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

OP/j-wall - did you lead on anyone for advice on tubes?

Great thread btw.

Welcome to the speaker game.  Since speakers are a huge investment I would want to hear them first before purchasing unless the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. I would be more inclined to have a few drinks after a negative purchase.

Bought many an lp record, some not so cheap, while half in bag....😜

@viridian yeah I'm definitely staying away from that so I don't buy Boulder or Dartzeel gear 

LoL, great thread.  I don’t think purchases should be made in the evening, or after drinking.  I’ve made mistakes doing that.  
Luckily for you, I dont think you made a mistake.  

I meant to say KT150's originally and changed to KT120's really tamed down the extension and softened things a bit. 

Good advice!  And what was the tube change?

@tablejockey definitely very true and honest. Very strong upgrade, but not groundbreaking. Can it honestly be groundbreaking from each of those levels though? 

There was definitely some sharpness at first, but the Sopra's did settle down. Detail is definitely a step up. Focus is tamed with some treatment readjusting and placement. But, I think what actually tamed everything was going from kt120's to kt120's. Extension needed to be calmed in my small room and kt120's solved it. Wish I could say it was my idea (thanks Kat!) 

In conclusion, Sopra's are staying. And to all you newbies like me, chill out, calm down, and let things marinade before you up and sell. 

I believe once yours ears adjust to the "Focal sound" it now is a preference of original Ginsu knife I or Ginsu knife II.

Nice to know I'm not the only cutlery enthusiast here to appreciate the finer points of Ginsu.

I've waited awhile before coming back.

Hope my original post- ." To my ears, not a groundbreaking upgrade, but certainly a move up. Sopra huge upgrade in aesthetics. Great looking speaker."  wasn't an influence! 

I believe once yours ears adjust to the "Focal sound" it now is a preference of original  Ginsu knife I or Ginsu knife II. 

I hear the Focals laser precise, but still convincingly entertaining with Nordost cable. Yeah- the ol speaker cable as tone control tweak.  

@millercarbon  I couldn't read any more after the BBQ and porter. My attention has been diverted

I wouldn't jump to conclusions until you have done your due diligence with spkr placement.  Although there are similarities with the 1028/38, I would bet placement may be different from previous spkrs.  Placement is absolutely critical if you want to get the best out of a spkr. 

They may end up not to be to your liking, which is totally fine and or these may not play well in your room (which is probably the one of the most significant influences in the entire rig).  Have a few more drinks and find something else :)

Change cartridge

I have never actually heard a "typical" hifi demo disc. I've been to a dealer out here that asked really odd/off-putting questions about what I'm looking for. So I've decided to go on my journey on my own without the local dealer. Would rather do this myself without the turtleneck type. 

And good to know about the Rocket. I should have them in a week and I'll definitely be giving my (amateur) thoughts to help the forum. 

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!

@karl_desch I definitely know what you meant. I for once got to call alternative music high fidelity so I just wanted to capitalize on the situation! I should probably try familiar music from here on out. 

I have Rocket 88 on loan right now and the Robin Hood's on order. There isn't much info on the Robin Hood in the forum, Rocket 88 and William Tell have decent info on them, but the WT were too expensive so I'm taking a leap of faith with the RH. 

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.

Yeah that's what sucks about drinking at home alone.But at least you bought new Speakers. You could of been in a bar listening to music or at a concert. God for bid, driven home drunk and wiped out your car or your life.

@karl_desch have you heard the analog mastering pressing? It's pretty damn hifi if you ask me! 

I upgraded to Audioquest Robin Hood Zero so we'll see how they do when they get here. I've been experimenting with less whiskey and toe in and I think I'm happy with where they are headed. I will say these have less to do with break in and more to do with settling in as they werent brand brand new. 

If you like diy...GR-Research has crossover upgrade options but not sure how hard it is to open them up and get to the network.  

I bought Zu-Audio Dirty Omen Weekend for price and frequency range and had same issue.  Zu is made in the US and I bought the tweeter upgrade kit and love 💕 them now. 

Vin Schweikert once told me to break them in by placing them side by side, turning them toward each other very close, reversing the connections to be out of phase, covering them with a quilt or blanket, and blasting a loud CD (or radio) for a few days. I did (was going out of town for I think a long weekend) and damn if it didn't work great. I wasn't in an apartment so it was easier and I'm sure just playing them normally would have worked as well, but it worked. Either way the others are correct: put away the old ones, put the new ones in the same place for comparison (don't mess with the room yet, right now break in is key), turn them on at whatever volume you can for a few days or more, and then come back. Break in is real and your old ones are broken in so give the new ones the same chance. 

If there's an in-home trial period, play your favorite, most familiar cuts, and if it's not working for you, send them back.

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.

j-wall, if/when you can get MBV's Loveless to not sound shouty at reasonable (90-95 dB) levels, please let me know how you did it!  This is on my audio bucket list.  And I agree with recommendation to let them settle in for hundreds of hours before obsessing over the A/B better/worse comparison with your old speakers. 

I've always thought my speakers (Thiel CS2.3) were a bit shouty at higher frequencies esp w poorer recordings, and ever improving room treatments have made a big difference, but a change in DAC (from PS Audio PW to bel canto 3.7) made a surprisingly significant difference, lending credence to the idea that a tweak or change upstream could make a difference. 

Finally, your experience has reinforced something that will be a huge pain, when I buy the next pair of serious keep for year speakers, I audition them at home first, hopefully for several days.  This kinda sucks from a logistics and cost perspective but will help avoid the risk of buyer's remorse.  So thanks for sharing!

I hope you are still reading these responses. So,.. the $3,000 speakers sound almost as good as the $10,000 speakers (replace speakers with amps or turn table...etc,) so then I always feel as if I want my money back in my pocket and I'll be happy with the lesser costs. Truth is that often the new stuff is better but everything down stream is the same so No, it's not gonna reflect the differences which are subtle ones and subjective. Ughhhhh!  Been here and then sold but later learned just how good things get down stream after years go by and then, "wow I wish I had that product now,.. or I bet it'd sound really great if only I still had that THING now that I've upgraded frigging everything else.  We are all in the same boat at times. Advice- keep the Sopra and work to find the right cables, pre, DAC,.... and give yourself time. You'll be happy you did in the long haul. They're fantastic speakers. Good luck n good listening. It's not an overnight thing. The journey is longer than we think it should be. 

Whenever I read “blew away”, I just stop right there. It reminds me of something a 15 yr old boy might write.

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...😁

@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...

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. 

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

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

@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.    

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,

Did you mention whether there is a trial period timeline?

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. 

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.

Awesome speakers. You'll grow to love them. 

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. 

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. 

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

@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. 

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

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.

...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*

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

My life is Complete. :))

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. 

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.