I used to love B&W. It’s the speaker line that was in nearly every reputable brick-and-mortar stereo shop when I was growing up. I dreamed of owning a Mac and B&W system. Then I got one. The Mac amp’s watt meters gave up on me within a month of usage (I actually had to hire a tech to come to my house to fix it), and the bright/forward presentation of the B&W 804 D2’s drove me insane. I came up with my own meaning for B&W - “Blow and Wow”. They “blow” you away with their forward presentation and “wow” you with detail when you first listen to them. And Mac is the only gear that is soft, powerful, and forgiving enough to make these speakers sound tolerable. I think that’s one of the reasons they’re often sold together. Anyway, I will give B&W props for one speaker, and that’s the 805. The 805 always has been the best sounding B&W speaker I’ve ever heard, regardless of the equipment, cables, etc., that might be hooked up to it. It’s gone through many iterations over the years, and to me it has remained one of the standards for two-way, stand-mounted speakers. That being said, I, too, auditioned the Wilson Sabrina X, along with AudioVector R3 Arrete, Dynaudio Confidence 20 and 30, and a pair of the newer Wilson Sasha V’s, all powered by a Gryphon Diablo 333. One of my favorite speakers of all time was the Wilson Sophia 3, so I thought I would be sold on the Wilsons. However, I found the Sabrina’s and the Sasha’s to be dull, lifeless, and analytical. I was really disappointed with them. The AudioVector’s were incredible, but a little too bright for me. The Dynaudio’s were hands-down the best speakers I’ve heard in a very long time. Smooth, lively, detailed, and so easy to listen to. I chose the Confidence 20’s because I didn’t hear enough difference between those and the Confidence 30’s to justify the price difference. And I could get a Dynaudio sub 6 to go with them to complete the setup. Awesome. I guess the moral of this long story is that the most popular and/or expensive speakers are often not the best or easiest speakers to LIVE with. Expand your horizons. Happy hunting.
Auditioned Wilson Sabrina X vs B&W 803D4 and Shocked
I recently auditioned the Wilsons vs. B&Ws and am a little befuddled. I had money in hand and was ready to purchase the Wilsons, but after reading the stellar reviews of the Sabrina Xs, I didn't think anything could compare in that price range. The source equipment was the McIntosh MC611s and the MC12000, which closely replicated my equipment.
It was not even a close comparison; the B&Ws were clearly better in every aspect. The midrange was glorious, the highs were crisp, and the bass filled the room. The Wilsons were anemic with bass (roughly 14'x16'). The midrange was clinical, and the highs were nothing to write home about. I'm perplexed because Sabrina's bass output (per the reviews) belies its driver size. We even experimented with the 4 and 8-ohm outputs on the Macs.
Has anyone experienced something similar, or am I missing something (synergy, cabling, etc.)? I really wanted to love the Wilsons, but at $20K, I am not impressed. I know the B&Ws are $5K more, but I heard that Wilson is doing a price increase for 2025, which will level the price gap. I would love to hear about some experiences involving both brands or the discrepancies I heard in the presentations.