DAW vs Alexia 1 vs Sasha 2, descending order of $$

gpgr4blu971 I have Sasha 1s and am thinking of upgrading to either Sasha DAWs or Alexia 1s. Can you comment on your feelings regarding how the Sasha 1s compare to Alexia 2s??? I'm using Pass Labs XA180.8 for amplification, what about you??

So how did the DAW vs A2 demo go?  Who won?

semaj
The DAWs are a step up from the Sasha 1s but the Alexia 2 is a different beast. Bigger, deeper and more powerful bass, taller soundstage (not sure if there is a width difference in soundstage). They can be dialed in to your listening position and the room more than the DAWs.
As I've heard the Alexia 1 only in showrooms, I cannot comment on refinement of overall sound relative to the DAWs which are very refined and of a piece like the Alexia 2s. I think that Alexia line by virtue of their greater horsepower (for want of a better word) can be more thrilling----but I love the DAWS as well. Used vs new? That always presents a conundrum. That is also the only reason to consider the DAWs.

@adsell It seems you are still enjoying your Sophia 1; Did you ever demo anything again or bring another speaker home?

I have had my Sophia 1 for about 3 years and absolutely love them. I got some EgglestonWorks Vigintis last summer and they failed miserably in my space, which is pretty large(overall). I say overall because I essentially don’t have a back wall. My downstairs if pretty much completely open from my front/music room into the living and then dining rooms. Overall area is about 52x16 with 10ft ceiling.

The Vigintis were brighter, had less bass and overall inconsistent from album to album compared to the Sophias. I had heard them in a hotel here in Memphis where they sound amazing. In speaking with Wilson and their dealers, they all say if the Sophias work in my space, any other Wilson going up the ladder will work.

I recently went to a large dealer where I got to hear the DAW with dan d’agostino gear in a medium sized room and was underwhelmed. Next I heard the Yvettes in a cramped space near the front windows(don’t recall electronics) and they were beautiful sounding....immediately grabbed me. Next off to a larger dedicated room again with dan d’agostino gear running Alexia V and it was wonderful.

I have the ARC REF 75SE and know of the load concerns and don’t want to create a problem so am trying to stay happy with what is working extremely well. I am not ready to do anything in the short term and also only the Sasha 2s are even available on the used market...both Yvette and Alexia 1 don’t seem to show up too often.

I wanted to wake this thread up and get updates and new thoughts.

I'll give you my impressions about the Sasha DAW and the Alexia 2.  I love listening to my  Sasha DAWs.  I have had them 7 months now.  About 2 years ago I heard the Sasha DAWs and the Alexia 2s in a store.  I went back a few months later and auditioned them both very closely.  I liked the mid/highs of the Sasha DAWs but the Alexia 2s had better bass.  The bass of the Alexia 2s had more clarity and strength.  In fact, I had one CD with me that I have had since the early 90s.  (Stanley Clark East River Drive- Justices Groove).  Hearing that track on the CD on the Alexia 2s was a revelation.  I had never heard the clarity of the bass drums like that before.  I could hear the skin on the drums.  I mean, on my home system at the time, the bass was so muddy I could barely make out those drums unless I stood in one spot to the side of the room.  That pushed me to go home and work on my room.  I made it better but my old speakers were no match for the Alexia 2s at all.  

The Sasha DAWs do not quite match that clarity/resolution in the bass like the Alexia 2s.  It's very close and for me I only notice the difference playing that one song but I know it's there.  In the end the cost was a major factor and since I liked the mid/highs better on the DAWs I felt the trade off was acceptable for me losing that bit of extra detail in the bass in essentially one song.  I'm sure the Alexia V excels in all areas over the DAWs but I'm all set.

I am indeed still enjoying my Sophia 1, a humble speaker in the Wilson family. I still think about "upgrades" Yvette or Sabrina X, or DAW, the Alxia which is too large for my room as is the Sasha if I am honest. I recently replaced all the resistors in all of my Wilson speakers. (Watch V3, Watch Surround V1) that brought a slight improvement but can't be sure it wasn't just confirmation bias don't you know...

I had a similar conundrum. I sold my Sasha 1's in 2022 and auditioned the DAW's and Sabrina's in Tennessee where I was headed. I definitely wanted the DAW's and at that time the dealer would not take my Sasha's. So I sold them and moved to Tennessee without the extra load. I found an online deal for Alexia 1's and pulled the trigger for slightly less than the new DAW's. I wanted the bigger speaker with more bass anyways. I'm thrilled with the one's and as mentioned, they can be "for life" speakers with no regrets. I love these tweeters and the larger woofers. A well-balanced speaker in my new room. Check out my system page. I am increasing the sound quality one step at a time through cabling upgrades.