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

Ok, so I purchased some Sopra 2's two weeks back and was throughly excited to own them. They came in a few days ago and look just beautiful. The problem is, I don't feel like sonically they are that much "better" than my 1028's. Visually I'd take the Sopra's any day. Sonically they sound good but:

 Sopra 2's sound (too) laid back compared to the 1028. I'm honestly perfering the 1028's as they have snap and feel a little more in your face. The higher mid bass frequencies feel better blended with the upper frequencies. 

The upper frequencies did feel harsh at first but settle down and some placement helped satisfy that. But it still it doesn't feel blended. The top frequencies are more clear and the mid bass is more pronounced and clear, but not as blended. 

I'm listening to punk, classic rock and experiential music and feel the 1028 is the better performer. I feel wrong for saying it, but it's true. Any help or advice or are these to be put up for sale as I'm expecting?

(Gear: PL Dialogue Premium pre/power, Clearaudio Concept Wood, Hana EH, Musical Surroundings Nova III, nice cables. 13x9 small bedroom with first reflection treatment)
j-wall

Showing 3 responses by karl_desch

karl_desch's avatar
karl_desch
446 posts
 
Loveless might be a great way to break in those speakers!  Not hifi (I believe Kevin Shields had the band perform inside a Hoover to get the right sound) but what a great record. If you are still on the fence after 500 hours, consider really working on speaker placement.  The Sumiko Masters method is one way to do it that can be relevatory and importantly is based on your own ears. 
Good luck and let us know if you make an amplifier change.
karl_desch's avatar
karl_desch
446 posts
 
I have the AAA vinyl of Loveless and it is wonderful.  Using familiar recordings is a great way to gauge changes in your systems sound. I think I was trying to subtly advocate for recordings that might be a better way to hear the improvements in your new (used) Sopras. My bias is to use recordings of unamplified music as well as old favorites.

The AQ Robin Hood's are fantastic, an excellent choice.
karl_desch's avatar
karl_desch
446 posts
 
And I'm happy that there are audionerds like you and me that listen to interesting music, not just the typical hifi demo discs. 

They are similar speaker cables.  I use William Tells and have listened to the Robin Hoods too.  Both are probably better than AQ's older and more expensive speaker cables!
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