I had a few drinks and bought some speakers, I've now sobered up

Sell

Yes but a few drinks of what, that is the question. Saturday we had ribs and Tom Petty, with of course a lot of Deschuttes Black Butte Porter. The might Moabs can support a big bold porter like that no problem. Sopras you probably want to stick with something fruity and fizzy, maybe a wine spritzer, anything with any real flavor is bound to easily overwhelm the performance. Sure you can always try and make up for quality with quantity, but more than likely end up with only a headache the next day. There once was a time we all knew these things. Yet another sign of cultural collapse. We are losing our heritage before our own eyes.

These are not the speakers you are looking for. Now that's culture!

Buyer's remorse is a terrible feeling. I think many of us here have suffered with it at one time or another. 

That's normal, give it time.  There are multiple reasons why:
1. When we upgrade a major component, especially speakers, it's a shock to our system. We are used to a kind of sound we know and love for so long, that a big change will sound off, strange, and wrong to our ears. It takes time to learn what the new component is doing, sometimes initial impression of laid back and dullness is actually improved refinement and lack of certain distortion or coloration. Similarly sometimes the first impression of excitement and brilliance becomes fatiguing and annoying after awhile.
2. Speakers take awhile to break-in, you might want to get to at least 150-200hrs before forming an opinion.
3. After speaker change, often times you need to re-evaluate your speaker placement as well as cables. Both of those need to fit your new speaker to get the best from it. Different speaker require different placement in the room and distance to listener to really couple well with the space.

Buyer's remorse is a terrible feeling. I think many of us here have suffered with it at one time or another.

I suffered from buyer's remorse all my life until I was around 25 or 30, somewhere in there. Took me that long I guess to become aware enough of what was going on and figure out what to do about it. From then on, as long as I do those things, no problem.

I’d give them some break in time before making any decisions. The woofer suspensions need to loosen up, and good poly caps can take some burn in time.

You might also find that the new speakers are "different", but bring other attributes that you learn to appreciate.

The Sopra's definitely bring a different attribute and some of it is very nice. Imagining and depth of sound is stellar. Bass has more depth and chestiness. But man, the treble can be almost shouty at times. That's one of my biggest concerns. 

Also, the emotional connections I've read people have with speakers is real. I've done (quite) a few back and fourths between speakers this weekend and Satellite of Love definitely has more emotion through the 1028 than Sopra's. Maybe more time it is....

Stop switching back and forth for a while.  Leave the Sopras in the system.  Let your ears acclimatize to them.  They may well have qualities that only show themselves on more extended listening and which you're currently missing.  Eventually, you can do another A/B if you like, but get fully used to the Sopras first.

Well those are very good speakers.  I'd give things time to settle and break in before doing anything.   Speaker changes often trigger other changes/tweaks in order to get things tuned back in. You can either give them time and do what you feel justified to make them work or eventually punt and move on. Just avoid snap decisions, especially when you are juiced.

In an electronics showroom, the TV screens that immediately most capture your attention aren't necessarily the best ones to live with long-term.

And the analogy is....

I must agree with twoleftears on this. Listen to the Sopras for at least a week. Get acquainted or acclimated to their sound. Don’t be in analytical mode the whole time but relax and enjoy the music. Pay attention to what your feet do. Do they move instinctively? If you must tap your feet, that’s a good sign. After you have had enough casual time with them, then put the old ones back in the system. Most of the time I can tell within 2 minutes which ones I prefer by what’s missing or what’s been added. Take your time.
And if you bought them new, then it is a matter of break in. I’ve had to leave the room during the break in of some pieces. It was that awful. But it settled in nicely. Also, you may need to load the cartridge differently to dampen the highs or adjust subwoofers differently (if you have any).

Could be an equipment mismatch. Not saying that PL is not good, but maybe a more higher end amp from ARC, Allnic, Jadis, Raven Audio Reflection series, etc.

Er...what's a "1028" ?

Remember, your audience hasn't memorized every existing brand and model number to know what you are talking about ;-)

@twoleftears @mapman greet advice. I guess patience is a virtue. Change is not welcomed I guess, but I guess with change there come experiences I may be missing by reflecting of what I had versus what I have. Interesting. 

@prof Focal Electra 1028. The previous generation of the Kanta 2's. 

Ah, got it, thanks.

Give it 200hrs of solid play time at least.  Members over at the PS Audio forum commented a nice change with the Sopra 2s after several months (up to 6 months) before they truly relaxed and settled in.  This is not an uncommon situation with some of the better quality drivers and stiffer surrounds on the mid-woofers and tweeters too.  My sister's Focal speakers were bright and mid-bass peaked at first and settled in nicely after 4-6 months of casual play time. You can speed this up of course playing them a bit louder and longer when possible.  

Sorry to hear of your doubts.  As other stated, I would give it more time to see if your opinion changes.  I have fairly new Sopra 2's (450 plus hours).  I was concerned they may sound bright in my space, but they are absolutely not.  I really like their top end versus Focal's older models.  With the exception of 'shouty" I agree with your other descriptions.  Hopefully you are not in a rush to decide.  

NEVER TRUST YOUR EARS WHEN YOU'RE UNDER THE INFLUENCE.  Upper midrange and above frequency balance is skewed and perception is not as keen with alcohol coursing through you veins.  

Always best to do audio evaluation completely sober.  Once the system is set up and satisfying, then enjoy the extra musical benefits alcohol can induce.

Your 1028 speakers blend better with your tube amp than the sopra because prima luna tube amps have a high output impedance that changes the sound of all the speakers connected to them and it just so happens that the 1028 is a better match with your particular setup. Tube amplifiers are very speaker sensitive and you have found a good match but the best matches with tube amplifiers are the pre 1965 vintage 16 ohm speakers made in america.

@macct more time is underway. I've moved the 1028's to a different room to ease the comparison thoughts. I'll give it a few weeks before I revisit. The upper range and bass range aren't even comparable to the 1028's. Maybe more honest. The 1028's were a lot of fun so it's possible just an adjustment to the "truer" representation of sound. Though I've heard some complaints from the MDF cabinets. 

@bpoletti thanks for the advice. The experience was done neurotically sober this weekend. It could have been the style of music as well. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless might have been the culprit....

Any impulse purchase is a bad thing. Take your time and do your research. If necessary, put it in the cart and wait a day or two. By then you should have a good feeling whether the proceed or not.

In the end the only way to really know if something lives up to expectations is to preview it in your own environment with your own equipment. Without a trial period it can be an expensive process if it doesn't live up to expectations.

Read the reviews, try to ignore the influencing PR and look for any negatives. Check for consistencies between other reviewers.

Apart from that, caveat emptor.

I used to have the 1028 Be as well and loved them. I upgraded over a year ago to the Sopra 2’a. I also have a PrimaLuna, so we have almost the same experience. I am absolutely in love with the Sopra’s. Unfortunately there is a Break in period, that takes time. There are ways to accelerate the process. You can read up on it. I think your in shock you spent a bunch of money, and are questioning yourself. I am confident in time you’ll look back and chuckle how superior the Sopras are to the Electras. As others mentioned, try moving around your placement. Time will change a lot. Good luck, and give in and enjoy. In 6 months if you feel the same, they are highly desirable. The still can be sold. Give them a chance. 

Here's a interesting look at Speakers deconstructed, with a cutaway of the Focal Sopra no.2.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/speakers-deconstructed.12518/ 

It's fascinating to see the differences between enclosures. My personal preference is to have the best absorption material so that the internal sound is dissipated as much as possible so it unable to return to the rear of the driver and influence or compromise its movement. 

I bet I had my Sopra 2's playing for 500 hours before I really felt they settled in. It's little bit by little bit. It, for me, did not miraculously happen at one magical hour. Now I have 2k hours and with my all PS Audio suite and all Synergistic Research cabling the sound is marvelous!!

Giving your situation some time will yield at least two benefits. It will give your new speakers the time to break in to sound their best and it will give you and your ears the time to get used to a new and developing sonic presentation. As the speakers get better, so will your listening skills. Enjoy.

My friend has some inexpensive focal bookshelf speakers, purchased as an upgrade on even cheaper KEF speakers. He is new to audio but could afford much better speakers if he wanted them. I encouraged him to audition some ls3/5 type speakers and he did so. We did some a/b testing. I found the focals to be dangerously colored and flashy, obscuring a lot of the music and emphasizing others; he found that ls3/5s boring. He liked the sizzly treble and bigger bass. He stuck with the focals. Because I'm a snob, I think he should like the ls3/5s better, but that's my problem, not his. 

OP, you like what you like. Give the new speakers a chance but get rid of the pair you like less and feel less motivated to listen to. 

MC channels Obi Wan....6/7 @ 1:03 am....

My life is Complete. :))

...there's an excellent reason the sheriff pulls you over to chat about your driving when you're DWI.....

You're being a menace....to yourself, at minimum.... ;) 

Now that credit cards are 'chipped', there ought to be a 'sub-routine'  to keep one from the 'next day' "WTH was I thinking?!" remorse reaction....

Some business' would suffer, Yes.

Bars and NV 'establishments of adult entertainments' would take a hit, but it should eliminate all manner of...uh, next morning 'surprises'....*L*

Those Sopra 2s are superb. Give em time. I like the idea of stepping away for a week to let you ear reset. You are so used to a certain sound profile that you might not be aware of what the Sopras are doing just yet. They will knock your socks off when broken in. They may need more current too. yet. Keep us updated. And don’t haul off and return them.

Just lucky you weren't so inebriated you bought Moabs.

@tastypeter nailed it on the head. It was a slight panic of "wow I just spent all this money and this is what it nets?" Settling in for the next few weeks to get them comfortable and dialed in. 

What about your room acoustics? The new speakers could simply be revealing an existing condition you've grown to live with. Our significant others must scratch their heads when they see us having "less than fun" with our toys. It'll all work out. Give it time. Joe

You can not just plug in speakers and expect them to sound great right off the bat. I just bought brand new Sound Labs ESLs. They did not sound great at first. It took me two months of adjustments to get them to their best and they are incredible. It depends on how much you have to work with. If you have no way to equalize your system and measure the room you are almost helpless limited to trial end error room treatments and moving the speakers around. 

As others have said give it some time. Play them at a fairly loud volume and leave them go for a week if your situation is good with that. 
Also on paper at least the PL is not a great match for those. 

Awesome speakers. You'll grow to love them. 

The "break in" period won't be the speakers, it will be your brain, whether you get used to and end up liking the sound or not, over time.

Your equipment seems very biased towards the speaker side. Speakers like the Sopra 2's will expose shortcomings in the rest of the system. 

Note, I refer to "shortcomings" in a relative sense. There is nothing wrong with the rest of the gear, but it's not up to the same level as your Sopra's. 

Did you mention whether there is a trial period timeline?

I tried to like the Focal 948’s.  However, I kept thinking where is the bass.  I am not a huge fan of Focal speakers.

How big is your room?

I listened to a pair of Salk Song3 Encore’s at the RMAF and I was really blown away.  They cost about $6,000 a pair and they blew away a pair of $60,000 speakers 3 doors down.  Jim Salk sells direct so he can avoid having to sell his speakers at low prices so the dealer can make all of the money.  As a result he can afford to build high quality cabinets and use better quality speakers. I could kick myself for not buying them.  However, my wife would divorce me if I purchased them now.

Have you incorporated a pair of subwoofers into your system?  If not they made a huge difference in creating a better sound stage.  I am partial to REL and have put two REL S2 SHO’s in the corners.  Their high level connection allows them to act more like woofers providing you dial in the cross over and volume so they blend with the main speakers.  Even my wife noticed the difference.

how big is your room and how are your speakers placed in the room ) short wall vs long wall.  I wonder what the others in this group think about my response as I am only 3 years into this hobby?

Are you able to return your new speakers.  Maybe using you old speakers and adding a pair of REL’s might solve the problem?

What seems to be missing with your new speakers speakers?  Were searching for more crisp sound highs to hear greater detail.  What was missing with your old speakers.  Based on the music you listen to perhaps you searching for more bass?  If so a pair of subs might be the solution.  I have listened to Focal’s and I asked myself where is the bass.  I think they are a perfect speaker for listening to classical music.  They produce excellent mid voicing especially when it comes to listening to the violin section.

I would be curious to hear what some of the experts in this group feel.

I think it might boil down to the music you are listening to and what want to hear,

@Krymer2 I bet I had my Sopra 2's playing for 500 hours before I really felt they settled in. It's little bit by little bit. It, for me, did not miraculously happen at one magical hour. Now I have 2k hours and with my all PS Audio suite and all Synergistic Research cabling the sound is marvelous!!

+1 Krymer2

Yep.  Unless someone has experienced the changes first hand often times can make judgement prematurely, likely to resell or return in a panic. The naysayers of break-in take the hit and move on, while the next owner can sometimes seize the second hand bargain, and with some patience end up with some nice audio gear for a savings.    

Drink when listening to the Sopras and sober with the 1028s. If that doesn’t work call 330-253-8181. That’s the phone number for AA .lol

LOL clearthinker!  I've never heard Moabs and would love to, but that was funny

Are you using the 4 ohm taps on the PL. The Sopras are much harder to drive then the 1028. I had 1038s with PrimaLuna and when I went with the Sopra 3 I ended up selling for a high current solid state amp. 

@mmcelyea yeah I'm running them off of the 4 ohm tap. I ran the 1028's at 4 ohms as well. Well it may be amp season next....and I was just about to upgrade my Audioquest cables again...

Maybe its better you picked up speakers while drunk, rather than some Seahag at the bar, that at the time looked gorgeous, but then reality set in when you sobered up and woke up beside her...😁