Sopra 2 Amp Recommendation

I've heard a good pairing of Sopra 3 with Esoteric F-05, so I guess you could look for a Esoteric S-02?

Another amp that impressed me at your price range was SPL Performer S1200.

Anything stable at 2 ohms

Weare a focal dealer and were an anthem deale the str integrated is a bit hard and mechanical sonding

Aunison research unico 150 would amaze you

It is a150 watt hybrid Italian made integrated 

Dave  and troy

AUDIO intellect  nj

Focal dealer

Coda!

I have Sopra 2’s connected to a McIntosh MC462, Backert Labs Rhythm 1.4 preamp, Lumin U1 with XP1 power supply, & Aqua LaScala DAC. My system is in a dedicated media room. The secret is in treating the room. 

With Focal Sopra 2's I was using the Bob Carver Raven 350 WPC mono blocks running straight out from a Lumin X1. Loved the combo.

ozzy

Keep the suggestions coming! I’m looking into all of these!

Amp CODA 16 with Pre o7x

Prior to my current pair of TAD Speakers matched with my Coda 16, I too had a pair of Sopra 2's. First paired with McIntosh MC 601 Monos (not good). They were bettered when I (finally) ditched  all my Mac gear and then fed them with a pair of Pass XA60.8's. They really sang when I replaced the Pass monos with my current Coda 16. The bass was deeper and tighter, and the mids and highs were more detailed without sounding analytical. If it helps, I have an Aric Audio Motherlode preamp that worked brilliantly with the Sopra/Coda combo that still serves as my reference preamp today.

Stick with Anthem and get the P2 amp, it has plenty of power and can easily handle a 2 ohm load I've had my P2 amp for over 5 years and will only replace it when Anthem comes out with a new version of the P2.

Laaudionit,

Interesting comment on the Mac, I don’t disagree as I have not heard any of those. but does show the importance of listening to them yourself.
 

I find it important to use a low enough tap. If the speaker is low ohm (like the Sopra) the 2 ohm tap really changes the sound (darker) vs the 8 ohm (brighter). Food for thought for anything demoing Mac.  

@laaudionut Im super interested to hear why you didn’t like the Mac. I was looking at a used Mac 611 but now I’m second guessing! I’m hoping I can audition them. 

I will preface the following with this; for a dozen or so years prior to me selling off my Mac gear, I was a (naive) fan. Early in my audiophile days, I too became smitten with the big blue meters and the timeless aesthetics of the gear. To me, it never disappointed and always held their value when I decided to move up the line. In order, I had the following Mac Amps, 754, 150, 300, 501, 2301, and finally the 601's. Most of them fed a pair of PSB Stratus Gold speakers before I decided to finally upgrade my speakers...the Focal Sopra II was the choice.

They were a demo pair from a local shop so I know that they had been broken in some. At first listen, I was buzz killed with the lack of dramatic improvement...they seemed veiled, messy, slow and lifeless, with not much low end. I spent hours in repositioning and various room treatments that were acceptable by my wife, nothing. It could not have been the speakers, as they sounded fantastic in the shop, could it be the amplification?! I found a great deal on a pair of Pass XA60.8's and figured that if I bought them and did not like them I could easily sell them and recoup my investment, nothing lost but time spent. The Pass with the Focal was an immediate punch to my audio senses and they (the Pass) were to remain. My Mac days were over. 

I use the Holo Serene preamp with the CODA #16. I had the CODA 07x preamp before but prefer the utterly silent Serene. I sometimes move the CODA #16 to the system with the Benchmark LA4 preamp. In fact, the LA4 was the preamp I got after selling the 07x. Again an utterly silent preamp and love that too.

The CODA #16 would pair well with the BE drivers on the Focal. Though I would likely look at a warmer speaker such as a KRELL Dou 300XD. I used the LA4 with both of those amps and loved the sound.

Another amp that may work well with the Focal based on how amazing it is with my Magnepan LRS+ (as is the CODA #16 with the LRS+) is the Sanders Sound System Magtech. It is not Class A smooth like the KRELL and CODA but the pairing with the LRS+ is incredible. It really does not offend in any way, I get ear fatigue easily with bad sound. The LRS+ sounds better with a lot of watts and current which both the CODA and Magtech provide. I forgot if the Focal is also a power hog. The KRELL is equally powerful but never heard with LRS+ (it should be great).

@mattlathrop Send me a DM if you are interested in a CODA #16.

I ran a BHK250 for a year and was happy with everything but the heat in the summer. I'm sure a pair of BHK300's would be a vast improvement. I'll be trying some class D with my Sopra 2's soon. 

Another great consideration...I recently heard the Atma-sphere Class D amps and was highly impressed with their effortless musical presentation.

Inhave bothe BHK250 and 300’s on mine. Both are great. Better with 300’s. I got mine for under 7k used. 

I had the sopra 2 and a JL 113v2 with the JL CR1 crossover. I ran them with a Pass 250.8 and a Pass XP10 pre amp. They sounded just ok to me and previously I’d had the Pass gear running Focal 1038 BE (which I preferred over the Sopra 2), Harbeth HLS5 S Super- which were excellent and a few other speakers. The Pass gear is neutral to warm or neutral to slightly dark I find. The Sopra 2 were always too etched for me, too recessed and too constrained, not sure what the issue was, the tweeters or mid range flatness) I could never get engaged with them- I sold them and moved onto Wilson Sabrina and then Sasha 2 which sound great with the Pass set up. I think the Sopra 2 are very tricky to mate with an amp and I never figured it out - I just know that all other speakers, including other Focal sounded great with the Pass and the Sopra 2 didn’t- they were uninvolving and not warm, musical or inviting.

The Pass preamp was your weak link...they are awful and pale in comparison to their amplifiers. 

@mattlathrop 

I have had my Sopra 2's for 3 years, I ran them with a BHK250 until about 2 weeks ago when I upgraded to the BHK300's.  I love the sound of this combination, in my room they just sound so natural with a mid-range that makes voices sound real to my ears, and those tweeters are absolutely sweet sounding (if that makes any sense).  I don't notice a lot of heat from the amps but they are warm to the touch.  Good luck with what ever amp you end up with.

@mattlathrop 

I know you want to keep your Anthem, but a used Gryphon Diablo 300 might suit you very well! It will provide a beautiful soundstage and tremendous punch. When I chose my system, it was between the Diablo and a pair of McIntosh MC6111s. (I power a pair of KEF Ref 1 Metas). I went with the 611s because they bettered the Diablo in midbass/bass, along with being warmer. However, when auditioning the Diablo, there were many jaw-dropping moments regarding bass that just made me smile and reflect on how this integrated can do this!

The Parasound line is a good match. It’s warm and I think with the Focal tweets and mid presence it’s a good overall balance. Relatively affordable and IMHO less irritating to me than Pass.

Of course, I’m very much in the minority but if given a choice I am sure listening for yourself you’ll come up with strong preferences.

Some tips for your current setup:

• Tilt the bass so it descends, and lift it 3 dB or more above your mains.
• Try limiting the maximum frequency of the room correction to around 300-400 Hz. See if you don’t like that more.
• If the Sopras are ported, plug them and re-run your room correction. 

Focal's floor standers tend to have a depressed impedance around the mid bass which can make them sensitive to amplifiers, so if you decide to upgrade your amp you want to go on the heavier/high current side.