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

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. 

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'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.

@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.

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.

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

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??

I had Sashas and  now Alexia 2s. They are both speakers you can have for life and be confident that there is no need to trade up. Unless you are crazy like many of us. Crack it is.

Thanks for the confirm. This stuff is crack.

No brainer for me. But the DAW is superb as well.

Good thread. In exactly the same spot now. Will be doing a listening session at the local Wilson dealer between Sasha DAW and the Alexia Series 2.

Here’s the thing: I can get either a NEW Sasha DAW or an approximately 2-year-old USED Alexia Series 2 for the approximately the same price. (Really excited about the Alexia Series 2, honestly.)

Already heard the Sasha DAW paired with D’Agostino Progression Stereo amp (driven by dCs Bartok DAC/DSM/Pre-Amp) and was gob-smacked--even without a "full-fledged" pre-amp. Was previously looking at the Sonus Faber Amati Traditions, as I already committed money to the Mcintosh C2700/MC462 stack and SF "pair well", I’ve been told. But was never honestly engaged by the SF--as musical and beautiful as they sound.

Enter Wilson. When I demoed the Sasha DAWs, they grabbed me and never let go for the full 90 minutes I was leveled to the listening couch. I noticed vocal separation for the first time on tracks I’ve heard 50+ times.

Never heard the Alexia 2s, but, again, will in a few days against the DAWs.

Is there any down-side to getting USED Alexia Series 2s over NEW Sasha DAWs if each is the SAME price? The dealer is tight with Wilson, having been the location of past National Debuts of a couple of Wilson’s products, so the used Alexias would be fully restored, overhauled and have their certification complete with full Wilson warranties.

Seems like a no-brainer, right? Somebody stop me!

I currently have and really love my Sasha 2s driven by Mac MC-152 and C-50 pre-amp. The 152 is not a top of the line Mac but does a sweet job of driving the S2s so I don't feel they are particularly hard to drive. My room is small and I don't like very high db levels but it is a spectacular  combination IMO. It is hard to go wrong with any Wilson speaker above the Sasha 2. Lower than Sasha line, to me, does not get the job done and is too much of a compromise.

I listen to my sasha 2 in a nearfield position about 6ft or 6.5 ft
from tweeter to my ear distance while the speakers are about
7 ft apart (inner sidewall). Much better to my ears. To far from 
the listeners and it sounds too laid back and uninvolving.

Has anyone bought Wilsons online and had to do the setup yourself?  Would live to know I’d it could managed. Also are dealers or other professionals available to offer set up service?

I’d like to take a poll of Wilson owners who’ve had great success with placement, and get an idea of your distance from side wall and rear wall.  My room is the normal rectangle 20’ x 35”, living room, dinning room, kitchen with a bump out from middle of the long wall which is the bathroom.  My system is tucked the corner, with the Right speaker positioned near French glass doors with heavy curtains. My listening position is about 8’ away. 

Congratulations! Good choice.  

My Yvettes will be here for Christmas !!  Dealer let me audition them in home for 4 weeks. I also auditioned Rockport Atria IIs in home for 4 weeks.  I could not live with the beryllium tweeters in the Rockports. The soft dome in the Yvettes are smooth and did not burn my ears off,  like the beryllium tweeter of the Rockports.

You do need power/current to drive either speaker. My Pass XA160.8s do so effortlessly. 

It took me since Axpona 2016, to rebuild my system after being a Spectral owner for 20 years. The Yvettes are replacing 14 year old Avalon Opus speakers.

This will be my final system in my 31 year journey of chasing High End audio; unless I win a Large lottery. My wife laughs at me and says that I am lying. I swear, This is my final system. I could upgrade one of the phonostages though. Maybe ?

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 

There’s a used Gryphon Diablo for <$12k listed on the internets. Might be worth searching the net for opinions...
I don't think XA60.8 will be enough to do proper justice for any of those speakers.

Bumping this again, as I'm still in the same conundrum.  
I've ~$35k (on the USED market) for:
-Speakers
-Amplification (integrated or separates)
(cables will be Transparent Gen 5 Ultra and source is Lumin T1)
The only speakers I am considering/want are: Alexia, Sasha 2 or Yvette. 
I would LOVE Alexia, but I can't think of a good integrated or pre/amp for 10k on the used market to drive them as they deserve. Maybe Pass Labs INT-250 could get me started.  Maybe Simaudio Moon 700i (doubt it) - thoughts?
So, I'm leaning toward Sasha 2 with better power (thinking Pass Labs or ARC pre and XA60.8 mono blocks).  
Anyone hear that combo, or think that wouldn't be enough grunt to push the Sasha 2s?  I don't believe (based on JA's Alexia review in Sterophile) that the XA60.8 would be enough for Alexia.  
Also considering Yvette with Pass or Simaudio 700i.  

What would you do, and why? Would love to hear your thoughts on the above. Thanks!

the degree of empty emotional opinion, absent objective controlled analyses of numerous variables associated with speaker and electronics models, is almost laughable and amateurish when comparing high end gear.  

I am not making any changes at the current time, that window closed, still thinking the DAW, but probably next year. I think getting a pair of yvette or sabrina to demo in house, would be a very interesting thing, might change my mind about the DAW.

@adsell  Did you ever get back to the Wilson dilemma and make a choice?  I ended up buy Sophia 3 again.  Great speaker, but I've sold my whole system (again !) in preparations for a move in the spring.  I'll be - depending on the room - in a similar situation; Alexia 1, Yvette, or DAW. 

Naim gear is excellent.
 

Heard alexia 2 with nagra and d’agostino, fantastic combination.
i own vitus sia 025 also a great match to my sasha 2.

Quoting gochurchgo above:


i got to also hear those giant Alexxia 2’s driven by stacks of Naim gear and it sounded bad.
  I still cant believe it.

I can believe it, and would not attribute this to the Wilson's, rather they very clearly highlight the limitations of Naim Audio gear.

The Alexia 2, Sasha 2 and DAW are all highly resolving capable speakers which definitely require top quality upstream signal and power implementation.

Well, as life is sometimes; unexpected.
The motor in my daily driver\track car blew, I have been spending all my speaker money on go fast bits and tuning. Installed a "built" motor, bigger turbo, secondary fueling, high torque clutches...bla bla bla.

When I am not listening to music I can be found listening to music of a different kind, on the track.

@adsell Did you ever pull the trigger on anything? 

gochurchgo :  you sure sound like you have an axe to grind against Wilson.  What is your problem?

gochurchgo :  you sure sound like you have an axe to grind against Wilson.  What is your problem?

Actually neither can I.

I got to hear the Sasha DAW driven by ARC monos and I was way underwhelmed. Anything with more than 3 instruments playing at once and it all fell apart. I was super disappointed.

i got to also hear those giant Alexxia 2’s driven by stacks of Naim gear and it sounded bad. 

I still cant believe it. 

From Stereophile measurements, Alexia1 dips to 2 ohms around 80-90 Hz and Alexia2 to 2.6  ohms in the same range, so not a huge difference. Both are sufficiently challenging, but still a walk in the park for any well designed solid state amp with a price tag to match an Alexia.     

The big problem with the Alexia 1 speakers is that it presents a very difficult load. The impedance drops down to

•  Edit

1 ohm or less during operation. Tubes amp are not appropriate at all and only some solid state amps can at such low impedance. The Alexia 2 has addressed this difficulty and runs at about 3 ohms.

Maybe audiotroy does not have the expertise my Wilson dealer does in setting up Wilson. Indeed, why would he if he’s not a Wilson dealer in the first place? 

The best sounding bass I ever had in my room was on my old arteluthe cadenza which had a frequency response to 19hz. Bass was not muddy. A local audiophile came to listen and said the bass was incredible. This coming from a guy who’s owned several 100k systems. I know my room does not really have issues with bass. Oh and my JBL 4367 sound wonderful in my room as well. 

I've heard the original Alexia's bass sound terrible in the wrong rooms but very close to perfect in the right room, which left me with the impression that they're more room fussy than average. I haven't heard the DAW but from all reports they're close to Alexia 2 in performance in a more compact enclosure. And having heard Alexia 2, that performance is currently the benchmark for 3-way domestic speakers imo. 


  

No he cant unless you electronically limit the bass response.

A big speaker with bass down to the low 20s will produce muddy bass in that size room. 

Alexias need a mid sized room to work well.

My dealer said he can make Alexia 2 work in my room. 15x12

The Yvette has a little less impact the S 2, being double the woofer, fills out pretty nice, with the highs and mids about the same, maybe a little sweeter than the Sasha 2. So kind of a trade off.

Room is a great room style house, not ideal. basic floor space is 26x31, but its not a square its more like and L shaped swimming pool with 9' ceilings. Kitchen, dining room, living room. All in the same space, the System is in a corner of this space, lots of things to break up sounds from reflections but its uneven. Best thing I did was buy a Trinnov Altitude 16, its room correction software is the best with its crazy microphone.

How did the Yvette compare to Sasha 2?  I’d assume they are very similar in highs and mid high.  How about scale, impact, ease, naturalness?  
Whats yiu room size?

I have not pulled the trigger just yet, I have been thinking very hard about getting the DAW and being done with it, but then I heard the yvette the other day as I was just stopping through the hood. They have a pair of DAW on consignment\trade in. Good price with my trade in, but thinking about the Yvette very seriously. Seems well liked speaker too. 

I am definitely off of the Alexia 1, wagon, just too big for my room if I am honest.

Sasha 2 or Yvette or DAW.

The consignment DAW are Titan Red (burgundy) so not my favorite color...but I could learn to like the color I suppose.

@adsell What did you end up doing?  I'm in a very similar boat.  I'm actually trying to decide which upgrade for Sophia 2 - Sasha 1 or Sasha 2, or maybe wait for Alexia.  
Sasha 1 = 13k
Sasha 2 = 18k
Alexia 1  = ?? maybe 22k. 
Did you pull the trigger, and what are your thoughts?  

My room is 14x21 with 10' ceilings.  I use ARC ref 3 and Ref 75 (w KT 150s) for power.  
Anyone have additional thoughts. 

Is the Sahsa 2 basically the Alexia one with less scale, bass/impact, but very similar voice, etc?

Is Sahsa 2 closer to Sasha 1 or Alexia 1 in voice, transparency, stage? 
Thanks!

i have a pair of yvette’s and am extraordinarily pleased. the soft dome tweeter is awesome. it may not be a technological wonder but it’s very smooth and soars all the way to the bat range effortlessly. i’ve had some very good speakers and see the trading brakes on for a very long time. 

I think it might be a few years before a used set of DAW are on the market.

Still teetering on the Sasha 2 vs Alexia 1. Seems the better value in the used market right now. These would be factory certified used to take advantage of the trade in route. I could sell the Sophie 1 on my own, and buy a true private party used.

New I would not take the hit. I can say hearing the DAW they were impressive. I own the Sophia 1 and would look towards the used market myself. That being said the Wilson step up is huge in that area. WATT's go around a grand a series. Sophia 3 still holding at around 9k+ mark and its a step up but not worth the investment to dollar ratio for me. Sasha 1 at 14k area and then its off to the races your next play is 18k if you can find the Yvette used .. The Alexia's  are a great speaker but the series two is A LOT better .. Financing helps if you can get them on credit . The Wilson ladder is steep

The A2 was slightly more filled out. The tops and mids were very similar.

And that will be what tells over time.

Cheers George

Actually having only heard the Alexia 2 (though the price is out of my range), I assumed that the Alexia 1 would be very good, not A2 good but great for a speaker in that range.

I got a chance to hear the DAW and A2 in the same room, the DAW stood up very well for itself. The A2 was slightly more filled out. The tops and mids were very similar.

Forget the dB efficiency, you have the watts regardless, more important here is the current ability of the amp, and you have that too.

You have the amplification, then out of the ones in your title, the Alexia 1 would be the choice.
But I have heard the Alexia 1 and then the Alexia 2 and the two is even better again.

Cheers George

I now have a pair of Classe Omega Mono's to drive them so  that is not a problem 4000w @ 1ohm !.  (500@ 8 doubling to 1, MASSIVE power supply) Sasha 2 according to Wilson is 2.17 @ 90, and the Alexia 2 is 2.54 @ 85.

In any case I think I have an amp that can drive them ok.