Home Review – Focal Sopra no1

Review – Focal Sopra no1

3

Pros

  • Natural sound
  • High quality reproduction of music
  • Detail in the sound
  • Speaker design

Cons

  • Size (very large)
  • Not available without tripod
  • Very critical on source and control

Price: € 3999

Build quality
Usability
Sound
Price

The devil made me do it

Contents

That we look for the highest possible piece of quality which, in this case, a speaker can deliver, will be nothing new for you. Hopefully it’s also clear that we’re doing it the other way around. So how will our ‘Fatlady’ sing with a piece of bad and good quality vinyl.

We start with good stuff, of course. The album 25 by Adele is an excellent choice. Well absorbed and nicely pressed. And it turns out that Music Hall’s record player in the chain has also been a very good choice. We hear right away we’re listening to new vinyl. We can barely hear a crack or a splash. And the Sopra No1 knows very well what that warm vinyl should sound like. Before we know it, it’s time to reverse the Lp. That’s 30 minutes that went by very fast!

Time for something else. Our choice falls on IV of Black Mountain. And just when we thought we had driven the ‘Fatlady’ to her maximum, she leaves us in shock after the first song of the album. Everything’s all right! The timing, the high, the middle, the low. The sound is so pure and pure, perhaps one of the most natural speakers we have heard.

And then there’s that Alpha devil. How’s she doing on old vinyl records? In our private collections we have quite a few rare records. These plates are twisted grey, but we never really come across them. We’ll take an African samba plate. Very, very special. This plate has scratches, has been twisted a lot. And that’s good to hear, too. When we play we hear every pop and squat. It’s as if the Sopra No1 on top of the element is watching what’s going on underneath. Occasionally this can be heard more than the music itself. Now you can think, “Well, what good’s that gonna do you?” It shows how much detail the Sopra can display. And yes, that’s just a lot!

Winkels met Focal

Sint-Antoniusstraat 15
2300 Turnhout, BE
Joseph Bensstraat 21
1180 Ukkel, BE
Bredabaan 1031
B-2930 Brasschaat, BE
Pelikaanstraat 126
2018 Antwerpen, BE
Schoenmakersstraat 19
6041EX Roermond, NL
Grotestraat 23
5931 CS Tegelen, NL
St. Ceciliastraat 28
5038 HA Tilburg, NL
Geldropseweg 105
5611 SE Eindhoven, NL
Breestraat 146-148
2311CX Leiden, Zuid Holland, NL
Korte Jansstraat 11
3512GM Utrecht, NL
Markt 3
3131 CR Vlaardingen, NL
Steenstraat 54
6828 CM Arnhem, Gelderland, NL
Theresiastraat 151 - 157
2593 AG Den Haag, Noord Holland, NL
St.-Katelijnevest 53
2000 Antwerpen, BE
Beethovenstraat 9-b
1077 HL Amsterdam, Noord Holland, NL

3 COMMENTS

  1. Not a bad idea really. It would be useful to get connected to those online outlets for other reasons. Ya just never know! But I don’t see myself moving down this particular track given its fussy nature about support chain. I don’t need to work that hard or spend that much to be a happy camper.😎Now…🐶Next shiny object > Moon 250i

  2. I am finishing today’s journey into the audio unknown by whimsically picking a speaker review from the expanding and wonderful AA catalog. This is it…and that was phenomenal. To these ears, and without a doubt, my favorite speaker by a mile (sorry kilometer doesn’t make the meter!). Well, at least for these audio samples. Still needs testing for some of my jazz and classical to confirm what I think I already know: that I ❤️ BTs and this speaker! And that I can’t afford them. Damn. Next…..

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