Sopra 2, YBA ,Mcintosh - Justin's room tour

#audiophile #computeraudio #hifi #stereo #roomtour
Sharing an audiophiles room
NAD Masters M17 pre pro
Emotiva XPA gen 3 power amp
Sony blu ray S5000ES
Focal Electra centre
QED racks
YBA Genesis Pre
Mcintosh 152 power
Focal Sopra 2
Chord Qutest DAC
Innuos Zen mini mk3
Innuos linear power supply
Sunfire true EQ sub
REL S5 SHO sub
Monolith subwoofer
JVC DLA 3D 1080p projector
LG OLED 4k 65
Entreq cabling
Wire world mains filter
Dynaudio rears

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Please keep the comments respectful and positive. I like to see more people sharing their system and the point of the video is so we all have fun and not for us to criticize other people's systems and points of view. Justin youtube channel : kzbin.info

[@ufarkingicehole]

You suck Thomas!! I'm kidding. Your one of the most loved audiophiles on KZbin. You have great reviews, you listen and often interact with your viewers, and keep the content flowing. Your the man!!! Thanks Thomas

[@Smood47]

Thomas D5.1 on sale full warranty, audiogon for $68k USD. Do it brother! You will have true end game. :D

[@borlach321]

I meant no offense. Just trying to find out a few things about this amp. It sounded very good, especially I'm midrange. But I noticed it uses UI-core transformer over Toroid. Is that a better transformer? I have no experience with UI-core products.

[@tanjuvenhar7446]

Thomas. When is your Focal Sopra 2 review coming up?

[@hawaiiguykailua6928]

The leather RATS, who makes them??? I need to buy them:)!!!

[@mikechafe419]

"As you know, being an audiophile is a very lonely hobby". Word Thomas. Word.

[@nostro1001]

Great idea Thomas and BIG thank you Justin for sharing. Great effort fellas👍🎶😀

[@robertcowart2456]

A fantastic well thought out system and a nice presentation. The room size is obviously your biggest challenge - well done.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Thank you. Bass is actually really taut and nimble but also deep and powerful. The solid concrete floors help a lot. :-)

[@anandshah71]

Nice video Thomas glad to see other people talk about their setup. Keep it up. There are all kinds of consumers mix and match as long as they are happy great. Keep exploring learning everyday.

[@timrassi5535]

Beautiful system. I really appreciate the care that went into achieving component synergy.

[@ThujanK]

Awesome system, It seems true to real life issues and I love how there's alot of character and personality in the room! Thanks for sharing thomas!

[@christophernoto]

Well done! Thanks, Thomas and Justin!

[@caseycjc1890]

Very impressive system as well as Justin's clear and detailed analysis! Bravo

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Thank you. Wasn’t easy to fit it all in to the time slot. 😊

[@Chapterrifik]

Awesome Setup and video. I'm sure it must sound tremendous!

[@Simon-dn9kv]

Thanks a lot for sharing your system. The red Focals are just a thing of beauty.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

I do like that colour. Orange and blue was a bit too loud

[@wm2357]

Great system, I'm sure it gives you a lot of pleasure.

[@MrButuz]

Lovely looking system and lovely room. I am dubious about the cables that "add an extra 100 watts" and the microphonic object obsession but willing to let that slide as I appreciate that different strokes for different folks, and the work in creating the video.

[@blazermdx]

I love those red Focals! A pair popped up here locally, on the 2nd hand market, for $12K. I was drooling! Thank you for the upload, keep up the great work and safe, my friend!

[@briancody8663]

Keep up the good work Thomas!!

[@DUDETHEATER]

love it love it sweet setup bro keep them coming

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Thanks x

[@karlhendricks8864]

this is an excellent idea thomas !

[@Sirflatch]

Amazing Brother 👏 Thank You for sharing your Beautiful System 😍 ❤

[@mikef5659]

One of the clearest system explanations without any wasted words. You must do some public speaking or briefings. Sweet system!

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

That’s very kind. Wasn’t easy to fit it all in within the ten minute mark.

[@bigbaggangsta]

This is insanely thorough

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

🙂 Thank you

[@planchernewfinish]

Like the way you think ! Testing outside the ´´ boundries'´ is the way to go . Refine the sound to our taste without holding on to a specific brand but knowing its capabilities and create synergy. You had a great idea Thomas of doing this!

[@ThomasAndStereo]

By the way Denis, I am getting the Crown amp from Sean really soon. Can't wait to try it.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Thank you

[@Badassvidsz]

Fantastic machines and video Thomas and take care as much as you and everybody can with this corona-virus : my best wishes :-)

[@stanleymah3010]

Fantastic system, thanks for sharing. Agree that synergy is the key. Takes time and $$ to arrive at the right synergy. Sometimes its luck, but most times its trial and error.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Years of trial and error - but I’m about as close as I’m going to get to a system that checks all the boxes and moves the soul. At least in my income bracket. 😊

[@AUDIO.and.SCOTCH]

Awesome 👏

[@CLS2808]

Amazing setup

[@FrankySilverFace]

Great stuff.

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

very nice, great system

[@voodooyoudo1]

Those speakers are beautiful! I'm surprised they work so well up against the front wall and in the corners of the room. All of large speakers I've played with had to be at least 3 feet from the front and side walls to really sound good.

[@NosTubes58]

Beautiful kit there Justin, I myself am an avid YBA ( Audio Refinement ) lover since 1999, way to go.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

I have an audio refinement cdplayer and integrated amp.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

NosTubes58 Yes I love the pre amp. It has fantastic solid midrange

[@paulo1901]

Great couch!

[@melvinturner2461]

Very nice system.

[@rogersharpe2490]

A great presentation by Justin, a really good video. The Focal’s look superb, I would love to audition a pair one day. I think the Chord Qutest might be a bit lightweight in the context of the rest of the gear though. A super system and a very interesting piece ; many thanks.

[@vinoheart]

When you sit in that room, you will be taken to audio heaven, I am sure.

[@FOH3663]

He's absolutely right ... it's all about synergy. In no other area is synergy more important than acoustic synergy Left-to-Right, laterally across the listening room. I'm sure it sounds fine the way it is. That said, there's significant performance left on the table ... Beautiful system, beautiful room, thanks for sharing👍!

[@martinuteng1403]

Those Sunfire sub's are so impressive!

[@suyashmoorpana9408]

wonderful setupp!!

[@ponchantos]

Omg I didn't realise how big those Sopra 2 are 😱😱😱. He basically has exactly what I want. Centre and the rel sub. Don't know if I need something that big but looks great.

[@hamidnia7242]

Hi Thomas, I guess it would be great to mention the room dimension in your room reviews, so the viewer can get a mental image of what system can be fit (or fitted) in what room size with great performance

[@elvinechevarria8079]

Awesome sistem .

[@petek6031]

Hopefully you are getting around to more of these room tours.

[@billbones1000]

Wonderful system, I've owned a few pair of focal and really liked them. Video left me thinking that good tube preamp might be in your future, seems that you like what tubes have to offer.

[@The_910]

Very nice system. Mine is very similar, at least speaker and sub. I have the Focal Sopra 2's and a REL sub and find that that combination with the crossover setting I have selected, tighten the Sopra's bass and enhance the mid range. It truly is a great combination.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Joe Black Indeed it is. Huge wall of 3D sound. 👌😊

[@trekjudas]

I too use my couch as a giant bass trap!

[@trekjudas]

To an audiophile furniture is part of the stereo system!

[@connorduke4619]

Very impressive the way the user has used components (sub--woofer and preamp + amp) rather than just cables to counter the two main issues of these excellent speakers - low bass boom and bright treble.

[@TheLarry8888]

I love focal speakers My favorite Brand I'm Loving my 948 Aria Speakers Very nice set up you have

[@TheLarry8888]

Hopefully In june I can get my Arcam av Receiver also want to get Audioquest rocket 88 speaker wires

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

larry st.pierre Arcam is lovely sounding kit. Fat and smooth with lots of detail similar to Mac. Kind of gets out the way and plays

[@stevenoconnor5693]

Thank you for sharing your room. I may consider doing that myself. That’s pretty awesome though. It will probably be a shorter video lol for myself not a lot to explain.

[@stephantranquille6681]

Thanks Thomas for sharing Justin's great sound system. Obviously a lot of thought has been put into it. Pity the room isn't a few square meters bigger, the system really deserves it. I'm wondering why aren't the surround speakers matching the front Focal?

[@veteq101]

Great gear. The Mcintosh amp is probably one of the least desired amps Mcintosh currently makes; no surprised that it is boring. When it comes to the sofa and the room, we have to work with the space we have available to us, I am sure it still sounds amazing. Enjoy it, thank you for putting the video together, these videos take time to put together.

[@LuxAudio389]

Very clever to use your sub as a bass trap! I think Gene of Audioholics and Bill D. owner and designer of Legacy Audio in Springfield Illinois mentioned that one of the best ways to correct a room with bass issues is sometimes to use multiple strategically placed subs with calibrated room correction. Love your Sopra I too own the No 3 and just like you I was going to buy B&w 802d3 and yeah they don't image well or sound nearly as good as the Sopras. I have a hybrid 7.1 + 2.ch system as well.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Hi, I only use the Rel for music, the other 2 as home theatre. It’s not acting as a bass trap more that it’s just out of phase at rear of room and helps cancel certain nodes and boom.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

gvelez389 Sopra 3 is lovely but too big for my room I’m struggling as is. Sopras don’t flatter bad mixes that’s for sure and even if my amp hasn’t reached thermal capacity you can hear a big difference

[@RealHIFIHelp]

Focal, YBA and Mcintosh is a really good match, I wish more people would hit this combo. YBA is a really good sound and makes the Mcintosh sound more alive and natural.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Agreed they sing beyond the sum of their parts when paired and no single brand combo at that price could compare....Even the Luxman couldn’t challenge them - A great team

[@wayne611]

My right speaker is in the same position as yours and it doesn't affect the sound at all either. First time I've seen that other than mine.

[@f1flick]

You drank all the Kool-Aid.

[@byrong1561]

Sweet looking system. Justin is clearly an intelligent and articulate guy and could probably review hi fi for a living if he so wished.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Yeah, I wish I can talk like him.

[@linmi9472]

Super nice system, everyone hates that couch, may be nothing to do sound, just bothers every audiophile' nerve here😂

[@Badassvidsz]

Agreed 100%

[@jsmctch]

I was chomping at the bit when I saw someone paid 15K for a set of speakers and put a couch in front of one and them claim what a big holographic sound stage. Then I read the comments. I see Im not alone on this. Imagine if he got rid of the couch and placed those speakers properly in the room? Then the video goes on to all the little tweaks he has spent money on but the couch isnt even a thought? I dont get some people. This is not disrespect just common sense

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Hi, I understand your frustrations as I had the same thoughts. Last year I moved from a much larger property which I originally bought the sopras for. When I arrived at my new flat I was horrified that the couch was going to block one of my speakers and considered buying a new couch. I can assure you that due to having a dedicated mid range on top and omni directional bass drivers it doesn’t effect anything. Not in the slightest. This has been confirmed to me by my dealers and many audiophile friends. The imaging is actually better than my last place! Centre image and vocalists are dead bolt centre like you could reach out and touch them. Sound pans effortlessly- dispersion and soundstage depth and width are unaffected. The bass is surprisingly quick and taut but deep and powerful. My dealer who is brutally honest (as he is also a friend I see out of business hours) said he couldn’t believe I got a system that big to sound so good in this room. Hope this helps clear things up. :-)

[@Smood47]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 Dude... its a facepalm plain and simple. Don't make excuses man.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Smood47 I’m sorry but I’m genuinely not - I really would ditch that couch if it effected it in the slightest. I’m very passionate about this hobby.

[@cliffordcostley9798]

Great concept Thomas. This is a beautiful lead-off system. It would be nice to know what the 'philes do for a living and and a little about the evolution of their journey. How they arrived at their current system. And maybe, if they had help with the assemblage.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Yeah, I try to keep the video short else there are so many things we can talk about. Originally I was going to include the naim system he had before cause naim and focal are the same company now so he was expecting perfect synergy. Well, it did not work out for him so he sold his Naim setup.

[@cliffordcostley9798]

@@ThomasAndStereo Maybe you could make it part of your background introduction.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Clifford Costley Thanks Clifford. I work as a cinematographer for TV and commercial cinema. Independent Brit flicks. Not Hollywood. 😊

[@cliffordcostley9798]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 Your descriptive style was very impressive.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Clifford Costley Thank you. 😊

[@hansiangng2808]

I like this #roomtour segment. I sometimes wonder what were the thought process behind the setup, and are the steps people take to improve the sound and future upgrade plans etc. I am thinking of sharing but only photos heh.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

No future upgrades for me. I’m done. 😊 I enjoy it more than ever now as it’s really hard to fault and it’s the sort of system you spin one track intending to do stuff and you’re stuck on the couch for 3 hours. Now I’m in quarantine lockdown for 2 weeks it will come in handy to alleviate boredom.

[@hansiangng2808]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 Nice! I would have call it done too if it was your setup!

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Sure, if you have not sent me yet, please do.

[@hansiangng2808]

@@ThomasAndStereo Thanks. So i send it to the gmail listed in your youtube profile?

[@ThomasAndStereo]

@@hansiangng2808 Yup!

[@MrBditty70]

Justin, great system! You're always going to get naysayers. It's YOURS! That's all that matters. Half the folks are lowkey jealous. I really like the Imperial Red Sopra No. 2's! I wasn't as adventurous and decided to go with the Black to match the rest of my front-end. I've listened to many speakers in the Sopra's price range including Vandersteen's, Sonus Faber, Dynaudio, and Wilson Audio. And while all had their respective strengths, nothing combines the texture, clarity and sound staging ( some of the other sounded rather matted) as the Sopras.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Their amazing all rounders I’d agree. They can be a tad hot in the treble but this is being picky and even this is a plus point as it means they can also do the home cinema thing really well.

[@melodierlt3349]

Twoo yeah !!!!

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

Synergy definitely elevates the system beyond the sum of its parts. It takes a lot of work usually, but sometimes it's a pleasant accident.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Yeah it’s taken me twenty years to get a system sounding this good. It’s been a long journey and the Sopras really gave me 95 percent of what I want in sound

[@Montreal_Audio_Systems]

Great video great system I'm sure a lot of money went into it. Now for the couch in the way you gotta ditch it. You'll be amazed at how much better it will sound

[@Duke-sj4bj]

Lonely Hobby.. ha ha ha... yeah spot on!

[@devondrayton4006]

TOOL. YES.

[@desidesigning]

What and amazing system! Room could have been bigger though!

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

I thought i was everyones favorite Reviewer ! 😆 Thank you very much for letting Thomas video your Super-Fidelity-System ! Thank you also Thomas !! Have you all tried the Itube2 buffer ? Or is the Chord have tubes ? Is that a sony ES 5400 or ES 5000 ?

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

😂😂😂 Thomas rules 😜

[@ThomasAndStereo]

I have an Itube2 buffer, pretty good!

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

@@ThomasAndStereo thank you Thomas got one on its way from iFi for a review i mean overview 😆 Your friends system looks very nice! Thanks for the video uoload

[@pennfootball71]

Great video! I love the Sopra’s. They are my favorite Focal. He should try a Naim amp like the new super nait 3 that will be a much better pairing then the McIntosh midfi box he is using. Another good pairing would be Mola Mola class D monoblocks. They control the bass way way good.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Hi I used to have Naim 250DR and full naim system. Swapped it for Mac as I found the soundstage too narrow and upper mids too forward.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Just to add super nait 3 was cheaper than mcintosh. The 152 in the U.K. is £6k and beats a 250DR never mind super nait. Not sure where you live but naim is cheaper than mcintosh here.

[@pennfootball71]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 Naim is cheaper in the USA too. I have a pretty bad ass Naim Uniti Star and I have new Monitor Gold 200 speakers. My whole system was under 10k US. It is awesome. My freind uses Mola Mola on his Sopra 2's and Raidho D3's.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

pennfootball Radhio is a lovely brand

[@bluelines1792]

So what is the sleek rug made by and the pictures on the wall? Takes me back in time.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Habitat shag pile rug and vintage movie posters from the 50’s and 80’s. :-)

[@sc51153826]

excellent system, and thank you for sharing, very novel idea "out of phase" subwoofer/bass remedy. personally, I may just look for a different speaker instead. 🙇‍♂🙇‍♂🙇‍♂

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

I’ve considered smaller speakers but have got the sound just right and couch isn’t affecting anything. Never been a fan of stand mounts - I’d miss the scale. 😊

[@dicmccoy]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 I agree. Sometimes you can have too much bass. My 2 subs are beside my mains and when they are at 0° it's all bass from the subs and overwhelms the mains. This makes my mains sound a bit thin and did not want to blend with my subs. I was tuning with phase knobs on the back of the subs and found they blended best when at 180°. Now my mains sound full and the subs blend in perfectly. Very nice system. Congrats. 👍 I've always loved Focal speakers.

[@richard1807]

Sound Ideas can you explain a little more about the bass and use of the subwoofer. I have the Focal Sopra 2 and a major issue with base and lack of definition and crowding out mid range? Thanks

[@willmac5642]

Didnt quite get the crossover chestiness/ tweeter part- did he mean the high pass on the midrange? Anyway agree, fantastic speaker that does male vocals much better than the various Sonus Faber's, which usually cross a too small mid too low

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

The tweeter is crossed over lower and they really nail the timbre of vocals. It’s a feat that many speakers get wrong and these things on a good recording can give you that creepy feeling of the singer between the speakers taking up residence in the room. You can hear the urgency in voices. Any speaker that can do that at any price is a knockout in my book. Get the mids right and the rest falls into place - but these also happen to have really detailed extended treble and tight deep bass.

[@meshplates]

Nice Speakers that are suffocating perhaps in the corners. Maybe smaller speakers you could set away from the walls, front and sides would give a better overall result. The Rel sub connected only to the right channel is also not by the REL book. stereo still has separate bass right and left. A single sub should be connected to both channels to give you all the LF info.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Probably but have to balance ideal vs real life living space.

[@meshplates]

Thomas & Stereo actually the screen size forces the speakers left and right. The sofa forces them towards the front wall.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Mark Donen Hi, thanks for watching. 95 percent of bass on recordings is identical in both speakers. 2 subs is more about soundstage and blending than anything. In my system I’m not doing that. I’m only using my sub to tighten bass being out of phase as if anything there previously was a bit too much bass energy from Sopras. I have the sub dialled in at 4 then I turn it up at low level for movies. The sopras just sound tighter and a bit deeper now. 😊

[@meshplates]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 all it takes would be connecting the sub to the L and R outputs on the amp. Bass is not always the same left and right. REL is an advocate of stereo subs for several reasons, one of which is bass is more directional than people believe.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Mark Donen I can only go by what Rob told me and my ears. Yes ideally use two stereo subs. Mainly older recordings like the Beatles use different bass signals (when you actually hear the soundstage go lopsided (like the bass from a drummer only coming from one speaker). For the majority of practical real works applications bar wanting a more even bass response with smaller speakers and an even bigger sounds stage one does the trick for my situation. Don’t forget sopras are still outputting 27hz of bass so when that drummer hits only in the left speakers bass you’ll feel it and hear it and won’t miss anything.

[@pala23mj]

IMPRESSIVE!!! I am so amazed how many audio nutz there really is!! Great job on explaining each component on your system!! SEXY ASS F

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Thank you

[@gwapster13]

I feel like big Focals need a lot of breathing space in the bass. But i like bass so I wouldn’t mind getting a pair of those beauties. B&W 803 D3 is what i want though. 😀

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

I came close to getting the 802D3 but the sopras were more to my taste.

[@iampuzzleman282]

We’re vicoustic diffuser panels a better choice because they better control waves rather than kill sound via absorption and good for small room acoustics. Focal speakers are intriguing.

[@Gez492]

Hi Justin/ Thomas thank you for sharing and very happy your system is giving you real pleasure. I probably wouldn't have gone for the Focal as I find them a little too analytical and slightly metallic but that's just my ear. I would add I heard Focal floor standers with a vintage British Lumley integrated Tube Amp which sounded fantastic, so I guess amp partnering is all important with ruthless speakers. Could you say why you connected the REL in this way? Tapping off the speaker connection terminals is fine when you have two Subs running stereo but in your configuration you have to go with connection to the same amp to which your main speakers are connected. I had S3/SHO with my Proac Response 3.8's in the following configuration for use with class A/B (Red to Right Positive; Yellow to Left Positive; Black to either Right or Left Negative).That way you translate all the information and nuances contained in the stereo domain and achieve a better balance. Of course you could go "long Bow" Wireless which is very effective too. I now have two S3/SHO's subs in the stereo chain tapped directly off the L&R speakers, they are placed each side and slightly behind my Proacs. This combination is seamless and super fast and pressurize my 40 sq. /m room more evenly than one S5. That said you have a great system there, personal to you and that's all that counts ultimately.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Hi, thanks for watching, I used to have my sub wired to my power amp. For some reason the bass was muddier and less taut. Even though it’s a mono signal 95 percent of recordings have identical bass in both speakers. So I tried wiring it up to the right speaker, as I know they do this for stereo configuration at Rel trade shows. The bass was much tighter and deeper than on just the Mac. IMHO I prefer matching both the amp and speakers sound signature as opposed to just the amp. Ideally you’d want two stereo subs but I’m very happy with its current sound. I use it only to tighten bass as sopras have enough for a room. It’s dialled in at 4 then I turn it up to 15 on low level input to aid the other two subs for films. :-)

[@Gez492]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 I never experimented with that REL config when I had one, it just didn't occur to me as I was getting the underpinning and releasing the Proacs to do their thing from mid bass to the upoer registers really nicely. I don't really know if the combination is different sounding with a stereo pair tapped off the L&R speakers as current compared to one tapped of the amp its not a fair comparison but I am sold totally on the stereo set up in my room so glad I went for REL so fast so seemless. Enjoy your system bud, it really great.

[@meshplates]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 "IMHO I prefer matching both the amp and speakers sound signature as opposed to just the amp." Don't know what you are talking about here mate: connecting the sub to the amp terminals or the speaker terminal gives the same result and is exactly the same electrically. "Matching the speaker signature" doesn't exist.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Mark Donen Hi Mark - I was with REL a few months ago at an event. Saw subs hooked to to the speakers. Was advised by Rob to do this as he said it was worth trying due to using it to tune bass rather than add ; even though it’s not stereo. He’s high up, I think he’s senior manager here in the U.K so knows his stuff. In my room and application it sounded better. I use my ears and don’t get into Rel literature online. Sometimes it’s trial and error and you have to do strange things that aren’t the norm to get the results you need. Hope this helps. 😊

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Gerald Holley It may not sound better in your room or for your purposes to hook it to the speaker (or speakers in stereo). as opposed to amp. For my situation it was a night and day improvement. Blends perfectly and deepens and tightens bass and expands soundstage in both directions. 😊

[@scottlowell493]

Focal sopras can be classified as "highly functional art." Both form and function are top notch. *IF* I had the space- they are a dream speaker. I have bookshelf focals and they do everything I could ask of high end audio reproduction.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Yes, I have the Focal 1008 too and it is 'high-end' sound.

[@JG-gg9wk]

Beautiful system. You've no doubt heard it, sure it sounds as good as it looks. That maze of cabling behind the system looks daunting. Maybe asking viewers who sent in clips of their system, include cost of their systems. Just a thought.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Sadly I never heard it cause we live far apart. I have the sopra2 myself so i have an idea. The reason I did not want to put the price anymore is because I want people to send me their system regardless of cost. I worry if I start listing the price, people with budget system will feel uncomfortable sending me their system.

[@marcus1970]

Nice mention of Nintronics... Great high end dealer in the uk👍🏻

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

They are so friendly. Gave me a great price on all my Naim trade ins. Bought both my Mac and YBA amps from them. Sopras came from Audio T in Brighton. 😊

[@marcus1970]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 my Parasound JC5 came from them, SVS SB16 Ultra too..... Believe they're one of, if not THE biggest UK naim dealer...... Great system you've assembled👍🏻

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Marcus Latuske-Hearl Thank you. That parasound is a beast.

[@jeromejax8675]

Nice setup, alot of moving parts to this system. The owner spoke of the Sopra 2's being bass heavy, might the placement of the speakers so close to the walls be the contributing factor? Do these speakers need room to breathe or is the room dimensions the culprit? I have the Kanta 2's placed 3' from the rear and 2.5' from the sides and I have good punchy bass not deep bass without subs but they are coming soon.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

I have them 3 ft away from the wall and it is still bass heavy. If you love bass and have the room, Sopra 2 is the way to go. The Kanta 2 is no bass heavy compare to the Sopra 2 so in my upcoming review, I will go into more detail regarding that.

[@meshplates]

Agree that the speakers should not be positioned so close to the walls.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Jerome Jax Hi and thank you. My last property was much bigger and sopras do need a big room but with isolators and sub being out of phase they sound perfect to my ears now. Nimble but deep and bouncy with all the midrange and treble intact. Before isolators and running sub out of phase they sounded too sluggish and dark and heavy handed. Now I am happier than a pig in slop. At one point I even considered getting new speakers but not now. 😊

[@jeromejax8675]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 Thank you for the reply. I have a tube based system consisting of: a Prima Luna Dialogue Integrated HP amp with KT 150 tubes powering Kanta 2 speakers, a Lumin T2 Dac, a Modified Oppo 205 BDP, a Audioquest 5000 conditioner with a Edison NRG 20 amp outlet. In addition I have 2 Seaton Submersive F2's coming. My system is a work in progress, continuous improvement. Hopefully one day I will get to the nirvana you have with your system. Cheers...

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Jerome Jax Very Nice system! 👍🏼 I heard good stuff about seaton subs. My room is really my last frontier but i can’t do much about that. But 95 percent of boxes are being ticked and it definitely performs more than the sum of its parts

[@davehattey6567]

What a great idea Thomas and stereo! I wish I could participate.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Sure, film 7 to 8 mins of your system and email it to me.

[@davehattey6567]

@@ThomasAndStereo I can send a few photos. My health forced me to sell my home,and my reference system is still boxed. I have more new gear,but can't drive in,yet. I'm going to really enjoy seeing what your other subscribers enjoy.

[@davehattey6567]

@@ThomasAndStereo photos.app.goo.gl/saoKbqiFMDQwcTmX9 photos.app.goo.gl/anoQCthW9zSjYsiY9 photos.app.goo.gl/ht3WAW14YHwCZcci6 photos.app.goo.gl/tFAjHppw2of37svL6 photos.app.goo.gl/QjyBPipRiu4NkjJz5 photos.app.goo.gl/HDJ9p5HJie99X4Wp8 photos.app.goo.gl/UnwpDuysJ4YrcNyx5 This is my live drums reference. Great production. Drum fills you'll listen to over and over. Thanks Thomas and stereo

[@iampuzzleman282]

Amazing setup. What are the diffusers name? Look really nice

[@ThomasAndStereo]

vicoustics.

[@sidvicious3129]

This system is outstanding and well presented and thought out. I agree with your assessment normally of built in subs with the exception that it depends on the manufacturer. I own a pair of Vandersteen Quatros and I can download some test tones and make adjustments to the back of the speakers so that the bass can match any room that they are placed in so the problem that you mentioned doesn't crop up. The problem is to be very effective you really need an extra person, one listening and one making tge adjustments. It really depends on how the manufacturer chooses to address this problem with built in subs. I have heard your speakers before and I agree with your assessments. Thanks for having him Thomas. I also thought of adding the Chord Quetest to my system as I have heard great things about it. What size hard drive do you use with your cd ripper and is the hard drive built in? Thank you very much for sharing.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Hi Sid! What about you? Send me a video clip of your system and let me share it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@sidvicious3129]

Thomas & Stereo I might take you up on this, but right now my wife has made a compromise to allow me to put things in the living room, but in a space that’s not acoustically to my liking, but I might win this battle with dinner, a designer purse, a promised trip and adding a feature to her car. We will see right now she isn’t speaking to me because I have only agreed to one of the things. Life was easier when I was at my old house and had two rooms, one for 2channel audio and a basement for home theater. If every thing works out it would be great.

[@yannick930]

Great system ! Well put together. I love chord products. No turntable ?

[@meshplates]

If you dont have a turntable you ain't an audiophile.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

yannick930 Hi and thank you 😊 Not a vinyl guy. Not a fan of the inconvenience - And have only heard it sound great at the super high end . I’m not into intermodulated distortion running alongside my music. I have tweaked this system to sound very analogue when the occasion is there in the recording - the entreq cable acts as RF antenna to introduce enough dithering to inject just enough musicality. and richness and some flesh without making it dark or cuddly so it still has snap and vitality. It’s a real balancing act between all the components thats taken a life time to nail. It’s detailed but can still sound really musical and rich on warmer recordings. Or more clinical on others. It basically apes what the recording gives. The les audio Isolators really helped as before my system was too dark and lacking that last bit of air but these gave me exactly what I wanted. Now I’m hearing deep into the mix and even faint background details that I previously couldn’t hear have their own acoustic space and decay into shimmering blackness. Our brains are so tuned into hearing timing errors. It’s almost spooky how much these isolators brought out. No expectation bias or placebo, it was night and day component level jump.

[@meshplates]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 "have only heard it sound great at the super high end . I’m not into intermodulated distortion" Rubbish and rubbish.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Mark Donen Hi and thanks for watching. They are very different sounds and it’s down to personal taste. To my ears I prefer really well set up digital at this price point until you get to the higher end vinyl rigs then they sound amazing. Or even reel to reel which is even better. I have listened to vinyl at my source price point and you’d be surprised just how good and musical the innuos NAS drives are. 😊

[@meshplates]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 " I prefer really well set up digital at this price": premature hearing loss? There is no price point at which digital isn't an inferior musical medium by a mile. DACs are good just for hearing stuff you get on vinyl later or for music you can't hear on vinyl.

[@iampuzzleman282]

Curious what room size is? Is it too small for your amazing speakers? 802 from b&w you were considering would seem way too big.

[@JC.LC.]

How do the sopra 2 sound with the NAD M33 or M22. Are those amps capable of making the sopra 2 shine?

[@pharoahamunra]

wow what an awesome system.I have to say he had a fantastic.explaination of what stillpoints do.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

One day once my system is fully built, I might give tweaks a try.

[@Gary_M]

More like repeating the manufacturers sales pitch.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Still points and isolation are some of the cheapest and best tweaks to any system. Some people will say snake oil but there’s a reason amplifier CD and turntable manufacturers spend millions on R&D devoted to isolating vibrations and microphonic. If you want timing and prat which are ears and brains are tuned to everyone needs to look at isolation. It can be the difference between good and excellent. Component level upgrade

[@johnnykaldani633]

What is the volume of the room? How high is the ceiling? Any acoustic treatment used in the listneing space? Much information that I consider important not even brought up in the room tour.

[@bobmaunus4693]

Hi Thomas. I am NOT an expert with KZbin. How can I send a video of my stereo to you? Keep up the great work! those Sopra 2 look amazing! bob

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Google how to send large files and email it to me at [e-mail]

[@chrisvinicombe9947]

Proper snake nest I approve 😀💪

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Lol. You should see my own setup, 2 times more cables than that.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

Thomas & Stereo That’s just the 2 channel side. Don’t forget the pre pro and other amp on the right.

[@johndude2499]

Nice dissuasion panels. What brand were those diffusers ? waveguide? I can’t see anything of that description online

[@ThomasAndStereo]

They look like vicoustics.

[@HumanAction1]

Beautiful system but man, it drives me nuts that the couch is obscuring half of that speaker. But, it's definitely a cool look into a real world shared space home setup

[@ThomasAndStereo]

I hear you. He told me it did not affect imaging so I guess it is ok in the sense he has to balance between ideal vs real world living space.

[@misterweb111]

I have a similar situation on my second system in an upstairs bedroom. You would not think it could work and mentally it's difficult to get used to, but... I guess if you have right equipment and work with positioning as best you can, you can get very acceptable results. I was very surprised. I get imaging and a wide, deep, even soundstage. Thanks to you both for your efforts! Very enjoyable!

[@ThomasAndStereo]

@@misterweb111 Yeah, that is the thing with audio, you never know until you actually experience it. One might think it will affect the soundstage but sometimes, in real life, it is different than what we think it would be. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@stephenlegg262]

Hi. I have a sofa in the same position with one of my standmounts. Don’t think it alters the sound, fortunately.

[@borlach321]

I looked at the YBA recently. On the back they have the most bizarre speaker binding posts I have ever seen. Are they a pain to use? It looks out of place a non entry level amp.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

I have no idea as I don’t own YBA power amp. Mcintosh and Emotiva only. 😊

[@princeofthekylineskyline2984]

Came for the sofa.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

😂😂😂 You bastard 👍🏼

[@stevenkoski228]

We audiophiles are a lonely group, just try getting your friends to leave once they’ve experienced your system!🤣🔊👍😎.

[@johnlake2784]

is adding a focal behind a sofa recommended?

[@MrBazsi888]

Vovox Textura Fortis is still a strong performer?

[@garyedwards9617]

Super nice system would you please give us a sound clip... :)

[@ThomasAndStereo]

I don't think I will do sound demo unless I can find copyright free music.

[@petekutheis3822]

@@ThomasAndStereo jamendo.

[@d4dbeh]

"this thing times like crazy" lol

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

It really does - I love Chord stuff 😂👌

[@imsgoalie1]

My man is playing his speaker into the side of his couch and is worried about cables and vibrating the capacitors in his crossovers. Alright brother, whatevers floating your boat.

[@totalplonker824]

It's not how it looks it's how it sounds! And to be fair you've actually haven't heard it.

[@williammcenaney9393]

I can only dream of a system like that one. When audio consultant let me audition two Harbeth P3esr speakers, I asked him what he thought of my gear. "It's okay," said. "It's better than a home theater system." Thomas knows that I'm only a beginner and that I bought Kef LS50s partly because he loves them.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

I started in home theatre. I had this endless end game mission to have a home cinema and 2 channel audiophile system in one ..that was exceptional at doing both. It wasn’t easy and resulted in 4 amps and multiple sources and a sea of cables. But I finally did it

[@williammcenaney9393]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 Congratulations. Maybe someday I'll be able to upgrade to excellent gear. A post ago, I mentioned an audio consultant who suggested Hegel Audio equipment when I first heard about it. So if you know much about that band, please tell me about it. Meanwhile, I still plan to buy the Harbeth P3esr speakers from him.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

William McEnaney The name Hegel rings a bell but I’m not familiar with them. Harbeth are very good really musical big baffle speakers that are dynamic and pure. Loved the ones I heard at the Bristol hifi show. Can’t go wrong with Harbeth

[@williammcenaney9393]

@@TheSteppenwolf666 Hegel rang a bell for me only because I earned a philosophy degree. Thanks for the help.

[@gottrekk5798]

Great idea, great system in real life living space. Many audiophiles has far from ideal listening room. If I invested that much money I would hire professional studio engineer to prepare the room a little bit better.

[@OCleirigh1776]

What are those brown leather sacks?