Focal Sopra Nº1 / Bowers & Wilkins 705 Signature Review

We give our thoughts on the Focal Sopra No1 and the Bowers and Wilkins 705 Signature speakers.

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Equipment used for review:
Sony 75X900F:
McIntosh MC255
McIntosh MC257
Panasonic UB9000:
Shot on:
Sony a7III:
Sony 24mm

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[philipgardiner]

Excellent review and conversation. Thank you. I bought a new pair of Focal Electra 1008 BE's in 2021 for half the price of their original asking price of $5, 999. I have them paired with a Hegel H90 (for it's warmth), streaming Tidal through Bluesound Node 2i. Cardas Parsec speaker cables enhance the entire presentation. I have the Bluesound connected to the Hegel via a high-end proprietary coax cable vs RCA to take advantage of the superior DAC in the Hegel. The 1008 BE's are sitting on a pair of custom Sound Anchor stands= no sub woofer needed and the sound stage is impeccable.

[LuxAudio]

I love this review. You guys brought a knife to a gun fight. Lol The Sopras are masters at imaging, seperation and disappearing. The decay is quicker than their rivals because their drivers are tailored made in house. Very little goes on in the crossover because everything is tailor made on sight. I own the No 3's, Sopra Center, and Kantas No1 in a 7.1 config. I was going to get the 802d3 in the same config and they are totally different speakers. As for your music choices. It's your music, your money, and your speakers, so always have fun and enjoy it. It's amazing that you can play rock and metal on a high-end system that otherwise sounds compressed and noisy because the lack of dynamic range of the system. But that all changes in a properly set up high-end system. Then the music gets unfolded with virtually no compression and inmersive detail with seperation, fast snare and kick drums being fleshed out with life and bass. Guitars and vocals then are also perfectly imaged. Forget about the staunch Audiophiles. Lol No one is ever happy until they buy what they want, but trust me, everyone is always peeking over the fence. Lol

[doublet]

I enjoyed the video and assessment of the speakers. Keep doing these. Did you do a frequency sweep on both speakers?
I think you should do more of these reviews. Especially in the entry/mid-level. It would be good for individuals that want to test the audiophile waters. They can start to hear what they have been missing.

[Maxime-hoiv]

I discover your channel, nice job guys.
I like this kind of format, i.e. to compare speakers side by side. It’s really the way to do it.
In the same vain, I would suggest you to compare the Focal Sopra 3 to the B&W 802d3.
To me, even tho they are priced similarly, the Focal is so much better, particularly in the highs, which are both more refined, more detailed and smoother at the same time. Also, the foundations are way more solid, it’s like you can feel them anchored to the ground.

[klaymoon]

Great video! I think now it’s time to include Magico A1 in the comparisons! :)

[hubert-williams]

Hello, Im taking a hard look at the Focals sopra no1.. I have a Integrated amp Yamaha A S 2200 my source is the Yamaha CD 2100 SACD player.. I have B&W 706 S3 & 707 S2 and they are lovely. The 705 are not in my view attractive speaker, not only does it have to sound good it has to look good for me. What's your take on the Yamaha with the sopra no1?

[kaelmedia]

Great video, love these with you both :)
Haven’t heard the Focals so can’t say, would love to hear them!

Would be cool to see how they stack up vs 805 D3.

[chasehatton]

It mainly comes down to whether the choice of most top music studios i.e Bowers and Wilkins is to your liking or not. Some might very well prefer a more colored and tuned sound as with the Focal. For me, clarity and true fidelity to the original recording is crucial. Hence Bower and Wilkins any day over the me fair, Shane would have been better served comparing the 805 d4 with the Focal Sopra 1.

[SirMountainpass]

For me the Sopra 1's all day - especially if you add the Sopra SW1000 to the party☺

[zeroice]

I think I see a Dynaudio Contour in the background of the Audioholics version of this video? Any chance we can get your insight on the differences between the Focal Sopra 1 and the Dynaudio when it comes to sound?

[rafaelruiz-tagle]

I really love these reviews and comparisons. Thanks so much for posting them!

As for me, even if you are tight on the money I say……… You only live once, right? Imagine hearing better sound for the rest of your life. In that perspective, $6000 extra isn't so bad. :-)

[valterspelar]

Megadeth Sympathy for Destruction sounds good on the 705s2. Never tried the Sinatures or Focals though. Nice video!

[lboogie]

Nice video bro. I think focal make some of the best speakers in the business

[fredfungalspore]

What you call the wrap around affect is that what they call sound stage ? I was looking at the 805 D3
But breaking news B&W are releasing in August in my country a New B&W D4 Spoke to importer said different looking speakers and better specs But ??? As usual more expensive I hope you can grab a pair and review Yours in fine Music

[dman]

Would you rather have sopra 1s with a pair of subs or kanta 2 towers?

[JoaoSilva-nmus]

Well, after all we are comparing 2500€ speakers (B&W) with 7000€ speakers (Focal). There should be no challenge.

[keepingupwiththejones]

Shane calling him Mick is so money. Like they went to high school together ❤

[frankgyure]

Good review. But yo be fair to
B&W 805D. I have the 805 but with Kevlar. I’m in the process of revamping my audio/video (please notice I did not say Home Theater). I’ve had my 805 for 15 years and I don’t know if I want to start the profile of new speaker searching. Looking forward to your review with different amps. Do you have any tube amps. Too bad you can’t get your hands on a B&W 805D. Thank you.

[ivaylo]

I will take a Focal speakers over B&W.

[tehgman]

Liked how mentioned specific song and talked about how they sounded. I would also appreciate a list of the song you listened to. Do you also listen to modern hard rock variants. Any Soad, staind, bring me the horizon? This is more what i listen to and no one ever seems to mention this type of music.