Audiotroll:
Can you hear sbank with your tin ear?
Once again, you misrepresent what has happened in this thread. You say that I "hijacked" the thread.
Let’s review: The OP asked a number of questions designed to assist him in deciding which Wilson speakers he should purchase for his room. I provided an answer to all of his questions based upon my actual experience with Wilson speakers and different room sizes.
You swoop in to promote the Personas as the equal of Alexias for 20K less. Not so bad IF you had not been so overbearing about the Personas at great length and in excruciating detail in another thread by saying there, in sum, that they were made of the unquestioned best drivers known to man (beryllium) and engineered with the best R&D in audio, worth multiples of their price and, indeed that the Personas bested the $100k + Kharmas you guys had in your shop.
I agree that the Personas are very good speakers, a bargain for the money but to quote you from that thread:
"I have heard $100k Rockports, $120k Kharmas and $70k plus Wilsons, $70k Vandersteens, the Persona 9H can match any of them and in many areas out perform all of these major players, I would also include $70k Magico in this mix."
NOW, having heard all of the above speakers on many occasions including the Personas, I believe you have greatly overstated your case there and here.
That, in and of itself, does not give me the right to criticize a regular member of the Audiogon community, and I would not do that. Some people maintain that the Quad esls are the best speakers ever made. I can understand and would not dispute that opinion But you represent a dealer, and one owned by a hyperventilating, hyperbolic one at that (with whom I have had a number of such encounters, the last being a number of years ago when he tried to hard sell me and others the "last and best digital player I would ever need" (the fabulous and legendary Memory Player) with the "best overall speaker on the market period "(that would be the Ushers--at least they are still in business) The 4 unrelated people in the room with me that day looked at each other in surprise and commented in the hall as to what a turn off Dave’s sales job was.
So naturally, when you invade a thread having nothing to do with the OP’s question and try once again to sell the Personas here--I have to ask--do you have access to a dictionary?
Now look up the word "hijack". Enough said on that topic.
As for me impugning your company, integrity and motivations--well, I’ll let others decide.
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Grpu please just shut up. Your relentless attacks and tirades are tiring you bring nothing to the table, and you hold a grudge about sitting in a demo and being sold to what 10 years ago, when a dealer presented Usher speakers as offering great sound and being reasonably priced.
To this day the memory player continues to amaze people who have heard it, so what is your point, go hear Clement Perry's $500k system it uses a memory player by the way.
So your feelings where hurt by a man whose presentation was "hyperbolic" in your terms by representing products which were under priced and over performing? As I pointed out previously in the following years the Usher Be 718 and DMD 718 received scores of fantastic reviews.
As per your conduct here, I made one reference to the Personas as having room correction and costing $20k less then the Alexias, if this man could find a speaker with unique room correcting capabilities that might actually perform better then a pair of Alexias or Sashas in his room, gee what a crime, we got this man to have better bass, and saved him $20k, wow what a bad guy to have pointed out a unique product that Cupracer wasn't thinking about or knew about, by the way that is what Forums are supposed to be about a free exchange of ideas.
If you cry foul every time anyone bring up anything different in a Forum you will be eliminating why Forums exist in the first place.
Both Dave and myself learn from other peoples experiences and we are always finding and testing new products sometimes based on what people have said in a Forum.
As per your critique on our comments, we have tested several fantastic and pricey speakers in the same room under the same criteria, we have been on a high performance loudspeaker bender for quite a while:
We have tested the following speakers under identical testing methodology
1: Kef Blades, a $32K speaker that sounds like a $70k speaker as also stated by one of the British mags, we love the Blades the Personas do certain things way better.
2: Polymer Research MKX-S $70k 400lb all metal cabinet with Acuton Diamond midrange and tweeter, one of the most remarkable speakers ever built in some ways better than the Personas, in other ways not, and at twice the price we decided to focus on the Personas which compete against them.
3: Kharma DB 7 and Elegance brought in for evaluation, and both sounded great the $120k Elegance sounded very good but was not better then the Personas in any appreciable way and were huge in physical size so we passed on them.
4: We had a pair of trade in Maxx 3 by the way also here.
Lastly a man who owns Wilson Watt 8 heard the Personas at our shop, with the right matching equipment, and was blown away by them and stated they sounded way better the his Watt Puppy 8, or don't you read?
The Personas are incredibly transparent and are one of the most holographic speakers I have ever heard and again TAS gave them one hell of a positive review:
"Good things do come in a relatively small packages although this is a nearly 300 lb speaker that is 51 inches high. It uses four new ultra high excursion woofers, two 700 watt amps and ARC 2 digital room compensation to produce incredibly deep, accurate bass flat to 19hz and going as low as 15hz. It also features an advanced beryllium tweeter and midrange driver and provides equally outstanding midrange and treble performance in every aspect.
Detail dynamics, depth and imaging are all excellent.
Sensitivity is 96db, allowing use with even low power triodes and providing, an exceptional sense of life with more powerful amps, AHC forthcoming" page 54 Absolute Sound Editors Choice 2017.
Gee again I wonder if again we will be right championing another really superb product, just like the Ushers and Scaenas, before them.
I guess we must have paid off Anthony Cordesman to say the Personas are great speakers.
Please go stick your head in the sand I guess you won't be able to learn from someone who knows more about sound reproduction then you do.
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Hey Audiotroll: Still pitifully defending your bad conduct. As I've said before-- What a bore. Oh yea, I like and respect Anthony Cordesman and he found the Personas to be nice speakers for the $ as I knew he would because they are. Note that his references remain Alexias and Legacys. By the way, due to your complete lack of comprehension, you fail to realize that a number of members have called you out on this thread.
So--stop trolling, stop selling, and I'll stop hounding you.
Why don't you start your own thread on the Personas and preach to someone who cares. Maybe I'll troll that thread and steer it off course with lengthy dribble from all of my experience in testing, listening to and comparing audio components (probably considerably more than yours) so you can see how it feels. |
No I am trying to shut down yours! You keep inciting a response.
Mr. Cordesman obviously feels that the Personas are a world class product, if I already owned product X that is a different question as to weather or not I would switch to it and we sell Legacy's by the way so I guess again we also believe in what Mr. Cordesman says.
Why don't we just throw it out to the Forum members I don't know what part of the country you are in but if you are on the East Coast, why doesn't some of the Forum readers come and hear your system and come and hear ours and then post their responses.
I am more than willing to bet anyone who comes to our shop and listens to our Persona setup is going to be blown away by them and the sound we are getting, I wonder if under that same criteria whose system will they would prefer.
As per you your obnoxious behavior means probably you can't be taught anything.
As per experience, unless you work in the audio business, it would be impossible for you to have the experience of someone who does this full time for a Living. Dave has been in the business for 27 years, being the top salesman for Sound by Singer as well as Innovative, and he like myself owned Wilsons, as well as selling and setting up hundreds of different systems in that 27 year spread, and just to be clear, I am not saying the Personas or any other speaker is better than a Wilson, I am saying as I have said in every post this is a world class product that deserves consideration in and above its price point, it is for the listener to decide what product is the right product for them.
You won't have to wait too long the Absolute Sounds issue with the Personas is coming out soon.
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Please Grpu just stop retorting, the only reason I keep on posting is to defend my position, in the face of your continued attacks, and to clairfy what I said, and for the record I agree this is a Wilson thread.
I am happy to move on are you? Please don't type anything, just lets get this thread back on track and assist Cupracer with his setup if he needs any additional guidance on how to setup and voice his Wilsons and what to do if he has any serious bass nodes and room loading issues. |
My Dad can beat up your Dad !!!!!!!! |
Sure but what if your dad was George the Animal Steele?
All kidding aside we all need to tone down the rhetoric no one here needs to be the self appointed guardian of good taste, and people should stop attacking other people that post.
The only true troll I have truly found on this site is the luantic Monitor audio guy on one of the other Wilson polls with his Tru Sound bull puckey.
If he has some real propreitary new audio magic trick then patent it and then sell it, when I hear such ridiculous claims and all else is boat anchors makes me cringe.
Monitor makes good speakers, I think the Platinium product did get a bit overlooked, but they are very fine speakers, so are Wilson, Magico, Focal, Kharma, B&W, KEF, Vandersteeen etc, almost any suitable well designed high end audio product, will offer a fantastic sound, it is up to the listener to determine which product they feel is the best for their tastes, needs, budgets etc.
As I said in other posts, the store I champion and work with and occasionaly at, Audio Doctor sells many different brands of speakers, because people like different things, while there are other dealers who "sell" other brands of speakers but in reality are loyal to only one and push that brand with slavish devotion, our approach is that one brand or line of products will rarely satisfy all.
My only issue with some of these threads and posters is their slavish devotion to a brand, I think of all of these products as tools, and if I can find a better tool I am more then willing to replace brand X with brand Y.
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Audiotroll: You want members come to my place and listen to my system, go to Audiodoctor and listen to your system and vote on which is better? Are you insane? Guess what, nobody cares. tpreaves hit the nail on the head. It's 996Cupracer's thread, not ours. Once again, my apologies to him. And yes Audiotroll, I agree--we can and should both move on. But, wait--- I see you already have. Why just this morning, having tired of selling here, you've moved on to a thread where the OP asked for help for what he said had "come down to 2 choices" for a dac-- the Chord Dave or the Ayre QX5. For those still enjoying (not) this thread, here is Audiotroll's response to that very specific question: "I got no skin in the game but know of and have heard both of these companies fine products, both have some good strengths, we used to sell Chord and do not now sell them so we have no skin in the game nor do we sell Ayre. There is one advantage that the Chord Dave has the Aqua Hifi Dac have that the Ayre doesn't. The Chord is FPGA based and is easy to update, the Forumla is designed on all separate boards and Aqua has shown they can and will offer reasonably priced updates, I haven't heard the Forumla but we have the Lascala and it is excellent I haven't heard the Forumla I will say that the Lascalla is excellent. So one thing I would ask with the Ayre, is how easy would it be to upgrade? Aside from sound quality, ease of upgrading, in the turbulent world of digital is a very good thing. For those on the East Coast we, Audio Doctor have one of the largest collections of digital gear on display: we display: Lumin, Aurender, Mytek, Aqua, EMM Labs, Light Harmonic, Baetis, Cary Audio, T+A, Nad, Naim, Nuprime and a few others. For those who haven't heard the Light Harmonic Davinci is amazing and we have one of these rare dacs! Troy Audio Doctor www.audiodoctor.com old website new one coming soon"
I ask anyone still here:
Does Audiotroll's approach to the OP's query seem familiar?
Audiotroll:If you hijack anymore threads, you'll be placed on the no fly list with the Department of Homeland Security. As for your request to drop this back and forth here, I agree, let's stop now. It's all good.
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Ohlala, the Sashas and Sabrinas were heard in the same room which was to my eye about 22' x 24'.
I did not have the opportunity to hear the
Evette. Both dealers near me did not have them to demo. I did however prefer the separate box design for tweeter and mid that the Sasha had compared to the single box of the Evette. Both dealers did not try to guide me in that direction ......possibly because they did not have any for me to hear. It would be interesting to hear and compare the 3 speakers Thank you. I have only heard the Sabrinas in the hotel rooms where even at very close range, they were coherent, open and pleasant. Easy to think they will not sound good in a larger room next to Sasha. Given the way Wilson markets dealer setup, the onus should be on your dealer to position them to sound good in your room. Congrats on your purchase. |
Thanks for your good wishes. I am anxiously awaiting delivery.
It has been hard to read the vitriol and propaganda thrown on this thread. I am kind of new to the site and am sorry that it has morphed into what it has. When I started the thread, I really just wanted to pick the brains of people who knew more than me and did not want pm's asking why I did not audition Personas and shameless, thread hijacking salemanship. I can tell you, if I was in the market for Personas where I would not be going to audition! I am pretty sure I am the only one Troll has not endeared. All the best to all. |
996cupracer:
Sorry to confront Audiotroll so harshly on your thread. I did not mean to go on so long. It is not my style and I did not enjoy it. But I have never confronted a guy like him who just did not get how much his approach was antithetical to how this forum is designed to work for all of us. Anyway, back to your speakers. i am anxious to hear what you think when they are installed. Please let us know. |
I used to have Watt Puppy 7's and upgraded to Sasha's. Love both speakers, just different. I have a room about the same size and thought the Sasha's would be too big. It worked out great and I am glad I do not have larger speakers. The Yvettes are nice but I prefer the Sasha's. The Sasha's are little larger than the WP 7 but are easier to place & easier to sound Great in a room. Even though my room is small I am able to place them about 2 1/2 feet from
the wall. I run them with a T+A integrated amp, sounds great. |
Hello Musifx, what a nice system. How do you like the T+A gear?
I never heard of T+A before, I was introduced to their products when I visited the Audio Doctor showrooms in Jersey City. Dave the store owner gave me a tour of the place, and of course the highlight of the night was their big reference rig, also their movie theater was off the charts!
I heard Audio Doctor's big reference T+A setup with the HV series amp, and preamp, and the sound was absolutely amazing. I have been to many audio dealers, and the occasional show and this sound was just real.
I have vintage tube gear and never thought I could listen and fall in love with solid state gear. When I heard the T+A gear my jaw was on the floor,I have never heard solid state that was as clean with remarkable detail, yet warm and tube like, with incredible bass and dynamics and the system was so musical.
I am totally envious, I was happy for so many years, with my vintage electronics and Audio Physics, now, I got the upgrade bug.
How did you find out about the T+A gear, I never knew about this brand, I have been into audio for many years and never heard of them, and never did I see them in magazines, until recently, sure I knew of MBL and Burmeister.
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I recently auditioned a pair of the Sasha 2 speakers. I have been an audiophile for over 25 years and have heard and owned some wonderful speakers. However, I was transfixed and highly impressed by the musicality, realism, smoothness, detail without harhness or edge and dynamics of the Sasha 2's. I listened to them for over 2 1/2 hours with no ear fatigue.
What actual prices have the Sasha 2's been selling at. Any recommended dealers to purchase from? Thanks.
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Sky, I live in the NY tri-state area. There are only a couple of dealers near me and both are very good, Lyric and Take 5. They don't discount Wilson speakers like many other brands. They don't need to as my dealer says they sell at least 1 -2 pairs per week (I believe him as there were a set of Sasha's and Alex's in crates awaiting delivery at last visit) If I could have found a used pair in the desired color, I would have considered it. They are very heavy (over 500lbs with wooden crates) so delivery and set up were important to me. I will give my admittedly biased review when they arrive, are broken in and are fully sorted. I thought the speakers were worth the relative high cost of admission but your ears and wallet will guide you. For me, most days, I listen 1-3 hours per day so I felt the expenditure was justified and they easily suited my requirements and taste.
I agree, they do possess the sound qualities not found ordinarily and were easily head and shoulders above other speakers that I auditioned. The detail, dynamics and emotional involvement are certainly ,IMHO, some of their best attributes .Good luck and enjoy! |
Hey Cupracer doesn't Innovative also sell Wilsons in your area?
Why no mention of them?
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I am not sure and don't know where they are. |
Cupracer good for you, your sentiment on supporting a good dealer is admirable as well as being smart with a purchase of this magnitude.
Innovative is in New York city they are one of Wilsons top dealers which is why I thought it was a little odd that you didn't visit them as well as Lyric in White plains.
I am glad to see this thread is back on the right footings, I personally don't like to be attacked or have my friend attacked when his track record for finding outstanding products is more than solid, which forced a tit for tat back and forth with Grpu, which then required in my mind to illustrate the how and why Dave works. His philosophy is all about seeking out the new and sometimes better products, which is why his inventory and display products change.
We all need to have an open mind and if a person is suggesting someone try out or check out a product you should consider, that in many times, in these forums, the poster and the commentator are in entirely different parts of the country and therefore, there is no personal or monnetary gain, just one person making a suggestion that the other person wasn't considering.
I hope you enjoy your Sashas, good luck with them.
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Audiotroll:
It was on the right footing. |
I have Wilson Watt 8s, having previously had 7s and 5.1s. I have heard the Sasha 1 and Sasha 2s in various dealer demonstrations and shows. The Sasha 1 was not a large enough improvement over what I have to lead me to change.
The Sasha 2 is noticeably better. I would make the trade but for the fact that the Alexia has been so much more compelling on all the occasions I have heard it at shows. One can follow what cellos and basses are doing very much more clearly, and the imaging is better. I prefer it to the Alexx.
Trouble is, my room is not huge, at 6.4 x 4.2m (21ft x 14ft). Watt 8s don't dominate it; Alexias would. So I wait for the day I can move to another place with a bigger room that can fit the speakers I want. |
Your room is larger than mine dcolver and I still considered the Alexias. My dealer said they would overwhelm and I listened to him. I bet they would work well for your room as yours is larger. Big cost differential though. One thing that I did notice, a decent number of high end electronics manufacturers play Alexias in particular and other Wilson speaker to showcase their gear. They must do it because it puts their equipment in what they feel is the best light. I have not heard the 8s but I am sure they are wonderful and you are enjoying them just fine! Good luck and be content and happy regardless of the rig being played. |
So…after almost a month of waiting, the Sasha 2’s (galaxy gray) were delivered. Shipping weight was over 500lbs and I am glad they come with installation! It took 2 men about 5 hours to unpack, remove the protective film and set them up and store the wooden crates (they did also tweak some wiring as well). I was thrilled when I saw them. The quality of the finish and construction blew me away. The shape is an acquired taste that you either love or hate. Everything about Wilson speakers is polarizing from the sound, price and esthetics and I guess I fall into the group that is attracted to them.
As mentioned earlier, my room is very small causing me concern about the sound fitting and bass issues. The first sounds emitted from them in my room were beyond awful!!! I immediately got worried that I made a huge mistake. The bass was a boomy garbled mess, the highs were shrill and not very smooth , and there was no imaging and sound stage at all creating a poorly integrated 2 separate speaker sound that nobody would love. The look on the installers faces said it all. They were worried too.
Fortunately, the story does not end like this. Closer investigation revealed that the separate amp controlling the 2 in floor mounted sub-woofers used for home theater, had accidentally been switched on and the volume turned way up. Turning this off just about eliminated the bass issues. Tweaking speaker toe-in/out position and proximity to the wall eliminated the remaining bass problems causing it to tighten up nicely. The last problem was imaging and 3d presence which also got better but was not what I would consider good or even acceptable at this level of speaker. With no other tricks in the installer’s bag, one of the installers called Wilson’s engineering department and they took all the crucial measurements from the installer, crunched the numbers, and called us back with a change to the upper module staircase position. Thankfully, it was a miracle after that. Vocalist and instruments were where they should be and the speakers transformed from 2 separate sound sources to one stage of very detailed sound with a very 3d presence allowing vocalist and instrument placement on the stage that was created in front of me.. They now have about 30 hours on them and the sound just keeps getting better. The bass is much tighter and the upper and mid have turned liquid smooth but still retaining the dynamics that Wilson Audio is famous for. Female vocalists like Diana Krall, Eva Cassidy, Melissa Menago, Vanessa Fernandez, Sinead O’connor, Loreena Mckennit are sheer joy now. Horns, strings, pianos, and bow instruments are incredibly detailed and transparent with just enough grain to excite. The textures, highs and mids are almost electrostatic like but IMO, much more realistic, natural and way fuller. Classic rock like Nirvana, Linkin Park, Nills Lofgren and others really come to life as do well recorded classical and Jazz artists like Miles Davis and Dave Brubek. I now find myself expanding my musical tastes and variety because music sounds so dam good or am I just getting older?
I am using a Mcintosh C-50 pre amp including the integrated DAC and smallish MC 152 amp to drive the Sashas and the speaker’s efficiency allows the amp to just about loaf along at impressive volumes. In fact, the volume is rarely turned up past 40%. I exclusively use digital sources (too lazy for vinyl) and am pleased with the level of warmth and depth with the music never becoming overly dry which can happen with very accurate speakers, digital sources and much of today’s synthetic music.
Downsides of the Sasha’s include ability to expose poorly recorded sources, intolerance to lesser speakers, and the large amount of brawn, expertise and time required to set them up properly. I found it amazing that moving the speakers 1/4 to 1/2 and inch accomplished a focusing of the soundstage, tightening of the bass and widening of the sweet spot. Perhaps my close proximity to the speakers magnified the positional importance. I still think there is more available for harvesting and it is fun experimenting.
Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase and the change is a massive upgrade (in sound and price!) to the Sonus Faber speakers that I was using (I do still like the SF sound and may keep them for my art studio…great value and imaging). Music is so much more enjoyable now and I am more addicted than ever! I listen in wonder as very talented musical artists give me private concerts nightly. The speakers have yet to be spiked and the installer is coming back in a couple of weeks after the speakers break in and fine tune the positioning if needed. I expect a bit more benefits to come with spiking and break in. Anyone looking for a dynamic, well balanced, well integrated, full range speaker capable of playing most music styles in a very emotional and engaging and ultra detailed way should consider auditioning the Sasha 2s.
As for the question that inspired the initial post of wether the Alexia’s or Sasha’s would be better for my room? Dan my Salesman says I definitely made the right choice. I trust him, but I don’t think that I will ever know for sure if the Alexia’s would have overpowered the room, but I can say for sure that the Sasha 2s are more than enough and I don’t plan on ever finding out.
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I have no dog in this fight, but I do have some observations. In my opinion, the Wilsons are probably the most musical speakers I have heard. I really love their sound and could listen to them forever.
I recently listened to the Persona speakers and I think they are probably the clearest and best resolving speakers I have ever heard. But they are not as musical as the Wilsons.
JMO, but Wilsons for music, Personas for home theater. The dialog is incredible with the Personas, but I would tire of music much faster with the Personas. They are VERY good with music, but also brighter. Not in a bad way at all, but just not as involving as the Wilsons. |
Bass in a small room is always a problem . I use 4 subs and a DSPeaker Antimode 2.0 in my small room with much success and the bass response is even . Google distributed bass Dr. Earl Geddes
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Thankfully the room and system does not suffer from the boominess or imbalance possible in a small room . The bass is tight, involving, and quite pleasing without fatigue experienced over long sessions.
Vitop, I have not heard the Personas but am curious about how they sound.
The very talented horn player Sebatian Studnitsky's KY Organic on a pair of Sasha 2's is heaven. He is a recent joyful discovery and would recommend his music! |
996cupracer, gratulations with your speakers i really enjoyed reading this thread
( the parts that is about wilson )
I have been auditioning Focal Sopra 2 and 3, and then went to hear what Wilson is all about , i listened to Sabrina with ARC ref6 and ref 150 as well as Sasha 2 on same equipment, heard the Yvette on Devialet, and all i can say is that i was blown away, over the soundstage 3D, bass precise, height incredible.... it was so good and i could have listened forever.
I will for my part "only" be able to opt for the Sabrina sometime in the future....the interesting thing is that your room size is almost the same as mine, so i can only say if i had the money i would go for the Sasha 2 after reading your quest.
How close to the wall are they , i think back of speaker to wall ?
Lots of happy listening, i am sure. |
996cupracer, I don’t have anything that I would call a practiced ear so I am not sure I can really describe it very well. I just know what I like.
Against the Wilsons, the Personas (in my opinion) are more detailed. Everything seems clearer and more detailed. And that is strange to say when comparing to a Wilson because I love Wilsons. So you would think that the Personas are a better speaker with my having said that, but I’m not sure that is true. They are different. I love the Wilson sound and could listen to them forever. The Personas can sometimes come off as a little bright but they are tremendous speakers.
Like I said, sometimes the dialog in a movie can be muffled or there can be a lot going on along with the dialog. The Persona will resolve all of that better than anything I have heard and you just kind of hear all of it at once with absolute clarity. Pretty amazing really.
Right now, I am really thinking about a set of used Wilsons for music (I still like the Wilsons for music better than the Persona), and the Persona for home theater. So far, those are my favorites for those two functions.
I am going to hear some Legacy Audio Speakers also, but am not able to hear them head to head against either the Persona or the Wilsons, so going to be hard to say if they will be better or not, but they are a speaker I want to listen to. Has anyone does a really good comparison between the three? |
Similar to tires, it is very difficult even at the very high end to find one product for all applications. Some music just sounds better on certain speakers. We also hear differently and variably appreciate nuances in sounds. Hence the success of the multitude of manufacturers.
I thought the Sashas were very detailed but your comments piqued my interest in hearing the Personas (not to buy but to experience). Besides the sound and build quality, I like the fact my Wilsons and electronics are made in the US. |
Nice choice- 996cupracer.
I have heard the Sophia/Sasha on many, many occasions.
I have been wanting to demo the Sabrina for a comparison.
What did aspect did you not like about the Sabrina?
Happy Listening!
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The Sabrinas were nice but imo not a full sounding speaker with a missing bottom end. A boy doing a man's job. A sub would be needed for sure resulting most likely in a non integrated sound. It gave the flavor of Wilson sound but not enough of it to impress me. Prior to the Sashas, I owned a pair of Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 and I do not feel the difference would have been worth the switch or even an improvement despite the Sabrinas being 5 times more expensive. Yeah, I know the Sashas are 10 x more expensive but the difference was quite obvious and really impressed me. The law of diminishing return on money spent in hifi is in full effect here but hey, you only live once. |
Absolutely! Sonus Faber is a very nice speaker. what other gear, including cabling, is in your system- 996cupracer? |
Yes, we only live once at this juncture.
Make it count and Happy Listening! |
Other gear includes: Mcintosh mc152 amp, Mcintosh C50 preamp DAC, Blue Sound Node music streamer for tidal processed by above C50, Sony Hap z1es high res music server, Audioquest Red River XLR, Furman dmi15 elite power conditioner, 2 dedicated 20 amp circuits, Audioquest speaker wire (vintage biwire solid core low oxygen copper, they are old but they get the job done)
The system is dead quiet and I take pride in that since I never had that before with other systems. Is it the electronics, the conditioner, the dedicated circuits, the XLRs or all of the above? Don't know. Don't care. Just happy with what I hear and what I don't hear. |
Well, I found my speaker. I was hoping to find something that would combine the detail of the Persona with the musicality of the Wilsons. I had heard great things about the Legacy Speakers and the dealer for them also carried the Tekton speakers. There was a great review of the Tektons and the dealer also told me they might be the best speaker out there for the money.
I went out there and listened to three of the speakers in the Legacy line and one in the Tekton line. I ended up ordering a full Home Theater setup using Tekton speakers.
This has been a great discussion.
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996cupracer-
I'm a bit late to the discussion, I have my sights on SF Venere S model.
I haven't read the entire thread, but were they ever considered?
They seem like a fair deal$5K)considering they are made in Italy(the only model)and share the same drivers as the Olympica models.
Perhaps they may be more of a lateral move with a slight bump?
At least in the showroom with tube gear, they delivered all the attributes of the upper models(well, kept in perpsective)
and look no less than the upscale SF lineup.
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Hi:
I'm not sure about anyone else, but I did hear them. They were pretty good. I listened to quite a few speakers. Too many I think, LOL
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Kuppe38
Which one of the Legacy speakers did you listen to? I really thought a lot of their speakers.
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The Venere S was not introduced when I bought the Venere 3.0. I would have considered them and was disappointed they came out too late for me to consider. The 3.0 is a really good speaker for the money, was a tremendous sound for the money and are gorgeous. They were so good, it got me hooked ... again into hifi. Smooth with excellent imaging. I just wanted more and fell in love with the Wilson sound.
I went to audition the Sabrinas and felt they were actually more than I wanted to spend on speakers to replace my almost new, very enjoyable speakers". Upon being disappointed with the Sabrinas, the budget flew out the window after hearing the Sashas and I realized nothing less would get the job done. Spending double what I initially thought was barely acceptable became a necessity. Haven't looked back for a second. |
The Wilsons have a great sound. They are the first speaker I truly fell in love with.
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Well, it took awhile, but the dealer set up guru came and spiked the speakers and repositioned them after proper break in. I was very happy before but the sound is in another league better now. The sound is so much more focused and imaging and sound stage is clearer and wider. Vocalists now more distinctly project from center position in between the speakers on a stage about ear height (not from the speakers). Instruments are heard from the right and left of the vocalist (barely discerned emanating from the speakers). In my small room, speaker positioning changes of minute amounts made huge differences! It will probably do the same in your room as well if optimized.
To all out there, it is time well spent to either have a pro help with set up, or experiment yourself with position to get the best sound possible. My advice, do this prior to spending a small or large fortune on changing components and cables.
Cheers. |
996cupracer.
So how did it go with your Wilson Audio Sasha , how do they work in your room ?
And are they placed on the long wall , or short wall ?
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They are on the long wall. My above comment from 6/17/17 sums my experience well. I know there is better gear out there. Some for less money and some for more. It does not matter to me as I am happy with the sound. I generally keep my gear for a long time (except for the previous speakers) and intend to do the same with the present system.
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Thank you very much.
I asked the question because my room is almost exact same size as yours, and i did also listen to Sabrina / Yvette and Sasha 2
Have to say Sasha 2 are in my view a really good speaker, so far the best i have heard....so i am trying to see if i will be able to safe up enough money to get a 2.nd hand pair some years from now...as i unfortunately can't buy them new .
My only thought was that they might be too big for such a room size, but your answer made it clear for me :) Thanks. |
The resonant bass on these can be a bit of a challenge but of all the Wilsons this is probably the best behaved in the bass. The mid range is very nice and good driver integration - one of the few speakers I have heard that I like. Go for it! |
Regardless of good intent, a forum is about opinion not sales pitches!
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I’ve had Alexia 1 and Sasha 1 and Sophia 3. I currently am rebuilding a system and have Sophia 2 as a place holder. Wondering how Sasha 2 would compare between Sasha 1 and Alexia 1. 14x21 room w 10’ celining. Same ARC gear. |
I am also going to be buying a pair of sasha 2's in the upcoming weeks, just trying to find a good used pair in the right color. If anyone knows of any for sale not listed online send me a pm please.
OMG I am just glad that these babies that were bashing each other back and forth (Sound Doc and the other 2 weird user names) have finally quit. I read through all of the comments and the sheer volume what each wrote back and forth was absolutely astounding. Some people must have alot of time on their hands to fight about nothing! |
This thread is a couple years old now so op is probably long gone |
