I currently own Sophia II's and was considering changing to Magico V2's; however after listening at length, I decided that the Sophia II's were more balanced. In addition, I loved the dynamics of the Sophia's. On a side note: my listening room is 26' x 28' and that does influence my preference for a certain type of speakers.
Sophia 2/Magico V2 versus Sasha/Magico V3
So I'm currently enjoying Wilson Sophia 2s and Magico V2s in my home.
Amplification is Pass XA 100.5, preamps alternate between H20 Fire (solid state) and Audio Valve Eclipse (tube). Sources are Modwright Transporter and Raven One/Tron Seven.
These speakers are very different. The Sophia 2s are more energetic and vibrant, have more robust bass and a lot more forward presence. They can bark at you with certain recordings (upper midrange glare), they are not gentle. Used with a tube preamp, I find the timbre to be very natural sounding, giving a great deal of the 'instruments are in the room' feeling. With solid state preamp, they sound a little cold - a little 'ceramic' if you will.
The Magico V2 is slightly colored in comparison - more of a wood sound, not as much as Avalon, but it's there. The highs are nowhere as crisp, the bass comes up a bit short and they do not have the dynamics of the Wilsons. However, they offer a heck of a lot more detail in the upper midrange and highs. I hear so much more of what is going on than the Sophias. For example, horn sections on the Wilsons almost sound compressed, whereas on the Magicos they open up and come to life; I can't get over the difference.
So here's where I'm going with this: the natural upgrade path for the Magico is the V3 and the Wilson, the Sasha. Can anyone speak to what characteristics are retained versus gained (or lost for that matter) in the two upgrade paths? If it were easy to hear them in my own home, I wouldn't ask, but unfortunately it's going to be work and I may only get to hear one of these.
Thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
Amplification is Pass XA 100.5, preamps alternate between H20 Fire (solid state) and Audio Valve Eclipse (tube). Sources are Modwright Transporter and Raven One/Tron Seven.
These speakers are very different. The Sophia 2s are more energetic and vibrant, have more robust bass and a lot more forward presence. They can bark at you with certain recordings (upper midrange glare), they are not gentle. Used with a tube preamp, I find the timbre to be very natural sounding, giving a great deal of the 'instruments are in the room' feeling. With solid state preamp, they sound a little cold - a little 'ceramic' if you will.
The Magico V2 is slightly colored in comparison - more of a wood sound, not as much as Avalon, but it's there. The highs are nowhere as crisp, the bass comes up a bit short and they do not have the dynamics of the Wilsons. However, they offer a heck of a lot more detail in the upper midrange and highs. I hear so much more of what is going on than the Sophias. For example, horn sections on the Wilsons almost sound compressed, whereas on the Magicos they open up and come to life; I can't get over the difference.
So here's where I'm going with this: the natural upgrade path for the Magico is the V3 and the Wilson, the Sasha. Can anyone speak to what characteristics are retained versus gained (or lost for that matter) in the two upgrade paths? If it were easy to hear them in my own home, I wouldn't ask, but unfortunately it's going to be work and I may only get to hear one of these.
Thoughts?
Thanks in advance.