Goldenear Reference Vs. Focal Sopra #2.....pocket the $5k difference and don't look back?

kosst_amojan " Mr. Focal schill chiming in... "

Translation is kosst doesn’t understand the advise, can’t explain the advise, or never heard the product under discussion therefore the opinion freely offered to which he responds must be from a shill, an idiot, a liar, or a purveyor of snake oil. He is so predictable by the way kosst I am not afraid of you so you're threats and attacks will have no effect on me.

FWIW I think golden ear speakers are great. I respect them a lot. I just don’t think they’re giant killers, or necessarily punch substantially above their weight (price) at all (very few speakers actually do).

I think it comes down to personal preference. I got a chance to listen to Goldenear (not sure about the model) at Audio Concepts in 2014, and it left me unimpressed. Surprised by @jnc's comment that they were "in your face" when he listened to them. On the contrary, they sounded muffled and the upper frequencies seemed missing. Now the Focal 1000 series and Sopra series sounded pretty nice when I got to demo them. The Focal 1000 series has a slight hot treble. But the Sopras sounded balanced in a system that had Simaudio/Moon amplification and CDP.

Ignorance is bliss.  Truly.

To all the Golden Ear naysayers about the the parts quality, China, Sandy and what have you I’ve personally listened to an in home audition of a $200K of Alta Statement towers and I’m rather content in knowing how much of a better value (price/sound/quality ratio) my Golden Ears are. And when I check into some of the speakers mentioned on this site throughout the years, I find it interesting how much of the "best" qualities of those other speakers are actually found in the Golden Ears. These qualities include high efficiency, large voice coil, ability of voice coil to handle high temperature (play loud), d’appolito driver array, built in sub woofer amp, anechoic chamber used in its design/voicing, fully balanced crossover, high-velocity folded ribbon tweeter, mix of lamb’s wool and Dacron for effective internal damping, 3/32˝-thick steel plate for stability, the list goes on.

It doesn’t matter (to me) whatever you write to disparage them or compare them to in a negative light because it will not change the enjoyment I receive on a daily basis as I listen to them. And I’ve heard a handful (20?) of rather high end systems and don’t believe I’m missing anything.

contuzzi106 posts"gdhal: that means nothing.  Sandy Gross is the ultimate wine & dine and marketing master when it comes to reviewers.  They’re not bad speakers, but if you’re ever going to be skeptical, be skeptical about anything he touches, review wise."


So true... I've demo'd all of his products... and... they do not possess the dynamics, transparency, or clarity of many other good speakers - not even close.  Certainly not the Focal Sopra's.  

And... if you want "price-competitive" speakers that sound much better there are:

Wavetouch Audio Antero's or Grand Tetons
Magnestand 1.6's
And... of course... the Linkwitz LX521's or used Orion's 

One thing I can say knowing well about precision, parts quality 
And accuracy, and cross over parts .the Sopra is night and day better built  noticsbly better low level detail especially if you have top notch electronics.  On decent electronics probably npboth are very musical but different. Sopra I gave heard, the reference  uses Xover parts from China which in no way can compare to any top brand from The U.S or Europe.. it all depends how critical a listener 
You are.  Just like the Double impacts ,really good for the money 
Refinement is not their best suit ,Chinese drivers are in no way 
In the same class as the well know drivers from Denmark, or Norway.

you can't get a better speaker for 8500.00

Yes you can. : )

gdhal: that means nothing. Sandy Gross is the ultimate wine & dine and marketing master when it comes to reviewers. They’re not bad speakers, but if you’re ever going to be skeptical, be skeptical about anything he touches, review wise.

@contuzzi, I get the gist of what you're saying, and to an extent I agree with you. However, the marketing wine and dine routine could be said about many audio manufacturers who wind up getting "awards", and the Golden Ears have many. That said, Sandy does know a thing or two about about measurements and reviews, and in fact pointed out an error to John Atkinson regarding his (John's) Stereophile review measurement technique, which I understand John subsequently went back and remeasured using a different technique which showed that Sandy was/is correct. John is supposed to include a comment on this when he posts the review online.

JNC...................funny, I don't find the Triton References to be in your face in the least, not in the very least.  I have heard many Focals and I do not care for them at all.  That Berelium tweeter is like sticking an ice pick in my ears plus I don't care for their asthetics.  The cabinet on the Triton References is gorgeous.

gdhal: that means nothing.  Sandy Gross is the ultimate wine & dine and marketing master when it comes to reviewers.  They’re not bad speakers, but if you’re ever going to be skeptical, be skeptical about anything he touches, review wise.

Are you married?

That's a fine amplifier! I've heard Mcintosh gear at my local dealer and he also carries both brands of speakers your compairing. I personally didn't like the Goldenears as much for music as I did for home theater. I prefer the sound of a conventional speaker for music, even though the GE low frequency extention is excellent. 

Good luck! Happy Holiday's!

N

Not sure I could describe the Ref’s "refined." I would decribe the Ref’s as "upfront, in your face, ready to rock."
On the refinement scale, I would position them somewhere between a Klipsch Khorn and the Sopras.
JMHO of course....

Triton Reference does everything well. Nothing (IMO) in its price category can best it for bass. As to physical appearance, personally I prefer the Reference over the Focals. I can’t get past the "bent" look.

EDIT:

Also worth mentioning as its relatively recent news, the Golden Ear Triton Reference has won Secrets Speaker of the Year Award. 

https://hometheaterhifi.com/features/best-of-awards/secrets-best-awards-2017/

McIntosh MA9000

jnc,
What is your associated gear, particularly your amplifier?  

N

Listen to Sopra 2 at Los Angeles Audio show last summer. Focal Sopra 2
It was the best sound at the show.

So the ability to essentially boost the bass in speaker on the Triton reference is likely what is making you prefer it for rock music — which a lot of is recorded pretty thin.  Is that what I’m gathering?

If sonics are paramount, the GE Refs. Aesthetics and sonics, but not as much-Focal(but your wallet will be lighter)

I've heard both, not side by side. If It were in this position, I would go Focal, since I value looks as part of the equation. The  Focals are not lacking to my ears.

We only live once.....

Thx stereo5!

I own the Triton References and like you, felt they reproduced Rock very well.  Since over 90% of my listening is to Rock, it was a no brainer to me.  I may be wrong but I seriously doubt the Sopras will do Rock the justice it deserves.  If you are in to Classical or Jazz, I would expect the Focals to be better.