I had a few drinks and bought some speakers

I had a few drinks and now I have two children.......you got off easy.

Great thread. OP, I hope you get endless hours of enjoyment from your new Focals. Great music and fine whiskey, for me, and especially when combined, are two supreme joys in this life. Gardening, breathing sweet, fresh air, and driving a rambunctious open-air two-seater is also in there, along with sharing a home with my bride of decades and tossing a ball to our intrepid German Shepherd, sometimes for hours on end.

I surely don’t know about any "other life." I figure this is it. And it’s not a dress rehearsal. But, if somehow I do indeed manage to come back, I hope it’s as an audiophile with Italian speakers and vintage tube electronics, and not a frog or worse.

I own Focal Utopia loudspeakers.  If you're really looking to get much more of  the best out of them, doing a parts upgrade in the xover is HIGHLY recommended. They may have an electrolytic as mine did that's well worth replacing but very high end polypropylene such a the top wimas definitely help too. You might need to put them in an exterior box to match the value of the capacitors already in there. After that Townshend
Seismic Isolation Podiums will make a big difference.

What a fun thread! Had a friend in college who had a few too many and woke up with a gal in a motel that wasn’t anywhere as beautiful as the night before. His remark: “the sun crept in, and I crept out”. I bought a pair of 2 way Focal 1007Be monitors about 11 years ago. I sold them about a year ago to an audiophile friend and regretted that decision. He graciously sold them back to me. They are tipped toward the treble. Bright but not brilliant. Had paired with a musical Audio Research 100.2 amp and Ref 3 preamp, which was great. You need a little yin for the yang. And avoid a lively room. I think used Sopra 2s are a great purchase myself, alcohol based or not. Congratulations! Enjoy the music

@desktopguy you 100% nailed this. Buying speakers drunk or sober, the result is the same and the build up is the same. 

@nitewulf Brimstone is a fun whiskey ride. I have a bottle that I pull out when I want to feel like I'm sitting next to a fire while camping. Rye 100 is phenomenal and Baby Blue are on my rotation this week. A nice Glencairin glass to sip and listen to music is my life. Hopefully these Sopra's make that experience better!

Also I highly suggest Van Brunt Single Malt, which is my local, Brooklyn based American whiskey, if you can get a bottle.

Balcones Brimstone is one of the best American whiskeys I ever had. The quality has gone down from what I understand. High West Campfire is a decent alternative as well. Typical bourbons are sugary sweet and not my jam.

OP, thanks for a terrific thread.

I don't drink, but it hardly matters: this topic is 100% about human nature...

j-wall, While I am a Magnepan fan I appreciate the many ways to engineer speakers. I doubt you live close enough to Delaware where I live to let me help you push those splendid speakers up the stairs. I am a MOST amateur bodybuilder but no power lifter. So I could help. I always appreciate stories of wives at least eventually accepting speakers, amplifiers, etc. needed to make life worthwhile.
It appears common for bodybuilding and audio to intersect. Check Hugo Rivera on Audioholics.
Wives, here is my advice. Accept your husband's lifestyle even if you find bringing the opera or the symphony into your home bordering on snobbery. Meet him halfway by finding, or if you are really good at getting what you want from him and he can do it, building a cabinet to house his electronics in a piece of furniture that matches the style of your living room. If he is an amateur bodybuilder, who does not use steroids, and you are among the estimated 60% of women Planet Fitness claims prefers her man to have what they call a dad bod, allow him to have the kind of healthy body he wants. The alternative is your man stuffing his face with Doritos and Coke while watching sports for hours on end, (something I have observed many women do not appreciate) until he sports a beer belly so colossal it will gross you out. Better yet, join him when he works out and try his diet. You will be surprised how much better it tastes.

I just got tired of waking up next to women that were hairier than me, we all buy while under the influence of something or somebody.

I think I'll get some of that bourbon just to see what I end up buying!

This is a fun thread, congrats on the purchase.  I recently did something similar with some wood QRD diffusers I’ve been on the fence for, lol.

The room is everything in this hobby, hope these work well for you, they’re a nice spkr. 
Although, you will need to take of the Sopra logo and replace it with “Balcones” :)

It coulda been worse.  I got likkered up one night and bought an airplane.

You shouldn’t drink and drive. I’ve zero tolerance for those that do. Why drink? I don’t even have a beer. Control yourself. 

I was sober wehn I got my Sopra No 2's. They are white and I admit that the decision was based partially on aesthetics. I am a relative newcomer to the audiophile world, and LOVE my speakers in my 14x20 room. I also have a Sony 100" short throw, so it is used as a theater as well. I got the Sopra center speaker and two Aria 906 for the rear. They are obviouslydrop dead gorgeous, and they sound better than anything I or any of my non-audiophile guests have ever heard. Unless you talk yourself into the need for "even more," you should be happy for a very long time. Enjoy them this holiday with or without a cocktail.

I love the posters idea of a thread 'hifi gear I bought while under the influece"   I suspect, as with me, it is a more common occurring thing than might be expected

I hope the OP has no regrets after his very Human experience...

BTW, I agree with the OCD HiFi Guy.
(Maybe not the Right Forum to go on about it, but someone has to say what we all secretly suspect is the situation regarding some Established Brands and their commitment to our Hobby vs their interests)

Yes to above poster.....
Focal may have jumped the shark.....

Any buyers remorse this morning?

To ya’ll,
I’ll drink to that!

My Opinion, since you asked is Sopra 2 is nowhere near an end all be all speaker, Focal as a brand is totally petered out and corporate now so they serve highly marketed speakers without much substance for too much money (at retail price)  If you paid half price and you can figure out how to tame the unruly sharp top end (which means a band aid to pad the tweeter) then hey, youve got a speaker that everyone that does not know too much about HiFi will recognize and applaud in unison. You can power it with Mcintosh or Audio Research 2 other brands that are all squeezed out and nowhere near what they once were.  Use Audioquest Wires and I guess we could say youve got a Stereophile or Absolute Sound system.  And before you new ish guys start to flog me with bullshit. This is my opinion only , I could be totally wrong ... Im entitled to my opinion , remember its a forum. I dont respect the killer brands of yesterday that have sold out . Realize the founder is nowhere near and its investment bankers running the deal. Profit is the motivation only. So you'll have a choice in HiFi.. stay on the side with good resale and brand recognition as your goal (poseur) Or learn about the real HiFi that lurks under the layers of the bureaucracy. The misfits that dont wear suits and laugh ostentatiously when in crowds. The true inventors, the whacked out geniuses, the ones that care about your rig and dont just sell you something they get to know you so they can help build a rig for you that gives you everything youre after. These are the companies youve never heard of. only insiders know which ones are best. But remember this is for those committed to music. The ones that know the gear is just a tool to connect us with the music , the ones that know how to create HiFi gear that takes you on an epic journey of discovery .. Just realize there is a whole other side of HiFi that you may not know exists outside these big, well known , sold ten times brand names. Seek and ye shall find. 

This IS the OCD HiFi Guy      

J-wall, what else did you drunk buy?

J-Wall, I am looking for a decent pair of 1028's, can you message me here?

I had the 1028BE and loved them in a 14x 22 room running a Pass 250.8 amp. Musical and detailed. I got the Sopra 2 thinking, bigger, more expensive must be better. Unfortunately for me I could never warm up to them and they never sounded as good. They were detailed / almost etched I thought and very clinical rather than musical. I sold them after endless attempts to get them to lock in and wow me. Maybe it was the room/speaker combo I don't know. 

@j-wall 
We moved into a newly constructed home last year, in my previous home I had a 24' x 26' listening room and the Sopra's definitely filled that space.  They currently live in a 19' x 14' space and are not at all "too large" for their new home.

Never drink and shop at same time.

@Op I agree. 
I keep a reserve supply as I am not a fan of supply disruptions. I do avoid shopping while enjoying though :0

@mrklas in my opinion you can't go wrong with anything Balcones. I've never been drawn to any whiskey as much as I am with their stuff. Baby Blue is amazing. Brimstone is fun like drinking campfire smoke. Rye 100 is dangerously fantastic. They are on my list to visit one of these days. 

@OP  Very nice - I really like their Rye to.  I have been experimenting with variations on the Old Fashioned with it.

@ejr1953 this will be my end all be all speakers. Even if they aren't in an idea room for a few years until the house hunting starts. 

Has happened to me on several occasions. 
 Not quite a large purchase, as yours. 
  Stayed up late many nights, hanging with single malt, and other friends,....  
  sometimes days later, Amazon delivers a package, or 5 weeks later I get some CDs and other stuff from hmv, or cdjapan, and I check my acct and hundreds are gone.......

 it happens.
:)

I searched for my last speaker upgrade for over a year and was blown away by the 1038BE's.  When I bounced that off a buddy of mine, he let me know that the Sopra line was (at that time) just announced, I ordered them sight unseen and received one of the first pairs which arrived in the U.S.  They are my "forever" speakers, I like them that much!

As for the size of your listening room, I suspect that, if the 1028's were not "too big" for the space, the Sopra's would be similar.

Enjoy!

You don't have a drinking problem you have a room problem.  Now that you have 2 sets of speakers, you will need to dedicate another room to listening.  Yes, you will need to buy input and amplification for this other room.  Drink more, you will be there in no time. 

It depends on your taste. If you like them then you are good. If you don’t, keep drinking, eventually they will start sounding good. I had mine for 3 years and got tired of their brightness and hyper-space detail and eventually sold them and ordered a pair of ATC-150s. It really matters what you pair them with, it does make a difference.

The Focal Sopras are my favorite speaker under $55k. They are really spectacular. Give them room to breathe if you can and they paint an amazing picture. I have had them for years now and continue to be amazed and beyond satisfied. Congratulations on your new speakers I hope they bring you much enjoyment. 

@sgreg1,  I was ready to write the same dam'n thing.  What a wonderful hobby/passion 🎶🎺🎹

If they work well for you,CHEERS! 

Only audiophiles on a thread like this could have this much discussion that involves alcohol, women, and if size matters that is only about their listening room. Love the hobby and the music!

Oh, if I had a nickel...

They are a great sounding speaker, and IMO a nice upgrade.  The speakers have a wonderful clarity, and are not bright sounding.  They do okay close to to the wall, so smaller rooms can be okay.  I am just not sure how small.  They also do well at low volume, albeit with the right electronics.  Hope you enjoy them. 

Enjoy your purchase. Congratulations!

@jrosemd ...but did she like them eventually? 

Or merely retaliate in some $ fashion? ;)  Or...?

Therein being the rub...*snicker*

Years ago, I bought a pair of Magnepan lll’s.  When I got them home, the irate wife asked, “What did you pay for those, $1,000?”
My response: “How did you know?”  She never found out the actual price. 

Well if you don't like them at least you have a better excuse then most people after they buy speakers.....keep drinking..

now all you need is a transport, DAC, preamp and power amp to go along with them!  Have fun.

@rooze that's the only way to do it. That must be how you got your username. And freaking nice system. I love my P10!

TBH, Sopra 1s might have been  better for your room size, but if you like your bass response set to 11, you will have no regrets.  Both are among my favorites.  Enjoy, but keep an eye on your liver function...

My entire system was purchased while under the influence. It’s no fun being a drunk with a hifi problem. 

The only thing I bought drunk was more drink.

A box is a box.  Some are better than others, but all of them distort the music.

Cheers!