Sopra 2s at Infidelity
Posted by: MDS on 11 November 2015
I spent a very interesting and entering afternoon at Infidelity yesterday. My main purpose in visiting was to hear the newly arrived Focal Sopra 2 speakers but recently I’ve also been toying with ideas for my 250.2 i.e. get it DR’ed or make the jump to a 300DR. I took a good friend along who, while a hi-fi fan, isn’t familiar with Naim stuff so could offer an impartial view on what we were hearing.
My dealer had set-up a virtual clone of my home system, save for the speakers. So I had the benefit of listening to my four-box CD replay system, CDX2.2/XP5XS/nDAC/555PS, into 282/SCDR/250.2 with the full SL loom. Only differences were the dealer used Fraim and Fraim-lite racks as against my QS SVT, though the stacking order was the same; the 555PS on the nDAC was a DR version; and whereas I use Powelines throughout in the store demo it was only the 555PS that had one. So very, very close.
First up I had a good look around the Sopra 2s. There’s no getting away from the fact that they are pretty big. Taller, wider and deeper than my (not insignificant) Electra 1028be. They also sit on a very substantial base onto which the downward port fires. Interestingly while they have no rear port my dealer said after quite a bit of experimentation he’s concluded that they need to be a far bit away from the rear wall. And a far bit further than my 1028be’s, which is a pity as that pretty much rules them out for me as, apart from size, they would protrude too far into my listening room. Anyway I was eager to hear what they could do so we started the listening session using material all of us were very familiar with.
We began with the clone of my system i.e. using the 250.2. Early impressions were of the familiar Focal signature but with a delightful airiness and delicacy at the mid and top end. I’d not expected this. Detail resolution was first-class and the integration between the drivers seemed excellent. While quite different from my Electras in that they were more laid back, I instantly liked the Sopras. Vocals were wonderful.
We then swopped out the 250.2 for the new DR version. To be honest the difference was smaller that I was expecting. A bit more detail and less ‘thickness’, if that makes sense. In fairness, this might have more to do with my ear being distracted by the newness of the Sopras and their different presentation. A longer comparison would probably have revealed more but my friend also felt the difference between the two 250s wasn’t huge.
Next the 300DR was slotted into the system. Oh, my! The impact was immediate. We all agreed the jump in performance was big and pleasing. The bass of the Sorpras suddenly had much more authority. Still more detail was revealed. Different types of music was tried from Mary Black to We Are The Fallen and impressions were all very favourable. Yes the 250DR can drive the Sopra 2s and they sound very nice but for me they really need the 300DR.
I was also pleased to hear that the 300DR showed real benefit using my source and the 282. I had wondered whether the additional resolution of the 300DR would reveal deficiencies earlier in the chain. Not on the basis of what we heard in the store. And the Sopras seemed more revealing than my Electras so that was reassuring too. We tried one or two different sources just for reference and nothing suggested I need worry about my source or pre-amp. So next step is a home demo of the 300DR to see what it does in my listening room and driving my Electras. I’m very much looking forward to it, even though the investment needed for me to go to the 300DR is going to be serval multiples of the cost of getting my 250 DR’ed. Hey ho!
Finally then, I should offer a big thank you to Mike and the boys at Infidelity for an excellent afternoon.
Mike
....
It's great, having had this stuff I no longer have any desire whatsoever to own it again, but it's fun supporting others on the way!
until a friendly dealer rings you with a very good deal on one... 
enjoy
ken
The 552/300 is superb but look at the price difference.
….. better just to listen to the music 
For my past experienced, skip the 252 or 300, save the bullets and go straight up to 552/500. For me, 552/500 is best combo for mid size room driving with mid size speaker. I mean the room size approx 16ft x 25ft and etc, the speaker shall be max using the 8" bass driver (I am using ProAc Carbon Pro 8)
Upgrade step by step has it's fun, but after so many upgrades from my past experiences, guess if you have proper plan and like the Naim sound, 552/500 is definitely your final choice for next 10-15 years. I owned this combo for 4 years and I still cannot find a single combo to compete with it. I tried Gryphon Pandora/Mesphisto, Accuphase 38000/A65, Jadis amp and etc, also heard at friends house with Pass Lab, Karan, Boulder, FM and some you can name it. Nothing can compete with the Naim's Balance sound performance. Please take note 'Balance Sound'. The higher you go, I think this 'Balance' make more sense to you later. Good Luck and have fun with Music! 