Upgrading from Wilson Sophia 2's?

Thanks for the detailed post, Blindjim; it gives me lots to consider.

I had tried some Focals and decided that the Be tweeter is not for me (didn't sound natural to my ears).

I'm running 50 foot speaker cables. While the character of the cable certainly comes through at an extreme length such as this, it's not as detrimental as you would think.

Every once in a while I move my monoblocks beside the speakers (using 50 foot balanced cable between pre and amp) to reassure myself that there is no big night and day difference. Granted I'm typically trying different brand speaker cables, but I don't hear an improvement. In my situation, having the amps up front would be very inconvenient, but I'd find a way to make it work if the sonic improvements were worthwhile; I just don't hear a difference (personally).

So you went back for more, huh, Peter? You getting serious?

Thanks again to everyone for their thoughts. I agree that a tube amp would probably curtail the edge a bit, but I'd be worried about bass control. I have a VTL ST-150 (that I use in another system) that I tried and the bass was just plain sloppy. I worry that with a tube amp I'd need to have speakers with built in amps for low frequencies (like Vandersteen or Genesis).

Dave, interesting about your experiences with Monster cable. I've done a fair amount of cable swapping. Part of my challenge is a 50 foot speaker run. At this length, the cables make a huge difference, but tonally and grain. I'm currently using a high gauge cable from Paul Speltz (anti-cables) that are working out well and have seemed to reduce the glare a bit.

So I guess you like these better than the Monsters you had recommended earlier, Dave?

I recently switched tubes in my Audio Valve Eclipse to Telefunkens and it's sounding pretty sweet. I'm also pretty happy with Paul Speltz' heavy gauge Anti-cables, but since it's not a huge investment, I'm going to try Dave's suggestions of Monster cables.

Thanks for the suggestion of draperies for the screen - I'm going to look into this. Can you explain what you mean by 2:1 ratio, BlindJim?

Thanks for the responses so far.

To answer some of the questions:

The room is 14 x 25 x 7.5. It's actually a dedicated home theater. Listening position is the middle of the room (not ideal I know, but I have a riser with second row of seating behind me and I can’t move backwards). The room is soundproofed and carpet is a thick shag. I have Real Traps (corner mondo bass traps) in the front corners. I use two Real Trap panels for first reflections (just leaning against the side walls). The front wall is NOT treated as there is a 11’ wide screen (for home theater the speakers are tucked into the corners and EQ’d; for 2 channel I pull them out in front of the screen).

I’ve always thought the room was on the dead side of things (I used to have several ASC wall planks on the side walls but removed them seeking more ‘air). Previous speakers were Aerials (very rolled off high end and sounded muddy in this room).

There are pros and cons about the forwardness of the Sophias. They have nice presence and transients are great. But even with good recordings there can be certain higher frequencies that are painful. I listen at about 85db which is probably relevant to the conversation since at very low volumes it’s not an issue.

I’ve played with different speaker cables and interconnects. This has helped (also been playing with different preamps which has helped) but not solved the problem completely. I am certainly open to the possibility that it could be the room. Couches are leather and have fairly high backs – so the ones on the riser are probably somewhat deflecting sound. The rear wall has all the equipment racks and doesn’t have a lot of bare wall space. I’ve considered getting drapes for the screen.

As for budget, I’m willing to go ‘up’ from the Sophias (for example I would entertain the new Sashas, but probably not higher than that).

Thanks again for your thoughts.

"Isn't this thread really about justification for buying new speakers?"

Justification? No.

Changing speakers is not something I would do casually.

In this economy it sucks to have to sell gear. It either takes forever or you lose a fair bit. Selling speakers is the worst since they're heavy beasts, require freight etc.

What I am seeking is something that will satisfy me (and yes, I'm picky). I'm close with the Sophias, and if I had to keep them I would (and that may be what I end up doing). While I've tried to tune them to taste, I haven't been totally successful. So I can't help but wonder if I'm trying to fit a square ped into a round hole, which ultimately leads to considering other speakers. Since there's nothing that leaps to mind (other than the Sashas), I thought I would seek suggestions.

Again, I do appreciate that it could be my room.