Focal Sopra No1 Loudspeakers (each)
Technological innovation for incredible clarity
“Their imaging prowess and transparency were beyond reproach -- they “disappeared” from my room ... The degrees of delicacy, shimmer, and extension I heard in the top registers were breathtaking, and the Sopras offered taut, quick bass with superb dynamic punch and contrast. ... Once you’ve tasted that combination of detail, body, weight, forward liveliness, and liquid smoothness, all devoid of glare or edge, it’s difficult to live without it. In fact, I was so taken with these speakers that I’ve decided not to live without them. The Focal Sopra No1 is my new reference minimonitor. Focal, send me the bill. And if that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is.”
— DIEGO ESTAN, SOUNDSTAGE! NETWORK, MARCH 2020
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“From the get-go—and especially after a few days of break-in—the Sopra No1 was utterly enthralling. Focal’s beryllium tweeter is surely the best in the business, and the air, openness, and delicacy of the top octaves equaled or even surpassed what’s achieved with many electrostatic or ribbon transducers.”
— ANDREW QUINT, THE ABSOLUTE SOUND, OCTOBER 2016
“For those with smaller spaces, the little Focals offer all the imaging and staging precision that small speaker devotees adore, as well as satisfying doses of dynamic swagger. More importantly, at least to my ears, everything played through the 1s sound thoroughly and unapologetically beautiful.”
— MAURICE JEFFRIES, POSITIVE FEEDBACK, JANUARY 2018
“The Focal Sopra No.1s are impressively sophisticated speakers. They’re refined, forensic and pleasing in their ability to organise all that information effectively.”
— WHAT HI-FI?, AUGUST 2016
Compact and powerful, Sopra N°1 is a concentration of technological innovation. It features "NIC" magnetic circuit, "TMD" surrounds for the midrange woofer and Infinite Horn Loading (IHL) of the tweeter. It is a true "demonstrator", corroborating the contribution of the new technologies implemented on Sopra.
First, the very low distortion gives it incredible clarity and very high definition combined with the spectacular specialization typical of bookshelf loudspeakers...
Beyond this attractive first impression, what's astonishing is the texture and smoothness of its sound. It provides a solid, "fleshy" sound with full and articulated bass. Precious is by no means artificial, nor is the limited to the treble. The overall coherence and harmonic richness give the listener a surprising understanding of the music.
Download the Sopra White Paper
NIC
NEUTRAL INDUCTANCE CIRCUIT
Stabilizing the magnetic field
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.
After having pushed back the limits in electromagnetic technology with the Grande Utopia EM and the Stella Utopia EM, our engineer discovered that the magnetic field varies regardless of its intensity. Indeed, it is not stable because it is modulated by three factors: the movement of the voice coil (Lenz's law), the current passing through it (Foucault current) and the frequency. Consequently, the voice coil, the moving part, is in the magnetic field which becomes too variable, and this leads to loss of precision.
The NIC technology lies in a Faraday ring whose dimensions, materials and positioning we were able to optimize to make the magnetic field be no longer affected by the position of the voice coil, by the amperage or the frequency of the current passing through it. This solution permits to control the magnetic field to decrease the effects of distortion and give the sound a very high-definition and an unprecedented dynamic.
TMD
TUNED MASS DAMPER
The obsession with the midrange
The midrange register is no doubt the most complicated to control in a sound system.
Thanks to the power of finite element analysis, 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. This technology is called a "Tuned Mass Damper": an additional mass oscillates in opposition to the resonance frequency to control it.
Our Tuned Mass Damper consists of simply two tubular rings on the suspension to avoid deformation of the cone without afflicting the dynamics. It reduces drastically the distortion and increases the definition.
This innovation is patented.
IHL
INFINITE HORN LOADING
Getting the most out of the Beryllium tweeter
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, that create interference with the incredible definition. To overcome this, the ideal would be to have a nearly infinite volume. 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 rear of the Beryllium tweeter is loaded via a small cavity which is connected to the exterior of the enclosure by a horn. whom inside is filled with a damping material. Sound waves from the rear of the tweeter are delicately and gradually absorbed. Its acoustic impedance approaches zero so that no resistance alters the movement of the dome. This reduces distortion by 30% and pushes definition to its maximum.
This system is patented.
BEYOND AESTHETICS
AND SHAPE
The Sopra line is destined for the most passionate sound enthusiasts. Its design favors performance, whilst bringing together the qualities expected of an object which will be integrated into very elegant interiors and décors. Lacquered or bloodwood finishes are associated to noble materials to create an elegant line. Substantial efforts were made to give the front a tidy appearance, particularly around the speaker drivers, to iron out any aspects which could afflict the acoustics or the appearance.
Ideal for small rooms up to 270ft2 (25m2), Sopra n°1 is also ideal for spaces up to 550ft2 (50m2). Providing high sensitivity and excellent power handling, Sopra N°1 is a true little monitor for the home.
Sopra N°1 has an optional stand available which has been designed to expel interfering vibrations from the enclosure towards the floor to avoid any colouration. The steel frame inside the floorstander, coupled with the 3⁄4" (19mm) thick glass base using four adjustable stainless steel spikes, provides very high transmission speeds. This is what guarantees an extremely sharp reproduction.
MADE IN FRANCE
Cabinets manufactured in Burgundy
Sopra's cabinets are designed in our cabinet-making facility in Bourbon-Lancy using the same manufacturing process as for Utopia.
Speaker drivers and tweeters made in Saint-Etienne
All Sopra's speaker drivers are manufactured in France for an optimal products control and the guarantee of a unique sound quality.
Assembling and quality control
The final assembly of all our hi-fi loudspeakers is done at Focal to ensure a better quality control.
| Mid/Bass Driver |
6.5-inch "W" Midbass driver |
| High-Frequency Driver |
1-inch Pure Beryllium IHL inverted dome tweeter |
| Frequency Response |
45Hz - 40kHz |
| Sensitivity |
89dB |
| Weight |
41 pounds |
