Focal Sopra N°3

SOPRA N°3 3-way floor-standing speaker Compactness, design and high-fidelity sound are the hallmarks of the Sopra N°3 luxury loudspeaker, which comes close to the ultimate performance of Focal's Utopia loudspeakers. It offers more powerful bass than its little sister, Sopra N°2, with its larger woofers. All music lovers will be seduced by Sopra N°3, which harmoniously deploys the bass.                   A CONCENTRATE OF UNRIVALLED TECHNOLOGIES Equipped with the best midrange ever developed by Focal, with NIC and TMD technologies, Sopra N°3 pushes back the limits of reproduction in terms of sound transparency in a compact loudspeaker. With its 21 cm woofers (instead of 18 cm for Sopra N°2), it delivers even more powerful bass.                 THE FINEST MATERIALS Cabinets made in France by our own cabinetmakers, tempered glass to eliminate all vibrations, and a wide range of elegant finishes (Carrara White, Electric Orange, Black Lacquer, Light Oak, Macassar) to enhance the sound. Sopra N°3 underlines the uniqueness of every living space. EXCELLENCE IN DETAIL The deliberately visible decoupling tips were designed for Sopra and manufactured by watchmaking specialists. The Beryllium tweeter is protected by a grille with a lattice pattern. The same pattern is repeated on the back plate of the midrange.         VOLUM CONTROL, PURE DESIGN, MUSICALITY When form and sound become one     TECHNOLOGIES "W" MEMBRANE Perfectly defined midrange and bass By developing and manufacturing its own membranes, Focal pushes the limits of innovation in acoustics. The sandwich "W" membrane of the loudspeakers plays an essential role in sound reproduction. It consists of two sheets of glass placed on either side of a central foam body; a sandwich construction that enables us to master the three key parameters of a good loudspeaker: lightness, rigidity and damping. This flagship membrane of Focal know-how perfectly optimizes the frequency response curve, providing low distortion and total listening transparency. Sound is the ultimate in precision.         TMD SUSPENSION Stabilized surround, eliminates vibrations While our engineers are experts in the development of exclusive diaphragms, they also innovate in all the components that make up the loudspeakers, such as the surround that connects the diaphragm to the frame, the performance of which must be mastered. Introduced in 2015, Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) technology with harmonic damping consists of the addition of finely positioned toroidal weights to stabilize the surround for even greater sonic neutrality. This technology enhances the midrange and the erratic behavior of the surround between 1 kHz and 2 kHz.     BÉRYLLIUM TWEETER For exceptional treble Membrane shape and materials are essential for high-fidelity reproduction. For exceptional treble, our engineers have developed the Béryllium inverted dome tweeter in pure Beryllium. Thanks to its unrivalled rigidity, Beryllium is the material of choice for high-frequency loudspeakers. Developed and patented by Focal, the pure Beryllium inverted dome is capable of covering more than five octaves (1,000 - 40,000 Hz) for perfect perception of micro-details.       INFINITE HORN LOADING High-definition sound For the Beryllium tweeter to deliver all its finesse, it would need an almost infinite volume. Sopra's need for compactness meant that the maximum volume of the cabinet had to be used for the bass. Exploring new ways of loading the tweeter led us to imagine the IHL infinite-load horn. The IHL (Infinite Horn Loading) system enables the Beryllium tweeter to be loaded while respecting the compactness of the loudspeaker. The rear wave is gently and progressively absorbed to avoid distortion. The result is maximum definition.         GAMMA STRUCTURE An anti-vibration cabinet As the surface area of a loudspeaker cabinet is greater than that of the loudspeaker diaphragms, it can radiate sounds that are distorted by the resonances of the cabinet structure. This alters reproduction and blurs the sound image. To prevent such "interference", it is essential that the cabinet is as inert as possible, that it is not emissive. At Focal, we use MDF (Medium Density Fiber) to achieve this inertia. This stable, heavy structure is anti-vibration. It has been optimized by vibratory mapping of the loudspeaker walls to reinforce or modify the structure wherever a weak point appeared.           NIC TECHNOLOGY Very high sound definition For very high-definition sound, control of the magnetic flux circulating in the loudspeaker is essential. Our acousticians have created a magnetic circuit of incredible stability, guaranteeing perfectly controlled sound: Neutral Inductance Circuit (NIC) technology. This patented technology resides in a Faraday ring whose dimensions, material and positioning are optimized to make the magnetic flux stable and the sound highly precise.               REVIEW & AWARDS Focal Sopra No.3 loudspeaker - Read More "Overall, I found Focal's Sopra No.3 satisfying and enjoyable. It was capable of playing absolutely everything with aplomb and power. Indeed, the pair of them fairly invited me to play them loud. The speaker's overall balance was slightly warm, with especially firm, detailed bass. Imaging was clear and stable. Soundstage width was comfortable, depth not so much; that improved with wider spacing of the speakers, but I ran out of room width to achieve even more. I wouldn't consider the Sopra No.3s for rooms any smaller than mine, but ideally they might be perfect for considerably larger spaces. Then you can kick back to enjoy all your favorite recordings, old and new. I'm sure they'll all sound great." - Kalman Rubinson   Focal Sopra No.3 Loudspeaker - Read More "Alternately, I could simply conclude that the Sopra No.3 is one darned fine speaker that easily justifies its elevated price and simply leave it at that. Focal’s brave decision to put the numbers out there, front and centre, certainly invites us to place this speaker in the context of the rest of the range – as well as provoking lively debate. Having spent time with the Sopra No.3 it’s easier to understand why they did so with such confidence. Listen to it and you quickly realise that this is one loudspeaker with nothing to prove and everything to say." - Roy Gregory Focal Sopra N°3 - Read More "My formal conclusion is that this Focal is capable of playing any kind of music; jazz, pop, classical, acoustic, electronic, loud or soft, nothing will give the Sopra N°3 serious trouble. Focal has surpassed itself with this majestic system, where even the most subtle sounds mix with unbridled force. In between anything is possible, the loneliness of Arvo Pärt, the joy of Melody Gardot, the purity of Stacey Kent, the soaring violin of Janine Jansen or eye watering live music by Adele and Katie Melua. The Sopra N°3 is one of those systems that deserves the best electronics you can give it. I did not find or reach its limits, they do exist I am sure, but they must have disappeared into the atmosphere and experience. Recommended without any limitation as long as you have the space for this speaker, the electronics to drive them and a love for music. Sometimes we take our hat off to manufacturers that come up with outstanding products in this price range. Focal is one of them, the Sopra N°3 is a masterpiece that belongs among the best loudspeakers you can buy." - Lasse Svendsen    Focal Sopra N°3 Floorstanding Speaker Reviewed - Read More "Should you buy them? It depends on your budget and needs. Personally, I wrote the check and would suggest that anyone shopping in the higher-end market (especially those who are able to spend much more) find a dealer and demo the Sopra N°3s before you buy something else. They are just that special. Three reviewers on the HTR team have now switched from other speaker brands to Focal Sopras--that says it all." - Jerry Del Colliano   SPECIFICATIONS Sound - Accoustic Product type Bass-reflex 3-way column Membrane W cone Woofer 2x 8.25" (21cm)"W" cone woofers with NIC Medium 6.5" (16.5cm) "W" cone midrange with NIC and TMS suspension Tweeter 11/16" (27mm) pure Beryllium IHL inverted dome tweeter Response at - 6dB (Low frequency point) 26 Hz Frequency response (+/- 3dB) 33 Hz - 40 kHz Minimum impedance 3.1 Ω Nominal Impedance 8 Ω Recommened amplifier power 40 - 400 W Sensivity 91.5 dB Design Depth 402 mm / 15.83 in Height 1264 mm / 49.76 in Width 95 mm / 23.42 in Weight 70 kg / 154.32 lb Accessories Counter points Counter spikes x4 already mounted Grids  Magnetic cloth frame Points Spikes x4