I have decided dip my toes into streaming the route you have taken, Having PC instead of dedicated streamer, can you please highlight Pro and cons of using PC as streamer
EJ ...my Sopra 2 are coming next week , and like a lot of owners the immediate search in our heads begins for power pairings . I like your responses and posts from a couple of years ago so I decided to reach out , still satisfied with the mac pairings ?
All i´ve known are B&W pairings with MCINTOSH power, on this upgrade of equipment I decided to try something different and settled on the SOPRAS but I'm having a hard time moving away from mac, would appreciate your feedback and any other owners who would care to comment.
I am an analog listener, I have auditioned the Sopras with NAIM and MCINTOSH so far, been told that VAC, BRYSTON AND SIMAUDIO are all can't go wrong choices .
I will probably drive the SOPRAS with my current setup MC 2200 PREAMP AND C352 AMP until I decide where to settle .
Sorry I didn't see your question, when I updated my posting the other day.
I ordered the Sopra No2's before they became available. Before ordering them, I auditioned the 1038BE's driven by a McIntosh C50 & MC452 and was blown away. I would have bought the 1038's, but a friend said to hold off and get the new model.
At the time I had a McIntosh MAC6700 powering a pair of Totem Fire monitors, sounded great. But when I snagged the C50/MC452 combination, I was pleasantly surprised by the immediate improvement in the soundstage and detail. I'm guessing there's something to the "quad balanced" design of the MC452.
Having said that, I can't imagine that the MA7000 wouldn't do a fantastic job driving the Sopra's, they are really efficient. When I'm really cranking it in my 24x26' listening room, the needles are dancing around 4.5 watts, never have come close to the 45 watt hash mark.
I love your system. I have a question for you: I currently have focal 1028be speakers and a Mcintosh Ma7000 integrated. I would like to upgrade to the sopra 2s. Do you think my integrated would be able to properly power them? Would the sopras be overkill? I've heard so many good things about them and would love to go for it but they aren't cheap so I don't want to waste my money. What's your feeling?
Now with eight bass traps in the "man cave" most of the boominess from the bass is under control, so I moved the subs so they are next to the Sopra's. With the subs behind me, it was less boomy, but the bass sounds were all over the place. Someone playing a bass would move from in front of me, to behind me, as they worked down in the registers. Bass drums sounded like they came from in front, but the visceral effect came from behind.
Maybe 2-3 more bass traps in my near future and I hope to be "done" with the room tuning.
Hey EJ I also heard the sopra's thru a naim 80 watt intergrated. sound was pretty good but I am sure with the power u have in reserve the amp is hardly working until called upon. dynamics must by pretty startiling with the power u have on tap
I started out with the subs flanking the Sopra's but just could not control the "boominess" in the room, no matter what I did (installed corner bass traps, added some on the walls, large one hanging from the ceiling, etc.), and these subs have a very sophisticated eq system built in.
Once I got them behind the sofa, most of the "boominess" was gone.
I am not an audio engineer, but from what I've read, the dimensions of the room and that position next to the Sopra's, the "standing waves" in the room were just too dominant.
I heard the Sopra's being driven by a Naim integrated amp, sounded good, but the smoothness of the McIntosh (to me) sounds more musical.
Love the sopra's. heard them last weekend and on my list now. with regard to your bass issue, i am curios as to why you didn't place your subs beside the sopras, looks like you have the room. It would be much easier to integrate them from the front of the room. But you seem to have the bass sorted out now, just curios. Would love to hear the sopra's thru the mcintosh, must sound incredible. enjoy and happy listening.
First of all, when I'm really cranking it, the meters on the MC452 dance around the 4.5 watt mark. When I was out there comparing speakers, I was struck by how the C50-MC452 combination seemed to sound really good with all the speakers I was auditioning, found a guy who bought that pair new a few months earlier and needed to sell.
I didn't do much comparison before selecting the PS Audio DirectStream DAC, except for the DAC built into my (former) integrated amp, and an old Burr-Brown equipped unit. But my dealer let me know that I had 30 days to return the PS Audio unit for a refund. It just sounds awesome! I have applied two firmware updates in the last year and each one seems to make small but significant improvements. One of my "tube snob" buddies was sure the unit was not solid state!
Thanks for the info on Dirac. I have been applying bass traps, one at a time, to the room, it's taken a while but I think I'm where I want to be.
I am just smitten with the Sopra's! They do sound very "big" and have just great detail! The other speakers I found with that level of detail made me feel tired pretty quickly, not these!
The Sopra's sound awesome, excellent detail, great sound stage, wasn't difficult getting them integrated with the room!
I found out about the Sopra's just before they were introduced, was ready to pull the trigger on the 1038BE's, when one of my buddies told me about the forthcoming Sopra's, which I ordered "on faith", before they were actually available in the U.S. My dealer tells me that there's a six month wait for them now.
I have been struggling getting the subs to sound "just right", as this room has so many "boomy" spots, but I've slowly been adding bass traps and they too now sound awesome!
