Focal Sopra N°3 (Each)
Focal Sopra N°3
Generous & Controlled Bass
3-way high-end loudspeaker – 2 woofers 8¼” (21cm)
The longest standing loudspeaker of the line, Sopra N°3 perfectly combines dynamics, space optimisation and harmonic richness.
With its two 8¼" (21cm) woofers, this loudspeaker offers solid, rich and perfectly defined bass for music lovers looking for optimum performance. Despite its reasonable size, it will reveal its full potential in rooms measuring up to 860 ft2 (80 m2).
Sopra clearly inaugurates a new era for the “Premium High End” by taking into account new performance criteria. Compact, modern, a pure design, character... all these are essential factors to ensure perfect integration into your interior.
Equipped with best midrange drivers ever developed by Focal, with the NIC and TMD technologies, Sopra pushes back the limits of sound reproduction in terms of transparency in a very compact enclosure. Indeed, unlike Utopia, which is extravagant by essence and where size is by no means a constraint, Sopra aims for maximal compactness to ensure easy integration into reasonably sized rooms.
NFINITE HORN LOADING
Our Beryllium tweeter features an incredibly light and extremely rigid dome, that deliver a transparent and dynamic sound. Its main limitation comes from the compression of air in the cavity behind it. But the requirement for Sopra to be compact meant that as much of the cabinet as possible had to be used for the bass. We had to explore other options for loading the tweeter, which led us to come up with the IHL system. The "IHL" system enables to load the Beryllium tweeter respecting the compactness demand of the speaker. The rear wave of the tweeter is delicately and gradually absorbed to avoid any distortion. The treble definition is pushed to the maximum
NEUTRAL INDUCTANCE CIRCUIT
Since the beginning, we have always had a great interest in the magnetic circuit, an essential aspect of a speaker drive unit. The precision and detail of audio reproduction depends on the stability of the magnetic field. NIC technology (Neutral Inductance Circuit) permits to control the magnetic field and finally enables to master it in order to limit distortion. It decreases the effects of distortion and give the sound a very high-definition and an unprecedented dynamic.
Tuned Mass Damper
Our teams have revealed resonances which alter definition in the suspension which connects the cone to the basket. The solutions already known for increasing the damping properties of the suspension all result in an increase of the mass which consequently alters definition. The answer came from a technology used in earthquake-resistant skyscrapers and which is also used for the suspension on racing cars. "TMD" technology consists of optimising the suspension profile which controls the resonance in order to drastically reduce distortion and increase the definition of bass and midrange.
Details
The main theme of Sopra is deliberately uncluttered, though it still offers connoisseurs the opportunity to enjoy all the small details. The grille with an incremental meshing motif protects the Beryllium tweeter and gives it a strong identity. This motif is repeated for sealing the curved back panel of the middle section. The terminal board, the thumb nuts and the adjustable spikes have all been specially designed for Sopra, as have the few visible screws, all of which were manufactured by watchmaking experts.
No sacrifice of performance to aesthetics
The sleek design of the line naturally favours its performance, whilst the combination of high-end materials with an array of finishes provides real character and sophistication:
- coloured varnished finishes: Electric Orange, Carrara White, Black Lacquer.
- wood finishes: Light Oak, Smoked Oak, Macassar.
The architecture of Sopra N°3 hinges around the central section. Made by polyurethane injection, this makes it possible to angle the top and bottom subs to achieve ‘Focus Time’, where the two channels acoustically converge.
DETAILS
The main theme of Sopra is deliberately uncluttered, though it still offers connoisseurs the opportunity to enjoy all the small details. The grille with an incremental meshing motif protects the Beryllium tweeter and gives it a strong identity. This motif is repeated for sealing the curved back panel of the middle section. The terminal board, the thumb nuts and the adjustable spikes have all been specially designed for Sopra, as have the few visible screws, all of which were manufactured by watchmaking experts.
MASTERING THE CABINET AND CHOICE OF MATERIALS
Made in France Sopra’s cabinet was designed in our cabinet-making facility in Bourbon-Lancy (Burgundy, France) using the same manufacturing process as for Utopia The 69mm sandwich-machined front panel uses the same principle as ‘Gamma Structure’ to provide inertia and damping. Its density gives it the inertia necessary to provide a stable mechanical reference for optimal definition. The inside of the cabinet has no parallel side panels, and small Helmholtz resonators have been added to the lower section to prevent vertical standing waves. We chose glass as the material for the base of the loudspeaker to provide floor coupling, using spikes, which enabled the fastest propagation time possible, thus eliminating all halo effects in the bass.
Specifications
| Type |
Three-way bass-reflex floor standing loudspeaker |
| Speaker drivers |
2 x 8 1/4" (21cm) “W” cone woofers with NIC 6 1/2" (16.5cm) “W” cone midrange with NIC and TMD suspension 1 1/16" (27mm) pure Beryllium IHL inverted dome tweeter |
| Frequency response (+/- 3dB) | 33Hz - 40kHz |
| Low frequency point - 6dB | 26Hz |
| Sensitivity (2.83V/1m) | 91.5dB |
| Nominal impedance | 8 Ω |
| Minimum impedance | 3.1 Ω |
| Crossover frequency | 250Hz / 2 200Hz |
|
Recommended amplifier power |
40 - 400W |
| Dimensions (HxWxD) | 49 49/64 x 15 53/64 x 23 27/64" (1264x402x595mm) |
| Weight | 154.32lbs (70kg) |