I know. I am big fan of Focal and personally love their looks. The Sopra 2s are best built speakers I have seen for their price. Their finish is unbelievably good. I bought them 6 months old mint and they have get better as time has gone on.
The Scalas they use at Naim sound awesome. I also have Focal Aria 936s in conservatory which are very good for the £1900 I bought them for around 7 years ago.
Focal make very good speakers but get a massive bashing on here by people who quite often have never even heard them! Look how many people have just made fun of them! There is an underlying anti Focal trend on here I have noticed ever since I have been a member of the forum.
I am also considering buying some Focal headphones!
I’ve heard Focal speakers on two occasions: the Sopra 1 driven by an Atom - which obviously wasn’t up to the task - and the Scala Evo at Naim, driven by a full 500 system. The sound was not for me; I found it too bright and it seemed to overemphasise parts of the music, pulling it apart rather than holding it together. But that doesn’t mean they are bad, merely that I didn’t get on with them.
It can be quite hurtful when people slag off something that someone else really likes, and I know I’ve been guilty in the past, and now I try not to do it.
Looks of speakers are very personal. Some like a modern look, while others like something more traditional. It has to fit with the room and decor, and again neither approach is better than the other. I rather like the look of the blue Scalas, and I find the Kantas visually appealing, with some lovely baffle/cabinet combinations. I like the look of the Sopra 1, but the bigger ones less so.
The looks are definitely Marmite. And obviously the sound isn’t for everyone. It seems Focal speakers divide opinions.
Anyhow, it doesn’t really matter it’s what individuals want to choose that counts.
There are so many brands of speakers out there. I have listened to many brands. I think that Focal’s build quality is second to none. Even my Focal Aria 936s are incredibly well made.
I’m with you Focal speakers look spectacular but the top end makes me shutter, it’s just too bright. The demo pair at Naim HQ have everything going for them except treble.
Nice but I would prefer with good old DBL or JBL4343… Or for sure ATC!
I listen to this system in Baden-Baden and with some person present in the listening room we quickly spoken about the DBL…
PS: Just a good word for the Intro, extraordinary good older Naim loudspeaker, to much underestimated product that I consider as one of the superextratop Naim gear and more looking at the price. If some loudspeakers firms could take example on the philosophy behind the Intro, it would be great
I wil plug them in. 2 HiCap DRs on order for fish tank filtration supplies. Hopefully the filters will sound better and won’t buzz too much. Can always buy another Puritan power supply
I had a little move around and playing with a different amp… but the Uniti is still there on source and volume control. The 32.5/HC/160 will surely be back but may have a little holiday for service.
Source makes a huge difference. I didn’t understand or believe this many years ago. Based on my experience I am confident that a Naim statement connected to a poor source won’t sound as good as a 500 series connected to a brilliant source.
I’ve done a similar experiment with Nait 1 and 500 series.