Focal Sopras and Naim at the Audiobarn this Saturday

Posted by: The Strat (Fender) on 21 October 2015

Guys,

There's a lot of stuff being talked about Naim amps and Focals speakers at the moment.  If you haven't had the opportunity to hear the Sopras with Naim amps you might if possible get down to the Audiobarn this Saturday.

It's a great venue and in my opinion the Sopras and Naim electronics are a fantastic pairing.  Jack has also said that it might be possible to spin some vinyl later in the day. 

I'm going to try to get there - anyone else intending to go?

Regards,

Lindsay
Posted on: 25 October 2015 by Polarbear
Originally Posted by nigelb:

Yes, my rather uncharitable comment was aimed at the big Focals which, up until the Audiobarn demo of the Sopra 2s, I have never enjoyed on the end of Naim systems. That's all changed now however with the advent of the Sopra 2.

 

 

The problem with Focal speakers is that people never really heard them at their best. HI-fi shows are full of examples where mismatched equipment is never heard at their best and they remain many people's reference when it comes to Forums.

 

I have been fortunate to hear Focals at their best and not unlike most other equipment you have to take the time and effort to get the best out of them.

 

Those owners who have bought them have obviously done this and this is why we get constant posts about how good they sound at home and how poor others hear them at shows. 

 

Its all the fun of hi-fi's and people's different opinions.

Posted on: 25 October 2015 by Polarbear
Originally Posted by GraemeH:
Originally Posted by Polarbear:

A big thank you to Jack an the Audiobarn for putting on a great event. A big thank you to Maurice for an excellent demonstration of all the products on show.

 The Naim gear was as great as ever but what surprised me was just how good the SuperNait is.  I really enjoyed the Sopra's on the end of the SuperNait, needless to say improvements were to be had by moving up the ladder and yes, the 300 DR was a real winner. 

 

Next audition, the 500 DR ...  

Nice to see the SN getting recognised amongst such esteemed company.

 

G

 

 

Praise where praise is due, I have always been a fan of the Supernait, I think it punches way above its weight and if I had to go to a one box amp solution it would be very high on my list 

Posted on: 25 October 2015 by DaveBk

I've never liked the sound of Focal speakers at any show, but had the pleasure of hearing Scotty's Scala V2 Utopias driven by his NDS 2x555PS, 552 DR, 500 system last week. A powerful and completely immersive musical experience! We spent a few hours exploring his music collection plus a few favourite tracks from my own that I had copied onto a memory stick.

 

This was the first time I had heard Focals properly set up in a domestic setting and it was like a completely different speaker to anything I have heard at shows. A pair of these will definitely be coming back to my place for an extended demo soon!

 

Dave.

Posted on: 25 October 2015 by nigelb
Originally Posted by Polarbear:
Originally Posted by nigelb:

Yes, my rather uncharitable comment was aimed at the big Focals which, up until the Audiobarn demo of the Sopra 2s, I have never enjoyed on the end of Naim systems. That's all changed now however with the advent of the Sopra 2.

 

 

The problem with Focal speakers is that people never really heard them at their best. HI-fi shows are full of examples where mismatched equipment is never heard at their best and they remain many people's reference when it comes to Forums.

 

I have been fortunate to hear Focals at their best and not unlike most other equipment you have to take the time and effort to get the best out of them.

 

Those owners who have bought them have obviously done this and this is why we get constant posts about how good they sound at home and how poor others hear them at shows. 

 

Its all the fun of hi-fi's and people's different opinions.

Good point and I'll admit the only time I have heard big Focals is at hifi shows which I know is not ideal. Having said this however dealer dems also often do not match up to the home environment either but it is clear that Audiobarn is no ordinary dealer. I have never really bothered to hear big Focals at their best because I can not afford them.

 

Having said all of this I suspect Focal have realised that some of their big speakers might not be the perfect match for Naim gear or possibly beyond the reach of many Naim owners and have developed the Sopras partly (possibly mostly) with modest (Classic?) Naim electronics in mind. Apparently the Sopra 2 was developed using the NAP300(DR?) which was evident from the Audiobarn demo. Smart move IMHO.

Posted on: 25 October 2015 by GraemeH
Originally Posted by Polarbear:
Originally Posted by GraemeH:
Originally Posted by Polarbear:

A big thank you to Jack an the Audiobarn for putting on a great event. A big thank you to Maurice for an excellent demonstration of all the products on show.

 The Naim gear was as great as ever but what surprised me was just how good the SuperNait is.  I really enjoyed the Sopra's on the end of the SuperNait, needless to say improvements were to be had by moving up the ladder and yes, the 300 DR was a real winner. 

 

Next audition, the 500 DR ...  

Nice to see the SN getting recognised amongst such esteemed company.

 

G

 

 

Praise where praise is due, I have always been a fan of the Supernait, I think it punches way above its weight and if I had to go to a one box amp solution it would be very high on my list 

As an early adopter I wholly agree. Waaaay above its weight.

 

G

Posted on: 27 October 2015 by The Audiobarn

 

Hi Everyone

 

Thank you for your very kind words!


It was great to meet you all and put a face to the very familiar forum names. I appreciate you all making the effort to come over and it is great to hear you enjoyed the day as much as I did.

 

Both of the Focal Sopra's have received fantastic praise as well as the 300 DR that went down very nicely indeed!

 

I would also like to thank Maurice for his efforts and the concise way he conducted the demonstrations along with some great demo material.

 

A few have requested the track listing so here it is below for you to look up and try at home....

 

Through TIDAL;

 

Breathe(In the Air)- The Cooltrane Quartet

Two Seconds-Laura Cantrell

Roxanne-The Police

Jazz Variants-O-Zone percussion Group

Little Wing –Aynsley Lister

Black Blizzard-John Grant

 

From Naim UnitiServe;

 

Eleanor Rigby(strings Only)-The Beatles(from Anthology2)

Livin Thing- The Beautiful South

A Year Late- Paul Weller

Songbird-Fleetwood Mac

 

Thanks again, look forward to seeing you all again soon!

 

Regards

Jack

 
 
Posted on: 27 October 2015 by Steve J

Was Dave there? 

 

Any pics of the day? Would have come but was on call this weekend.

Posted on: 27 October 2015 by Polarbear

Didn't see him!

Posted on: 27 October 2015 by gary yeowell
Dave was there, but was hiding..