Wilson owners Call of Duty

Hi all,

I have a pair of Wilson Sophias (not 2s unfortunately) driven by Lamm M1.2 hybrid mono blocks. Preamp is Ayre K-1xe. Sources are Ayre C-5xe and SME 20/2 / Graham Phantom / Dyanvector XV-1S / Aesthetix Io Signature.

I started with 100% Transparent cables: PowerIsolator MM PCs, Balanced Reference (MM technology) ICs & Ultra (MM technology) speaker cables. The base was totally awesome and the tonal balance was fine. But they did not provide the deep and high soundstage I was looking for and they did not have the 3-dimensional imaging within the soundstage I was looking for. After a year of living with them in my system, I tried Virtual Dynamics Revelations PCs (not 2.0 then), Masters balanced ICs and Purist Audio Aqueous Anniverary speaker cables. The PCs were in a dead heat with the PowerIsolators so brought nothing different. The Masters balanced ICs improved both soundstage width and depth and imaging, were just as dynamic with excellent tonal balance and gave up only a little base. The Aqueous Anniversary speaker cables supported a wider, deeper soundstage, had more air and better imaging, the highs were to die for, but they sacrificed a good bit of base.

Next I substituted a pair of VD Revelation speaker cables. These brought back 90% of the base and gave the music a fuller, richer sound, more like real instruments and voices without seeming to sacrifice anything.

Then I tried one Purist Audio 20th Anniversary power cord on my preamp. It immediately improved everything, putting the musicians with their instruments and voices in the room with us. So I replaced all of my Transparent PowerIsolators with 20th Anniverary PCs (except I still have the Revelations powering the Io Signature), which made a big difference.

Next, I replaced the VD Masters between the C-5xe and the K-1xe with a VD Revelation 2.0. Huge step up in everything. Much less digital, much more like analog. Made CDs, especially SACDs much more like LPs.

Then I replaced the VD Masters between the Io Signature and the K-1xe with a PAD Dominus. Again a big step up. Vinyl leaped way ahead of digital once again.

My experimentation with cables continues.

Just one man's opinion and one man's ears with different cables in his particular system and room.

Best to all,

Ed

Hi Khrys,

I didn't go all the way with any brand after the TA because I wanted to try different brands in my system over an extended period. With PCs I was already at the top of the TA line, and I didn't go further up the TA line in ICs & SCs because I had already listened to everything in the TA line at my dealers and knew the TA house sound. I was looking for improvement in imaging and depth of soundstage that I just could not get with TA. Moving up the TA line yielded noticeable bass improvement - TA is the best in bass.

Deciding where to put what mostly has been a result of opportunities available on Audiogon and focusing on what I thought was the weak link in the system at any given time.

I keep trying to find cables that provide the bass and dynamics of the TA with as good or better tonal balance and much better imaging and soundstage. Along the way, I've discovered interesting differences in perspective -- some cables are more forward, some more laid back, some warmer, others cooler, some seem to render voices, acoustic guitar and violins more realistically, others render piano better.

The journey continues!

Ed