Amp suggestionsfor Wilson Watt Puppies/Sophia


A friend of mine is contemplating a pair of Watt Puppies or Sophia's and was wondering what amps may partner well with these models. He listening room is large and he listens primarilty to Jazz at moderate levels.

Many thanks,

John
jpstereo

Showing 2 responses by rlawry

I had a pair of Sophias and now have a pair of WP7's. I tried a bunch of amps with both speakers, including OTL, SET, and push-pull tube amps, as well as some solid-state amps. I listen mainly to rock and jazz of all types and am in a small room. I loved the way they sounded with OTL amps but I had too many problems with them. Maybe some Atma-Sphere OTL amps would sound good. The 15 wpc SET amps didn't have enough power to produce the bass and dynamics the Wilsons are capable of. Push-pull tube amps worked great with both speakers, perhaps the Sophias a little better, and IMO produced the best combo of dimensionality and bass and dynamics. The ones I tried were Audio Research VT100 Mark III and Conrad-Johnson Premier 140's. Solid-state amps produced the best bass and dynamics, which is what the Wilsons are known for, but until I heard Essence amps, I didn't like the flat soundstage SS amps produced with the Wilsons. The Essence amps I have, while not quite as good as tube amps in the soundstage department, are startlingly the best I have heard in detail, bass, dynamics, and transparency. Hope this helps.
I forgot to mention that I heard a pair of Sophias driven by a VTL ST-150 amp at my dealer's and the sound was very impressive. Great soundstage, warm yet detailed, and you could pick out the bass drum and bass guitar in separate locations between the speakers. I still like my Essence SS amps driving Wilsons but these are difficult to find used. The VTL is a great choice with Wilsons.