice, and they are sufficiently high-end with high-end detail retrieval.

For my midrange I do not prefer a warm signature that limits resolution. Nor do I want a cold analytical precision. I like my mid-range to be in the Goldilocks zone. Balanced, seamless and smooth - while still being energetic, vivid, and resolving. Then add just a tad of warmth. And I hope that is the kind of high-end mid-range that the Focal Sopra No 2 offers.

Just as I prefer, The Focal Sopra No 2 bass is described as fast, tight, and articulate. I do not pine for home theater bass slam, merely punchy will do. If I want more slam I could always deploy dual powered subwoofers. That Sopra No 2 and dual sub setup could outclass the Sopra No 3 and also remain flexible for smaller rooms.

I could try a tube preamplifier if I wanted to add a few degrees of warmth. Seemingly, the Focal Sopra series is more of a blank canvas in this respect. Something I could swing somewhat in one way or the other with DAC and amplification choices. So I would rather have a decidedly warmer amp versus a decidedly warmer speaker. Is that backwards? I do not know. What I do know is that for me these speakers are just too expensive to switch in or out. I am far more likely to try new DACs, preamplifiers, or power amplifiers to find an ideal match. Considering the relative costs, those audio components are far more easy to upgrade over time.

As a company, Focal had the audio chops devastate any claims to the flagship headphone world wide belt. Take the Focal Utopia open-back headphones for example. The Focal Utopia is basically Rocky now. It is several movies in and the Utopia is still going strong. If you ever beat him, defy the odds, he will just come back in the sequel and kick your ass. That BumBumBumBumBaNaNa music will swell as the inevitable Utopia 2 enters the ring for a rematch. And The Focal Stellia is like Apollo Creed. He is the current closed-back headphone champion, almost as good a fighter, but not quite (only due to closed-back limitations). I would not mind a matching set of Focal logos between my Focal Sopra No 2 speakers and my Focal Utopia and or Stellia headphones. All with matching beryllium driver covers. It is tempting to just buy all the high end headphone gear instead of a set of speakers.

And I have enjoyed reading about the other speaker options presented on this forum thread. For the recommendations of brands newer to me I would definitely need a few demos to get excited about them. If needed, I will find more stores and more demos. However, as long as my Focal Sopra No 2 demo meets expectations I am going to Focal Town.

And take everything I post with a big audio grain of salt. I am too green on speakers and I may never graduate out of internet D-List audio expert school. I am likely to find the one or two speaker amplifier combos that works for me and stop searching. Plus, I do not know if I know what I am talking about. You know?
 
Thank you for that sentiment. That post took forever to properly craft. I feel sorry for anyone that read it before the edits.
 
I like that focal for each line of speakers states what size room each model it the range is intended for, vs pretending their flagship will play best in any room.
 
From my research and inquires I have found that the Focal Sopra No 3 is noted to be a step better than the Focal Sopra No 2. A step better that is well worth the added cost. I also have found that the Sopra No 3 is noted to be a much bigger speaker with more room filling sound pressure. As a result, more listening space will be needed for it. The Sopra No 2 was already a stretch for me when considering cost, I could additionally save for the Sopra No 3, though given my current loft spaces and or expected future residences that is perhaps unnecessary. And I always have the dual subwoofer option.
 
I did some ballpark math against the Focal Sopra series recommended room sizes. And I considered a comfortable want to need guesstimate. I did this by taking the max square footage recommendation, backing off a tad, and playing with a square footage calculator. There is no way to account for ceiling height, but I doubt that is a determining factor.

By my rough, humble estimations you would need a luxurious man cave of about 20-feet by 30-feet to make the Sopra No 3 reasonably worth the extra cost. For most room sizes the Focal Sopra No 2 is arguably plenty of speaker. At least according the available online information and and various advice that we know of. Given this info I would rather have dual powered subwoofers which can be turned off if need be. And the Focal Sopra No 2 can easily handle just about any room size I can afford rent or mortgage in. That is everything from a normal bedroom to a large living room.

The suggestion is that for normal sized rooms if you want better sound than the Sopra No 2 offers you should purchase a better speaker line. But not necessarily a bigger, more room filling one such as the Sopra No 3.
 
Exactly, the sopra 2 is probably plenty for most listening rooms. There was a near new pair of sopra 3’s black on usam for $10k, owner upgraded to the utopias or something and I nearly bought those just because the price was so appealing. A guy from Texas bought them and shortly after listed them on AG saying they were to big for his room.
 
neodinardo, i think thats a nice choice. focal makes well balanced allround speaker, nothing shrill with it. didnt like the ones i had with films, thats all. then again it was a previous series.
 
steve59 said:
Exactly, the sopra 2 is probably plenty for most listening rooms. There was a near new pair of sopra 3’s black on usam for $10k, owner upgraded to the utopias or something and I nearly bought those just because the price was so appealing. A guy from Texas bought them and shortly after listed them on AG saying they were to big for his room.
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That is too funny. But what a great price. I would jump on $10K for just nearly new black gloss Sopra No 2 speakers nowadays.

u-sound said:
neodinardo, i think thats a nice choice. focal makes well balanced allround speaker, nothing shrill with it. didnt like the ones i had with films, thats all. then again it was a previous series.
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I can not see me purchasing below the Focal Sopra series. I am just not sure that Focal’s flax driver tech featured in the step down Kanta No 2 has the sound qualities I am after.

Focal does not use flax drivers because they are better. They use them because the are far easier and cheaper to make. Although, the marketing team calls it a less expensive alternative with a more organic and somewhat faster sound. I am sure flax is a decent driver material. But what Focal fails to mention is that the more sophisticated driver material used in the Sopra and Utopia series is far more satisfying with better bass impact. It is not like Focal is suddenly upgrading the Sopra or Utopia speakers with flax drivers. So flax is decidedly not a Focal flagship driver material.

The Focal Sopra No 2 sound signature might be a tad too balanced to be considered as exciting for movies as say the slightly tipped up B&W 803 D3. However, those same qualities in the Focals should make the sound less fatiguing and analytical for music. A real musician would choose Focal over B&W as they remain more faithful to the music. I should reiterate that up until now this is all just me theorizing. I will have to listen to both back to back to see what I truly prefer myself. My gut says I will prefer the Focal Sopra No 2 in the long run, especially for longer listening sessions.

Still, if the B&W 803 D3 blows away the Sopra No 2 for me in a demo I will follow my heart. I am doing a limited round of speaker demos to ensure I make a good choice of purchase. I do not feel like doing a ton of speaker demos but I will a bit of due diligence. Most of my local dealers are pairing these two speaker brands with McIntosh gear so I will have a decent common amplifier baseline. And the Sopra demos are selling out left and right in these stores.

And I’m almost positive that the Sopra No 2s with a dual subwoofer setup would do wonders for any movie. In any case, I tend to prioritize 2-channel stereo over any surround sound setup. That way I can buy better audio equipment with far fewer audio channels to worry about. Right now I am using the built in TV speakers, anything is an vast improvement over that.
 
I would buy the persona 7f used or on sale matched with the pathos 50 wpc integrated. the pathos is $5k and TMR had a pair of 7f's for $12k, but the sopra's appear to be a bit less fussy to get their best out of.
 
steve59 said:
I would buy the persona 7f used or on sale matched with the pathos 50 wpc integrated. the pathos is $5k and TMR had a pair of 7f's for $12k, but the sopra's appear to be a bit less fussy to get their best out of.
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What are the best websites to buy used audio gear anyway?
 
I am probably a day late and a dollar short on replying to this but,

I have spent quite lot of time recently listening to Fyne audio Speakers.

The 704's would be an outstanding choice.

Have heard KEF"s and Tanoys.

The Fyne's are the most memorable speakers I have heard in quite some time.

Enjoy
 
steve59 said:
VA Listz
paradigm persona
Kii3
Dutch&dutch
Focal sopra
usher be10
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Heard Sopra 3 and Kii3 at my place, lived with Usher DMD mini diamond 2 for few years and settled with Vienna Acoustics Imperial Liszt. Phenomenal speaker for the price tag
 
For now I had to put the flagship speakers to the back burner as I just got a Chord TT2 and Focal Stellia headphones. They are on the way and I’m super excited. Next I’m shopping around for a power amp + some hold me over bookshelves. Then I’ll get the endgame speakers.
 
I’ve heard some pretty awesome Legacy setups. It’s all in the room, setup, electronics, etc..

I’ll take a decent pair of inexpensive speakers with a great amp any day. IMO.
 
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