Focal Sopra N1 – 2-Way High-End Bookshelf Speaker

HIGH SENSIBILITY

2-WAY HIGH-END BOOKSHELF LOUDSPEAKER

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.

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 spatialisation 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 it limited to the treble. The overall coherence and harmonic richness give the listener a surprising understanding of the music.

Innovation

INFINITE HORN LOADING

Our Beryllium tweeter features an incredibly light and extremely rigid dome that delivers 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 the loading of 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

Stabilising the magnetic field

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 depend on the stability of the magnetic field. NIC technology (Neutral Inductance Circuit) permits controlling the magnetic field and finally enables mastering it in order to limit distortion. It decreases the effects of distortion and gives the sound a very high-definition and unprecedented dynamic.

The obsession with the midrange

TUNED MASS DAMPER

Our teams have revealed resonances which alter the definition of 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 in the mass, which consequently alters the definition. The answer came from a technology used in earthquake-resistant skyscrapers, which is also used for the suspension on racing cars. “TMD” technology consists of optimising the suspension profile, which controls the resonance to drastically reduce distortion and increase the definition of bass and midrange.

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.

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.

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.

Specifications