Some sign of Expert line

[David A]

Hi David,
Can you mention some alternatives to Devialet?
I like Devialet’s design, small footprint, excellent sound, connectivity, but would like to see Qobuz and Tidal ready, and improved streamer on CI board.
Btw, are you satisfied with Sopra on Devialet ?
Cheers

Amps: I'd be looking at some of the NAD Masters Series streaming amps. I was using a NAD M3 class AB integrated for some years before getting my Devialet. Linn has a number of options as do Naim. There's other firms whose names I can't remember but one of them is associated with the guy who was intstrumental in the development of the Ki III active speaker, I think his name is Bruno Putzys. There are a lot more options now than there were 5 years ago.

Re the Sopras: I'm very happy with them. @Pim said that if you like Dynaudio then you would be pretty disappointed with the Sopras. I'd disagree. The Sopras replaced a pair of Dynaudio Contour 1.3 SE standmountres that I'd been using for 16 years and really liked. After lining with them fore years and hearing more than a few other Dynaudios in the Contour and Confidence ranges in the dealer's showroom over the years I was very familiar with the Dynnaudio sound and a larger pair of Dynaudios was on my list of speakers to listen to when I bought the Spores. They are definitely different to the Dynaudios, I think some people would say they're on  the clinical side and the Dynaudios on the warm side. That's probably true in some ways but clinical and warm are on opposite sides of neutral and I think my Soppras are a bit closer to neutral than my Contour 1.3 SEs are. I also think they make a great combination with my Devialet but so did my Dynayudios.

Like all speakers you need to listen to them before you make a decision. I'd listened to a lot of speakers before I bought the Contour 1.3 SEs, many of which I liked, but I didn't fall in love with the 1.3 SEs, I fell in lust with them. They really pressed all of my buttons in a way in which the other speakers I had listened to had not. I had the same response to the Sopra 2s when I heard them.  At that stage I'd  had my Expertt Pro for several months and had decided that I wanted to get some bigger speakers than the 1.3 SEs in order to get a bit deeper bass response. I had only auditioned about 3 or 4 other speakers and one long 2 hour listening session with the Sopras driven by an Expert Pro  was all I needed. I had a similar reaction to them as the reaction I had to my 1.3 SEs when I first heard them in the shop. I've had the Sopras since May or June 2017 and I'm as happy or even a bit happier with them now than I was when I got them and I was very happy then.

If you're looking for new speakers have a listen to the Sopras and see what you think but listen to other speakers and make up your own mind. Just because I had and like Dynaudios and like Sopras doesn't mean that everyone else who likes Dynaudios will like the Sopras. Tim like Dynaudios and obviously does not like the Sopras. Speakers are the one part of the system which I think provoke personal taste responses the most. As I said, I don't think anyone should buy speakers without listening to them first.