Okay, round 2. I replied but Audiogon had a pop up - something about a wanting my phone number or whatever - and it ate my last reply. Sick programming. Anyway...
First, thank you to everyone who took the time to reply and provide input. I really appreciate it!! Thank you. I want to go though the main points brought up as they are really good.
Second, I want to talk about the suggestion of an in-home demo. My dealer actually suggested this right away and offered it at no cost (I mentioned they are awesome, right?). I passed because, well, frankly, I know it's a lot of work for them and I'm not sure it would give me any new information. When I auditioned the Sasha's I did so in the same room that I auditioned my Sabrina's. The Sasha's were positioned in the same place relative the walls, each other and me as they would be in my home. Yes, their room sounds different than mine, but I have a good enough of a baseline to contrast having heard the Sabrina's in both rooms.
Another comment was about size and the Sasha's being possibly too big. I'm not really worried about this for a few reasons. First, I know a few other people who have Alexia's in rooms smaller than mine and they sound great. Second, my wife doesn't think they are too big. And, I mean, isn't that the ultimate test?! If your wife doesn't think the speakers are too big for the family room, they simply aren't too big right?! HAHA! :)
Third: DAC's. I hear ya, I really do. A while back I mentioned getting a better DAC to try and increase the performance of my Sabrina's to my dealer. Before I could finish the sentence he was loading a PS Audio DSD Mk2 in my trunk for me to try. I should point out my dealer rocks. For me, the DAC was better but the difference was honestly pretty subtle, especially given it is thousands and thousands of dollars more. I'm certain the PS Audio is a great DAC, but to my ears, it didn't offer the incremental increase in MY system that $7-$8k more would need to make for me to justify it. I also want to talk about a few of the DAC's I've had a home are various times over the years. I've had an MSB Analog, Bircasti M1, Schiit Yggy, Lampizator Lvl4, ANK Level 5, Chord DAVE, dCS Debussy and others. DAC's definitely make a difference but, to me, in MY experience the hierarchy of what has an impact goes something like this:
Room Placement
Speakers
Room Treatment
Amp
Pre-Amp
DAC
Speaker Cables
Streamer
Power Cables
Digital Cables
Now, this is MY experience. YMMV. And I know, you are 100% smarter than me, know more and my opinion is dumb and the most important thing is actually something different, etc, etc, etc. That's okay, we can have different opinions and don't have to hate each other because of it. I'll respect your view, so please extend the same courtesy. The above is just based on my own personal, limited experience.
So, to me, speakers make a much more significant impact to the sound than a DAC, and in this case the delta between the Sasha's and Sabrina's is smaller than the spend I would need to improve DAC's by a significant margin. Basically, bang for my buck, right now, the Sasha's are the ticket.
I also want to cement this idea by saying again when I auditioned the Sasha's I intentionally asked for a relatively modest amp/source. The Hegel H120 is a great integrated but I'm willing to bet the DAC is at best as good as mine and the amp is inferior to the Luxman. Basically, my kit behind the Sabrina's is better at home but the Sasha's were still by far and wide the better performer. Even with a better DAC the Sabrina's will not reach the Sasha's performance.
So why am I hesitating?
Someone very nicely pointed out that my stereo is better than most people's. I am SUPER fortunate to have it in my life. It's a great pleasure and I enjoy it every single day. I am very grateful that I have the Sabrina's in my life. I have no urge to get better sound because, well, they already sound amazing!
But... There's always a but, right?
Some people had a poster of a Ferrari on their wall as a kid. I had a cut out from Stereophile of WATT/Puppies on my wall. The Sasha's are the modern version, be it the DAW's, V's or whatever future version. I have always wanted the iconic Wilson speaker. Yes, it's an emotional decision - And that differs from anything else about this hobby of ours... How exactly?
So here is my dilemma, I am happy where I am. But there is a childhood itch to get the Sasha's. I could scratch it but does that ever live up the pent up desire? Is it not better to sometimes hold on to the desire rather than realize the reality of it?
Satiating every want, after all, does not make someone happy.
Has anyone else ever willfully abstained from an upgrade for a similar reason?
Anyway, thank you all again for being my sounding board and listening to me ramble. I really appreciate it.
(Cautiously copies this post to Notepad before hitting the post button....)
