Speaker upgrade time
 

I'm really contemplating a speaker upgrade. At this point, my system sounds great, but I feel that my speakers are the weak link compared to the rest of my system.

I'm seriously considering Olympica III, Focal Sopra no.2 and Sopra no. 3. I will also need to upgrade my center channel to match.

I've heard all of the Focal models and enjoyed them, but have only heard the Olympica II in comparison. I was really impressed with the O2's timbre, and ability to create lush detail without being strident.

My questions are:

1) Has anyone had any experience with any of these in a largish room (32.5 L x 17.9 W x 9)? I acoustically designed the space to be very controlled, but not dry.

2) Is the O3 "that" much better than the O2, or is there diminishing returns?

3) Would I have issues filling a space that big with any of the smaller speakers? I suspect the Sopra 3 would do just fine.

While I know this is a really subjective question, I value the opinions out here. Thanks in advance!

I have the Sopra No2’s and I absolutely love them. My room is approximately 24wide X 21 long. They sound amazing. I’m using them with McIntosh C52 Preamp and MC452 Amp. Here is a snippet from the Sopra Brochure:

It is perfectly at ease in rooms mea-suring up to 320ft2 (30m2), and is even ideal for larger rooms measu-ring up to 750ft2 (70m2).

Here is a snippet for the No3’s:
Despite its modest size, its full potential can be heard in rooms measuring up to 850ft² (80m²).

I believe you should be fine with the No2’s. I hope this helps.

Thanks very much for the reply. That helps put it into perspective.

i have the o'2 really nice looking speakers.and sound great.i think the o'3 make a little bit more bass thats it.they are for bigger rooms i think.from the quality of sounds its the same like the o'3

I auditioned all the Olympica speakers at the UK distributors presentation when they first came out. The O1 was meh, but O2 and O3 I found very similar, with O3 better bass-wise in larger room. Was very drawn to purchasing O2 for my system, but didn’t, due to my health issues putting off any Audio changes at the time.

I have Sopra 3's in a decent size room, 18 by 16 by 9, but its mostly open on the left side into my kitchen and a hallway. They are pulled out significantly from the front wall and I notice absolutely no symptoms of them being inappropriately sized for the room. Bass is excellent , I'd definitely listen to both the 2 and 3, I much preferred the fullness of the 3 over the 2's. I'm not running them off anything crazy either, just modestly priced NAD Masters separates.

Also check out the focal Kanta 2 speakers.

I have the Sopra No. 3. I think it's a significant step up from the Sopra No. 2 and well worth the cost difference. I would characterize the No. 2 as a very good speaker and the No. 3 as a great speaker. Both excel in the midrange and provide a lot of "body" to voices and instruments. They are "musical" as opposed to clinical or analytical speakers. My musical preferences are mostly classical.

Having said that, I also have a soft spot for Sonus Faber, having previously owned the Cremona M's.

I have owned the Q3 and it was powered with the 800W Jeff Rowland Continuum S2.
My room is 23x18 with a ceiling going from 9 to 20 feet.
The Q3 was good but in comparison to the Futura I own there is no comparison when it comes to power and filling my room.
So Q2 is out of the question IMO.
Q3 could be enough.
Would you be able to fit a used pair of Futuras within your budget?

The Amati Futura would be on a very short list for my destination speaker, if not for the cost. The used prices I'm seeing are still a bit over-budget, when I consider having to do a VOX center channel on top of it all to make it all match.