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As some of you know, I've been searching for my next pair of speakers. My budget for the speaker goes to $50,000. Which is basically Wilson Alexia category. Every speaker I've heard is SOTA... but there are so many different flavors.
Most recently, I've heard the 800 Diamonds (paired with Classe Omegas and Classe pre and cdp) about 2 weeks ago. The Wilson Alexia 4 weeks ago (paired with $150K of Boulder). More recently, I've been listening to the 802 Diamonds since they're easier to access... probably 6 times in the past 10 days (usually with Mcintosh gear like the 600 amps or the Classe M600 amps w/ full Classe gear).
More recently, the day after I listened to the 802 Diamonds (the PM1, 805Di, 804Di) again... I sat down to listen to the new Wilson Sasha 2 and the current Sophia 3 since my other dealer just called me to let me know they had finally and appropriately set them up.
So I listened... this review is mainly about the Wilsons but I did try to add a little comparison at the end against the Diamonds... I know that being audiophiles, it's nice to read about other manufacturers too.
Keep in mind, I have no vendetta against any manufacturer, I am purely an enthusiast and would happily welcome the Wilsons completely dominating the Diamonds so I can buy the best speaker system for my budget.
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Sasha 2 (vs Sophia 3) - An initial listening session.
Introduction:
So without further adieu, here is my review of the Sasha 2. As many of you may know, this is the newest speaker out of the Wilson Audio skunk-works. It improves on the Sasha 1 which was already a formidable speaker in its own right. The Sasha 2 improves with better bass output and integration, the technical beauty of the 7" midrange driver that transcends the Wilson range from the Sophia to the X2 Series 2, and the new soft dome Convergent Synergy Tweeter which has some pretty impressive feats on its own. The CST is supposedly the new BIG THING. This tweeter has a significantly higher power handling secondary to the higher efficiency which lends to its ability to feature more detail with a sense of delicacy... another way of saying - detail without the cost of sounding forced.
In addition, I also listened to the Wilson Sophia 3, in a lesser system, just to get my bearings straight and to compare with the newer bigger sisters. Similar midrange driver, different woofers, different tweeter - the workhorse inverted titanium tweeter whose skeleton is made by Focal.
The demo tracks:
So I chose to mainly listen to 2 songs, mainly because it was easier to remember the sonic differences when switching over to different speakers and when auditioning different speakers in different rooms/audio dealers. The songs I chose were not particularly "audiophile" recordings - since I don't choose to pin myself down to listening to only such a particular subset of audio reproduction. I chose some popular, semi Top 40 type tracks that probably are a little more processed than some would care to enjoy or admit, but for lack of a better term - I liked the songs.
The first is by Lana Del Ray - "Young and Beautiful". You may recall this track being the headliner for the Baz Luhrmann film "The Great Gatsby". This track opens with a piano and this surreal sound that reminds me of floating ethereally through a mist. Then her voice pops a little off center to the right. About 40 seconds in, a nice bass drum hits and the song starts to gain energy.
The second is John Legend - "All of Me". I chose this as a second demo track because I find it to be a simple track with 2 major components - his voice and a piano playing beside him (to his right).
The Sasha 2:
Highs:
Definitely extended without sounding forced. Not much sibilance if at all. Definitely a lot of audio information to make the whole music piece sound more real, more extended, and less like reproduced material. I did find it a little too polite however, perhaps this is the new house sound of Wilson?
Mids:
I would say quite detailed and definitely more realistic than that of the Sophias. The midrange opens up quite a bit more of the performance. The meat of the voices sound a bit more realistic and a bit more like voices coming out of the mouths of performers.
Lows:
Quick and deep, nothing missing here. Stops on a dime and starts lightning fast. I've heard these tracks many times before and it was as good as anything I've heard yet.
Overall sound and presentation:
I found the Sasha 2 to be quite a conundrum to me - while it had more detail, there was a sense that it was less forced. I found that it was particularly MORE realistic sounding than the Sophia 3. When playing John Legend's "All of Me", it was nearly a night and day difference when the piano started playing to the right of him. There was this richness and this realism that is just difficult to describe in words but was audibly more realistic. I also found that his voice was less "forced", definitely a result of the Convergent Synergy Tweeter. There was less sibilance and there was a more focused sound to his voice. There was definitely more space around the notes, so to speak.
When I listened to Lana Del Ray - similar conclusion. I found her voice to be well reproduced, well placed and hung around 5 feet up in midair. There was less fuzz around the vocals and a better sense of density. The detail was all there, but the high end of the spectrum was not as piercing as I noted on the Sophia 3. There was less sibilance and yet the details remained. This extra detail in highs and detail in bass allowed a better sense of space. The piano and the bass kicks in this track was well placed and the stage felt deep. Her voice was a little in front of the plane of the front baffles of the speakers while the bass and other instruments sounded at least 5 to 10 feet behind the rear wall... at least. Definitely easier to "walk around" the performers and instruments. Definitely a better sense of stage.
Sophia 3:
Same tracks - but different presentation and sound. The over $10,000 price difference in speakers (not counting upstreams) yielded a significant decrease in resolution, a decrease in overall stage space, a decent vocal presence but with a reproduced hi-fi quality to it (sibilant and grainy).
If I had listened to the Sophia 3s at first, I would've been pretty satisfied with the sound I was getting. It was definitely musical and something you could tap your feet to. The voice had a very good density to it, the midrange sounded a little recessed but still quite believable. The stage was decent in depth and the overall presentation was enjoyable.
BUT... and this is the BIG BUT.... coming from the Sasha 2. Oh my goodness.
It sounded poor. The voices were overly detailed while sounding a bit rough around the edges and with some sibilance that would intermittently break up the vocal presentation. The midrange was too "polite"... probably a way for Dave Wilson to make the speaker a bit more friendly to the general populous... the piano in John Legend's track sounded weak, for lack of a better term... and not something that I was able to fix with move volume either. There was definitely less air to the high end reproduction and bass, while good, did not add to the sense of space.
Simply put, the Sophia 3 sounded like reproduced music. There was less space between the performers, it was difficult for me to move about the stage, there was less discrete positioning of the performers (the soundstage was good and solid, but there was less space in between the different instruments and voices, if that makes sense).... and the depth of the stage was very deficient - relatively FLAT so to speak.
Conclusion:
Sasha 2 was definitely worth the $11,000 upgrade from the Sophia 3... no question about it. If you have the extra money and are somewhat reasonable, there is no reason why you would choose the Sophia 3 in this case. Not that it's not a good speaker, in fact, I tapped my toes a few times, but the reproduction is just not up to par when compared back to back to the Sasha 3. Now, there could be something said about the fact that the upstreams of the Sasha 2 were a magnitude greater than the upstreams I heard on the Sophia 3, but there was nothing I could do about this since these speakers are so meticulous to place, that it would've taken my dealer hours to A/B the two with the exact electronics. However, we were in the same room, the positioning was similar, but the characteristics (from my experience) transcends the difference in upstream electronics. The Audio Research house sound was the same, perhaps the density and detail was not there in the CD 6 or the integrated VSi75 compared to the CD 9, Ref 5SE, and 150 combo.... but there was no sense in getting around the fact that the reproduction on the Sophia 3 was just that - sounded like a reproduction.
You may think, however, that I enjoyed the Sasha 2. And you would be only half right.
Yes, the Sasha 2 had better sense of air, better staging, better walkability around the instruments and performers, better bass, better extension on both ends of the spectrum - and sense that I was listening less to a reproduced track, but more to the real thing.
That said - that's compared to the Sophia 3.
Now, don't hold me to it because it's been a week since I auditioned them (though I reauditioned the little brother 802 Diamonds yesterday), but I thought the B&W 800 Diamonds on Classe electronics (CDP-502 cd player, CP-800 preamp, Classe Omega Mono amplification) sounded overall better. I have to listen to the 800 diamonds again (at a different dealer, slightly bigger room) to be sure, but from my recollection, the 800 Diamonds were simply better to my ears. Something about the newly revised diamond tweeter, that FST driver in the Marlan midrange enclosure, and updated MF crossover - just sounds like heaven to me.
I will give up bass reproduction to the Sasha 2... that's fine. The 800 Diamonds don't go as deep. But the overall presentation was more suitable to my taste. There was a bit more projection of the voices into the room (while the Sasha 2 appeared to be a little bit more laid back and relaxed in presentation), there was DEFINITELY more air and space around the performers and instruments (800 diamonds had a way of presenting the stage with a greater degree of walkability), and there was definitely still gobs of detail. I would say, the high end was a little bit more on the "hotter" side than on the Sasha 2... so I'm not sure which is more neutral.
Final Words:
Sophia 3 was ok, but relatively outclassed against these SOTA components.
Sasha 2 was very good, but for me... I did not have a single hair raising experience. None of my hairs stood up. I did experience SOME foot tapping music, but as the tracks wore on, I found myself looking at my watch and wondering when was this track done. Pretty interesting for a $29,900 speaker, huh? Not sure if I didn't like the upstreams or if it was too polite because of the Convergent Synergy Tweeter AND the tubed ARC products, but I found the presentation too laid back and still sounding a bit like reproduced music.
Preliminarily, but I have to listen again (I will go back and audition the BW 800 Diamond back to back against the Sasha 2 in the coming weeks, I'll drive from 1 store to the other on the same morning), the BW 800 Diamonds got me to tap my feet a LOT more, I was bobbing my head more. There was several instances in which I found the hairs on my arms and back to raise up when listening to the same tracks and there was some very impressive moments where I just found my jaw nearly hitting the floor when listening to certain reproductions. The sense of space, I thought, was better. The midrange was better. The walkability around the stage was better. It probably gave up bass reproduction and slam AND the tweeter was probably a little less polite than the Wilson Convergent Synergy Tweeter.
Nonetheless, I found the music through the BW 800 Diamonds more to be an "experience" rather than a reproduction. I found myself replaying the tracks over and over and could not wait to start again. I found it to be able to play back nearly any track I threw at it... even Jay Z.
In the sea of SOTA equipment - I found the 800 Diamonds to be more my style - I hope that makes sense.
Equipment:
Wilson Audio Sasha 2 - $29,900
Audio Research CD 9 - $13,000
Audio Research Reference 5SE Preamp - $13,000
Audio Research 150 Stereo Amp - $13,000
Wilson Sophia 3 - $18,000
Audio Research CD 6 - $9000
Audio Research VSi75 Integrated - $7500
The Room and Speaker Positioning:
Sasha 2 and Sophia 3 placed about 9-10 feet between each other, the chair about 13 feet back from front plane of speaker baffles. The room is about 18 feet wide and 25 feet deep. The speakers were each about 4-5 feet beyond the rear wall (front baffle to wall).
Most recently, I've heard the 800 Diamonds (paired with Classe Omegas and Classe pre and cdp) about 2 weeks ago. The Wilson Alexia 4 weeks ago (paired with $150K of Boulder). More recently, I've been listening to the 802 Diamonds since they're easier to access... probably 6 times in the past 10 days (usually with Mcintosh gear like the 600 amps or the Classe M600 amps w/ full Classe gear).
More recently, the day after I listened to the 802 Diamonds (the PM1, 805Di, 804Di) again... I sat down to listen to the new Wilson Sasha 2 and the current Sophia 3 since my other dealer just called me to let me know they had finally and appropriately set them up.
So I listened... this review is mainly about the Wilsons but I did try to add a little comparison at the end against the Diamonds... I know that being audiophiles, it's nice to read about other manufacturers too.
Keep in mind, I have no vendetta against any manufacturer, I am purely an enthusiast and would happily welcome the Wilsons completely dominating the Diamonds so I can buy the best speaker system for my budget.
---
Sasha 2 (vs Sophia 3) - An initial listening session.
Introduction:
So without further adieu, here is my review of the Sasha 2. As many of you may know, this is the newest speaker out of the Wilson Audio skunk-works. It improves on the Sasha 1 which was already a formidable speaker in its own right. The Sasha 2 improves with better bass output and integration, the technical beauty of the 7" midrange driver that transcends the Wilson range from the Sophia to the X2 Series 2, and the new soft dome Convergent Synergy Tweeter which has some pretty impressive feats on its own. The CST is supposedly the new BIG THING. This tweeter has a significantly higher power handling secondary to the higher efficiency which lends to its ability to feature more detail with a sense of delicacy... another way of saying - detail without the cost of sounding forced.
In addition, I also listened to the Wilson Sophia 3, in a lesser system, just to get my bearings straight and to compare with the newer bigger sisters. Similar midrange driver, different woofers, different tweeter - the workhorse inverted titanium tweeter whose skeleton is made by Focal.
The demo tracks:
So I chose to mainly listen to 2 songs, mainly because it was easier to remember the sonic differences when switching over to different speakers and when auditioning different speakers in different rooms/audio dealers. The songs I chose were not particularly "audiophile" recordings - since I don't choose to pin myself down to listening to only such a particular subset of audio reproduction. I chose some popular, semi Top 40 type tracks that probably are a little more processed than some would care to enjoy or admit, but for lack of a better term - I liked the songs.
The first is by Lana Del Ray - "Young and Beautiful". You may recall this track being the headliner for the Baz Luhrmann film "The Great Gatsby". This track opens with a piano and this surreal sound that reminds me of floating ethereally through a mist. Then her voice pops a little off center to the right. About 40 seconds in, a nice bass drum hits and the song starts to gain energy.
The second is John Legend - "All of Me". I chose this as a second demo track because I find it to be a simple track with 2 major components - his voice and a piano playing beside him (to his right).
The Sasha 2:
Highs:
Definitely extended without sounding forced. Not much sibilance if at all. Definitely a lot of audio information to make the whole music piece sound more real, more extended, and less like reproduced material. I did find it a little too polite however, perhaps this is the new house sound of Wilson?
Mids:
I would say quite detailed and definitely more realistic than that of the Sophias. The midrange opens up quite a bit more of the performance. The meat of the voices sound a bit more realistic and a bit more like voices coming out of the mouths of performers.
Lows:
Quick and deep, nothing missing here. Stops on a dime and starts lightning fast. I've heard these tracks many times before and it was as good as anything I've heard yet.
Overall sound and presentation:
I found the Sasha 2 to be quite a conundrum to me - while it had more detail, there was a sense that it was less forced. I found that it was particularly MORE realistic sounding than the Sophia 3. When playing John Legend's "All of Me", it was nearly a night and day difference when the piano started playing to the right of him. There was this richness and this realism that is just difficult to describe in words but was audibly more realistic. I also found that his voice was less "forced", definitely a result of the Convergent Synergy Tweeter. There was less sibilance and there was a more focused sound to his voice. There was definitely more space around the notes, so to speak.
When I listened to Lana Del Ray - similar conclusion. I found her voice to be well reproduced, well placed and hung around 5 feet up in midair. There was less fuzz around the vocals and a better sense of density. The detail was all there, but the high end of the spectrum was not as piercing as I noted on the Sophia 3. There was less sibilance and yet the details remained. This extra detail in highs and detail in bass allowed a better sense of space. The piano and the bass kicks in this track was well placed and the stage felt deep. Her voice was a little in front of the plane of the front baffles of the speakers while the bass and other instruments sounded at least 5 to 10 feet behind the rear wall... at least. Definitely easier to "walk around" the performers and instruments. Definitely a better sense of stage.
Sophia 3:
Same tracks - but different presentation and sound. The over $10,000 price difference in speakers (not counting upstreams) yielded a significant decrease in resolution, a decrease in overall stage space, a decent vocal presence but with a reproduced hi-fi quality to it (sibilant and grainy).
If I had listened to the Sophia 3s at first, I would've been pretty satisfied with the sound I was getting. It was definitely musical and something you could tap your feet to. The voice had a very good density to it, the midrange sounded a little recessed but still quite believable. The stage was decent in depth and the overall presentation was enjoyable.
BUT... and this is the BIG BUT.... coming from the Sasha 2. Oh my goodness.
It sounded poor. The voices were overly detailed while sounding a bit rough around the edges and with some sibilance that would intermittently break up the vocal presentation. The midrange was too "polite"... probably a way for Dave Wilson to make the speaker a bit more friendly to the general populous... the piano in John Legend's track sounded weak, for lack of a better term... and not something that I was able to fix with move volume either. There was definitely less air to the high end reproduction and bass, while good, did not add to the sense of space.
Simply put, the Sophia 3 sounded like reproduced music. There was less space between the performers, it was difficult for me to move about the stage, there was less discrete positioning of the performers (the soundstage was good and solid, but there was less space in between the different instruments and voices, if that makes sense).... and the depth of the stage was very deficient - relatively FLAT so to speak.
Conclusion:
Sasha 2 was definitely worth the $11,000 upgrade from the Sophia 3... no question about it. If you have the extra money and are somewhat reasonable, there is no reason why you would choose the Sophia 3 in this case. Not that it's not a good speaker, in fact, I tapped my toes a few times, but the reproduction is just not up to par when compared back to back to the Sasha 3. Now, there could be something said about the fact that the upstreams of the Sasha 2 were a magnitude greater than the upstreams I heard on the Sophia 3, but there was nothing I could do about this since these speakers are so meticulous to place, that it would've taken my dealer hours to A/B the two with the exact electronics. However, we were in the same room, the positioning was similar, but the characteristics (from my experience) transcends the difference in upstream electronics. The Audio Research house sound was the same, perhaps the density and detail was not there in the CD 6 or the integrated VSi75 compared to the CD 9, Ref 5SE, and 150 combo.... but there was no sense in getting around the fact that the reproduction on the Sophia 3 was just that - sounded like a reproduction.
You may think, however, that I enjoyed the Sasha 2. And you would be only half right.
Yes, the Sasha 2 had better sense of air, better staging, better walkability around the instruments and performers, better bass, better extension on both ends of the spectrum - and sense that I was listening less to a reproduced track, but more to the real thing.
That said - that's compared to the Sophia 3.
Now, don't hold me to it because it's been a week since I auditioned them (though I reauditioned the little brother 802 Diamonds yesterday), but I thought the B&W 800 Diamonds on Classe electronics (CDP-502 cd player, CP-800 preamp, Classe Omega Mono amplification) sounded overall better. I have to listen to the 800 diamonds again (at a different dealer, slightly bigger room) to be sure, but from my recollection, the 800 Diamonds were simply better to my ears. Something about the newly revised diamond tweeter, that FST driver in the Marlan midrange enclosure, and updated MF crossover - just sounds like heaven to me.
I will give up bass reproduction to the Sasha 2... that's fine. The 800 Diamonds don't go as deep. But the overall presentation was more suitable to my taste. There was a bit more projection of the voices into the room (while the Sasha 2 appeared to be a little bit more laid back and relaxed in presentation), there was DEFINITELY more air and space around the performers and instruments (800 diamonds had a way of presenting the stage with a greater degree of walkability), and there was definitely still gobs of detail. I would say, the high end was a little bit more on the "hotter" side than on the Sasha 2... so I'm not sure which is more neutral.
Final Words:
Sophia 3 was ok, but relatively outclassed against these SOTA components.
Sasha 2 was very good, but for me... I did not have a single hair raising experience. None of my hairs stood up. I did experience SOME foot tapping music, but as the tracks wore on, I found myself looking at my watch and wondering when was this track done. Pretty interesting for a $29,900 speaker, huh? Not sure if I didn't like the upstreams or if it was too polite because of the Convergent Synergy Tweeter AND the tubed ARC products, but I found the presentation too laid back and still sounding a bit like reproduced music.
Preliminarily, but I have to listen again (I will go back and audition the BW 800 Diamond back to back against the Sasha 2 in the coming weeks, I'll drive from 1 store to the other on the same morning), the BW 800 Diamonds got me to tap my feet a LOT more, I was bobbing my head more. There was several instances in which I found the hairs on my arms and back to raise up when listening to the same tracks and there was some very impressive moments where I just found my jaw nearly hitting the floor when listening to certain reproductions. The sense of space, I thought, was better. The midrange was better. The walkability around the stage was better. It probably gave up bass reproduction and slam AND the tweeter was probably a little less polite than the Wilson Convergent Synergy Tweeter.
Nonetheless, I found the music through the BW 800 Diamonds more to be an "experience" rather than a reproduction. I found myself replaying the tracks over and over and could not wait to start again. I found it to be able to play back nearly any track I threw at it... even Jay Z.
In the sea of SOTA equipment - I found the 800 Diamonds to be more my style - I hope that makes sense.
Equipment:
Wilson Audio Sasha 2 - $29,900
Audio Research CD 9 - $13,000
Audio Research Reference 5SE Preamp - $13,000
Audio Research 150 Stereo Amp - $13,000
Wilson Sophia 3 - $18,000
Audio Research CD 6 - $9000
Audio Research VSi75 Integrated - $7500
The Room and Speaker Positioning:
Sasha 2 and Sophia 3 placed about 9-10 feet between each other, the chair about 13 feet back from front plane of speaker baffles. The room is about 18 feet wide and 25 feet deep. The speakers were each about 4-5 feet beyond the rear wall (front baffle to wall).
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