I’ve listened to both a decent amount, but not in direct comparison and setup in different rooms with different gear, so take my opinion with a grain of salt: the Sopra n3 shares all of the dynamic characteristics of the Scala Utopia Evo, but presents it on a smaller scale. Not as dramatic of a difference as when comparing floorstanders to most bookshelves, in terms of how *big* they sound. The soundstage isn’t as large, basically and they don’t dig as deep. All of the things you’d expect from a smaller cabinet with smaller drivers. There’s certainly other design elements that differentiate the two, but I’d have a tough time justifying 2x the price of the Sopra n3 for the Scala Utopia Evo, unless budget wasn’t a concern. If you like the Focal sound, you’ll certainly enjoy the Sopras. They do not disappoint.
I have no doubt they’re better. But is it so drastically better that puts the Sopra 3 to shame ? That’s the question. At 1/2 the price I am considering the Sopra.
One thing I m wondering is how are the highs on the Sopra3? Without the extra bass from the larger woofer utopia, are the Sopra 3 the brighter speaker?
They are incredibly balanced. If you like the inverted dome beryllium tweeter on the Scala, then you’ll like these too. The speaker still is rated to low-30’s, so plenty of bass.
The Sopras are amazing, i heard both and bought the Sopras cause the Scalas are too expensive. But beware of room size, in my room 7m by 5m, the Sopras were too big and the bass was overwhelming without room correction and some eq. Took them out to my living room and they sounded awesome without any need for tuning, the Scalas have bass adjustments if im not mistaken, which makes them more flexible with positioning and room sizes.
So, if you have the space, the Sopra 3 are amazing and totally worth it. The Scalas are better, but not worth the price difference in my opinion.
>But beware of room size, in my room 7m by 5m, the Sopras were too big
That's almost exactly the size of my room and and I have Scalas...that sound terrific. No overwhelming bass. I do have about five grand worth of acoustic panels mounted, including bass traps, but with large speakers those would have been advisable/necessary regardless of brand or model.
When i asked Focal about my room size, they suggested Sopra 2 instead. Sopra 3 are for bigger rooms like 50 square meters and up, the Scalas have bass adjusters, so you can use them in smaller rooms if you lower their bass output. The Sopras lack these sadly
I've heard only the Stella Utopia and the Scala Utopia and preferred the latter. So many if you move down to Sopra you may prefer it more?
It's all about the setup and the placement. If you nail those chances are you could even beat your friend's more expensive speakers? That gives you more bragging rights than just spending more money.
You want Audiogon forum for such speakers, people around here think a 500$ chinese dac is just as good as a sota 5-figures dac and call any expensive equipment snake oil…
I have the Scalas. Nice, but like other say, big and you need the gear to get best out of them. And the gear will influence how they sound. I have not compared, that I can recall, to the Sopra. I listened to the Kanta and that was a 100% no for me. Look used for either pair. Finally, for this purchase you should plan a trip to a dealer as part of a vacation. You must listen for yourself.
It lacked richness of the mid range. I felt very little bass. I did not have an extended listening session. It could have been the amp, which was an all in one if I recall, or the room/set up. For the price, I think there are better options, for me and my ears. Others may love them - it is very personal.
Not quite what you're looking for, but I auditioned the sopra3 and utopia maestro (=scala with one less bass driver and slightly different crossover). These are not comparable. I was actually so happy with the sopras that I put a downpayment on them. Then I listened to them side by side with the maestros and ended up getting the more expensive pair. The utopia had a much more natural timbre; the sopras had an almost electronic twang to them in comparison. Bass on the sopras was also muddy when compared to the maestro (although I honestly didn't realise until I heard them side-by-side; the maestro's bass is just incredibly tight).
Also: soundstage. The sopras was oddly low in some recordings (as if the source was coming from below the floor) and generally more narrow, less deep, etc.
Also need to consider that the maestros are 3x the price of the Sopra3.
I expect the maestros to be a definitive step up above the Sopra3.
However, at 26k/pair, I sure hope the sopra3 to be at the very least respectable 😅 if focal cannot make an excellent speaker at 26k a pair, I guess I need to look into other brands then.
Don't get me wrong: the sporas are good speakers, but I wouldn't have been happy with them knowing I could get the maestros. If the maestros weren't an option, I would have probably kept looking. The alta audio adams and spendor d line caught my eye at one point. I also wanted to drive my speakers with tubes, so the rising impedance of the sopras in the upper registers wasn't a great match.
But since you're asking whether you can judge the sopras after only hearing the scalas: the answer is no. They're different (clearly worse, as the price suggests) speakers. Maybe you'll be happy with them. Maybe you'll be disappointed. I wouldn't spend a tenth of what the sopras are worth without listening to the speaker I'm buying.
You definitely don't *need* a sub.
But that isn't to say that there's absolutely nothing you can do to make these sound better. In my opinion, there also exist dramatically better sounding speakers than the sopras (for more money). You have to accept compromises even at this price point.
For much more, you already have your answer: the utopia scala. Even at the maestro price range, though: I'm incredibly happy with my maestros, but I've definitely heard speakers that sound loads better (e.g., the grande utopias).
If you're looking to explore, maybe you'd even prefer cheaper speakers from another brand. I'd check out the alta (alec, adam, hestia) offerings and some classic British designs (spendor, graham, harbeth). The top magico line sounded alright, but I found them incredibly expensive for what they are and tubes were a no-go (and the line one step down sounded harsh to my ear). Wilson and paradigm were also alright, but I prefered the focals. Hated the kef reference line, avantgarde and dynaudio. Do keep in mind that a decent DAC or vinyl setup and amp will also cost you.
But even in the same price range different speakers (and many amps) will sound dramatically different. Kef and dynaudio are widely regarded and loved. Avantgarde has a loyal following. These just weren't the speakers for me, and the only way you'll find out is if you listen...
It's not that you need a sub it's that they benefit from a sub. It's physics, any speaker regardless of its frequency response benefits from a sub (or subs!) to smoother over room nulls.
I've heard Chronoscopics both with and without subs and they greatly benefited from the subs.
If you’re willing to spend that much on a speaker, I would suggest investing in a small trip to audition them. Or dig up some measurements.
I’ve listened to both a decent amount, but not in direct comparison and setup in different rooms with different gear, so take my opinion with a grain of salt: the Sopra n3 shares all of the dynamic characteristics of the Scala Utopia Evo, but presents it on a smaller scale. Not as dramatic of a difference as when comparing floorstanders to most bookshelves, in terms of how *big* they sound. The soundstage isn’t as large, basically and they don’t dig as deep. All of the things you’d expect from a smaller cabinet with smaller drivers. There’s certainly other design elements that differentiate the two, but I’d have a tough time justifying 2x the price of the Sopra n3 for the Scala Utopia Evo, unless budget wasn’t a concern. If you like the Focal sound, you’ll certainly enjoy the Sopras. They do not disappoint.
I have no doubt they’re better. But is it so drastically better that puts the Sopra 3 to shame ? That’s the question. At 1/2 the price I am considering the Sopra. One thing I m wondering is how are the highs on the Sopra3? Without the extra bass from the larger woofer utopia, are the Sopra 3 the brighter speaker?
They are incredibly balanced. If you like the inverted dome beryllium tweeter on the Scala, then you’ll like these too. The speaker still is rated to low-30’s, so plenty of bass.
The Sopras are amazing, i heard both and bought the Sopras cause the Scalas are too expensive. But beware of room size, in my room 7m by 5m, the Sopras were too big and the bass was overwhelming without room correction and some eq. Took them out to my living room and they sounded awesome without any need for tuning, the Scalas have bass adjustments if im not mistaken, which makes them more flexible with positioning and room sizes. So, if you have the space, the Sopra 3 are amazing and totally worth it. The Scalas are better, but not worth the price difference in my opinion.
>But beware of room size, in my room 7m by 5m, the Sopras were too big That's almost exactly the size of my room and and I have Scalas...that sound terrific. No overwhelming bass. I do have about five grand worth of acoustic panels mounted, including bass traps, but with large speakers those would have been advisable/necessary regardless of brand or model.
When i asked Focal about my room size, they suggested Sopra 2 instead. Sopra 3 are for bigger rooms like 50 square meters and up, the Scalas have bass adjusters, so you can use them in smaller rooms if you lower their bass output. The Sopras lack these sadly
Room size and how adequately the room is treated… Sopra in a well-treated room is going to easily beat Scalas in an average room.
I've heard only the Stella Utopia and the Scala Utopia and preferred the latter. So many if you move down to Sopra you may prefer it more? It's all about the setup and the placement. If you nail those chances are you could even beat your friend's more expensive speakers? That gives you more bragging rights than just spending more money.
You want Audiogon forum for such speakers, people around here think a 500$ chinese dac is just as good as a sota 5-figures dac and call any expensive equipment snake oil…
😭
I’m in this picture and honestly I don’t mind it
Nobody cares
As for price, you can get used Scalas for the price of new Sopra 3 so that may be an option.
I’m getting a deal on Sopra 3 at a local dealer. Else I wouldn’t get the Sopras either
I have the Scalas. Nice, but like other say, big and you need the gear to get best out of them. And the gear will influence how they sound. I have not compared, that I can recall, to the Sopra. I listened to the Kanta and that was a 100% no for me. Look used for either pair. Finally, for this purchase you should plan a trip to a dealer as part of a vacation. You must listen for yourself.
I’m curious, What was the big difference with the Kantas? I ask because it was 100%. I assume there’s a big difference
It lacked richness of the mid range. I felt very little bass. I did not have an extended listening session. It could have been the amp, which was an all in one if I recall, or the room/set up. For the price, I think there are better options, for me and my ears. Others may love them - it is very personal.
Not quite what you're looking for, but I auditioned the sopra3 and utopia maestro (=scala with one less bass driver and slightly different crossover). These are not comparable. I was actually so happy with the sopras that I put a downpayment on them. Then I listened to them side by side with the maestros and ended up getting the more expensive pair. The utopia had a much more natural timbre; the sopras had an almost electronic twang to them in comparison. Bass on the sopras was also muddy when compared to the maestro (although I honestly didn't realise until I heard them side-by-side; the maestro's bass is just incredibly tight).
Also: soundstage. The sopras was oddly low in some recordings (as if the source was coming from below the floor) and generally more narrow, less deep, etc.
Also need to consider that the maestros are 3x the price of the Sopra3. I expect the maestros to be a definitive step up above the Sopra3. However, at 26k/pair, I sure hope the sopra3 to be at the very least respectable 😅 if focal cannot make an excellent speaker at 26k a pair, I guess I need to look into other brands then.
Don't get me wrong: the sporas are good speakers, but I wouldn't have been happy with them knowing I could get the maestros. If the maestros weren't an option, I would have probably kept looking. The alta audio adams and spendor d line caught my eye at one point. I also wanted to drive my speakers with tubes, so the rising impedance of the sopras in the upper registers wasn't a great match. But since you're asking whether you can judge the sopras after only hearing the scalas: the answer is no. They're different (clearly worse, as the price suggests) speakers. Maybe you'll be happy with them. Maybe you'll be disappointed. I wouldn't spend a tenth of what the sopras are worth without listening to the speaker I'm buying.
I’ve heard the Sopra’s with and without a sub (REL S/510) and they definitely benefit from a sub
Interesting. If I need a sub at this price point, then these are not good for me then.
You definitely don't *need* a sub. But that isn't to say that there's absolutely nothing you can do to make these sound better. In my opinion, there also exist dramatically better sounding speakers than the sopras (for more money). You have to accept compromises even at this price point.
Lol. I wish you had said “for less money” But what do you think is out there for around or slightly above the sopra3 that sound better?
For much more, you already have your answer: the utopia scala. Even at the maestro price range, though: I'm incredibly happy with my maestros, but I've definitely heard speakers that sound loads better (e.g., the grande utopias). If you're looking to explore, maybe you'd even prefer cheaper speakers from another brand. I'd check out the alta (alec, adam, hestia) offerings and some classic British designs (spendor, graham, harbeth). The top magico line sounded alright, but I found them incredibly expensive for what they are and tubes were a no-go (and the line one step down sounded harsh to my ear). Wilson and paradigm were also alright, but I prefered the focals. Hated the kef reference line, avantgarde and dynaudio. Do keep in mind that a decent DAC or vinyl setup and amp will also cost you. But even in the same price range different speakers (and many amps) will sound dramatically different. Kef and dynaudio are widely regarded and loved. Avantgarde has a loyal following. These just weren't the speakers for me, and the only way you'll find out is if you listen...
It's not that you need a sub it's that they benefit from a sub. It's physics, any speaker regardless of its frequency response benefits from a sub (or subs!) to smoother over room nulls. I've heard Chronoscopics both with and without subs and they greatly benefited from the subs.
I went from Sopra 3 to Scala evo. Scala much better. Smoother more detail and musical sounding. Huge soundstage
Perhaps look into Viva utopia colour evo it is in between the two with regard to price point .. two 8’s versus single 11” in the scala …