Replacing Wilson WattPuppy 5's

Welcome Dr. John. I've always been a fan of your music.

I think the Sashas sound much different, and preferable (to my ears) to WP8's. I have not heard WP5's and therefore cannot comment on how they compare.

In the numerous times I have heard the Sophias they have sounded very average to me. I have not heard the Sophia 3's.

The VAC amp will be placed in the coffin with me. I've driven the speakers hard and they sound it. I appreciate your word 'classics'. BTW, my front end is the Wadia 27 transport/DAC duo going straight into the amp. I use a CAT preamp as a phono stage only. (PS -I didn't like the Sophia 2 sound, but don't want to say why for fear of offending others on this site. New member here.

The Sasha's blew me away: a huge soundstage and amazing detail. Reminded me of the saying, 'Don't buy a yacht unless you have an ocean to sail it in.'

I have not heard the WWP5's or the 8's but I can say that the Sasha's driven by a 100 watt tube Acoustic Research amp have become my standard! Huge soundstage, (Pete Townshend's "Misunderstood" was an excellent example for demonstrating what they can do), very tight accurate bass and a 3d quality lacking on most speakers. My wife wants a second mortgage so we can get the Sasha's and if the wife wants them, you know they are the real deal!

I have a friend who owned the WP5 for 5 years or so.
When he heard the Sophia 2s he felt it was a big improvement over the WP5s.
He eventually ended up w/ the Sashas.
So far, peers that have heard the Sashas have nothing but praises for them.