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-   -   1038beII in dark walnut...or Kanta or Sopra 2??? (https://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=41325)

JWJW 11-26-2017 07:23 PM

1038beII in dark walnut...or Kanta or Sopra 2???
 
There is a dealer on a few auction sites selling new pairs. I guess Focal discontinued this finish. I'm VERY tempted at pulling the trigger on a pair. BUT, should I be looking at the new Kanta....or a used pair of Sopra no.2's? Damn....:scratch2:

Questortapes74 11-26-2017 08:05 PM

All of your choices are great speakers, but I would encourage you to wait until you can audition the Kanta line. What price is being offered for to 1038’s?

http://www.tonepublications.com/audi...no-2-speakers/

tonepublications.com/audiophile-apartment/focals-new-kanta-no-2-speakers/

Regards

JWJW 11-26-2017 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Questortapes74 (Post 882315)
All of your choices are great speakers, but I would encourage you to wait until you can audition the Kanta line. What price is being offered for to 1038’s?

http://www.tonepublications.com/audi...no-2-speakers/

tonepublications.com/audiophile-apartment/focals-new-kanta-no-2-speakers/

Regards

They have them listed at $9,999

Thx for the link! Good stuff. :-)

Questortapes74 11-26-2017 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWJW (Post 882321)
They have them listed at $9,999

Thx for the link! Good stuff. :-)

Wow that is a good price. Tough choice for sure. :scratch2:

malba2366 11-26-2017 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWJW (Post 882321)
They have them listed at $9,999

Thx for the link! Good stuff. :-)

That is a good price, but nothing that would sway me to purchase something I was not going to purchase anyways. It is not too difficult to get Focal for 20% off list price.

JWJW 11-27-2017 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malba2366 (Post 882341)
That is a good price, but nothing that would sway me to purchase something I was not going to purchase anyways. It is not too difficult to get Focal for 20% off list price.

Good to know! Thanks!

jayvis 11-27-2017 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malba2366 (Post 882341)
That is a good price, but nothing that would sway me to purchase something I was not going to purchase anyways. It is not too difficult to get Focal for 20% off list price.

It's true that you can often see decent discounts on Focal's lower end speakers, but I've never seen 20% off any of their higher end lines. You CAN expect 20-30% off on Electra demo models though. It's been rumored that the Electra line is going away, so dealers might be discounting their remaining inventory. $9,999 is the published msrp for the 1038Be in dark walnut finish. I have that finish on my 1028Be's and it's really nice. As far as choosing the 1038Be over the new Kanta's or Sopra's, only your eyes, ears and wallet can determine that. To me, the Sopra's are basically restyled Electra's at a much higher price point. The Kanta's are a restyled Aria with a beryllium tweeter and are a step down from the Electra. I still see the Electra's as the best value at this time.

bart 11-27-2017 01:14 PM

I find the new lines significantly better than the older ones.
If you can stretch to the Sopra, go for it!

jayvis 11-27-2017 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bart (Post 882413)
I find the new lines significantly better than the older ones.
If you can stretch to the Sopra, go for it!

Focal's design focus for the new Kanta and Sopra lines was clearly to allow these speakers to appeal to people who might have electronics and source components that are otherwise incompatible with their older lines. People who are very familiar with Focal speakers know that there are many electronics that just don't jive well with their somewhat forward and revealing nature. Thus, the familiar "Focal speakers sound too harsh or bright" statement. The new lines have been tweaked to remove some of that forwardness. The Sopra's sound is very close to the Electra's except with a somewhat warmer tone established by deemphasizing the upper midrange frequencies. They do an excellent job of achieving what they were designed to do. They are also physically beautiful in my opinion. The Kanta's do the same thing even more with the addition of the beryllium tweeter which smooths out the high frequencies. The flax cone drivers are not as fast and rigid as the "W" sandwich cones in the Sopra's and Electra's. The Kanta #2's I heard sounded a little muddy to me on certain tracks I'm familiar with. Female vocals were not as vibrant and less airy than what I've become used to with the Electra series. They are definitely a step up from the Aria line with the addition of the Be tweeter.

malba2366 11-27-2017 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayvis (Post 882394)
It's true that you can often see decent discounts on Focal's lower end speakers, but I've never seen 20% off any of their higher end lines. You CAN expect 20-30% off on Electra demo models though. It's been rumored that the Electra line is going away, so dealers might be discounting their remaining inventory. $9,999 is the published msrp for the 1038Be in dark walnut finish. I have that finish on my 1028Be's and it's really nice. As far as choosing the 1038Be over the new Kanta's or Sopra's, only your eyes, ears and wallet can determine that. To me, the Sopra's are basically restyled Electra's at a much higher price point. The Kanta's are a restyled Aria with a beryllium tweeter and are a step down from the Electra. I still see the Electra's as the best value at this time.

$9999 is MSRP on the new dark walnut (non glossy finish), the OP posted the glossy finish which has a MSRP of 13,500. When I was seriously looking at Focal I was offered 20% off by 2 local dealers (the 20% was on the Electra series...I didn't inquire about Sopra because it is more than I want to spend). Its too bad they went with the lower end driver technology on the Kantas...the upcoming Focal f206be is what I am waiting to listen to

Formerly YB-2 11-27-2017 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malba2366 (Post 882452)
...the upcoming Focal f206be is what I am waiting to listen to

Do you have any additional info or a link to the F206Be? I'm not familiar with it and have not been able to find any info on the web.

jayvis 11-27-2017 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malba2366 (Post 882452)
$9999 is MSRP on the new dark walnut (non glossy finish), the OP posted the glossy finish which has a MSRP of 13,500. When I was seriously looking at Focal I was offered 20% off by 2 local dealers (the 20% was on the Electra series...I didn't inquire about Sopra because it is more than I want to spend). Its too bad they went with the lower end driver technology on the Kantas...the upcoming Focal f206be is what I am waiting to listen to

My bad. Slip-up by the old eyes. 20% off on new items would be almost too good to pass up around here. :thumbsup:

malba2366 11-27-2017 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2 (Post 882471)
Do you have any additional info or a link to the F206Be? I'm not familiar with it and have not been able to find any info on the web.

I mistyped...the Revel F208be is what I was refering to. I mistyped. It is the performa series of Revel with a beryllium tweeter and supposedly new faster drivers.

For The Love of Music 11-28-2017 02:31 AM

I ran the 1038’s sitting on Ultra SS powered by the Mcintosh 452 which made the French sing beautifully and after I did wall treatments, just before the 1038’s sold, I was very impressed how everything came together enough so that I heard no reason not to have been happy staying put, but it was too late. [emoji849]

The Sopra’s are also very nice, and both are a larger sounding speaker over the Kanta, but the Kantas sounded very nice at RMAF.

Back to considering the fixed factors of your room and the variable factors of power and treatment then onto cool knobs, dials, cables and wire parallel to the budget.

ejr1953 12-01-2017 02:51 PM

I've enjoyed a pair of the Sopra No2s now for over two years, right after they became available in the U.S.
I compared them to the 1038/1028BE's before making the purchase and I'm glad I spent the extra amount on the Sopra's. I do agree, the Sopra's to me did sound a little "larger".
I've been driving my Sopra's with a McIntosh MC452 with a C2500 tube preamp, with all digital sources. After about 200 hours of break in, the speakers seemed to really improve, but one night, after owning them for about six months, I noticed that they seemed to really "settle in".
After years of trying new components, upgrading one at a time, I think I'm "done" for now, as I'm really happy with my system. In the past I'd enjoy an improvement, but after several months got the itch to upgrade, but not so with the Sopra's.

JWJW 12-02-2017 11:24 PM

Stopped by a dealer this afternoon and listened to a pair of Sopra No. 2's.
VERY impressed. They sounded wonderful. :thumbsup: :yes: :D

JWJW 12-03-2017 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ejr1953 (Post 883221)
I've enjoyed a pair of the Sopra No2s now for over two years, right after they became available in the U.S.
I compared them to the 1038/1028BE's before making the purchase and I'm glad I spent the extra amount on the Sopra's. I do agree, the Sopra's to me did sound a little "larger".
I've been driving my Sopra's with a McIntosh MC452 with a C2500 tube preamp, with all digital sources. After about 200 hours of break in, the speakers seemed to really improve, but one night, after owning them for about six months, I noticed that they seemed to really "settle in".
After years of trying new components, upgrading one at a time, I think I'm "done" for now, as I'm really happy with my system. In the past I'd enjoy an improvement, but after several months got the itch to upgrade, but not so with the Sopra's.

I heard a 2 demo yesterday on a 452/2600 combo.....it sounded incredible. If the 2's are this good, I can't even imagine how the 3's sound! Wow!
I'm trying to figure out a way to swing $$$ a pair of 2's! :thumbsup:

ejr1953 12-03-2017 11:54 AM

My Guy Has Been Asking Me to Upgrade to the Sopra3's
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by JWJW (Post 883652)
I heard a 2 demo yesterday on a 452/2600 combo.....it sounded incredible. If the 2's are this good, I can't even imagine how the 3's sound! Wow!
I'm trying to figure out a way to swing $$$ a pair of 2's! :thumbsup:

I suspect the main difference between the Sopra No2's and No3's is more bass...and $6000!

I find the bass that the Sopra No2's have is excellent, but not very deep in the lower registers...so I have them paired with a pair of JL Audio F113V2 sub woofers. So, not much motivation on my part to think about upgrading to the Sopra No3's.

Questortapes74 12-03-2017 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWJW (Post 883618)
Stopped by a dealer this afternoon and listened to a pair of Sopra No. 2's.
VERY impressed. They sounded wonderful. :thumbsup: :yes: :D

Excellent. They will sound exceptional with your MA9000. I was able to audition a similar setup with the MCT450 and the MA8000 about a year and a half ago. What finish are you considering?

JWJW 12-03-2017 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Questortapes74 (Post 883729)
Excellent. They will sound exceptional with your MA9000. I was able to audition a similar setup with the MCT450 and the MA8000 about a year and a half ago. What finish are you considering?

Red......or orange. :scratch2:

Vince11281 12-04-2017 12:04 PM

As a Sopra owner I can say I’m very happy with them. I could eventually see my self switching to KEF’s Reference series one day. They are definitely worth a listen before you purchase.

JWJW 12-06-2017 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vince11281 (Post 883902)
As a Sopra owner I can say I’m very happy with them. I could eventually see my self switching to KEF’s Reference series one day. They are definitely worth a listen before you purchase.

I will for sure. Thx!

malba2366 12-09-2017 12:20 PM

I was at a Focal dealer yesterday and they just setup a pair of Kantas with a Naim Uniti unit (not sure if it was the star or nova). I must say it sounded amazing to me...better than the Sopras with C52/MC452 that they had setup as well. The Naim/Kanta setup wasn't even broken un as they had just set it up the night before.
The dealer had told me that the Kanta and the new Naim all in ones were designed to work very well together...and Im inclined to believe him. The system sounded so quick and engaging without having any of the excessive forwardness/brightness that some Naim and Focal systems I have heard in the past have.
Note that I am not into critical listening, and listening to audiophile tracks...with the classic rock and classical tracks I listened to the Naim/Kanta system just drew me in and made me want to listen more than the MC/Sopra system did. The price and simplicity is a lot better with that system as well. All in all I was very impressed...if this is the new house sound for Naim/Focal then they should do very well!

JWJW 12-09-2017 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malba2366 (Post 884874)
I was at a Focal dealer yesterday and they just setup a pair of Kantas with a Naim Uniti unit (not sure if it was the star or nova). I must say it sounded amazing to me...better than the Sopras with C52/MC452 that they had setup as well. The Naim/Kanta setup wasn't even broken un as they had just set it up the night before.
The dealer had told me that the Kanta and the new Naim all in ones were designed to work very well together...and Im inclined to believe him. The system sounded so quick and engaging without having any of the excessive forwardness/brightness that some Naim and Focal systems I have heard in the past have.
Note that I am not into critical listening, and listening to audiophile tracks...with the classic rock and classical tracks I listened to the Naim/Kanta system just drew me in and made me want to listen more than the MC/Sopra system did. The price and simplicity is a lot better with that system as well. All in all I was very impressed...if this is the new house sound for Naim/Focal then they should do very well!

Cool!

Aussie2 02-15-2018 03:57 AM

I listened today to a pair of Kanta and thought they were ok Till!!!
A pair of Sopra 3 were bought into the room I swapped the speaker cables out on the Kanta
Into the sopra 3 No contest the sopra 3 in a completely different league just so much better.
I went to store thinking to get Kanta!
Ummm not now

mcpaf76 02-15-2018 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aussie2 (Post 899586)
I listened today to a pair of Kanta and thought they were ok Till!!!
A pair of Sopra 3 were bought into the room I swapped the speaker cables out on the Kanta
Into the sopra 3 No contest the sopra 3 in a completely different league just so much better.
I went to store thinking to get Kanta!
Ummm not now

Go for the Sopras you won't regret it!

joey_v 02-17-2018 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aussie2 (Post 899586)
I listened today to a pair of Kanta and thought they were ok Till!!!
A pair of Sopra 3 were bought into the room I swapped the speaker cables out on the Kanta
Into the sopra 3 No contest the sopra 3 in a completely different league just so much better.
I went to store thinking to get Kanta!
Ummm not now

What was better about it aside from the bass?

greekspec2 02-17-2018 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWJW (Post 884942)
Cool!

I have a black pair of Sopra 3 I can let go for $13k

rottikid 02-17-2018 05:52 PM

Sopra No2’s went up by $1,000. They are now $14,999 List price. They are a great speaker.

godwinaj 02-17-2018 07:06 PM

I love my Aria but all this Sopra Kanta talk makes the upgrade monkey hungry.

Aussie2 02-23-2018 09:02 PM

Much bigger sound more engaging and when I played the sopra three then took ok out cables and swapped to kanta it was like I was listening to a radio speaker.
Do the test your self I couldn't believe how much better they were.

JetJock 03-09-2018 06:31 PM

I sold my 1028be2 for the Sopra2. The cabinet design, build quality and Sound is in another league. The 1028 cabinet isn’t stable on carpet and the narrow MDF base just doesn’t cut it.
Get the Sopra’s if you can swing the extra $$$

Parodeca 08-17-2018 01:21 AM

You all need to specify whether or not you have the 1028BE or 1028BEII or 1038BE or 1038BEII.

The Gen 2 revisions are notably better than the initial offerings.

"Like all the high-end loudspeakers in the Electra 1000 Be 2 range, the Electra 1038 Be floorstanding loudspeakers has benefitted from new components and settings. The impressive punch delivered by three 7″ (18cm) woofers with their inexhaustible power, reinforces the new clarity in sound image and definition.

These loudspeakers with their characteristic sleek design are truly formidable in the audio reproduction world."

zonto 01-19-2020 12:07 AM

In case anyone finds this thread via Google search as I did, there is not a BE I and BE II version of the Focal Electra 10x8 line. The entire Electra 10x8 line is referred to as “BE II”, as compared to the entire Electra 10x7 line, which is referred to as “BE I”. The main difference is of course the 1” Be tweeter on the 10x7 line vs. the 1.25” Be tweeter on the 10x8 line.

Alpha12 07-23-2020 12:16 PM

Thanks very much. This is an area of ongoing confusion and misstatements by the uninformed. However, you state the facts correctly.


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