Watt/Puppy 7 or Sophia?


I listened to the Sophia's last weekend- and I loved them. They did well with everything I threw at them- rock, techno, jazz, classical. I came away very impressed.
As I'm leaving the dealer, he tells me he can get me a deal on the W/P 7 demos. Unfortunately I didn't get to listen to them as he was closing up shop ( I will in the next week or two). I listened to the Sophia's using Krell amplification /Esoteric universal player and transparent cable.
Now I will be able to listen to the Sophia's using my amps (JC-1's) and an AA Capitole Reference (no pre in my system).
I probably won't be able to listen to the w/p 7's with my own system.
So here are my questions to those that have listened to these two speakers:
1. Are the w/p 7's worth 2x the Sophia's?
2. Do the w/p 7's present music differently than the Sophia's? ( The Sophia's are a newer design, the w/p a modification/redesign of an existing product)
3. Which speaker will mate better with JC-1's?
4. Which speaker will be better in a room that is 16'x 22'x 9'? (actual listening area is 14'x16')
Thanks for your help
vargus

Showing 1 response by rgs92

I would never buy Watt Puppies w/o a careful audition. They are an acquired taste & not everyone's cup of tea. I had the WP 6's for a year or two and could never get the highs to stop sounding buzzy, and vocals were terribly screwed up, like a tinny transistor radio. Remember that was the 6's, not the 7's, so I can't speak for those. The bass, however, was phenomenal on the WP 6's: unobtrusive, "just-there", extremely detailed, never overbearing even at close listening range. I still long for the Wilson bass.
I wish Dave would put a softer tweeter in the Watts, maybe a ribbon. Or maybe he should try the ribbon supertweeter approach like Albert Von Schweikert uses in the smooth-as-silk VR9s. Dave Wilson would have one heck of a speaker if he could just get those highs and upper mids on a par with the bass, IMHO. (Watt Puppy 8 someday?)