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Sonus Faber vs Wilson

I currently own a pair of absolutely gorgeous Serafino Tradition speakers. They are about 3 months old and I’ve finally got them positioned nicely in my room. They are being driven by a Gryphon Diablo 300. Great soundstage and imaging even off access. Tremendous detail and I just love the way the speakers look. I must add that it’s really important to me how all this stuff looks in my home. I love the tight fast and nuanced delivery of the Gryphon but not loving the way it looks…alas..that sound made the decision for me and I’ve hidden it away so my wife doesn’t have a coronary.

So….this brings me to my newest quandary. My local dealer has a gorgeous dedicated listening room in the lovely Biltmore hotel just minutes from my home. (Very dangerous…!) There are a pair of Wilson Sasha DAW speakers that sound…well…that sound like the best speakers I’ve heard. I absolutely HATE the way they look…and I would dread getting them up the three front steps of my home…but that sound….

Do I keep the lovely sounding and gorgeous looking Serafino’s or swap them for the ugliest best sounding speakers I’ve ever heard.? 
(There is an $18k price difference so there’s that too…!)
128x128jomonhifi

Showing 5 responses by ghdprentice

ghdprentice
6,443 posts
 
That is quite the quandary. i guess a good one to have.

My only concern was sound for most of my audiophile life, I never paid attention to looks. Then I got near retirement and wanted both. Fortunately I did not have to choose between the two. My Sonus Fabre Amati Traditional have both look and sound I want.

The Wilson and Sonus are not often put up in the same comparison. They are very different speakers. Most people fall in one camp or another. I appreciate Wilson speakers, but don’t want to own them… for the sound… o looks.

Having said that… you really like the sound of what you have. Is it possible some of the sound differences are coming from the electronics driving the Wilson’s, or the room acoustics.

Honestly, I would tell him to bring them over and set them up for you to audition. That is his job. Then you can experience the sound and ugliness and make an informed judgement. If they blow you away with your own equipment and room acoustics… then you will have no choice.


ghdprentice
6,443 posts
 
I understand the appeal of Wilson. I have heard them over decades and still have the WAMM audition etched in my mind. The holographic imagery. I was overwhelmed and appreciated the sound, but at the same time, said that is not the sound I want to live with. It is wonderful and if I could have three fantastic systems, one would be Wilson based.

About ten years ago I got season tickets to the symphony, 7th row center now and subconsciously started moving from my mainstay of ribbon speakers to Sonus, then up the Sonus line. Currently Sonus Amati Traditional. I don’t think my migration to Sonus was unconnected to having constant exposure to live acoustical concerts. I found that instead of optimizing one kind of music at the expense of others, all improved as I moved to Sonus and up to higher levels of their products. I have nothing bad to say about Wilson, they are fantastic speakers. But for me with the right electronics Sonus better gets the gestalt right and true musical nature of the music they are reproducing. To me.
ghdprentice
6,443 posts
 
@steakster 


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Yep, the better the system the more any change matters. Really high resolving speaker enhance this.
ghdprentice
6,443 posts
 
@jjss49 

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Very true… actually on some components also… particularly on source. I chose carefully on the CD player I bought in the past. Too resolving and you can have many recordings sound bad because the high end is tuned up to catch every detail and it passes on distortion and gets hard, bright, and looses musicality. 
ghdprentice
6,443 posts
 

Congradulations. That would have been my choice as well. I run Amati, Ref 6SE, and Ref 160m or 160s. 

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