I don't see a Stalemate being the created situation to be resolved.
I would suggest it is a dichotomy or dilemma which is being faced up to.
Here is my take, maybe the Sabrina's used with your system in your listening environment are producing something quite special as a sound.
Maybe a little more investigation into learning how to couple the Speakers to the Room in a improved manner and learning how to control room reflections and room modes, will bring even more to the forefront, resulting in being further impressed by the qualities of the Speaker.
It will be a punt to believe that bringing another Speaker Home, even a sibling Speaker from a similar design ethic, will be the next level of sound quality.
Keep in mind the day the Wilson Speakers come out of the Manufacturers Testing Facility and commenced on their Journey into the homes of their owners. The speakers are already on a slippery slope, when it comes to matching the performance as a comparison to the one the design team were experiencing.
A end users listening environment is quite capable of trashing any speaker, it takes a thought out approach to offer a Speaker a suitable environment, to offer some of its best traits designed into it.
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You are screwed. If you make the trade you will always wonder if your old speakers sounded "better". if you don't make the trade you will always wonder if that was a mistake. I speak from years of experience. I would do it just to scratch the itch.
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OP if I were you while your wife is giving you the go ahead ,do the trade ASAP, If you love the Shasha you will continue to dream to see them in your room.But prepare yourself to match them like what you have now.Twenty years ago I dreamed of having Andra Eggleston and bought them. Iam still happy I bought them.
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Seems like you love what you currently have, but have not maximized close to their potential? Like others have said, room size and treatment really matters most. It’s possible the DAWs could way underperform in your room. I’d keep the Sabrina’s, treat your room, get a pair of REL 810s or carbon special subs, upgrade your DAC, make sure your equipment isolation is adequate and then hear what the Sabrina’s can really do.
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About 99% of us do not have as good of a system as you. Most of us are still happy with what we have. Unless the $$$ is burning a hole in your pocket, I would suggest staying away from your HI-FI for a few days or a week. Then go ahead and see if there is any excitement to be had. Then make your own decision.
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Do it. You will hate yourself if you pass this up.
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It sounds to me that you have found contentment in the quality/sound of the equipment that you have currently. You know you, so it’s up to you to decide if this ends up being a small improvement in sound reproduction will you still be happy that you spent the additional money. If regret isn’t in your future then go for it. Deals will always be had in the future. But if regret is an old buddy of yours then maybe you should consider investing the funds somewhere else? Say your DAC? There is a point with diminishing returns and ever more expensive components that you eventually need to stop. Even if you have your wife’s blessing. Maybe you know you are at that point.
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STOP torturing yourself. Your ears are your ears. Be happy with what sounds good to you and not other people or especially dealers! We would all need three jobs to pay for everything dealers or manufacturers told us we need.
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Just do in home session to compare, then pick. ONLY way to do it for ANY speaker on ANY budget on ANY system.
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.......better to '' build '' your system around those speakers which will not be for sale for a long time. I would do the '' swap '' now and get used to the DAW's sound and bulld around that sound that you soo enjoy.
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I agree with the issue of the DAC first then the speakers. Take your time to research and test other DAC’s before making any decisions about speakers. And in the middle of that testing regime bring the bigger speakers in for a test… while you have a great DAC on hand. You’ll know when.
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@wolf_garcia - what is the relevance of comparing a Wilson speaker to a Collings guitar. They are completely separate things. There's a lot more complexity in my Apple computer than either - so what?
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OP
I can very comfortably afford to do the swap.
My wife is fine with
Are you nuts? Get the better ones!!!!!
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I was a Wilson Watt fan from when I first heard them decades ago (mid to late 80s or something). I couldn't afford 'em, but now I could easily...however...I now think pretty much everything Wilson (and many other expensive "drivers in a box" designs) sells is stupidly overpriced relative to their sound. Speaker boxes made from some special cement-like compound in any color...meh...drivers in a box. More care and manufacturing skill goes into a $4,000 Collings guitar than any $10,000 Wilson...so count me out. Rockports...cool Maine based company...driver cones in a box for more than a 911.
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Having heard both and now owning alexia v’s as long as your room isn’t too small you won’t regret making the change the daws are clearly a step up. Much better presence and soundstage
as has been stated if you can try them that of course would be best but they are beasts. If not I’d still say go for it you won’t regret it. you can afford it and have your wife on board😎
of course you will want to upgrade other components
but that is a separate journey
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Having heard both and now owning alexia v’s as long as your room isn’t too small you won’t regret making the change the daws are clearly a step up. Much better presence and soundstage
as has been stated if you can try them that of course would be best but they are beasts. If not I’d still say go for it you won’t regret it. you can afford it and have your wife on board😎
of course you will want to upgrade other components
but that is a separate journey
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A close friend did the same upgrade to the Sasha
They sound terrific. He is thrilled. Try them in your home. They come with wheels so you can move them around much easier than other speakers.
Bob
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Focus on fully treating your room once you get to the Wilson level dude. If wife won't let you ( i.e., u don't have a dedicated room), just quit buying sht. Buying things of a certain caliber without a fully treated room is the silliest thing that audiophiooliacs tend to do
All the incognito dealers covertly advertising sht on this forum (the very pathetic ones watching out for their wallets all day, while posing as regular forum helpfuls) will now attack this comment in 5...4...3...2...1...secs.
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“Upgradeitse” has no cure and is a slippery slope. The SabrinaX is a very good speaker. A friend has a pair. It will not stop with the DAWs. You will want new electronics. A new DAC. Better cables. Footers?
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OP, You say you’re happy with the Sabrina’s. To me you sound like a man who knows what he likes. I think @onhwy61 Barcelona idea is a good one. ;-)
If your system sounds great to you now then that might be a sign to just enjoy it. You can always upgrade later.
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I have a pair of Sabrina sans X . I retired then sold my car 😆 and still bought them pre-owned. Love them. Sure I'd love the DAW or even the Vs. the Sabrina construction is very different from the larger models via separate compartments. If you have positive WAF quick , get em before she changes her mind 😆. Happy listening 🎶
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Is it the speakers or the outlandish styling that impresses?
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It sounds to me like you haven’t finished your experience with the Sasha’s yet. You are being pulled due to the opportunity and the savings on a future upgrade. While the urge to upgrade will always be there, the urge to ‘downgrade’ - or ‘holdgrade’? - is unusual and deserves some attention. Maybe the only feeling worse than what could have been is what you had but let go. I’m guessing if you talked to the dealer he would hold the deal for a while. It couldn’t hurt to find out how long.
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@bigfatpaulie what size is your room? The reason I ask is the Sabrina is more room agnostic than the Sasha. Too small and the Sasha's may not even sound as good as your Sabrinas.
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Am I reading this right? The Sasha's weigh 240Lbs?
Doesn't sound that easy to move them in and out for a trial demo. Unless your dealer is Tyrus..
ozzy
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Stop being so neurotic! Tomorrow go make the trade. Why torment yourself?
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I agree with @donquichotte it's not about if the Sabrina's or Sasha's or better it's which sounds better in your room. It sounds like you have a good dealer see if he can loan the Sasha's for a trial or do a trade with a right of return.
Also agreed you don't know if something is a bottleneck in your system until you replace it so it's quite possible you could get the Sabrina's to sound even better.
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I say do it ... but as an owner of a RME adi2 I think it may be somewhat of a bottle neck. It is a great little DAC no doubt, but I think a better DAC that is on par with the rest of your gear would be a good move even if you don't upgrade the speakers.
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Adding my voice to the chorus:
1. the in-room performance is very important; I'd not buy without a home audition (or the possibility to reverse the deal within the first, say, 24 hours);
2. I had the ADI dac and I returned it. It was... decent. My current Accuphase DP 550 player / dac is really something else: richer, more complex and realistic timbres, much more musical etc. By all means, do try to listen to a few dacs in the $4000-5000 range in your own system (with a good power cord!). Weirdly, I feel the need to say "Please!".
Fwiw.
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+1 @ozzy
My experience is: when you have the itch, you itch. (All things being equal like “affordability”.) The itch will go away, at some point, afterwards…
And @bigfatpaulie yes you are crazy. We are all crazy here. But it’s okay. Because music is that special and trying to reproduce it to the best of your ability is super cool.
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Like others said, try them in your home and if you like them, trade in your present speakers. They may or may not sound as good as what you heard at the dealers. Your room has a lot to do with the sound.
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Agree with @ghdprentice to try for an in-home demo especially since your dealer has a hard time saying no. That’d obviously be the optimal scenario and would likely firmly and confidently answer all your questions in about an hour or so.
Last thought — I think your DAC, while not bad, is not up to the rest of your system and big gains in imaging, soundstage, tonality, and musicality among other things can be had FWIW. Anyway, best of luck with this and let us know how it works out if you could.
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There is always something better. And remember, your dealer stays in business by selling. Your dealer has no problem taking your Sabrina's in on trade. Until you try other speakers in your room, system, setup - no telling what is going to be "better".
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My take is, if the cost is not a problem, you will always long for the Sasha's, trade in your Sabrina's and enjoy. Life is too short to begrudge yourself.
But you are an audio nut (like me) who will always search for something better. Next step will be upgrading your amp... It never really ends.
Enjoy the hobby!
ozzy
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Wow. That is a conundrum.
How about this. Talk, or pay your dealer to audition the new speakers in your home. Then let your ears / heart decide. The problem is you are actually comparing a known with and unknown… You have not heard the new speakers in your acoustic environment. I think this might make the decision easier.
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It's not a life or death decision, so it really doesn't matter what you decide. Kudos for getting your wife's input. If it was my choice I'd keep the existing system and take the wife to Barcelona for a week.
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