The KEF Blade Two and Focal Sopra 3 are very different sounding speakers, which any given listener will prefer is totally subjective and system matching will come into play. The KEFs are more laid back overall with a softer presentation in the high frequencies, while the Focals are more forward and clearly brighter in perspective with a more extended and powerful bass range.
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I agree with post before this that they are very different sounding and most of the characterization. Listen to both and I’m quite sure you’ll have a clear preference as to between the two, but which you’ll prefer is anyone’s guess
In my experience, Focals tend to sound closer to your B&W. Brighter.
I had mentioned that somewhere in one of my responses. Everyone says the 802d and Sopra 3 are completely different sounding, yet I felt the were more similarities then differences.
I’m just asking for peoples experiences with the Sopra 3 and the Blade 2 since I have not listened to the Blades yet, and when I do it will not be in the same environment that i listened to the Sopra 3’s in.
Above I mentioned having listened to the Blade 2 at home and choose Sopra 2. In choosing the Sopra 2 I spent a good bit of time at a local showroom listening to Sopra 2 and 3. The 3 is impressive both physically and sonically. It moves a lot of air. In my listening space the 3 would be too much of a good thing. In the showroom the Sopra 3 was definitely better particularly with bass. But it was a much bigger space with more room to the sides and a considerably higher ceiling. And like many showrooms acoustically treated somewhat but lacking furniture and other trappings of life sparse. In the end I picked the Sopra 2.
As I said somewhere above, if my listening position was further back and I wasn’t such a slouchy sitter, I would have kept the Blade 2. Especially since my main rig is a hybrid HT and 2-chan. For HT the Blade 2 was impressive with pretty much any sound format. It has a really wide soundstage.
I’ve really taken to heart the lesson regarding where the tweeter and mid’s are in a speaker design. If I had considered distance and ear height a bit more closely when I first listened to the Blade 2, I would have never tried them at home.
I don’t want to sound like I settled for the Sopra 2 because the Blade 2 didn’t work. In my space the Sopra 2 is fantastic and I couldn’t be happier (until Al gifts me his Vivid’s of course).
If your room isn’t really big, I’d consider the Sopra 2, you may save some money to upgrade your cables.
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I think this is critical, actually. The illusion of a soundstage with proper height is really difficult if the highly-directional, higher frequencies are not hitting your ears at your sitting position at a “proper” height.
For example, my speakers (Anthony Gallo Acoustics Reference 3.1s) have an unusually low profile for floor-standers. To make up for their low profile, the plinth that holds the mid- and high-frequency drivers is raked back at a pretty good angle AND the front set of spikes on the bottom of the speakers’ base are longer than those in the rear.
This helps project the high frequencies at a more proper height. Even so, it is important to make sure that the listening distance is not too close or too far, otherwise the soundstage tends to project as being too low.
None of this is an issue, with careful attention to speaker and listener positioning, however.
FWIW.
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