Quote:
Originally Posted by mintakaX
I have a few questions but the inability to post a new thread until I'm fully approved is really quite barbaric ! At any rate, I am allowed to comment so here goes:
I'm on an upgrade path to a 2 decade old system. I just upgraded my tube pre to a Moon 740P and was very happy with the results. The rest of my system is : Bluesound node 2 (soon to be Lumin 2), Esoteric DV-50s (don't use much), MC 352 amp and B&W 802 Nautilus speakers (circa 1999). My next purchase is going to be new speakers. My budget is $20K + or - . So, I'm in the range of Focal Sopra No. 3s or B&W 802 3ds, neither of which I've been able to audition yet. Will I be able to drive the Sopra No. 3s with the MC 352 ? I was hoping to use it until its last breath but don't want to drop $20K on speakers I can't appropriately drive. If its a toss up between the B&Ws or Sopras, I'll go Sopras because they are quite attractive.
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I have the Sopra 3's and drive them with the ARC Reference 150 (150W/channel). It works wonderfully in a 24x14 foot room but I would not skimp on power. The Sopra's can project a big, wide, deep soundstage with a lot of weight behind it and that takes power.
I chose the Sopra 3's over the 802D3 because I thought it was a more musical, emotionally engaging speaker, at least for classical music which is what I listen to 90% of the time. I would characterize the B&W's as more clinical and cooler sounding but with outstanding bass response. To my ears the Sopra 3's sounded more coherent and transparent, with superior soundstaging.