Our Focal Sopra No 2 floor-standers arrived a few weeks ago. In the midst of pre-show chaos, a visitor, and a miniature holiday, they got some run-in but certainly not enough. No question that they are very good and VERY Naim compatible, though.

The day before our Audio Show, the stand-mount No 1 (in white just like the one above) arrived and, yesterday, we unpacked them. Connected to Naim S1 fronted system with twin 555 powered NDS streamer, shed-loads of Super Lumina. Our NAP 500 is back at Salisbury for a pre-sale fettling so we are ‘putting up’ with the new NAP 300 DR.

First off, the speakers are stunning even straight from the box. Nothing like Electra and not a lot like the Diablo Utopia either.

They’re incredibly … nice. Yet ultra fast, wide open, remarkably well behaved, weighty, tuneful and decently extended in the bass. Definitely improving as we go. Very natural and uncoloured through the midrange too.

We’ve not been missing the NAP500 either. And this is unsettling. A quick swap back to the pre-DR NAP300 was a revelation. These new amps are stunning and share a lot of the speed, subtlety, resolution and dynamics of the 500. The transistor and localised regulation changes (the separate power supply unit remains unchanged) probably do even more than the DR upgrades did for PSUs a couple of years ago. Cannot imagine what the, as yet unreleased, NAP500DR will be like.

At the risk of running into my standard hyperbole, this combination is borderline staggering. And the ultimate ‘reverse mullet’ system to boot!

 

 

Alastair