upgrade what

@genomeip "Literally"? I mean, if they were in water then I think I see the problem. 

Seriously though, as far as Heresy vs any Sopra model,

"To each their own" indeed...

Yup.  See what I mean.  Dave and Troy have all the upgrades to compensate for a speaker you do not love.  Does this make $$ sense?  

I am fully supportive of addressing room acoustics and speaker placement.  If that does not do the trick, you are going down the wrong rabbit hole!

As an owner of Focal 836v speakers I would speculate that you may not love the Focal sound. I have a Pathos Classic One MKiii and even found some gold pin Mullards tubes that made the sound too warm for my liking. I would suggest some tube based components, but it appears that you already have a tube amplifier. 

What has been your experience with Focal speakers other than the ones you own?  Do you really love them or are you chasing a ghost with them?

@shooter41 Definitely acknowledge my response may not be popular, but it's entirely true.

I had been invited to an event at Upscale Audio where they were allowing a select 20 people or so to demo both the Rel 6 packs as well as Klipsch Jubilee speakers.

Rel's John hunter was there,helped to set up the room, as well as setting up the Sopra 3s to serve as the main speakers to accompany the 6 packs.  In other words, the room was carefully managed by professionals to make everything sound exactly the way it should.

I couldn't have been more excited because I had never heard the Sopras before, let alone the 6 packs.

As soon as the music began, it sounded off...not by a little, but by a lot.  I was convinced at any moment John was going to say "sorry, I need to through a switch", but that never happened.  Instead he was raving about how good they sounded, which to my ears they did not. 

I was almost ready to leave when he transitioned his introduction to demoing the 6 pack. Those were unbelievable...period... but,  those Sopras were not. 

In addition to my earlier comments, the bass was super, super tight and shallow.  I personally like tight bass, but this was way too tight (created a sound like one would expect if you had your finger on the drum membrane while you're hittingit with the stick...super damped).

My Heresy IVs, even at 1/9 the cost, sounded far more natural, lively, and full...and, at all frequencies. 

I promise you my post is not about trying to persuade someone to adopt my view....rather, it's just a reflection of what I had experienced under ideal conditions and how the sound the Sopra 3s had produced in that venue that convinced me I would never be interested in a speaker that sounded like that. 

If someone here has ever been in a room where both the Sopras and the Heresys were able to be compared, I would welcome your thoughts.  If so, maybe they would deserve another chance.  But, until then,  I'm convinced I'm not missing out on anything. 

To each their own...

It's 2026 and we still have people looking to tame sound with cables. We should all be embarrassed by that, and honestly angry with the industry.

In any case, the problem is your placement, your room/acoustics, or your speakers. There is no component you can buy to 'fix' that. I'm sorry that someone led you down that path.