Why no love for Sopra 1?

Thanks WENGER,the more positive feedback I get,the better.So I take it you have heard the Sopra 1s then?I have always been a fan of bookshelf/standmount Speakers myself,I find they image better,or “disappear” and the music seems like it floats in the air.My XD 600s (floorstanders) were better suited for home theatre in my old house,but in my current apartment,not necessary.

For me it’s the other way round, I’ve always preferred large floorstanders,  speakers with a physical presence.

That said, I have always been fortunate to have a good size listening room.

The focal 1 , is an exceptional speaker, just needs good set up and of course a good room, and that’s often the issue.... 

I have recently purchased some GIK room acoustic panels, the benefits are staggering.... I have my own listening room so no problem using panels but if it was the front room that would potentially be a problem with SWMBO.

Please keep us updated 

I own So 2 with 272 and 250-2. So 1 would have been JUST fine in my home. They have all the definition and engagement of the 2's, but the LFE is understandably limited. The bass is still so tasty that you may think there's a subwoofer somewhere  

Will do,less than 24 hrs to go...

mcjt posted:

I own So 2 with 272 and 250-2. So 1 would have been JUST fine in my home. They have all the definition and engagement of the 2's, but the LFE is understandably limited. The bass is still so tasty that you may think there's a subwoofer somewhere  

 

Nice to hear,thanks...right now I am listening to  Agnes Obel with my Dyn special 40s,I must say,this is going to be hard to beat,we will see.

No quarter posted:

Mr Underhill

Isoacoustics ..... I am not sure I would bother when just demoing them...maybe if I decide to keep them..

For my JL subs,if I decided to use those,I would connect them to the line out,or pre out on my 272.

Are the stands on your  Focals similar to the Sopra stands,with a glass base...

Hi NQ,

You know what the IsoAcoustics do, so i would encourage you to put them on, cleans up the sound stage very nicely.

My subwoofer guru is also a Naim dealer par excellence and he recommends connecting a sub via the main speakers, certainly I have found it more effective. If you have the time I would encourage you to give this a go too.

Mine were the Focal Electra stands, I changed to my old Partingtons partly as they are a couple of kilograms lighter and so bought the total weight of speaker & stand a couple of kilos inside the IsoAcoustics max operating weight.

I would love to come and have a listen with you but I just went and checked my Tardis, damn thing ALWAYS plays up in cold weather ....oh well.

ATB,

M

I guess I might as well put the GAIAs on,since he is taking the speakers off the stands so I can fit them in my car.

there are a few isoacoustic models: 

Now that is just sneaky!

No Quarter, the Kudos 505's will not be on the market in the UK before July and the price likely to be around £6750. I asked the Kudos guy at Bristol on Saturday.

AndrewG posted:

No Quarter, the Kudos 505's will not be on the market in the UK before July and the price likely to be around £6750. I asked the Kudos guy at Bristol on Saturday.

 

Yeah...that is out of my price range,so it will be Sopra 1s,or stick with my Dyn special 40s,thanks for the info.

MR UNDERHILL

My GAIA 111s are only rated for up to 70 pounds weight,I just read that the Sopra 1s with stands are 80 pounds.What do you think?

mcjt posted:

there are a few isoacoustic models: 

 

Yes but how stable is it? I am thinking of athletic leaping cats and the clumsy both young and old amongst us.

KIWI CAT

If those risers/stands are made like the GAIA 111s I have,they have kind of a suction cup rubber material that sits on the floor.It actually is extremely stable with the GAIAs under my XDs,more-so than just using spikes into cups/chips.

No quarter posted:

AndrewG posted:

No Quarter, the Kudos 505's will not be on the market in the UK before July and the price likely to be around £6750. I asked the Kudos guy at Bristol on Saturday.

 

Yeah...that is out of my price range,so it will be Sopra 1s,or stick with my Dyn special 40s,thanks for the info.

MR UNDERHILL

My GAIA 111s are only rated for up to 70 pounds weight,I just read that the Sopra 1s with stands are 80 pounds.What do you think?

You need Gaia 2 with custom thread for the stand.

caftan posted:

No quarter posted:

AndrewG posted:

No Quarter, the Kudos 505's will not be on the market in the UK before July and the price likely to be around £6750. I asked the Kudos guy at Bristol on Saturday.

 

Yeah...that is out of my price range,so it will be Sopra 1s,or stick with my Dyn special 40s,thanks for the info.

MR UNDERHILL

My GAIA 111s are only rated for up to 70 pounds weight,I just read that the Sopra 1s with stands are 80 pounds.What do you think?

You need Gaia 2 with custom thread for the stand.

Do you know the threadsize in the Sopra 1 stand? My Gaia 111s come with quarter -20,and m6 ,m8 metric sizes.I work in a machine shop,so if I had to,I could make or modify almost anything.

No quarter posted:

I work in a machine shop,so if I had to,I could make or modify almost anything.

Kudos!

In my case as the bespoke Foal stands took me right to the edge of the weight limit I changed to the Partington Dreadnoughts I already had, in combination with the Atacama Gels and IsoAcoustics Gaia IIIs they sound better.

M

Kiwi cat posted:

Yes but how stable is it? I am thinking of athletic leaping cats and the clumsy both young and old amongst us.

I resemble that concern!

Currently our cat is somewhat aged, but I do see her eyeing the speakers occasionally - when the inevitable dies and we get a kitten I think I will need to do some avoidance therapy!

M

Only a matter of hours now until I pick up the Sopras,and also get to hear the Dyn C20s.I will try to post some initial thoughts later today.

No quarter posted:

caftan posted:

No quarter posted:

AndrewG posted:

No Quarter, the Kudos 505's will not be on the market in the UK before July and the price likely to be around £6750. I asked the Kudos guy at Bristol on Saturday.

 

Yeah...that is out of my price range,so it will be Sopra 1s,or stick with my Dyn special 40s,thanks for the info.

MR UNDERHILL

My GAIA 111s are only rated for up to 70 pounds weight,I just read that the Sopra 1s with stands are 80 pounds.What do you think?

You need Gaia 2 with custom thread for the stand.

Do you know the threadsize in the Sopra 1 stand? My Gaia 111s come with quarter -20,and m6 ,m8 metric sizes.I work in a machine shop,so if I had to,I could make or modify almost anything.

I am not too sure got it from my dealer and the packaging wrote Gaia II M12 x 1.25 (8pcs). Hope that helps. Cheers!

No quarter posted:

Only a matter of hours now until I pick up the Sopras,and also get to hear the Dyn C20s.I will try to post some initial thoughts later today.

Look forward to it....

wenger2015 posted:

No quarter posted:

Only a matter of hours now until I pick up the Sopras,and also get to hear the Dyn C20s.I will try to post some initial thoughts later today.

Look forward to it....

+1

Kiwi cat posted:

Yes but how stable is it? I am thinking of athletic leaping cats and the clumsy both young and old amongst us.

It's very stable and the speaker is quite heavy. it'd be hard for a cat to knock over. 

As long as you limit the entry of Morris dancers to your listening room, the speakers shouldn't fall. 

mcjt posted:

Kiwi cat posted:

Yes but how stable is it? I am thinking of athletic leaping cats and the clumsy both young and old amongst us.

It's very stable and the speaker is quite heavy. it'd be hard for a cat to knock over. 

As long as you limit the entry of Morris dancers to your listening room, the speakers shouldn't fall. 

Folkist!

Hi everyone

A little update...I got the Sopra 1s home and up and running,first off,they are visually stunning to my eyes,just love the look of them in my room.I have listened mostly to internet radio at low volume so far,just get things warmed up.I did play a few songs off my Core,at lower volume though...right away when I hooked them up,I got the impression that I was listening to a real high end speaker.I live in an apartment building right now,so turning them up loud will be limited to the daytime.A few times last night,I thought I heard people talking out in the hallway,only to realize the voices were coming from my speakers,This tells me that imaging/3D soundstage is really good.I should have more time today,and in the coming few weeks to play well recorded,well known music,and get a better impression of them,so far I am very happy with them.The true test will be after a few weeks,sticking the special 40s back in,to see what I prefer,and can I listen to the Sopras for extended listening sessions with no fatigue,and are they truly engaging me with the music,time will tell.I have NOT installed the GAIA feet under them,not sure I will bother,since the speaker/stand weighs more than they are rated for.I also got to see/hear the Dynaudio Contour C20s for the first time,but again, low volume,and only a couple of songs.Very nice looking,and sounding speakers too,so a lot to consider,after my demo time is up...

Personally I think the Sopra 1’s look superb, if you like what your hearing that’s great because they will continue to improve for sometime.

It will be interesting to hear how things proceed... in the meantime Enjoy